VMD-L Mailing List

From: John Stone (johns_at_ks.uiuc.edu)
Date: Wed Aug 21 2002 - 17:39:15 CDT

Dear Jill,
  I'm familiar with all of the different Spaceball models, as I've
had to port the spaceball driver I wrote to work with all of the different
models, I borrowed each of the different models to test with temporarily.

I personally like the 2003 and 4000 models the best. If you're nervous
about spending money on these, then the 2003 might be a good way to go
until you get addicted, then you can give the 2003 to a friend and
upgrade to a 4000 once you can't live without 6DOF motion control anymore :-)
That's just my own thoughts on the matter, I personally have several of
the 2003 devices, but I'd upgrade to a 4000 in a heartbeat if I saw one go
for $100 or so. I've gotten so used to the 2003 that I really don't care
about the stiff non-moving ball they use, but that might matter more to
someone that's just getting started. I've heard people mention that
psychological experiements have shown that people find it easier to learn
how to use input devices that have some "give" or "flex" to them, which I
believe is the reason that the newer models like the 4000 have flexable
balls instead of stiff ones.

Here's a brief rundown of the different models, with the Ebay prices
you mentioned:
 
    Model Ebay$ Features/differences, etc:
---------------------------------------------------------------------
HP 4360A This is a Spaceball 2003, in HP clothing.

Spaceball 2003 ~$40 8 buttons, with a "pick" button on the ball itself.
                          Uses the old style 100% stiff strain gauge, no
                          flex at all. Takes a little getting used to, but
                          if you get one that's in good condition, they work
                          just fine. The hardest thing to get used to is that
                          the ball doesn't move at all when you press on it.
                          This model also uses an external power supply, which
                          complicates wiring by the computer just a bit, the
                          external power suppy plugs into the end of the
                          spaceball cable that attaches to the computer, so
                          its easy to hide, but nevertheless still present.
                          This model is entirely lefty/righty agnostic, as
                          the buttons are placed at the top of the device
                          and does not favor either hand.

Spaceball 3003 ~$60 2 usable buttons, the "FLX" version uses the
                          flexable ball which is much easier for newbies to
                          get used to. Having only two buttons seems a bit
                          limiting to me, so I personally prefer the 2003
                          or the 4000, as I find it useful to have more
                          buttons. Draws its power from the serial port.
Review: http://www.deskeng.com/articles/99/Sept/Spaceball3003/main.htm

Spaceball 4000 ~$200 12 buttons, uses the flexable ball which newbies
                          find much easier to use initially. Its setup so that
                          most of the buttons are on one side of the device,
                          but it can be converted to "Lefty" or "Righty" mode
                          by swapping the orientation of the hand rest that
                          attaches to it. Like the 3003, it draws power from
                          the host machine's serial port, so wiring is simple
                          and uncluttered.
Review: http://www.cadonline.com/reviews/hardware/1100mouse/space.htm

Let me know if you have other questions about these things.

Thanks,
  John Stone
  vmd_at_ks.uiuc.edu

On Wed, Aug 21, 2002 at 03:19:08PM -0700, Jill Vickery wrote:
> HI!
> I have decided to purchase a spaceball for manipulation of the models in
> VMD. I was wondering if anyone has experience with the different models,
> particularly the difference between the HP 2003 A4360A, the 3003 models, and
> the latest 4000 flx models. All of these are available on ebay with the
> 2003 going for less than ~$40, 3003 ~$60, and the 4000 >$200. Huge
> difference in price for 4000, but is it worth it? Any advice on which model
> would do the job and is easiest to work with would be appreciated.
> Thanks,
> Jill 

-- 
NIH Resource for Macromolecular Modeling and Bioinformatics
Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology
University of Illinois, 405 N. Mathews Ave, Urbana, IL 61801
Email: johns_at_ks.uiuc.edu                 Phone: 217-244-3349              
  WWW: http://www.ks.uiuc.edu/~johns/      Fax: 217-244-6078