www.jaycrowe.com

Hello everyone. This is my first post here, so I should introduce myself. My name is Ryan and I am a mechanical engineer who is trying to interface an arduino with a Spaceball 4000 flx to control a robot. I am having some luck, but not much. Currently I have a MAX232 RS232 to TTL converter connected to my arduino and my spaceball. When I plug the arduino in, I get the two initialization beeps from the spaceball. I have loaded the Orbshieldserialtest1 sketch and I can get the following only if I press a button:

This sketch simply takes input from the OrbShield's serial port
and sends it out the serial port. DIP switches should be set with
switch 1 (nearest to the serial port) ON, switch 2 OFF
Serial dump follows:

K(75)
@(64)
A(65)

(13)
.(46)
@(64)
A(65)

(13)
K(75)
@(64)
@(64)

(13)
.(46)
@(64)
@(64)

(13)

If I don't press anything I get nothing, so it would seem like I am getting only the data from the switches. Also, this test was performed with only switch #1 on. If I turn on switch #2 then press a button I get:

(19)
(19)
(19)
(19)

This just keeps coming, over and over again. What I am looking for is the raw data from the ball itself so that I can make it command my robot to drive, turn, etc...

Thanks in advance for all your help

I know this post is kind of old,
but for the Spaceball 4000FLX you have to have both dip switches 1 and 2, ON.

That's in Vic Putz's information here :

http://orbduino.sourceforge.net/program ... d_use.html