This project lets you use an old Spaceball 2003 controller with modern software on modern operating systems. It simulates a 3DConnexion SpaceMouse Pro, so it can be used with software like Fusion 360, 3ds Max, SolidWorks, Inventor, Maya and many others. No special software is required on the computer, apart from 3DxWare. From the computer's point of view, your old Spaceball will look like a real SpaceMouse Pro connected over USB.
To make it work you will need:
- Raspberry Pi Pico
- Pololu 23201a Serial Adapter
- null modem adapter and DB9 gender changer (either as two separate adapters or one that does both)
- breadboard and some jumper wires
Make the following connections between the Pico and the serial adapter:
| Pico | serial adapter |
|---|---|
| 3V3 (pin 36) | VCC |
| GND (pin 23) | GND |
| GPIO20 (pin 26) | RX |
| GPIO21 (pin 27) | TX |
If you don't have the original power supply for the Spaceball, you can power it from the Pico's 5V pin.
Flash the Pico with the spaceball.uf2 firmware the usual way: hold the BOOTSEL button while connecting the board to the computer, then copy the UF2 file to the USB drive that shows up.
Install 3DxWare on your computer and enjoy.
Buttons on the Spaceball (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, pick button) are mapped to the following buttons on the emulated SpaceMouse Pro: 1, 2, 3, 4, Esc, Ctrl, Alt, Shift, Menu. You can assign functions to them in 3Dconnexion's software.
git clone https://github.com/jfedor2/spaceball-2003.git
cd spaceball-2003
git submodule update --init
mkdir build
cd build
cmake ..
make