To start, I've been looking for a PXL Pro or substitute ever since Quake 2 when I realized I suffered from a disadvantage of accuracy because the trackball on the PXL had a low DPI count. I've been using a Panther XL (PXL) ever since it was released to play Quake I in 1997, so my brain is very used to the PXL set-up.
I made an optical mod shown below, but it's been collecting dust as can been seen to the astute observer because the trackball skips and constantly has to be refrosted. If I could find a trackball that was the same size and polka dotted, that might fix it, but I haven't found a suitable substitute.
Then, I bought a Kensington Expert Mouse Trackball and a CH Combat Stick which looked like another good replacement combo, but the dead zone on the joystick was too loose and I couldn't move effectively. Furthermore, I wouldn't have a suitable molding to keep the unit together which is important to me because I play with the PXL on my lap. So, my latest idea was to combine the PXL joystick with the Kensington Trackball because the trackball was working and giving me the accuracy I needed - the movement was my big problem.
So, I took an older PXL and took the bottom off and cut the top part of it in half - I didn't want the trackball end shown below:
Then, I cut the wires and removed the parts from the trackball and the light - do not remove the wires from the rudder or else the joystick won't work (a lesson learned the hard way). There is enough room to stuff the control board under the joystick and fasten back the base with three of the screws. I covered the left side of the PXL base with fuzzy velcro where the trackball used to be and I put hook velcro on the bottom of my trackball. I used industrial strength velcro that sticks well and lasts a long time.
The results are shown below from the top and front views respectively.
Top View
Front View
This combination has finally worked for me and my rail has improved significantly.
The only improvements, cons, or fixes that need to be done are:
1) Create and install some type of cover for the side of the joystick end to protect it. Notice you can see some of the control board exposed in the picture.
2) The lower left button on the trackball is a little tough for me to reach. But, I should get used to it after a while.
3) I actually lost a button in the transition because the trackball has one less button than the PXL trackball. However, if I make another modification, I'll try to keep the 5 buttons from the trackball to give me a net gain of 4.
The advantages are:
1) The trackball has significantly better performance
2) Any trackball can be used and placed on the left side
3) The learning curve is low since I'm still using the same PXL joystick