[comp.sys.att] Mouse on AT&T 6300 ?

dan@rna.UUCP (Dan Ts'o) (05/07/91)

	Is there a known problem with putting a mouse on the AT&T 6300 ?
I've tried using MOUSE.COM and MOUSE.SYS from Microsoft, various versions, and
all hang immediately.
	Please email responses. Thanks.

				Cheers,
				Dan Ts'o		212-570-7671
				Dept. Neurobiology	dan@rna.rockefeller.edu
				Rockefeller Univ.	...phri!rna!dan
				1230 York Ave.		tso@rockvax.bitnet
				NY, NY 10021

dewg6808@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Daniel Elvis Weber) (05/09/91)

This is in regards to the note posted earlier concerning having problems
getting the mouse to work on the AT&T PC6300.  Unfortunately, I have the 
same problem and not the solution.  I am posting this to provide more 
particulars about the behaviour of the mouse driver in the hope that it 
might provide somebody with some clues as to what might be going wrong.

If a solution has already been determined, but e-mailed to the original
author, could you either post the fix or send me mail?  (Ah yes!  That
famous phrase: "Once you get a solution can you e-mail to me too?  Me
too?" :-) )  Also, just to be fair, this message will be cross-posted to
other groups if no answer has been forthcoming in a week.

				Thank you,
				Daniel E. Weber
				weber@cs.uiuc.edu

THE SOFTWARE:
MS-DOS v 2.11 Copyright 1981,82,83 Microsoft Corp.  (Command v 2.11)
Microsoft (R) Mouse Driver v 6.26
	Copyright (C) Microsoft Corp. 1983-1989

THE HARDWARE:
AT&T PC6300:
	640K RAM
	20Mb Hard drive
	1 360K Floppy (internal)
	1 Serial Port (COM1)
	1 Parallel Port
Add-ons (concerning this problem):
	1 Serial Port courtesy DAK.  (Supposedly COM2)
	1 Logitech Mouse - Model No. MB (82-9F ?)

THE PROBLEM(S):
Problem 1)
The Microsoft Mouse Driver does not appear to recognize a mouse attached to
the mouse port on the keyboard of the AT&T PC6300.  The error message
displayed is: "Driver not installed - Microsoft Mouse not found!"  However,
when the mouse is attached to the built in serial port (COM1) it *is* 
recognized.  This makes using a mouse frustrating if one has other devices 
that need to use the serial port (e.g. a modem) because one has to disconnect 
whatever device is currently attached and replace it with the mouse.  Several
sessions of this kind of swapping prove to be tedious.

Also, the diagnostics program that came with MS-DOS when the machine was
purchased claims that the mouse, when attached to the keyboard, *is* attached
and working, even though it is obvious that all of the tests it performs fail.  

Problem 2)
When the mouse was purchased, it came with an add-on card that was to
provide an extra RS-232 serial port: COM2.  The card has yet to work
correctly, and when questioned about the installation procedure, the people
at DAK industries couldn't tell me what the correct settings for the dip
switches were!  (In fact, one gentleman in "Technical Support/Hardware
Support" didn't even know what a dip switch was!  I don't mean to slam
them, but I've never received poorer service in my life.)  I've already
tried setting all of the various COM2 settings described in the MS-DOS
manual with no luck.  However, I haven't tried all 256x(#settings) 
combinations of the dip switches and COM2.  (ICK!)

HELP????
If somebody knows what needs to be done to get the keyboard to recognize the
mouse, please let me know.  If, as an aside, somebody knows what might be
going on with the add-on card, that would be nice too.  If further information
is needed, please be specific about what you need to know, and I'll try
everything short of beating the motherboard with a wrench to get it.

gjh@krebs.acc.Virginia.EDU (Galen J. Hekhuis) (05/09/91)

I maintain several many 6300 machines (although the number is shrinking
due to attrition) and have hooked up several different mice of several
different flavors to the machines with no problem.  I have even hooked
up a dmd (AT&T 5620) mouse to a 6300 and 6300+ keyboard port and had
it work (although the keyboard port is not the item of choice for
all programs...).  Can't say as I've ever tried a Microsoft driver
with a Logitech mouse however, I usually run the manufacturer's 
driver with the manufacturer's mouse, but it should work.  BTW, the 
keyboard is not a COM port, although there are things that are alike,
there are differences too.  As long as I don't get swamped, I'll be
happy to help.  My email address is pretty reliable, more reliable in
fact than the phone number (also at the end of this note.)  How many
6300's can there be?  (I get this funny feeling I may be about to 
find out)...

       hang gliding mailing list: hang-gliding-request@virginia.edu 
     Galen Hekhuis  UVa Health Sci Ctr (804)982-1646 gjh@virginia.edu
                 Shhh.   Just keep it under your cat.

donham@prarie.enet.dec.com (Progress Through Tradition) (05/09/91)

I haven't looked at the schematic for the keyboard, but it appears that
the mouse port on the AT&T 6300 KB is simply paralleling the arrow keys.
There's some additional logic involved, since you can redefine the mouse
scan rate and remap the buttons, but basically what you've got is a
rolling arrow key.

One of the projects on my todo list is to write a snippet of code to
slow the bloody thing down a bit.

Perry Donham
Digital Education (this week)

rwhite@jagat.uucp (Robert White) (05/10/91)

There is a special ROM facility for doing actual mouse movement
through the 6300 keyboard interface.  The mechanisim defaults
to a state where mouse movement generates keyboard-style arrow
codes (and enter and something else for the mouse buttons)

You will need the special driver for using the keyboard mouse
as a regulation mouse.  Once installed the mouse will operate
as a standard Microsoft(tm) compatible mouse with the following
exceptions (at least):

1)	If you move the mouse while some programs are *loading* the
   system will hang.  Dont ask me why, but it does.  Be patient.

2) If your program does clever things with the keyboard interrupt
   you may void your warentee cause the driver might not be able
   to find the mouse port after a while.

3) For TSRs see rule number 2

We might have such a driver floating around work.  If we do and
I can find it I will post contact info.  You can order the
"offical" keyboard mouse from AT&T and it will come with the
driver you need.
-- 
Robert C. White Jr.          |  I have moved my news reading activities
rwhite@jagat           <Home |  not directly related to my job off of my
rwhite@nusdecs         <Work |  employers machine.  Please use "jagat"
"Like most endevors, life is seriously over-advertised and under-funded"

rl@cbnewsl.att.com (roger.h.levy) (05/11/91)

In article <1991May8.210337.10850@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu>, dewg6808@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Daniel Elvis Weber) writes:
> This is in regards to the note posted earlier concerning having problems
> getting the mouse to work on the AT&T PC6300.  Unfortunately, I have the 
> same problem and not the solution.  I am posting this to provide more 
> particulars about the behaviour of the mouse driver in the hope that it 
> might provide somebody with some clues as to what might be going wrong.
> 
> If a solution has already been determined, but e-mailed to the original
> author, could you either post the fix or send me mail?  (Ah yes!  That
> famous phrase: "Once you get a solution can you e-mail to me too?  Me
> too?" :-) )  Also, just to be fair, this message will be cross-posted to
> other groups if no answer has been forthcoming in a week.
> 
> Add-ons (concerning this problem):
> 	1 Serial Port courtesy DAK.  (Supposedly COM2)
> 	1 Logitech Mouse - Model No. MB (82-9F ?)
> 
> THE PROBLEM(S):
> Problem 1)
> The Microsoft Mouse Driver does not appear to recognize a mouse attached to
> the mouse port on the keyboard of the AT&T PC6300.  The error message
> displayed is: "Driver not installed - Microsoft Mouse not found!"  However,
> when the mouse is attached to the built in serial port (COM1) it *is* 
> recognized.  This makes using a mouse frustrating if one has other devices 
> that need to use the serial port (e.g. a modem) because one has to disconnect 
> whatever device is currently attached and replace it with the mouse.  Several
> sessions of this kind of swapping prove to be tedious.
> 
> Also, the diagnostics program that came with MS-DOS when the machine was
> purchased claims that the mouse, when attached to the keyboard, *is* attached
> and working, even though it is obvious that all of the tests it performs fail.

I'm puzzled why and how one would attempt to connect the same mouse first
to the keyboard and then to the built-in serial port.  The connectors are
physically and electrically different.  If your mouse is in fact the AT&T
keyboard mouse or equivalent, use the keyboard.  If it's a serial mouse,
use the serial port.  I think the 6300 is getting an unfair rap if its
critics can not appreciate these differences.  Also, it's usually the case
that you must use matching hardware and drivers.  Is there a reason to
believe that Microsoft drivers should work with this mouse?

In my experience, the 6300 works fine with keyboard, serial, and bus mice
when they are properly installed with compatible drivers.