"Ian_Daniel.WGCERX"@XEROX.COM (03/29/88)
You are perfectly correct,an optical mouse can be interfaced to the Atari.All you need are the relevant pin outs of both Atari and mouse.And the ability to put the correct plug on the end of the mouse cable.Most mice I have seen appear to be compatible with the Atari interface.I have in fact interfaced an optical mouse onto my system and it is working fine at present. Regards, Ian
dragon@olivej.olivetti.com (Give me a quarter or I'll touch you) (03/31/88)
in article <880329-001407-1668@Xerox>, "Ian_Daniel.WGCERX"@XEROX.COM says: > You are perfectly correct,an optical mouse can be interfaced to the Atari.All > you need are the relevant pin outs of both Atari and mouse.And the ability to > put the correct plug on the end of the mouse cable.Most mice I have seen appear > to be compatible with the Atari interface.I have in fact interfaced an optical > mouse onto my system and it is working fine at present. > Regards, > Ian Could you mention some brand names of optical mice which are interface compatible with the ST? I have yet to see one. On the other hand, most opto-mechanical mice are (the ST mouse is of this variety, though). I've successfully interfaced Logitech, Amiga, DEC, etc. opto-mechanical mice. It seems most optical mice use a serial interface rather than the parallel type x-y-xquad-yquad interface. It would take a little bit of hacking but should otherwise be possible. --Dean ---- Dean Brunette {ucbvax,etc.}!hplabs!oliveb!olivej!dragon {ucbvax,etc.}!oliveb!olivej!{dragon-oatc,lobster}!dean Olivetti Advanced Technology Center _____ _____ __|__ _____ 20300 Stevens Creek Blvd. | | _____| | | Cupertino, CA 95014 |_____| |_____| |__ |_____ 'Dancing, screaming, itching, squealing, fevered feeling hot Hot HOT!'
sethk@sco.COM (Seth Katz) (04/01/88)
chatterchatterchatter<880329-001407-1668@Xerox>chatterchatter"Ian_Daniel.WGCERX"@XEROX.COM: | You are perfectly correct,an optical mouse can be interfaced to the Atari.All | you need are the relevant pin outs of both Atari and mouse.And the ability to | put the correct plug on the end of the mouse cable.Most mice I have seen appear | to be compatible with the Atari interface.I have in fact interfaced an optical | mouse onto my system and it is working fine at present. How about posting those pinouts, at least for the mouse you use, and the Atari? -s -- microsof uunet \____sco!sethk I can make up my own opinions now. ucscc / ihnp4
pes@ux63.bath.ac.uk (Smee) (04/07/88)
In answer to Dean Brunette, I had one mail reply to my original query. (Sorry, whoever you were, I've disposed of my copy so don't remember your name, but thanks.) If I recall correctly, the person was an Atari person. Anyway... Dean is right, I believe. Most mice I've seen (admittedly, mostly for the IBM-PC, but I'd bet that's the big market) are 'intelligent'. The stuff that the ST keyboard processor does for the ST mouse is generally done inside the PC mouse, and the PC-mouse returns what amounts to a character string telling how far it has moved since it was last asked, and in which direction. The ST, on the other hand, wants the raw 'quadrature' data which is basically a pair of pulse trains (really a pair of pairs, one pair per axis) from which the ST can deduce which way the mouse is going and how fast. It would probably be possible to 'gut' a PC mouse but would be a pricey option. The person who mailed me, though, says that Mouse Systems Corporation make a '2-button, quadrature' mouse which can be used with the ST, though it requires you to rewire it to swap the two X lines (would be pins 1 and 2 on the 9-pin connector). I've written them asking for info (and, if possible, a local distributor -- easier than international mail-order or asking my brothers to buy me one and ship it over). If anyone else wants to try them, they are 'Mouse Systems Corp, 2336H Walsh Avenue, Santa Clara, CA 95051'. (Note, I have no connection with them -- at least not yet.) (If any of the UK readers know who imports Mouse Systems mice to the UK, please mail me. I know that their PC-mice show up over here, because we've got hundreds of them -- but I haven't been able to trace them back to their source, think they must be being imported with our PC's, one step removed.) Cheers, Paul