[TheForge] Re: Ralph, Mike and their toys (Was: OT Threads ?)

[Grover Richardson]

>*>-----Original Message-----
>*>From: theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net 
>*>[mailto:theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Mike Spencer
>*>Sent: Thursday, February 16, 2006 6:10 PM
>*>To: theforge at mailman.qth.net
>*>Subject: [TheForge] Re: Ralph, Mike and their toys (Was: OT 
>*>Threads ?)
>*>
>* 
>*>Ha! Close but no cigar, Ralph. I *do* have in mind running 
>*>the A&O with a mouse.  I'm thinking that if I can take a 
>*>computer serial mouse apart and get a little blip of light 
>*>bouncing off a mirror on the rotating shaft and onto the 
>*>mouse optical sensor, that I can then read blips of mouse x- 
>*>or y-motion data from the serial port while running a 
>*>(software) timer and then construct a graphic of an analog 
>*>tachometer on the screen.  I was just in a computer 
>*>recycling place in Halifax today, hoping to find a bucket of 
>*>old mice to hack.  Guy wanted $10 each which is too much for 
>*>stuff I'm going to tear apart and learn on.

You will have to power up the mouse and get the data directly from the
wheel.  I did a mouse interface for some handicap work.  The mouse doesn't
send data in a manner that we consider useful, but the computer likes it a
lot.  But with a little work and a Volt meter, it can be easily done.

Go to a yard sale.  Old mice with a serial connector are free many places.