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

[Jerry Frost]

Use an optical mouse and you won't need mirrors, smoke nor physical contact. 
Even new they're pretty cheap and you don't have to take it apart so if you 
can't make it work you can hook it to your computer.

Frosty
-------------------------------
If it ain't forged
it ain't real.
Wrought iron is.
The FrostWorks

Meadow Lakes, AK.

http://www.artmetalradio.com/

From: "Grover Richardson" <grover.richardson at gtri.gatech.edu>


>

>>*>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.
>