ArcMouse 1.0 ============ Archimedes Mouse Conversion for Amiga Copyright © 2 July 1995 by Dave Harris Archive Contents: ----------------- ArcMouse.txt this file ArcMouse.ilbm IFF ILBM picture of the connectors Distribution: ------------- These plans are copyright © 1995 by Dave Harris. However, you have permission to distribute these plans and make this project as long as you don't sell it commercially. Selling this project for the cost of parts plus the local equivalent of $5.00US or less is acceptable. If you distribute these plans, all files listed in the contents must be distributed. Don't leave any out! In short, I don't want others taking credit for or making money from this project, and don't want it to be distributed with missing or hacked up files. Remember that I can waive any of the rules if you talk to me first! Disclaimer: ----------- I am not responsible for anything in here, even if I got it wrong. If you do it wrongly, differently, or even exactly as I say, you take all responsibility for the consequences. In particular, as with any hardware modification, don't try this if you don't know what you're doing. All I'll say is that it worked for me. Proceed at your own risk! Introduction: ------------- A few years ago, there was an article in _Amazing Computing for the Commodore Amiga_ on using an IBM PC-compatible bus mouse with the Amiga. This interested me greatly, as I only had the standard Amiga mouse (which wasn't very good). However, I couldn't find a bus mouse anywhere. In Autumn 1992, I managed to find a copy of Acorn's BBC A3000 Welcome Guide at school (*that*'s an odd thing: Acorn computers in a British school ;-). This thin booklet has the computer's pinouts in the back. I was particularly struck that the Acorn machines have a 9-pin mini-DIN mouse port (the same as a bus mouse port, according to the AC article); I already knew they had three buttons. Now I just had to find an Acorn-compatible mouse. On 16 October 1992, I went to the _Acorn User_ show at the Wembley Exhibition Centre in London. I found two stands selling Clares Micro Mouses: Clares, selling them for £19.99, and someone else, selling them for £19.95. I asked a bloke at the latter whether they were compatible with bus mouses; he told me that they were. I compared the Welcome Guide pinouts with the AC article, and I saw that they were not particularly similar. This is when I decided to go ahead and attempt to convert the mouse anyway. Stuff You Need: --------------- 9-pin `D' female connector multimeter or continuity tester (but see 4 below) something to strip wires with (such as a pair of wire strippers) something to cut a cable with soldering iron and solder 9-pin `D' hood (note that you might need a low-profile hood if you plan to use the mouse with an Amiga 2000) screwdriver Pinouts: -------- 9-pin mini-DIN Function Wire colour 9-pin `D' male connector (Acorn name) (Amiga name) female connector (Acorn side) (Amiga side) 7 Y Reference Mouse V ___________ 1 5 X Direction Mouse H ___________ 2 9 Y Direction Mouse VQ ___________ 3 1 X Reference Mouse HQ ___________ 4 3 Switch 2 Mouse Button 2 ___________ 5 (Menu) 2 Switch 1 Mouse Button 1 ___________ 6 (Select) 6 5V supply +5V ___________ 7 4 0V return GND ___________ 8 8 Switch 3 Mouse Button 3 ___________ 9 (Adjust) How to do it: ------------- 1. See how your mouse opens. Mine has a screw underneath each of the bottom corners of a silver-coloured label: .----------------------------. | CLARES MICRO MOUSE | | | | FOR THE ARCHIMEDES ® | | | `X' represents | Serial No. 0000431 | a screw | | | A Naksha O.E.M. Product | | | |X Made in Taiwan R.O.C. X| `----------------------------' 2. Open your mouse. For mine, this involved peeling back the label, removing two Philips-head screws, and separating the two halves of the mouse's case. 3. If your mouse's plug is attached to its circuit board by wires terminating in a header plug, remove it from the board. Mine did, so I did. 4. Find out which colour wire is attached to which mini-DIN pin. You can use a multimeter for this; if you don't have one, you can make a continuity tester: __________ .----------------|__________|-----------. | | | resistor | ----- cell _ === / \ lamp | \_/ | | | | negative probe positive probe You probably ought to note the colours down; I have provided space on the pinouts chart above for this. 5. Reassemble the mouse. 6. Cut off the 9-pin mini-DIN plug a few centimetres from the mini-DIN plug end of the lead. 7. Strip the wires from the mouse's cable. I stripped about 7 mm of insulation; this was more than plenty. If you're using a hood that doesn't separate around the cable entry, you probably ought to slip it over the cable now. 8. With the help of the chart above, solder the wires to the appropriate pins of the `D' socket. I swapped the right mouse button wire with the middle mouse button wire so I could carry on using my middle finger for menus. 9. Once the solder has cooled, fit the hood. 10. Test your new mouse! Conclusion: ----------- I've been using my converted mouse for nearly three years, and I haven't had any problems yet (neither hardware nor software). Your mileage might vary, and please remember that I take no responsibility for anything that might happen in your life, including (but not limited to) any possible damage to your computer system. Enjoy! Revision History: ----------------- 1.0 (2 July 1995): First public release. Credits: -------- Thanks to the author of the AC article (sorry, but I can't remember the name) for the original idea. Thanks to Darren Ewaniuk (author of RomSwitch) for the Distribution section. Contacting the Author: ---------------------- If you feel the urge to contact me (for instance, to send me money (though I'm not asking for any, I won't refuse it), questions, comments, bug reports, or even questions), you'll be needing this: E-mail: Windy-Miller@neonate.org USnail: 3558S Ashford-Dunwoody Road NE Atlanta, GA 30319-2062 USA Dave Harris ``It's my birthday today. Windy-Miller@neonate.org Ping!''---Claire Bowen