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Text File | 2006-10-19 | 8KB | 112 lines

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TI MOUSE - FROM MECHATRONICS- A REVIEW
By - Richard A. Fleetwood
Until recently, most computer systems other than the TI 99/4A had a variety of
neat hardware that made them easier to use in many ways. The device most common
to the BIG computers was a device called the MOUSE. The Apple MacIntosh was one
of the first to initiate making the mouse a major part of the system, and it
was followed by most of the other big computer manufacturers like Atari, IBM,
and Commodore. Now thanks to Mechatronics, the TI 99 has a mouse it can call
its own.
For those of you who may not have ever seen a mouse in action, or have no idea
what a mouse is, here is an explanation. A MOUSE is a device similar in use to
a joystick. The mouse is use to MOVE objects around on the screen with much
more ease and exactness then could be achieved with a joystick. This mouse in
particular is a small flat box, shaped to fit in the cup of your hand
comfortably. It has four small flat teflon pads on the bottom of the unit that
allow the mouse to slide over any flat surface smoothly and quickly. If you
turn the mouse over, you will see a round opening out of which a very heavy
rubberized ball hangs out and rolls over the table when you move the mouse
around. This ball is the part of the mouse that makes contact with the sensors
that transfer the data to your computer telling the cursor or icon which way to
move on the screen. It takes very little effort to control the cursor, with an
area about 10 inches wide on your table giving you enough room to move the
cursor from one side of the screen to the other. On the top of the mouse are
two push button switches. The one on the left acts as a fire button/enter key.
The one on the right acts as a HOME key, serving to move the cursor to the
upper left hand corner of the screen when pushed.
When you purchase the Mechatronics TI Mouse, you get a mouse, an ac adapter
that provides the power to the pc board contained within the mouse, an adapter
that allows you to plug the mouse into your joystick port, a disk of several
demo programs using the mouse, and a 20 page manual that explains all aspects
of the mouse operation, and how to interface the mouse with your own programs.
The programs on disk auto load with Extended Basic, and display a menu with 4
different choices consisting of 1)BASIC, 2) TI-DOS, 3) CALCULATOR, and 4)
BREAKOUT. Selecting TI-DOS loads in a program that allows you to have full disk
access such as cataloging up to three drives, reading DISPLAY type files,
loading XB programs, and protecting/unprotecting files. When a disk is
cataloged, the filenames are displayed on the left side of the screen, along
with an icon ( picture ) representation of the type of file that it is. A
program file has an icon shaped like a sheet of paper with one corner folded
over. A DV type file has an icon of an opened file cabinet draw, while other
kinds of files have other types of icons. On the right side of the screen are
several icons for actual control of the TI-DOS system. These icons are to read
Display type files, load programs, protect files, catalog files, and remove an
icon from the cursor of the mouse. These Icons are represented respectfully as
an eyeball with an arrow pointing at it, a TI bug( the TI logo you'll find just
over your number one key), a padlock, three floppy disks with drive numbers on
them, and a small trash can in the lower left hand corner.
Say you want to run the program BREAKOUT, located on the disk that comes with
the unit. If you are in TI-DOS, catalog drive number one by moving the
arrow-cursor to the disk icon marked number 1, and press the left mouse key.
The program will catalog the disk in drive one, displaying the filenames and
their icons for the different file types. BREAKOUT will have an icon that
stands for PROGRAM file. Move the cursor to this icon and press the left mouse
button. The cursor will pick up the icon, and then you can move it by rollng
the mouse around the surface of your desk. Now carry the icon over to the TI
bug(remember the TI logo?) and place the icon over the state of Texas on the
right of the screen. Now push the left mouse button. The computer will clear
the screen and proceed to load BREAKOUT into memory and auto-run it. That's
all there is to using TI-DOS. The other functions of this program are equally
as easy to use. BREAKOUT is game that is available on all kinds of computers,
as well as already being available in other languages for the 99/4A. With the
mouse, it adds a new dimension to the game. CALCULATOR uses the mouse icon as a
hand with a pointed finger to push the buttons on a calculator that is
displayed in the screen. The manual notes that the TI-DOS program supplied with
the mouse is only a Demo program--There is a complete TI-DOS package available
thru Mechatronics that is much more complete.
Interestingly, I just purchased the latest version of TI Artist, version 2.01.
It came with a new DSR routine that I can load thru the INPUT option from the
main menu that allows me to use the mouse to control the cursor and screen
input. The disk even contains the source code. I loaded TI Artist, then loaded
the MECHA file from the TI Artist disk(MECHA is the new DSR routine) and when
it came back to the main menu, I selected 1) and loaded the main TI Artist
program. It took a few seconds to get my bearings and figure out how the mouse
interacted with TI Artist, but that was no problem.  What was a problem was
that somehow the DSR did not completely interface the mouse with the program. I
could move the cursor from side to side easily, but this quickly got boring
with a multitude of horizontal lines going across the screen. When I tried to
move the cursor up or down, the cursor movement in those directions was at best
very jerky; at worst non-existant. I believe that this particular DSR file
needs a little work. When using the mouse with the programs that come packaged
with it, the action is flawless. But when using it for this particular purpose
it was obvious that the TI Artist "Mecha" DSR Link still was in need of help. I
hope to be able to use the Mouse with TI Artist soon because it would allow
unbelievably more flexability over using the keyboard or joystick.
Except for the inability to interface with TI Artist, which is no fault of the
mouse or its software, but of the routine supplied with the TI Artist program,
I could find no faults with the Mechatronics TI Mouse Package. The Software is
fully self explanatory and seems to be uncrashable. The manual, though
translated from German, and a little rough around the edges, but clear and
precise in its layout is great help for setting up the system and using it. The
Mouse itself is made of plastic, with stainless steel bearings for contacting
with the internal sensors, and thick teflon pads which should last a LONG time.
I rate the TI Mouse system an A for overall design, layout, and use. If you
are looking for an addition to your system that will be quite useful, then why
not give this a try. The list price is $ 119.00 but can be found for less then
$ 100 at several mail order suppliers. Don't Forget the Cheese!
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REPORT CARD:                             COST:  $ 119.95 (on sale-$ 99.95-USA)
                                         MANUFACTURER:  MECHATRONICS GmbH
Performance:    A+                                      Dresdener StraBe 21
Ease Of Use:    A+                                      D-7032 Sindelfingen
Documentation:  A-                              -Federal Republic Of Germany-
Value:          A
Overall Grade:  A
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