On Fri, 19 Jan 2007 21:38:35 GMT in comp.arch.embedded, Joerg <notthisjoergsch@removethispacbell.net> wrote:>Since I have to do a largish schematic and won't be in the office the >whole time I wanted to connect my trusty old trackball to a laptop. This >old mouse still boasts a, gasp, 9-pin serial connector. But you know how >it is, when you get used to a tool no matter how ancient you don't want >to miss it. Just as I still miss that wonderful Fahrvergnuegen of my >first car... > >Tried it on two laptops, a Dell and a new Twinhead that surprisingly >also came with a RS232 serial port. Neither recognized that anything >"new" was connected nor could I find any setup in Windows (one is XP, >the other NT/2000). I am sure I can dig out the old mouse drivers but >they are from the days when Windows were still those glass thingies that >you use Windex on. > >How do you get an old serial port mouse working on a "modern" laptop?(These are probably way beneath you, but sometimes we overlook the simplest things.) Have you checked the BIOS settings to be sure COM1: is enabled? Is there any chance that you could need a 9-pin to 9-pin null modem? I also vaguely recall from my old DOS days that there were at least 2 alternate pinouts for the 9-pin port. You should ask Logitech what pinout they used. hope that helps Joe
Old trackball won't work on modern laptops
Started by ●January 19, 2007
Reply by ●January 20, 20072007-01-20
Reply by ●January 20, 20072007-01-20
["Followup-To:" header set to sci.electronics.design.] On Fri, 19 Jan 2007 22:17:46 GMT, Joerg <notthisjoergsch@removethispacbell.net> wrote in Msg. <esbsh.2599$O02.2189@newssvr11.news.prodigy.net>> Then my mouse would work. However, a slight inconvenience would be that > the CAD program the mouse is supposed to be used with would quit working ...EAGLE works fine under Linux. And if all you want to do is draw schematics while on the road you can even temporarily use the free edition, and then do the layout on your paid-for Windows version. robert
Reply by ●January 20, 20072007-01-20
Robert wrote:> "Joerg" <notthisjoergsch@removethispacbell.net> wrote in message > news:JIesh.17306$Gw4.8802@newssvr23.news.prodigy.net... > >>Jim Thompson wrote: >> > > [snip] > >>>>>>> >>>>>>>Isn't there a simple adapter to convert between serial and PS/2? >>>>>>> >>>>>>>AND: Haven't you already wasted $50 of your time trying to be >>>>>>>cheap-ass, when a new track-ball can be had for $49 ?:-) >>>>>>> >>>>>>>I thought you would have learned that time is money by now ;-) >>>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>>I do. But there comes a time when I need a little breather from staring >>>>>>at a CAD screen or figuring out how to cram umpteen analog functions >>>>>>into the space of about two quarters. Also, it's not about money, I >>>>>>like this old mouse and I know it won't give cramps like most others. >>>>>> >>>>>>BTW, Logitech says on their site that their driver (MouseWare) will not >>>>>>support serial mice under 2k and XP. Great. But they did say that 2k >>>>>>and XP have native drivers for that. Question is, who knows where? >>>>> >>>>> >>>>>Try turning off the machine. Plug in track-ball. Boot up. See if >>>>>pointer moves. I'd bet that it will. >>>>> >>>> >>>>Tried that on both machines. No trabajo :-( >>> >>> >>>Maybe the serial port is a fake ?:-) >>> >> >>No :-) >> >>It's done some serial com already. >> >>-- >>Regards, Joerg > > > Do you have "Fast User Switching" turned on? >Full confession: I don't even know what that is.> MS Help mentions that Serial Devices can be used for people with handicaps > and hooked up to Serial Ports but only with turning off that option in > WindowsXP. > > Search Help on "SerialKey device" >Thanks, Robert, will try later today. First I have to repair our pool sweep. Again. Its freaking expensive hose became brittle (!) and broke. -- Regards, Joerg http://www.analogconsultants.com
Reply by ●January 20, 20072007-01-20
Genome wrote:> "Joerg" <notthisjoergsch@removethispacbell.net> wrote in message > news:vTash.2588$O02.10@newssvr11.news.prodigy.net... > >>Since I have to do a largish schematic and won't be in the office the >>whole time I wanted to connect my trusty old trackball to a laptop. This >>old mouse still boasts a, gasp, 9-pin serial connector. But you know how >>it is, when you get used to a tool no matter how ancient you don't want to >>miss it. Just as I still miss that wonderful Fahrvergnuegen of my first >>car... >> >>Tried it on two laptops, a Dell and a new Twinhead that surprisingly also >>came with a RS232 serial port. Neither recognized that anything "new" was >>connected nor could I find any setup in Windows (one is XP, the other >>NT/2000). I am sure I can dig out the old mouse drivers but they are from >>the days when Windows were still those glass thingies that you use Windex >>on. >> >>How do you get an old serial port mouse working on a "modern" laptop? >> >>-- >>Regards, Joerg >> >>http://www.analogconsultants.com > > > Cock > > You use Eagle and I know that Eagle has some reverse Polish notation about > the way it forces you to lay out tracks so there is a good chance that the > rest of it is cock as well so I 100% know that since all of Eagle is fucking > broken you only want to use your trackball because you have been forced to > use Eagle because you bought it and have learned how to do it with your > trackball and now there is no way you are going to admit to the fact it is > cock. >You can use Eagle via keys, just like OrCad. But it's no fun that way for larger designs. And I don't do layouts, that's done by someone who is an expert in that field (which I am not). -- Regards, Joerg http://www.analogconsultants.com
Reply by ●January 20, 20072007-01-20
Joseph Power wrote:> On Fri, 19 Jan 2007 21:38:35 GMT in comp.arch.embedded, Joerg > <notthisjoergsch@removethispacbell.net> wrote: > > >>Since I have to do a largish schematic and won't be in the office the >>whole time I wanted to connect my trusty old trackball to a laptop. This >>old mouse still boasts a, gasp, 9-pin serial connector. But you know how >>it is, when you get used to a tool no matter how ancient you don't want >>to miss it. Just as I still miss that wonderful Fahrvergnuegen of my >>first car... >> >>Tried it on two laptops, a Dell and a new Twinhead that surprisingly >>also came with a RS232 serial port. Neither recognized that anything >>"new" was connected nor could I find any setup in Windows (one is XP, >>the other NT/2000). I am sure I can dig out the old mouse drivers but >>they are from the days when Windows were still those glass thingies that >>you use Windex on. >> >>How do you get an old serial port mouse working on a "modern" laptop? > > > (These are probably way beneath you, but sometimes we overlook the simplest > things.) > > Have you checked the BIOS settings to be sure COM1: is enabled? >It is. Has worked with other things, piping data out of the logic analyzer etc.> Is there any chance that you could need a 9-pin to 9-pin null modem? >Hmm, could be.> I also vaguely recall from my old DOS days that there were at least 2 alternate > pinouts for the 9-pin port. You should ask Logitech what pinout they used. >Well, it works on the big PC which supposedly should have the same pinout on its ports. But that one runs NT4. -- Regards, Joerg http://www.analogconsultants.com
Reply by ●January 20, 20072007-01-20
Joerg skrev:> Since I have to do a largish schematic and won't be in the office the > whole time I wanted to connect my trusty old trackball to a laptop. This > old mouse still boasts a, gasp, 9-pin serial connector. But you know how > it is, when you get used to a tool no matter how ancient you don't want > to miss it. Just as I still miss that wonderful Fahrvergnuegen of my > first car... > > Tried it on two laptops, a Dell and a new Twinhead that surprisingly > also came with a RS232 serial port. Neither recognized that anything > "new" was connected nor could I find any setup in Windows (one is XP, > the other NT/2000). I am sure I can dig out the old mouse drivers but > they are from the days when Windows were still those glass thingies that > you use Windex on. > > How do you get an old serial port mouse working on a "modern" laptop? > > -- > Regards, Joerg > > http://www.analogconsultants.comany old serial mouse should be recognized by XP, I believe most serial mouses and such "steal" their power from the serial port, it may not be enough with a low power serial port driver in a laptop -Lasse
Reply by ●January 20, 20072007-01-20
Joerg wrote:> Since I have to do a largish schematic and won't be in the office the > whole time I wanted to connect my trusty old trackball to a laptop. This > old mouse still boasts a, gasp, 9-pin serial connector. But you know how > it is, when you get used to a tool no matter how ancient you don't want > to miss it. Just as I still miss that wonderful Fahrvergnuegen of my > first car... > > Tried it on two laptops, a Dell and a new Twinhead that surprisingly > also came with a RS232 serial port. Neither recognized that anything > "new" was connected nor could I find any setup in Windows (one is XP, > the other NT/2000). I am sure I can dig out the old mouse drivers but > they are from the days when Windows were still those glass thingies that > you use Windex on. > > How do you get an old serial port mouse working on a "modern" laptop?Could you fit a PS/2 connector on the existing lead ? Or how about this instead ? http://cgi.ebay.com/Microsoft-IntelliMouse-Trackball-PS-2-Serial_W0QQitemZ230080758747QQihZ013QQcategoryZ116301QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem Graham
Reply by ●January 20, 20072007-01-20
langwadt@ieee.org wrote:> Joerg skrev: > >>Since I have to do a largish schematic and won't be in the office the >>whole time I wanted to connect my trusty old trackball to a laptop. This >>old mouse still boasts a, gasp, 9-pin serial connector. But you know how >>it is, when you get used to a tool no matter how ancient you don't want >>to miss it. Just as I still miss that wonderful Fahrvergnuegen of my >>first car... >> >>Tried it on two laptops, a Dell and a new Twinhead that surprisingly >>also came with a RS232 serial port. Neither recognized that anything >>"new" was connected nor could I find any setup in Windows (one is XP, >>the other NT/2000). I am sure I can dig out the old mouse drivers but >>they are from the days when Windows were still those glass thingies that >>you use Windex on. >> >>How do you get an old serial port mouse working on a "modern" laptop? >> >>-- >>Regards, Joerg >> >>http://www.analogconsultants.com > > > > any old serial mouse should be recognized by XP, I believe most > serial mouses and such "steal" their power from the serial port, it may > not > be enough with a low power serial port driver in a laptop >Ah, that could be a clue. Might be time to get the screwdriver and meter. Or buy a new trackball and try to get used to that but the "modern" ones seem to be designed for smaller hands. Or maybe I should quit chopping my own firewood so my hands fit the new trackballs... -- Regards, Joerg http://www.analogconsultants.com
Reply by ●January 20, 20072007-01-20
Eeyore wrote:> > Joerg wrote: > > >>Since I have to do a largish schematic and won't be in the office the >>whole time I wanted to connect my trusty old trackball to a laptop. This >>old mouse still boasts a, gasp, 9-pin serial connector. But you know how >>it is, when you get used to a tool no matter how ancient you don't want >>to miss it. Just as I still miss that wonderful Fahrvergnuegen of my >>first car... >> >>Tried it on two laptops, a Dell and a new Twinhead that surprisingly >>also came with a RS232 serial port. Neither recognized that anything >>"new" was connected nor could I find any setup in Windows (one is XP, >>the other NT/2000). I am sure I can dig out the old mouse drivers but >>they are from the days when Windows were still those glass thingies that >>you use Windex on. >> >>How do you get an old serial port mouse working on a "modern" laptop? > > > Could you fit a PS/2 connector on the existing lead ? >Yes but the new laptop does not have a PS/2 port anymore :-(> Or how about this instead ? > > http://cgi.ebay.com/Microsoft-IntelliMouse-Trackball-PS-2-Serial_W0QQitemZ230080758747QQihZ013QQcategoryZ116301QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem >Too small. What I like about my old trackball is that I can roll the ball and keep the other fingers stretched out. It's much bigger and more healthy for the joints. -- Regards, Joerg http://www.analogconsultants.com
Reply by ●January 20, 20072007-01-20
"Joerg" <notthisjoergsch@removethispacbell.net> wrote in message news:CRush.17372$Gw4.9435@newssvr23.news.prodigy.net...> Eeyore wrote: > >> >> Joerg wrote: >> >> >>>Since I have to do a largish schematic and won't be in the office the >>>whole time I wanted to connect my trusty old trackball to a laptop. This >>>old mouse still boasts a, gasp, 9-pin serial connector. But you know how >>>it is, when you get used to a tool no matter how ancient you don't want >>>to miss it. Just as I still miss that wonderful Fahrvergnuegen of my >>>first car... >>> >>>Tried it on two laptops, a Dell and a new Twinhead that surprisingly >>>also came with a RS232 serial port. Neither recognized that anything >>>"new" was connected nor could I find any setup in Windows (one is XP, >>>the other NT/2000). I am sure I can dig out the old mouse drivers but >>>they are from the days when Windows were still those glass thingies that >>>you use Windex on. >>> >>>How do you get an old serial port mouse working on a "modern" laptop? >> >> >> Could you fit a PS/2 connector on the existing lead ? >> > > Yes but the new laptop does not have a PS/2 port anymore :-( > > >> Or how about this instead ? >> >> http://cgi.ebay.com/Microsoft-IntelliMouse-Trackball-PS-2-Serial_W0QQitemZ230080758747QQihZ013QQcategoryZ116301QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem >> > > Too small. What I like about my old trackball is that I can roll the ball > and keep the other fingers stretched out. It's much bigger and more > healthy for the joints. > > -- > Regards, JoergHave you seen the other large Trackballs? Kensington makes quite a few. Here are two of the large ones: http://us.kensington.com/html/1436.html And then an even larger one with a 3 inch ball at: http://www.askergoworks.com/shopexd.asp?id=936 Can't find a website for that one directly but there seems to be a lot of distributors. Robert
