Special breed mouse
This mouse came to me fifteen years ago. I had a year to sit at the graphics terminal, eight of which were connected to the DEC Alpha. The best mouse to remember from this system.
Firstly, it was round. And unexpectedly, she was comfortably in her hand. Secondly, she stuck into the keyboard. However, I already saw the keyboards that connected to the monitor, or rather the terminal. But the most interesting thing about this mouse is from below!
All the other mice were with a ball at that time. So heavy, rubberized. This ball was supposed to spin the rollers from which the movement was read. In practice, the balls did not spin on any surface (so I had to use rugs), quickly got dirty (and slipped again), and they had to be washed with soap.
This mouse was arranged completely differently. Can you come up with an optomechanical design that is free of the above disadvantages?
The design is no more complicated than a ball, but it works on almost any surface, without any carpet. And does not require periodic cleaning. At the bottom of the mouse are two rollers whose axes are almost vertical, but one is slightly inclined in the longitudinal direction, and the other in the transverse. The rollers are pressed to the surface under the action of their own weight.
During longitudinal movements, a roller works with a transverse tilt of the axis - the tangent to its edge coincides with the direction of movement, so it rotates easily. In lateral movements, another roller spins. But in real life both work, but with different speeds, by which one can calculate not only speed, but also the direction of movement.
Quite unexpectedly, I managed to get the administrator one copy of this rare animal. It seems to be completely working, but there is nothing to check, it differs from the PC ones both mechanically and electrically.
I really wanted to call the topic "coffin mouse on wheels", but it was a pity to spoil the intrigue.
Update: in the comments, a link to an interesting site slipped through: www.oldmouse.com . Turns out weresimilar mice with a regular ball (hello, Logitech!). There is also a photo of the insides , just to make out something complicated.
Firstly, it was round. And unexpectedly, she was comfortably in her hand. Secondly, she stuck into the keyboard. However, I already saw the keyboards that connected to the monitor, or rather the terminal. But the most interesting thing about this mouse is from below!
All the other mice were with a ball at that time. So heavy, rubberized. This ball was supposed to spin the rollers from which the movement was read. In practice, the balls did not spin on any surface (so I had to use rugs), quickly got dirty (and slipped again), and they had to be washed with soap.
This mouse was arranged completely differently. Can you come up with an optomechanical design that is free of the above disadvantages?
The design is no more complicated than a ball, but it works on almost any surface, without any carpet. And does not require periodic cleaning. At the bottom of the mouse are two rollers whose axes are almost vertical, but one is slightly inclined in the longitudinal direction, and the other in the transverse. The rollers are pressed to the surface under the action of their own weight.
During longitudinal movements, a roller works with a transverse tilt of the axis - the tangent to its edge coincides with the direction of movement, so it rotates easily. In lateral movements, another roller spins. But in real life both work, but with different speeds, by which one can calculate not only speed, but also the direction of movement.
Quite unexpectedly, I managed to get the administrator one copy of this rare animal. It seems to be completely working, but there is nothing to check, it differs from the PC ones both mechanically and electrically.
I really wanted to call the topic "
Update: in the comments, a link to an interesting site slipped through: www.oldmouse.com . Turns out weresimilar mice with a regular ball (hello, Logitech!). There is also a photo of the insides , just to make out something complicated.