pctechguide.com

  • Home
  • Guides
  • Tutorials
  • Articles
  • Reviews
  • Glossary
  • Contact

Opto-Mechanical mice

The mouse was invented by Douglas Engelbart of Stanford Research Institute in 1963. The first devices were bulky and used two gear wheels perpendicular to each other: the rotation of each wheel was translated into motion along one axis in the plane. By the early 1970s the external wheels had been replaced by a single internal ball that could rotate in any direction and whose motion was detected using perpendicular wheels housed inside the mouse’s body. This variant of the mouse resembled an inverted trackball.

The first PCs were equipped with the traditional user input device – a keyboard. Microsoft’s first PC-specific mouse, designed for use with the company’s word processing application, appeared in 1982. By the end of the 1980s, the inverted trackball style of mouse had become an essential for PCs running the GUI-based Windows operating system. It remained the predominant form of mouse used with personal computers through the 1990s.

The ball of an opto-electronic mouse is steel for weight and rubber-coated for grip. When the mouse is moved, the ball rotates, and as it does so it drives two rollers, one each for x and y displacement. A third spring-loaded roller holds the ball in place against the other two. These rollers then turn two disks with radial slots cut in them. Each disk rotates between a photo-detector cell, and each cell contains two offset light emitting diodes (LEDs) and light sensors. As the disk turns, the sensors see the light appear to flash, showing movement, while the offset between the two light sensors shows the direction of movement.

Mouse

Also inside the mouse are a switch for each button, and a microcontroller which interpret the signals from the sensors and the switches, using its firmware program to convert them to X and Y velocities and translate them into packets of data which are sent to the PC. Serial mice use voltages of 12V and an asynchronous protocol from Microsoft comprised of three bytes per packet to report x and y movement plus button presses. PS/2 mice use 5V and an IBM-developed communications protocol and interface.

  • Keyboards
  • Ergonomic Keyboards
  • Opto-Mechanical mice
  • Optical Mice
  • Cordless Input Devices
  • Laser Mice
  • Trackballs
  • Joysticks
  • Input Device Interfaces
  • Touchscreens

Filed Under: Input Devices

Latest Articles

Four Huge Benefits of Social Media Marketing

Social media marketing is becoming increasingly attractive for many businesses. Companies spent $132 billion on social media advertising in 2020. The amount companies spend on organic social media marketing is even higher. The business and commerce landscape has evolved rapidly during the past … [Read More...]

Blu-ray vs HD-DVD – the war of the blue laser optical disks

Shuji Nakamura's blue laser diode exactly fit requirements for next generation DVDs: accurate, reliable, small and affordable both for manufacturing and running costs. It was a brilliant invention, and it offered the opportunity for a single, industry wide high-definition optical storage … [Read More...]

Video as a Part of Consistent Instagram Marketing Evolution and a Powerful Tool Helping Small Businesses to Develop and Scale

How one markets, one’s brand is directly proportional to the leads and sales one generates on the World Wide Web. When trying to build one’s credibility and network online, keeping up with the latest social media trends is an essential prerequisite. Instagram (or IG) started as a simple … [Read More...]

Comments

  1. shyam says

    February 5, 2014 at 7:43 am

    how can it move in opposite direction

Goodbye Bitcoin: the 3 alternative cryptocurrencies that have great upside potential, according to experts

Bitcoin has been a very lucrative investment for people that got into it early. One report from The Motley Fool pointed out that $10 of bitcoin … [Read More...]

Self-driving cars face their Achilles’ heel and may be targets of hackers

The market for self-driving cars is booming. Customers spent $22.22 billion on these autonomous vehicles in 2021 and they will likely spend more in … [Read More...]

How to avoid scams with bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies

Cryptocurrencies got a bad reputation when scams multiplied like ants on a piece of cake. Even today many people associate bitcoin and other … [Read More...]

WHAT IS CLOUD COMPUTING AND WHAT ARE ITS MAIN BENEFITS?

Users are Increasingly using cloud computing to store their information, which is replacing local storage. The business digitization process goes … [Read More...]

AI-Driven Software Improves Trading Strategies for Investors

Artificial intelligence technology is changing the state of modern finance. A growing number of investors are utilizing AI to improve the … [Read More...]

What You Need to Know When Choosing the Best VPN for an iPhones

Today millions of people have smartphones; most use them to access the Internet. Research shows that more than 50% of Internet users access it with … [Read More...]

Guides

  • Computer Communications
  • Mobile Computing
  • PC Components
  • PC Data Storage
  • PC Input-Output
  • PC Multimedia
  • Processors (CPUs)

Recent Posts

LED Flat Panels

Nearly everyone is familiar with LEDs (light-emitting diodes) from their use as indicator lights and numeric displays on … [Read More...]

What is L2 (Level 2) cache memory?

Most PCs are offered with a Level 2 cache to bridge the processor/memory performance gap. Level 2 cache - also referred to as secondary cache) … [Read More...]

Transparent Language-French

[starreviewmulti id=3 tpl=20] PROS: French language lessons from beginner to advanced conversations. CONS: Immature video and graphics … [Read More...]

[footer_backtotop]

Copyright © 2023 About | Privacy | Contact Information | Wrtie For Us | Disclaimer | Copyright License | Authors