My rather ancient PS2 cordless mouse has finally failed. Seems to be a problem with the optical part as the rest works.
Problem is it is shared between a PC and this ancient RISCOS machine, which doesn't have USB. via a KVM switch. And a modern mouse with a USB to PS2 adaptor doesn't work.
I'm back on a corded mouse for the moment but hate it. ;-)
the usb->ps/2 adapters are often not generic, they work with the keyboard/mouse they arrived with
I have had various troubles in the past, but solved them all with a number of Aten KVMs. They seem to be really solid.
Might have to bite the bullet...
I've had a DVI/PS2 and now a DP/USB KVM from Aten, they're not perfect but they do produce firmware updates reasonably often and for many years, actually I have a little niggle with the current one I ought to report.
They don't guarantee compatibility with wireless USB mice, but I found mine does work with the Logitech Unifying receiver (some of the custom mouse functions don't work though.)
I've a feeling modern USB mice are very different from the older ones which could be either USB or PS2 via a simple adaptor.
Yes, older mice could detect their own particular USB/PS2 adapter and "become" a PS2 mouse or USB mouse accordingly, I doubt newer ones bother as the world and his dog uses USB these days
If you find e.g. a known logitech mouse and a known logitech USB/PS2 dongle it's possible it might work, but a random green dongle with USB and PS2 ports is unlikely to help.
If a snail hasn't a shell is he a slug? If a peanut hasn;t a shell has it been an assaulted peanut??
I think the problem usually is that the ps2 will not provide enough power normally which is interesting since you had one working!
There are proper convertors around for both ways around though they seem more expensive than the straight adaptors. I have one going the other way, from usb to a mouse and keyboard of the ps2 wired kind on the one usb. I suppose there is no hardware for your elderly machine that can add a usb port? Niche markets like this often have all kinds of specialist vendors that can supply stuff, I even recall seeing a device that used pc memory as a hard drive for azx spectrum the other day, battery backed and with a usb.
I know illogical but there you go. Brian
I'd be more than happy to buy a converter that allowed me to use any modern USB mouse. As they are dirt cheap and far kinder on batteries than the one that's failed.
But my other Acorn machine does have limited USB support, and the USB mouse I use with my fairly recent laptop won't work with that, although older USB ones do.
The mouse/keyboard needs code in them to use the PS2 interface as the adapter is dumb. Not all keyboards and mice have the code or electronics to do so. Just choosing a random mouse and plugging it into an adapter is unlikely to work.
Interesting. I have a KVM switch I haven't started using yet because I haven't got the second PC up and running.
Someone gave me a USB converter which I was planning to use with my Microsoft wireless mouse receiver. However, my other PC isn't that ancient - it is still running on the Xp it was supplied with, so perhaps I'll have better luck?
Seems there is a converter made for the job I need. Called a SmallyMouse. Converts USB to the native quadrature mouse on this old Acorn (I was using PS2 via an adaptor)
The SmallyMouse can also be programmed to work with other ancient computers.
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