USB Mouse/CMI Lightpen Interface Project Status/Update
2010-06-07 by tama_rat
Hi All, Thanks again for the kind words and encouragement for my mouse/lightpen interface project. I've gotten interest for 19 units, which is a bit higher than I expected. :-) I'm building 20 units for this first run. If there is sufficient follow-on interest, I could do another run. These 20 will have a board similar to the one in the photos I posted earlier, but with an RCA jack fitted between the two 5-pin XLR connectors. I'm expecting 20 of those REV2 boards back this week. I should have the full kit of parts to assemble the boards by next week sometime, and I have a technician lined up to assemble them. I'll build the first one or two myself to make sure everything is OK. I've designed a milled aluminum front panel for the units, and will be using Front Panel Express to make them. Once I've got the first REV2 board built I'll verify the connector cutouts on a 1:1 printout of the front panel, then send it out for manufacturing. That panel is designed to fit an off-the-shelf plastic enclosure, 6"x3"x2". Now that I've got the assembly and enclosure figured out, I can announce that the cost per assembled & tested unit will be $175. I'll only be able to accept PayPal payments. If you're local (San Francisco Bay Area), let me know and we can figure something out. I'm probably about 3 or 4 weeks away from getting everything back, put together, programmed, tested, and ready to ship out. I have some other obligations during the first week of July, so that could slow things down a bit. Some details on the interface: Each unit will come with a 5VDC AC adapter. Unfortunately, the CMI doesn't provide power on the monitor/lightpen connector, so the interface has to provide its own supply. The AC adapters I am including operate from 100V-240V, 50/60Hz, so they should be OK regardless of where you live. I'm also including a short IEC power cable that will connect to the VDU AC power connector on the back of the CMI, and provide a US-style 3-prong outlet. You can plug the interface AC adapter into that cable, then that cable into the CMI's VDU power connector, and the interface will switch on and off with the CMI. This is probably most interesting if you are using the interface to connect the CMI to a modern display, like an LCD, and so don't need the CMI's VDU power connector. If you want to use the interface with a real Fairlight VDU, you will need a 5-pin XLR male/female cable wired according to the CMI service manual. I'm debating making these and offering them for sale. If you would want one, please let me know. The connectors are fairly expensive, the cable is 3 shielded cores, and they take a while to properly assemble. If you plan to just use the RCA video out connector on the interface, you'll just need a composite video cable (RCA male to male) and a display with a composite PAL input. Some NTSC monitors/LCDs can deal with the signal from the CMI, since it is monochrome PAL. You'll need a USB mouse. I've been using Microsoft USB mice, as I have a few on hand, but hope to try some other brands soon. When the interface is powered on, it defaults to mouse cursor on, and positions it in the center of the screen. You can toggle it off and on with the right mouse button. If you have a real lightpen fitted as well and bring it to the screen, the mouse cursor is automatically turned off while the lightpen cursor is being displayed. If you take the real lightpen away from the screen and the mouse cursor was previously on, it will reappear. If you have any questions, feel free to drop me an email. If you would like to remove yourself from the list of 19, please let me know. If it turns out that there is a demand for more than these 20 units, I'll start a waiting list for a potential next run. Thank you all for your interest! Joe