Homebrew PCBs

--- In Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com, uhmgawa <uhmgawa@m...> wrote:
> mikegw20 wrote:
> > Has anyone used an optical mouse for postion sensing?
> 
> Your term of "optical mouse" is a bit confusing here.
> If you are referring to a ball-driven mechanical mouse
> with x/y photo interrupters, yes that is a possible
> solution with a few constraints.
> 

No, I refer to what we would call an optical mouse, no ball only a 
light.  Ripping the guts out of one would be difficult but strapping a 
small mouse alongside an axis such that in moves in harmony OR pointing 
the sensor at a wheel connected to a shaft.  Both would give the 
distance traveled via the ps2 port.  There are a few designs around to 
interface a micro controller to the ps2 port.  Maybe in the guts of the 
mouse there is a quadrature output avoiding the need for the ps2 
interface.

To me it seems an easy way to get around the difficulty of producing 
high resolution graduated slides (the kind that would otherwise be got 
from an inkjet printer)

Mike