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| Optical Mouse upgrade for ADB mouse |
Posted by: iantm on 2026-08-17 07:10:27
Anyone ever use this optical upgrade for the ADB mouse? I generally prefer a trackball for a smaller footprint, but I'm intrigued by this, because I love the old industrial design of both mice. They're out of stock, don't know how they have been or will be.
For that matter I never thought to look for an optical upgrade for the Turbo Mouse. |
Posted by: iigs123 on 2026-08-17 07:28:17
I've converted two mice using this kit. I really like it, and it is *much* better than the old mouse ball that is gummed up. |
Posted by: waynestewart on 2026-08-17 07:31:33
I’m using an optical mouse upgrade from Tindie with my IIgs for about a year. It works well and I have no complaints |
Posted by: iantm on 2026-08-17 07:33:26
Nice. Hopefully they'll open up the stock again someday. |
Posted by: obsolete on 2026-08-17 10:36:48
Nice. Hopefully they'll open up the stock again someday. @tt ^^^ |
Posted by: shadedream on 2026-08-18 11:56:17
I have one as well and it is quite nice. They do seem to re-stock it now and then, I had to wait a bit when I got mine.
Just make sure you're looking at the right one for your mouse. They have multiple models for different revisions. |
Posted by: iantm on 2026-08-18 12:15:39
Good to know that there is hope for more sometime, not just wishing. I'm on their waitlists!
I'll have to check which ADB mouse I have. I imagine I have all three… I think I might prefer the boxier version over the ADB II, in particular since I still have my ADB thinking mouse. Wish I knew enough to develop a PCB for that one… I love four button chording! |
Posted by: ironborn65 on 2026-08-19 01:02:45
$72.99? I find it quite pricy, is it just me?.
I can have a wombat for $39 ... yes using a more "modern" mouse instead of a mouse from the '80s with a laser under the hood but does it worth?
and apparently I need to open a hole for the USB connector.
I can find trackball devices for ADB for about $20 ... it does not make much sense to me |
Posted by: iigs123 on 2026-08-19 04:33:18
Yes, it isn't cheap, but I wanted to use the original mouse without it jumping and pausing around the screen. No amount of cleaning got my original mice to track nicely. |
Posted by: shadedream on 2026-08-19 18:19:16
Good to know that there is hope for more sometime, not just wishing. I'm on their waitlists!
I'll have to check which ADB mouse I have. I imagine I have all three… I think I might prefer the boxier version over the ADB II, in particular since I still have my ADB thinking mouse. Wish I knew enough to develop a PCB for that one… I love four button chording!
There's different versions of even each boxy or round mouse, so you want to make sure you have the correct board for the specific version you have.
$72.99? I find it quite pricy, is it just me?.
I can have a wombat for $39 ... yes using a more "modern" mouse instead of a mouse from the '80s with a laser under the hood but does it worth?
and apparently I need to open a hole for the USB connector.
I can find trackball devices for ADB for about $20 ... it does not make much sense to me
It's less about "how much" but more about being able to use an OEM+ mouse without the drawbacks and annoyances of the original. But yeah, not cheap. It's basically a whole replacement PCB with custom firmware that can be adjusted. Different people have different priorities with their old computer hobbies. I have a bunch of trackballs like the ones I used back in the day also because I have fond memories of them.
You don't need to cut a hole for the USB, that's just there so you can remove the board and flash it with newer firmware if necessary. Not normally used. |
Posted by: Froggy814 on 2026-08-19 20:03:33
If you were interested: https://github.com/tt-design-studio/mouse-adb-optical/ |
Posted by: Froggy814 on 2026-08-19 20:09:18
Sorry, thought it had PCBS and code... |
Posted by: s_pupp on 2026-08-20 05:45:21
I have a couple Kensington optical USB/ADB mice (mouses?) with a shape like the teardrop Apple mouse, but the more angular Apple mouse fits my hand better. Given the price, though, whether or not to buy the conversion kit is a tough decision to make. |
Posted by: ironborn65 on 2026-08-20 06:40:27
Sorry, thought it had PCBS and code... Me too!! 😀 I was initially pleased with the GitHub repo, until I realised the PCB is closed-source. |
Posted by: iantm on 2026-08-20 08:17:14
I agree it's not cheap, but I don't plan on converting more than one mouse. I really want to use the vintage mouse:
the more angular Apple mouse fits my hand better.
… precisely for reasons like this. But I don't miss cleaning rollers and mouse balls. Trackballs in general seem to need far less cleaning, perhaps due to hidden internal cleaning mechanisms I didn't know about.
I've used my Wombat more for tethering ADB peripherals to modern computers rather than the other way around, though I probably will try using my Q2 with an SE/30 at some point.
Glad to hear that it's a worthwhile upgrade. The only noticeable complaint I read was that removing the ball changes the weight of the device considerably, for the worse. There might be a way to fake that… If I ever get one I'll play with the idea. |
Posted by: tt on 2026-08-30 21:58:35
I'm still making these in small batches, so they do occasionally go out of stock while I order more parts. It's tough to gauge the demand for such a niche project, especially since I currently have three variants with a fourth nearly ready to release.
The fourth is an ADB II mouse variant (requested by someone on GitHub) that features a built-in connector so it's literally plug and play to install the board. The other boards have the option of soldering or using spring terminals. I'm not sure how many people use the spring terminals, but I wanted it to be accessible to people without a soldering iron.
I see this project almost as a functional art piece (if that makes sense). It gives people a simple upgrade and restoration/tinkering project for a part of their retro setup that they interact with constantly. There is a lot going on under the hood to make it work smoothly, bringing together custom electro-mechanical hardware, MCU firmware, and 68k software design. |
Posted by: iantm on 2026-08-31 05:46:23
I appreciate all of the work that goes into the PCB and software design for it, and love the idea of repurposing the vintage design like this. I do see it as a kind of functional art, that is in line with what has always been Apple's intent. While I did concur the price is "high" I still think it's worth that price. I don't envy the task of trying to make this under purely economical constraints, it's made because someone felt it needed to exist.
I'll be ready whenever there are more available.
Also, nice Egghead software avatar! |
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