Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Re: Hacking Optical Mice as position/distance encoders

ballendo@... wrote:

> They appear to have some sort of motion sensor, as they "light up"
> when moved VERY slightly (one report was that .001 movement
> "initiated" them)

I recently bought a Logitech optical mouse. A shop environment isn't the
best for a mouse, and the old one was constantly getting gummed up.

There is one issue with these that you should know about. Now, I'm using
mine directly on a faux wood grain surface, but often when I stop
movement of the mouse, the cursor sits there and shakes. Obviously it's
having some problem resolving exactly where it is. This poses no problem
at all in use. I've not done anything like real testing, but I did
discover that the mouse works just fine on the denim of my pants leg,
and while I don't do that as regular practice, I haven't noticed the
cursor shake issue on denim. I think you will want a fairly fine
resolution surface with regular features for best results.
Also, the LED that illuminates the surface being scanned has two power
levels, when it detects motion it kicks into high power.
That's all I know about these critters.

Jon