Dale Mentzer wrote:
> I have an old bus mouse card and would like to identify
> it. There are no markings on the card, but the main 40 pin
> IC is marked Z-NIX BUS MOUSE VIA. There is a jumper block,
> another IC and several resistors. Do you need a special
> mouse to work with a bus mouse card? Thanks for any info.
Hi Dale,
I can't tell you about the specific card but, yes, you
definately need a special bus mouse. They are electrically
incompatible with other mice, including the ps/2
motherboard mice which have the same connector.
The card should be configurable for different IRQs, but
since they are 8 bit cards, they are limited in the IRQs
which they can use. You save a comport but you still loose
an IRQ. IRQ5 is what is usually the best choice in systems
which already have two serial ports. Another disadvantage
is that it takes up a slot which may be needed for
something else. Ofcourse, the fact that you need a
relatively hard to find mouse is no advantage either.
I have tried them but don't see any advantage and there
is even a libiality because someone could plug a ps/2
mouse into it which could reportedly cause damage. I have
yet to run into a situation where I don't have either a
serial port, or motherboard mouse connector available, and
that is the only situation where I think it could be handy.
Note that Microsoft sometimes calls a bus mouse an
"Inport" mouse. Same thing, just a proprietary name.
Cheers,
Ole Juul
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