I have looked into how these optical mice work. They use low angle illumination to take a 16 x 16 pixel image of the texture of the desktop. Then they take another picture and correlate it with the first. The image offset and time difference give movement.

They don't work on featureless surfaces. White paper is ok, but a smooth white painted surface is out. They also don't like mirrors and holograms. Most any household surface is fine.

I intend to add some demagnifying lenses so two mice can look at the floor from the bottom of a robot and track how the robot moves. Unfortunately the USB interface is hard to use from anything but a PC. I fear I may need two PC's, one for each mouse http://www.ironworksforum.com/ubb/no...iles/frown.gif

Sherpa Doug

Do you need any thing special on PCs for them to work?

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<UL TYPE=SQUARE>
<LI> Winner of EPSRC 2000 Science Website[/list] http://www.asnsoup.com/a.jpg

If you get an infared mouse it will come with a little usb or ps2 device that plugs into your computer. This has a infared sensor on it that communicates with the mouse and lets the computer know where the mouse is. I have never seen a wireless optical mouse, but that doesn't mean they haven't made one. I have the Microsoft explorer optical mouse and I love it. I have never really cared for Wireless mice because of battery issues, but optical is the way to go.

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"The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his."
-General George Patton (1885-1945)
http://www.asnsoup.com/americansig.jpg
Member of CLAN HADB

THANKS! I just like the red glow in the dark Mouse
and visit http://www.ironworksforum.com/ubb/No...ML/009915.html




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<UL TYPE=SQUARE>
<LI> Winner of EPSRC 2000 Science Website is @
http://www.epsrc-sciencerace.net/schools2000/534121/
<LI> My own Forgotten Realms Website is @
http://www.forgottenrealms.main-page.com[/list] http://www.asnsoup.com/a.jpg

Why did you have to put that link there?

I HAD respect for you until now. Any Aerie lovers get no respect from me.

I understand you must be new to BG and that's hopefully why you are nieve enough to start a club supporting the most annoying, moody, weak, bitchy NPC in the entire gamehttp://www.ironworksforum.com/ubb/no...les/tongue.gif.

I curse you with an eternity of listening to "Faster then Chitika Fastpaws" over and over again until you start bleeding from your ears!

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"The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his."
-General George Patton (1885-1945)
http://www.asnsoup.com/americansig.jpg
Member of CLAN HADB

Hmm, well I have both here http://www.ironworksforum.com/ubb/no...iles/smile.gif I like the cordless alot, ok still no IR on it, but man, that freedom is extremly good! The IR mouse is very good too, no easy choice, The IR mouses can have some issues with some mats, but not any special neede. Don´t use it on a to "glossy" material and you will be fine.

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Be vevvy qwiet..I´m hunting wabbits...
Wolfgirs lair
once-upon-a-paper