![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_e_biggrin.gif)
Does anyone make "retro" USB mice in the style of the old, boxy ones from the 80s?
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- Location: United States
- Main keyboard: Logitech K120
- Main mouse: Logitech M500
- Favorite switch: Cherry MX Brown
- DT Pro Member: -
I mean things like the Mouse Systems mouse that was barely more than a grey brick with buttons.
Those really chunky, blocky looking ones from the early days of mousing. Does anyone make modern USB mice like that? I could really use one for a retro-styled casemod I'm working on.
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_e_biggrin.gif)
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- Location: Stockholm, Sweden
- DT Pro Member: 0011
I have seen a optical mouse kit for putting inside an old Amiga "tank" mouse.
That style of mouse was also used with Commodore PCs, and C64/128 BTW.
Edit: It turned out to be for upgrading the old mouse for use on old Amigas, sorry.
There is also a similar kit for the Atari ST mouse.
But at least there are adapters from Amiga and Atari to USB.
That style of mouse was also used with Commodore PCs, and C64/128 BTW.
Edit: It turned out to be for upgrading the old mouse for use on old Amigas, sorry.
There is also a similar kit for the Atari ST mouse.
But at least there are adapters from Amiga and Atari to USB.
Last edited by Findecanor on 10 May 2019, 05:23, edited 2 times in total.
- Tha_Pig
- Location: USA
- Main keyboard: EagleTec KG040
- Main mouse: Logiteck trackball
- Favorite switch: Cherry MX blue
- DT Pro Member: -
- Contact:
There are kits that allow you to convert an old mouse to optical usb one.
Here is a video on how to convert an old Apple mouse, but I guess with a little work it could be used on different old models.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIvFI8KJivM
Here is a video on how to convert an old Apple mouse, but I guess with a little work it could be used on different old models.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIvFI8KJivM
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- Location: Stockholm, Sweden
- DT Pro Member: 0011
There might be a kit for the one-button Apple Desktop Bus Mouse II later on this year ... but that may not be old style enough.
Edit: The guy behind it has disappeared ... Never mind.
Edit: The guy behind it has disappeared ... Never mind.
Last edited by Findecanor on 17 Dec 2019, 19:37, edited 1 time in total.
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- Location: United States
- Main keyboard: Logitech K120
- Main mouse: Logitech M500
- Favorite switch: Cherry MX Brown
- DT Pro Member: -
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- Location: Australia
- Main keyboard: Model M
- Main mouse: Genius
- Favorite switch: Buckling Spring
I bought one of these recently:
![Image](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/LFcAAOSwsU5dJ-u7/s-l500.jpg)
They are no longer being made, but there seems to be a lot of new old stock floating about on ebay etc.
HOWEVER, as cool as it looks in pictures, it is absolute garbage. I did a little review here
Basically, the whole thing feels really light and flimsy, and there's only 2 screws in the entire thing. The PCB is just wedged inside the thing by a couple of plastic pillars. It all just falls out when you open it.
The finish on it is yucky - it has that shiny, smooth, slightly brushed look like cheap knock-off toys, and the red light of the sensor shines through the case!!!. Literally, the mouse has a visible red glow when in use.
That being said, the click of the buttons is actually sort of satisfying, and the scroll wheel works better (for now) than many other cheap mice I've owned.
![Image](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/LFcAAOSwsU5dJ-u7/s-l500.jpg)
They are no longer being made, but there seems to be a lot of new old stock floating about on ebay etc.
HOWEVER, as cool as it looks in pictures, it is absolute garbage. I did a little review here
Basically, the whole thing feels really light and flimsy, and there's only 2 screws in the entire thing. The PCB is just wedged inside the thing by a couple of plastic pillars. It all just falls out when you open it.
The finish on it is yucky - it has that shiny, smooth, slightly brushed look like cheap knock-off toys, and the red light of the sensor shines through the case!!!. Literally, the mouse has a visible red glow when in use.
That being said, the click of the buttons is actually sort of satisfying, and the scroll wheel works better (for now) than many other cheap mice I've owned.
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- Location: Arvada CO
- Main keyboard: zowie ec1
- Main mouse: Logitech m535
- Favorite switch: c^3 tangerines
This is something that I have been wondering myself as well. I think that if there was a Modern Bluetooth mouse in a classic mouse enclosure, that would be cool. This is an old thread I know, but I was wondering if their was any updates on if anyone has found anything yet.
- zrrion
- Location: United States
- Main keyboard: F122
- Main mouse: Microsoft IntelliMouse
- Favorite switch: ALPS SKCC Cream
- DT Pro Member: -
- Contact:
Someone is making an NES styled mouse, which is kinda close.
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- Location: Stockholm, Sweden
- DT Pro Member: 0011
Yeah, but it is styled after a NES gamepad.
- -Space-NATO-
- Location: Buenos Aires - Argentina / Miami - USA
- Main keyboard: IBM 3278 / Leading Edge DC-3014
- Main mouse: Who cares about mouses here?
- Favorite switch: Beamspring / Blue Alps
has anyone tried it? is it comfortable?
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- Location: US
- Main keyboard: Omnikey 102 Blackheart
- Main mouse: Kensington Expert Mouse
- Favorite switch: White Alps
- DT Pro Member: 0174
If you can go mid-90s, the new Pro Intellimouse has the classic shape but comes in a colour that looks filthy and worn out the moment you take it out of the box.
- Yasu0
- Location: hawaii
- Main keyboard: dull grey ibm selectric
- Main mouse: vertical ergonomic old man mouse
- Favorite switch: unicomp m, spring and rubber in perfect harmony.
Anybody got any new 2020 input on this subject? Any good retro mice out there? It would seem to be very much simpler to mass produce one of these versus a retro keyboard.
And how bad would it be really, to just use a genuine old mouse versus a retro one? Isn't it just a case of ps2 to usb passive adapter.. I don't remember the old ball mice really being that bad. Just clean the gunk off the wheels once in a while and you're golden. As far as the missing scroll wheel, its easy enough to just use spacebar and shift-spacebar to scroll the old deskthority.
And how bad would it be really, to just use a genuine old mouse versus a retro one? Isn't it just a case of ps2 to usb passive adapter.. I don't remember the old ball mice really being that bad. Just clean the gunk off the wheels once in a while and you're golden. As far as the missing scroll wheel, its easy enough to just use spacebar and shift-spacebar to scroll the old deskthority.
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- Location: republic of ireland
- Main keyboard: ducky zero shine
- Main mouse: zowie fk1+
- Favorite switch: mx blue
I used a ball mouse far longer than I should have and they maxed out at 200 dpi, so acceleration was a must with modern screens or you would have lots of pixels you couldn't actually click on. i did a hack on linux a year ago to use a ball mouse and had to use a 6x sensitivity on my 1920x1080 screen.
- Yasu0
- Location: hawaii
- Main keyboard: dull grey ibm selectric
- Main mouse: vertical ergonomic old man mouse
- Favorite switch: unicomp m, spring and rubber in perfect harmony.
Screw it I'll try a few and see what it does. 80's mice are cheap enough to be worth it just for the fun of it. Not at all priced like some of these old keyboards..
- Yasu0
- Location: hawaii
- Main keyboard: dull grey ibm selectric
- Main mouse: vertical ergonomic old man mouse
- Favorite switch: unicomp m, spring and rubber in perfect harmony.
Got a 1985 Logitech C7 (USA), 1987 IBM PS2 (Japan), and a 1989 Logitech series 9 (Ireland). Will post how they work out. I don't remember old mice being bad at all, but may be that my rose tinted glasses are coming into play.
Based design dates on this site- https://www.oldmouse.com/
Same like you gipetto, I used ball mice way past when normal people switched to optical. Some of the others at the company I was at also preferred them over optical mice. I'm talking design dept guys who mouse'd lines that actually mattered.
Based design dates on this site- https://www.oldmouse.com/
Same like you gipetto, I used ball mice way past when normal people switched to optical. Some of the others at the company I was at also preferred them over optical mice. I'm talking design dept guys who mouse'd lines that actually mattered.
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- Location: republic of ireland
- Main keyboard: ducky zero shine
- Main mouse: zowie fk1+
- Favorite switch: mx blue
I had an ami mouse serial 3 button, looked identical to this ebay advert, loved the shape
https://www.ebay.ie/itm/Vintage-Altrix- ... 4221098218
the shape was such that it could fit any hand comfortably, if your fingers were long they would overhang the buttons. with modern mice they all taper to the front and you are forced into a fingertip grip. the lack of a wheel wasn't a big issue, easier to scroll in many respects because the wheel doesn't deflect when you middle click. I still have the shell here, was planning on doing a pcb transplant some day.
https://www.ebay.ie/itm/Vintage-Altrix- ... 4221098218
the shape was such that it could fit any hand comfortably, if your fingers were long they would overhang the buttons. with modern mice they all taper to the front and you are forced into a fingertip grip. the lack of a wheel wasn't a big issue, easier to scroll in many respects because the wheel doesn't deflect when you middle click. I still have the shell here, was planning on doing a pcb transplant some day.
- hellothere
- Location: Mesa, AZ USA
- Main keyboard: Lots
- Main mouse: CST2545W-RC
- Favorite switch: TopreAlpsHallEffectTopreAlpsHallEffectTopreAlps
I happen to love trackballs. The one I have is virtually unchanged in appearance since the 1990s. The company that now makes it is X-Keys. Take a look. They do have a beige one and one that has fun colors. There are also ones with light-up trackballs.
Also, in the 1990s, Microsoft produced what has been called the best trackball ever, the Trackball Explorer. There is a company that makes one that looks more-or-less the same. Here ya go.
When I think of a "vintage mouse," though, I think of something like this.
Remember that vintage mice are in now way considered ergonomic and that's one of the reasons you won't find a currently manufactured "vintage" mouse with new internals. Lawsuits ...
Also, in the 1990s, Microsoft produced what has been called the best trackball ever, the Trackball Explorer. There is a company that makes one that looks more-or-less the same. Here ya go.
When I think of a "vintage mouse," though, I think of something like this.
Remember that vintage mice are in now way considered ergonomic and that's one of the reasons you won't find a currently manufactured "vintage" mouse with new internals. Lawsuits ...
- Yasu0
- Location: hawaii
- Main keyboard: dull grey ibm selectric
- Main mouse: vertical ergonomic old man mouse
- Favorite switch: unicomp m, spring and rubber in perfect harmony.
Here is the IBM.. feels fine initially. I guess I'll find out how fine it is when it gets some real extended use. ![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif)
![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif)
- Attachments
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- mice9.jpg (59.13 KiB) Viewed 113165 times
- Scarpia
- Location: Sweden
- Main keyboard: F77 / Alps SKCM Brown TKL
- Main mouse: Logitech MX Anywhere 2
- Favorite switch: Capacitive BS, Alps SKCM Brown
- DT Pro Member: 0223
You could DIY it and get the best of both worlds — buy the retro mouse you like best and a cheap optical mini mouse, and swap out the guts.
I did exactly that for a retromod a while back:
https://imgur.com/gallery/mQFKe
![Image](https://i.imgur.com/V0PPXHe.jpg)
![Image](https://i.imgur.com/2jvrffN.jpg)
![Image](https://i.imgur.com/l5QIBUk.jpg)
I did exactly that for a retromod a while back:
https://imgur.com/gallery/mQFKe
![Image](https://i.imgur.com/V0PPXHe.jpg)
![Image](https://i.imgur.com/2jvrffN.jpg)
![Image](https://i.imgur.com/l5QIBUk.jpg)
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- Location: Seattle, US
- Main keyboard: TOFU 65%
- Main mouse: Logitech G502
- Favorite switch: Box Jade
The IBM mod looks very cool. Would be even better if one could add a scroll wheel without breaking the retro look.
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- Location: Texas
- Main keyboard: Kinesis Model 130
- Main mouse: Logitech M-S48, Razer Viper
- Favorite switch: MX Browns
- DT Pro Member: -
A prototype scrollwheel mouse was built from the same shell.cakeanalytics wrote: ↑05 Oct 2020, 21:00The IBM mod looks very cool. Would be even better if one could add a scroll wheel without breaking the retro look.
viewtopic.php?t=18726
- Attachments
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- MouseJM.jpg (1.11 MiB) Viewed 112778 times
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- Location: Seattle, US
- Main keyboard: TOFU 65%
- Main mouse: Logitech G502
- Favorite switch: Box Jade
Very cool! Definitely adding it to my projects queue.Rayndalf wrote: ↑06 Oct 2020, 12:10A prototype scrollwheel mouse was built from the same shell.cakeanalytics wrote: ↑05 Oct 2020, 21:00The IBM mod looks very cool. Would be even better if one could add a scroll wheel without breaking the retro look.
viewtopic.php?t=18726
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- Location: Stockholm, Sweden
- DT Pro Member: 0011
Retro Games Ltd have announced the TheA500 mini, an ARM-based "retro console" in the shape of a tiny Amiga 500 with built-in Amiga games.
It is going to come with a replica of the Commodore "Tank" mouse that speaks USB, and also a gamepad inspired by the CD32's but A500-beige. I'm expecting them to sell the gamepad separately, and I'm hoping that they are going to sell the mouse separately as well.
It is going to come with a replica of the Commodore "Tank" mouse that speaks USB, and also a gamepad inspired by the CD32's but A500-beige. I'm expecting them to sell the gamepad separately, and I'm hoping that they are going to sell the mouse separately as well.
- TNT
- Location: Germany, Karlsruhe
- Main keyboard: Ellipse Model F77 / Zenith Z-150
- Main mouse: Logitech G203 Prodigy
- Favorite switch: It's complicated
- DT Pro Member: 0250
https://www.etsy.com/de/listing/9935688 ... hop_review
The same guy who made this is working on a "modernized" Version with 2 mouse buttons.
Kinda like this, I hope.
The same guy who made this is working on a "modernized" Version with 2 mouse buttons.
Kinda like this, I hope.
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- Location: Sweden
- Main keyboard: IBM F122
- Main mouse: Logitech MX518
- Favorite switch: IBM Buckling Spring
I just thought I should share some progress that I have made on a 3D printing project I started a couple of weeks ago. It is mainly so that I will feel accountable to someone and finally finish a project.
The plan was to transplant the innards from a Logitech M325 with a broken scrollwheel that I used to use with my Laptop into a 3D printed shell, designed to resemble an old IBM mouse.
Please forgive the colourscheme, it's just for the protoyping phase. When/if I manage to make something that works I'll have it printed on a SLA printer.
The plan was to transplant the innards from a Logitech M325 with a broken scrollwheel that I used to use with my Laptop into a 3D printed shell, designed to resemble an old IBM mouse.
Please forgive the colourscheme, it's just for the protoyping phase. When/if I manage to make something that works I'll have it printed on a SLA printer.
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- Location: Stockholm, Sweden
- DT Pro Member: 0011
Two Amiga "tank" mice are on the way!
The TheA500 Mini "mini console" has a USB mouse which is also available separately (so far only pre-order) in many locations, but I think we could say with 95% confidence that it will be shipped.
However, it is slightly smaller than the original (which can be seen in Retro Recipe's video)
Then there's a Kickstarter for a wireless Tank mouse. The buttons are slightly narrower to make room for a touch-sensitive scrolling strip between them.
The TheA500 Mini "mini console" has a USB mouse which is also available separately (so far only pre-order) in many locations, but I think we could say with 95% confidence that it will be shipped.
However, it is slightly smaller than the original (which can be seen in Retro Recipe's video)
Then there's a Kickstarter for a wireless Tank mouse. The buttons are slightly narrower to make room for a touch-sensitive scrolling strip between them.