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"Secret Side-Project" Revealed

A project log for CD/DVD mechanisms and cartesian thinggie[s?]

DVD-laser-etcher, dremmel-router, possibly a 3D printer? Who knows!

eric-hertzEric Hertz 09/28/2015 at 10:376 Comments

Update 9-29-15-2.0: Adding photo of "tapped" mouse at the bottom.

Update 9-29-15: Adding schematic at the bottom.

Wanted to get the whole system running and make a video of the whole shebang for the "reveal", but decided it's too cool as-is :)

So, there's an old ball-mouse, its phototransistors and buttons have been "tapped" to feed directly into the system's circuitry. The circuitry consists of nothing more than two Dual H-Bridge chips (designed for bipolar motors, from old floppy drives), a couple transistors to switch on and off the laser-diode's circuitry, and a few LEDs, capacitors, and resistors. No software! No microcontroller!

As far as mouse-hacking: I didn't even bother interfacing-with (nor even removing) the original PS-2 microcontroller from the mouse; just tapped off the signal inputs right at the microcontroller. This could be quite the handy tool for later experiments and early-phase projects, as well.

Later, I do intend on controlling this via computer, to literally "burn" images onto floppies. I've looked into backlighting, a little, possibly strobed to create a zoetrope. And a multitude of other crazy ideas, including audio-storage ala CD, but with visible "pits." Who knows...

Here's the schematic:

Here's the "tapped" mouse... I followed the traces to the built-in microcontroller, it could be physically removed, as it's not being used, but it was an easy solder-point.

Discussions

deʃhipu wrote 09/29/2015 at 07:28 point

Wait, you are controlling stepper motors directly with the signal from mouse encoders? O.o

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Eric Hertz wrote 09/29/2015 at 10:11 point

Yep! Added a schematic for your perusing ;)

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zakqwy wrote 09/28/2015 at 21:30 point

Hahaha this is great. 

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Eric Hertz wrote 09/29/2015 at 10:12 point

Thanks :)

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frankstripod wrote 09/28/2015 at 21:20 point

Awesome! Too bad there wasn't a microcontroller for deprocessorization.

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Eric Hertz wrote 09/29/2015 at 10:12 point

Hah! Good call! I've been working on the microcontroller-aspect, maybe I'll redo this video with a deprocessorization video ;)

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