VAXstation 4000 Mice?

[Jonathan Stone]

On Thursday, May 20, 2021, 11:53:50 AM PDT, Antonio Carlini via cctalk <cctalk at classiccmp.org> wrote:


On 20/05/2021 18:22, Jonathan Stone via cctalk wrote:

> It does indeed need a VSXXX-AA mouse (the round puck) or a VSXXX-AB
> tablet (or compatible). \
> I recently checked both installation guide and service guide, whilst looking at eBay offerings.


> I recently went through my DEC mice to test them (so I can create eBay
> offerings for the spares!) and all the -AA, -GA (and one other that
> escapes me right now) tested OK on a VS4000-60. At least one of those
> was originally used on my VAXstation 3100-M76.

> If it looks like "that" sort of connector and it is a VSXXX-xx then I do
> suspect that it will work in any VAXstation up to and including the
> VAXstation 4000-96. In fact I recently sold one (privately) for use on a
> VAXstation II.

Agreed. 

> I think those mice will also work on the DECstation 2100/3100/5000 range
> except for the Personal versions. You may need an adapter though

They do. No adapter needed, aside from the 15-pin to LK201/min-DIN cable.
(A Vaxstation II or DECstation 3100/2100 cable will work; just ignore the BNC).

> They (I think) even work in the early Alpha workstations (the DEC 3000
> stuff); I don't think DEC switched to PS/2 mice until the AlphaStation
> name came out.

They do work on Turbochannel Alphas. I swapped an -AA mouse for a -GA, for a grad school friend who spent a lot of time playing Xconq on an Alpha 3000/300. He said the round mouse was better for gaming.