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  • Re: Graphics Tablet...

    From Michael Pender@mpender@hotmail.com to comp.sys.apple2 on Thursday, July 17, 2003 06:16:29
    From Newsgroup: comp.sys.apple2

    Jeff Thomas <a2forever@usa.net> wrote in message news:3F163E86.C0022F1@usa.net...
    I have heard of people making their own "light pens" for Apple II, but
    has anyone ever built a graphics tablet which connects to the joystick
    port?

    There used to be an Apple-brand graphics tablet for the IIs, but I don't
    know if it plugged into the joystick port. Any takers?


    --- Synchronet 3.18b-Win32 NewsLink 1.113
  • From quadrajet1@quadrajet1@aol.com (Quadrajet1) to comp.sys.apple2 on Thursday, July 17, 2003 08:06:09
    From Newsgroup: comp.sys.apple2

    There used to be an Apple-brand graphics tablet for the IIs, but I don't
    know if it plugged into the joystick port. Any takers?


    The Apple Graphics Tablet had it's own card.

    Raymond
    --- Synchronet 3.18b-Win32 NewsLink 1.113
  • From Steve@nospam@nospam.com to comp.sys.apple2 on Thursday, July 17, 2003 06:05:19
    From Newsgroup: comp.sys.apple2

    On Thu, 17 Jul 2003 2:13:26 -0400, Jeff Thomas wrote
    (in message <3F163E86.C0022F1@usa.net>):

    I have heard of people making their own "light pens" for Apple II, but
    has anyone ever built a graphics tablet which connects to the joystick
    port?

    I have a "Koala Pad" which plugs into the Joystick port. I also have a light pen, but I forget who makes it.

    Steve

    --- Synchronet 3.18b-Win32 NewsLink 1.113
  • From ludditetech@ludditetech@mac.com (Simon Williams) to comp.sys.apple2 on Thursday, July 17, 2003 13:05:17
    From Newsgroup: comp.sys.apple2

    Jeff Thomas <a2forever@usa.net> wrote in message news:<3F163E86.C0022F1@usa.net>...
    I have heard of people making their own "light pens" for Apple II, but
    has anyone ever built a graphics tablet which connects to the joystick
    port?

    Check http://www.atariarchives.org/ for "The Computer Controller
    Cookbook"... it might just have the information you seek.
    -S
    --- Synchronet 3.18b-Win32 NewsLink 1.113
  • From Wayne Lafreniere@wplafreniere@lynx.bc.ca to comp.sys.apple2 on Thursday, July 17, 2003 19:44:37
    From Newsgroup: comp.sys.apple2

    That would probably be a "Gibson Light Pen" from Gibson Labs, who was then sold to someone else.

    Wayne

    Steve wrote:

    On Thu, 17 Jul 2003 2:13:26 -0400, Jeff Thomas wrote
    (in message <3F163E86.C0022F1@usa.net>):

    I have heard of people making their own "light pens" for Apple II, but
    has anyone ever built a graphics tablet which connects to the joystick port?

    I have a "Koala Pad" which plugs into the Joystick port. I also have a light pen, but I forget who makes it.

    Steve

    --- Synchronet 3.18b-Win32 NewsLink 1.113
  • From mjmahon@mjmahon@aol.com (Michael J. Mahon) to comp.sys.apple2 on Thursday, July 24, 2003 22:54:33
    From Newsgroup: comp.sys.apple2

    Jeff Thomas asked:

    I have heard of people making their own "light pens" for Apple II, but
    has anyone ever built a graphics tablet which connects to the joystick
    port?

    Light pens for the Apple II series come in two basic flavors: "fast"
    pens which connect to a card (either a special card or an 80-column
    card), and "slow" pens which connect to the joystick port.

    The slow pens are simply a directed CdS photoresistor, whose
    changing resistance in response to light can be sensed as a
    "paddle" input to the Apple II. It can be used in conjuction with
    software to identify what screen item is being pointed at by
    sequentially blinking the screen elements while looking for
    a change in the CdS cell resistance. As you can imagine,
    this is pretty slow if there are more than a few things on the
    screen, but it can be used satisfactorily to select from a
    menu.

    Resistive "graphics input devices" were made by Koala and
    a few knock-off companies. These KoalaPad devices are
    fairly inexpensive and quite simple. They should still be
    available in the resale markets. They are used like a
    joystick, but are easier to control for drawing.

    -michael

    Check out amazing quality 8-bit Apple sound on my
    Home page: http://members.aol.com/MJMahon/
    --- Synchronet 3.18b-Win32 NewsLink 1.113
  • From steve@steve@dosius.zzn.com (Dosius) to comp.sys.apple2 on Thursday, July 24, 2003 21:34:53
    From Newsgroup: comp.sys.apple2

    mjmahon@aol.com (Michael J. Mahon) wrote in message news:<20030724185433.28226.00000584@mb-m24.aol.com>...
    Jeff Thomas asked:

    I have heard of people making their own "light pens" for Apple II, but
    has anyone ever built a graphics tablet which connects to the joystick >port?

    Light pens for the Apple II series come in two basic flavors: "fast"
    pens which connect to a card (either a special card or an 80-column
    card), and "slow" pens which connect to the joystick port.

    The slow pens are simply a directed CdS photoresistor, whose
    changing resistance in response to light can be sensed as a
    "paddle" input to the Apple II. It can be used in conjuction with
    software to identify what screen item is being pointed at by
    sequentially blinking the screen elements while looking for
    a change in the CdS cell resistance. As you can imagine,
    this is pretty slow if there are more than a few things on the
    screen, but it can be used satisfactorily to select from a
    menu.

    Resistive "graphics input devices" were made by Koala and
    a few knock-off companies. These KoalaPad devices are
    fairly inexpensive and quite simple. They should still be
    available in the resale markets. They are used like a
    joystick, but are easier to control for drawing.

    -michael

    Check out amazing quality 8-bit Apple sound on my
    Home page: http://members.aol.com/MJMahon/

    Hm. What about TouchWindow? I always thought that was leet. (Joystick port)

    -uso.
    --- Synchronet 3.18b-Win32 NewsLink 1.113
  • From mjmahon@mjmahon@aol.com (Michael J. Mahon) to comp.sys.apple2 on Friday, July 25, 2003 05:23:06
    From Newsgroup: comp.sys.apple2

    Dosius wrote:

    mjmahon@aol.com (Michael J. Mahon) wrote in message >news:<20030724185433.28226.00000584@mb-m24.aol.com>...
    Jeff Thomas asked:

    I have heard of people making their own "light pens" for Apple II, but
    has anyone ever built a graphics tablet which connects to the joystick
    port?

    Light pens for the Apple II series come in two basic flavors: "fast"
    pens which connect to a card (either a special card or an 80-column
    card), and "slow" pens which connect to the joystick port.

    The slow pens are simply a directed CdS photoresistor, whose
    changing resistance in response to light can be sensed as a
    "paddle" input to the Apple II. It can be used in conjuction with
    software to identify what screen item is being pointed at by
    sequentially blinking the screen elements while looking for
    a change in the CdS cell resistance. As you can imagine,
    this is pretty slow if there are more than a few things on the
    screen, but it can be used satisfactorily to select from a
    menu.

    Resistive "graphics input devices" were made by Koala and
    a few knock-off companies. These KoalaPad devices are
    fairly inexpensive and quite simple. They should still be
    available in the resale markets. They are used like a
    joystick, but are easier to control for drawing.

    -michael

    Check out amazing quality 8-bit Apple sound on my
    Home page: http://members.aol.com/MJMahon/

    Hm. What about TouchWindow? I always thought that was leet. (Joystick port)

    Yep, they were an independent design, basically similar to the
    KoalaPad, but with transparent membranes.

    Though not strictly graphical input devices, some "keyboards"
    like the Muppet Keypad were actually pressure-sensitive pads
    like the KoalaPad overlaid with "keyboard" overlays. When a
    "key" was depressed, the corresponding x,y value was read
    as a joystick position and translated to an action.

    -michael

    Check out amazing quality 8-bit Apple sound on my
    Home page: http://members.aol.com/MJMahon/
    --- Synchronet 3.18b-Win32 NewsLink 1.113