Poor Mans Graphics "tablet"

by natman3400 in Circuits > Computers

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Poor Mans Graphics "tablet"

really close up.JPG
 Once upon a time I was hard at work editing some images for some clients. Then out of the blue my graphics tablet quits working. And while I was waiting for the replacement to arrive, I cooked up a temporary replacement Thus this hack-sawed mod of a regular 2d-wheel mouse was born. Basically, its a mouse with a pen/pencil grip. I plan on later making a true pen-form version from an optical mouse.

What You Need

Close up-1.JPG
 You will need:
-A usb or ps2 2d-wheel mouse
-duct tape
-a pen/pencil
- something to cut the plastic of the mouse with

Cut Up the Mouse

step1-1.JPG
step1-2.JPG
 Just cut off the top of the mouse. Now remove the board carefully and put it in a safe place, same thing with the ball. You should be left with the empty bottom half. Cut it so it looks like the picture.

Assemble the Mouse Portion of the "tablet"

step 2-1.JPG
 Duct tape the circuit board to the piece from the bottom half of the mouse as shown, being careful not to interfere with where the ball goes, or with the gears/axles. Then plop the ball in place. You should now have a small-form mouse.

Adding the Pen/pencil Grip

step 3.JPG
 To add the grip, just duct tape the pen/pencil across the buttons as shown. Now plug it in and use it.
Tip: apply slight pressure to the mouse portion behind the ball with your finger if it doesn't work right.

In the future, i plan to make a version in a true pen-form out of an optical mouse.