A couple of years ago when I first aquired my Sparc 4/330 I had a mouse
but no pad.  It drove me crazy.  Here are a few things I learned about my
Sun Optical Mouse.

They were made for the PC as well.  Same mouse, different pinout.  I have
one new in the box (where I got the pad for my sparc's mouse).

During the time before I discovered the above package and bought it just
for the pad, I discovered from a fellow on ClassicComp list that a sheet
of crinkled aluminum foil wrapped around a book or clipboard makes a
useable replacement mousepad.  Jumpy and such but it works.

There should be a bright red LED shining on the mouse.  There is another
led that appears broken because it shows no light.  I thought at first
this was some kind of detector before I took the thing apart and
discovered it is another LED.  Later, I discovered that this led is 'dark'
allways as it transmits in the infrared.  One red led, one infrared.

Now that I knew this I broke out the foil and suffered with scraggly mouse
function til' I found a real pad.

Pads can be scanned and printed onto glossy paper.  In fact you can
generate a pad by fiddling with a graphics package and making a grid til'
it works well enough for you.

If after this information you are unable to use your Sun Optical Mouse,
grab a video cameral, digital camera, etc.  Focus on the base of the mouse
with the system on.  The CCD detectors on the camera are more sensitive to
the infrared than your eyes are.  If the IR led on the mouse is lit it
will show as a bright spot on your camera's display.  Else it is dead, the
cable is broke, a fuse is blown,......

You can do the same thing to your home television's known-good IR remote
control to assure yourself that your camera can indeed view a bright IR
led...

Regards,

Jeff
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Jeffrey S. Worley
Asheville, NC USA
828-6984887
UberTechnoid@Home.com
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