Mouse BurSTer

Matthew Bacon reviews an Atari product burSTing with goodness

Thanks to Mario Becroft, the Mouse BurSTer adaptor has made it possible for Atari users to use almost any PC serial pointing device on their machine. For some time there have been software solutions to allow the use of serial PC mice on Atari machines. However, these were usually plugged into the serial port which meant other serial devices such as modems could not be connected, and also required configuration and driver software which may or may not be compatible any other software you may run.

I am pleased to report installation could not be simpler...

1. Turn off your computer (very important!)
2. Remove your Atari mouse
3. Connect one end of the Mouse BurSTer to your mouse port and the other to your new PC mouse
4. Turn your machine back on.
5. That's it, true Plug and play.

Although in most cases the Mouse BurSTer will work first time there are (typically) two different standard PC serial pointing devices, Microsoft compatible and Mouse Systems. Both are supported by Mouse BurSTer which can be configured by means of 4 tiny DIP switches which set:

1. Switch #1: Configures the type of mouse
   OFF: Microsoft compatible mouse (MS)  
   ON: Mouse Systems compatible (PC)
2. Switch #2: Middle button (or wheel button) mode  
   OFF: Middle button works as real button   
   ON: Middle button works as double-click
3. Switch #3: Mouse wheel mode
   OFF: Wheel does nothing   
   ON: Wheel acts as double click (for Genius Netmouse)
4. Switch #4: Atari/Amiga(!) mode

Should you experience any difficulty configuring Mouse BurSTer, a FAQ (frequently-asked-questions) section is thoughtfully provided which suggests possible solutions.

All things considered the Mouse BurSTer is an excellent adaptor which enables Atari users to use a wide range of PC compatible pointing devices - at a price.
 

 Summary

 Product

Mouse BurSTer

 Author

Mario Bercroft
PO BOX 332, Kumeu, Auckland 1250, New Zealand
Tel/Fax: +64 9 412 9700
E-mail: mb@tos.pl.tos
http://www.ak.planet.gen.nz/~mario/  

 Distributor

(UK)
ASP 40 Evelin Road, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 1JR, England
Tel: +44 (0)1235 534152
E-mail: chrisc@zetnet.co.uk  

 Requires

Any Atari

 Price

£19.00

 Pros

• Access to inexpensive, high resolution PC serial pointing devices
• No software drivers or patches required
• Easy to install

 Cons

• Price
• Packaging rather insubstantial, although documentation is well written and informative

 Score

This article originally appeared in issue #15 of Atari Computing magazine and is reproduced with kind permission of Renegade Publishing.

MyAtari magazine - Review #2, October 2000