Re: Apple Graphics Tablet info?

[rrs0059@ibm.net (Frank McKenney)]

Warren, (and the others who responded via e-mail)

My thanks to all of you for responding.

>Yup, this is a genuine Apple product, though you are also missing the 
>vital card that goes into an Apple II slot - most people used Slot 4. 

I don't really need the adapter...  just the pinouts and what they
represent.

I'm hoping to connect this tablet to either a Macintosh or an Intel PC by
building an interface using a PIC microprocessor ("Hi!  You thing I'm a
mouse...  but I'm really not!").  Trouble is, I have no idea what the
lines from the board - and the stylus - represent.  Makes converting it a
bit tricky (;-).

I'm guessing that the tablet senses position via resistance, and, since
there's no power connections or batter holder, that I need to supply the
power myself.  But...  what voltage, and what resistance values represent
what position?

It is a puzzlement...

Anyone have any ideas who might still have documentation on this device?
I checked Apple's 'web site, but no luck.


Frank McKenney            / OS/2 Advisor (OS2BBS)
McKenney Associates       / Richmond, Virginia / (804) 320-4887
Internet: rrs0059@ibm.net / TalkLink: WZ01123
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In <MPG.f64db96afdb597d9896be@news.concentric.net>, warren@techie.com (Warren Ernst) writes:
>[This followup was posted to comp.sys.apple2 and a copy was sent to the 
>cited author.]
>
>In article <34f8dcdd.0@news3.ibm.net>, rrs0059@ibm.net says...
>> 
>> I was given a "real good price" (;-) on an Apple Graphics Tablet (part
>> A2M0029), and I'd like to try interfacing it to an SBC (single-board
>> computer).  There was no documentation in the package, and several hours
>> of 'web searching failed to turn up any information on this unit.
>> 
>> The tablet is about 2' x 2', and has a "header plug" on a cable attached
>> to the tablet itself and another hooked to the end of the stylus.
>> 
>> Can anyone offer any clues as to the tablet's cable pinouts, protocols, or
>> anything else about this unit?  Was this a gen-you-wine apple creation?
>> Or a relabelled Wacom/CalComp/whatever?
>
>Frank,
>
>Yup, this is a genuine Apple product, though you are also missing the 
>vital card that goes into an Apple II slot - most people used Slot 4. 
>This was a smart card with loads of chips on it, so I don't think pinout 
>information won't be all that useful.
>
>They worked really well when used with software that had support for it - 
>Blazing Paddles, Beagle Graphics, and maybe Dazzledraw come to mind. All 
>of these are 8 bit programs. I don't recall any GS programs that used it, 
>but I am hardly a definitve source on 16 bit software.
>
>Virtually,
>Warr
>former Beagle Bros tech support
>
>-- 
>------------------------------+----------------------------------------
>Reviewer, "Windows Magazine"  |   Warren Ernst  -  warren@techie.com
>Author, "Using Netscape"      |      http://www.cris.com/~wernst/
>"Internet 1997 Unleashed" (c) | Computer Journalist, Consultant, Author
>"Netscape 3 Unleashed"(contr) |          Graphic Artist, Nerd
>"Presenting ActiveX"          |
>Que and Sams.Net Publishing   |  "If it ain't broke, don't break it."
>------------------------------+----------------------------------------