Amiga.org
Amiga computer related discussion => Amiga Hardware Issues and discussion => Topic started by: walterg74 on January 24, 2017, 03:14:06 AM
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Having purchased a few Amigas over the years, and some of those having come with a commodore mouse, others with those hybrid amiga/atari ones, etc., i wanted to have "complete sets" of each computer, in terms of keyboard and mouse.
The thing is I see a lot of contradictory or incomplete information regarding mice and which one is really "the original mouse that came with the Amiga xxxx".
Besides some obvious(?) ones like for example the Amiga 1000 and the tank mouse with angled connector, does anybody know of a list pairing each Amiga model with the original mouse model that came with it? :confused:
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AFAIK only the A1000, A500, A2000 shipped with the straight edge "tank" style, at least in the UK. Everything A500+ onwards came with a rounded mouse.
Best way to check would be looking through old magazines and scope out the package shots in advertisements, but not many really liked using the originals. They were uncomfortable for many people. For the minority they were great.
Don't ask me why, I never cared, so long as the thing worked I was happy. :) It's not like I ever saw an Amiga with original packaging, intact.
Maybe the rarest is the CDTV controller. That I was impressed with - cut down keyboard, mouse, joystick, all in one wireless package. It was huge, but all the buttons were useful.
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My friend's A500 Plus came with a tank mouse. Most A600's came with them too I think, and the ones that didn't had a newer looking A1200 mouse instead. I certainly know of two different mice for sure that came with the A1200, three if you count the tank mice - although I'm not certain whether any A1200's actually shipped with tank mice. Of course, all mice supplied with Amigas are Commodore branded.
Another type is the A3000 pregnant mouse. Commodore just used what they had, there was no consistency.
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AFAIK only the A1000, A500, A2000 shipped with the straight edge "tank" style, at least in the UK. Everything A500+ onwards came with a rounded mouse.
Best way to check would be looking through old magazines and scope out the package shots in advertisements, but not many really liked using the originals. They were uncomfortable for many people. For the minority they were great.
Don't ask me why, I never cared, so long as the thing worked I was happy. :) It's not like I ever saw an Amiga with original packaging, intact.
Maybe the rarest is the CDTV controller. That I was impressed with - cut down keyboard, mouse, joystick, all in one wireless package. It was huge, but all the buttons were useful.
So according to what you recall, the A1000 would have come with the "classic" Tank mouse with angled connector (maybe some later ones with the straight one too?) and the same for the 500 and 2000, and then from the 500+ onwards what, this one of my first screenshot?
What about the second screenshot? Is this just some modern day clone/contraption, or did that mouse originally exist too at the time and was just an alternative to buy separately?
Good idea to look at magazine ads too.
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That left mouse came with some A1200's and possibly some A600's. The one on the right is newer, not Commodore but Amiga Technologies I think, so certainly post 1995.
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That left mouse came with some A1200's and possibly some A600's. The one on the right is newer, not Commodore but Amiga Technologies I think, so certainly post 1995.
Ok, good to know! So at least it's not a knockoff then? :)
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(http://www.webalice.it/gratteri/amiga_mouses.gif)
The one on the left is what came with my A1200 in 1992. A4000's came with these too. The one on the right is like your last picture, so newer also than the tank and came with A1200's and possibly late A600's and A4000's (as it looks newer that the one on the left). I don't think anyone will know for sure. I suppose you could start a survey to find out what mouse people received with their new Amigas - I think the results will be mixed though. :)
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(http://www.webalice.it/gratteri/amiga_mouses.gif)
The one on the left is what came with my A1200 in 1992. A4000's came with these too. The one on the right is like your last picture, so newer also than the tank and came with A1200's and possibly late A600's and A4000's (as it looks newer that the one on the left). I don't think anyone will know for sure. I suppose you could start a survey to find out what mouse people received with their new Amigas - I think the results will be mixed though. :)
Hmm... the one on the far right in your pic is not like the on on the right of my pics... this one is straight/symmetrical, the one I posted has a different shape. Here's a better look.
(http://www.bboah.com/download_photos/ata1200_10.jpg)
Edit: Guess you meant the one on your right being the same than the one on my left :P
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Don't forget the two and three-button variants of the A3000 "pregnant" mouse. When I got my A1200 back in the day it came with a three button mouse which was originally designed for the A3000T - the cord was designed for that thing, sitting on the floor, and felt like it was every bit of 8' long. One of the best mice I've ever owned! :)
PS - anything with the square logo over the I (like in post #8) has to be 1995 or later. Probably just a rebranding of some other commonly available mouse at the time that got a logo slapped on it and bundled with systems, since AFAIK AT didn't design any new hardware (besides the Walker, lol). ;)
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Dec 1991 UK review of A500+ (AF, probably written November). The cover of that issue is unretouched, it really was a monitor with the back off and a stripped naked Amiga. Which means I did void the warranty pretty damn quick on the thing... So much for my memory.
It doesn't look QUITE like the classic tank mouse, the angle is bad, but it probably is one. Definitely isn't branded boing ball... From what I remember, a lot of worldwide CBM kit was shipped to the UK to support demand, so there was a bit of variation in what the end user got. I don't think they ever shipped an optical mouse as standard, but maybe some later suppliers of Amigas did.
If you EVER come across one of these joysticks, get it. Not only collectable, probably the best single button joystick ever. Very very short travel. The clip usually flip off pretty quick, but the rest very solid. Swedish design, obviously unlicensed.
http://gizmodo.com/5337347/terminator-grenade-joystick-trades-pew-pew-with-timmy-nooooooo
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If you EVER come across one of these, get it. Not only collectable, probably the best single button joystick ever. Very very short travel. The clip usually flip off pretty quick, but the rest very solid. Swedish design, obviously unlicensed.
http://gizmodo.com/5337347/terminator-grenade-joystick-trades-pew-pew-with-timmy-nooooooo
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PS - anything with the square logo over the I (like in post #8) has to be 1995 or later. Probably just a rebranding of some other commonly available mouse at the time that got a logo slapped on it and bundled with systems, since AFAIK AT didn't design any new hardware (besides the Walker, lol). ;)
Bingo. That was an aftermarket mouse sold in the late 90s by Amiga Technologies/Amiga International. I have a few of them. I don't think it shipped with any Amigas, not even the Magic Pack. There was also a black version.
It is definitely a re-badged mouse from another manufacturer - my university had 3-button USB versions plugged into campus iMacs in 2003.
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A1000 Tankmouse with angle
A2000, 500, 500+ Tankmouse
A3000 Pregnant mouse
Early A600 Tankmouse with lighter color
Later A600 Rounded with left button bigger than the right
A1200 Rounded with left button bigger than the right
A4000 Rounded with both buttons same size
Thats what I've experienced but I'm sure there's more combinations since as said already, Commodore wasn't afraid to mix things up if needed.
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If you EVER come across one of these joysticks, get it. Not only collectable, probably the best single button joystick ever. Very very short travel. The clip usually flip off pretty quick, but the rest very solid. Swedish design, obviously unlicensed.
http://gizmodo.com/5337347/terminator-grenade-joystick-trades-pew-pew-with-timmy-nooooooo
(https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--_ZXV60BJ--/c_fit,fl_progressive,q_80,w_320/18mlw02ut49l7jpg.jpg)
"Despite its unique, burly look, the Terminator was actually a standard, 9-pin controller that supported a variety of systems (including C64 and Vic-20). Today, it's both a fairly rare collectible and the only joystick that we wouldn't recommend carrying through airport security."
It'd be fine at Heathrow.
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(http://www.amiga.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=5570&d=1485839623)
@walterg74
This is a tank mouse variant from a recent thread here. So that makes three tank mice variants in all.