Types and Connecting the mouse

Connecting the mouse

In case you've been on a remote desert island or in a deep dark cave for about ten years: A mouse is a pointing device commonly used on the PC. It's safe to say that every PC sold today comes with a mouse as standard equipment.

Remember The mouse is available in five different units. These units differ in how they connect to the computer. The different units and their connectors are

l Serial: Connects via a 9- or 25-pin serial port usually with a DB-9 or DB-25 connector.

l PS/2: Connects with a mini-DIN 6-pin plug to a port usually mounted on the motherboard.

l Combination: Connects with either a mini-DIN (PS/2) 6-pin connector to a port on the motherboard or with a DB-9 or DB-25 connector through an adapter card to either a DB-9 or DB- 25 serial port.

l Bus: Connects to its own adapter card. Bus mouse units usually connect with a mini-DIN-6 plug to an adapter added to the PC specifically to support the mouse.

l USB (Universal Serial Bus): A USB mouse is a hot-swappable device that can be added and removed from the PC without the need to restart the system. A USB mouse also shares the system resources of the USB port and does not require additional IRQ and I/O port resources.

l Infrared: If the PC has built-in IR support, in many ways the support of the mouse is provided directly from the motherboard and chipset. If the IR system is an add-on, it connects either via a serial or mini-DIN-6 port.

Warning The most commonly used connector for a mouse is the PS/2. You should never connect a PS/2 mouse (or any other PS/2 device) to the PC while the PC is powered up. This could damage the port or the motherboard. And this is on the test, too!