ABD Keyboard and Mouse Options?

[Cory5412]

The Classic/LC/CC were the first ADB Macs to bundle a keyboard. None of the Quadras did, none of the earlier Power Macintoshes did, and officially on paper, none of the Power Macintosh 7000 series did. (For all intents and purposes, we can count the 4400 and 6500 as Performas for this discussion.)

The 8600 is the first high-end Mac that officially included a keyboard in the box with the machine. Unless Apple also packed ADKs in with 7300s and 7600s and 9600s and never updated the datasheets (A possibility, some of these machines sold for several years and Apple speedbumped things and did other things): it was with the third generation of PPC machines that a bundled became standard across the entire line.

So, what I'm really asking above (and why I asked if it might have been an AEKII) was whether the dealer (Zones, it sounds like, in your case) included the keyboard as a value-add gimme inside a larger shipping box or as part of the order, or if it was actually in the box with the computer.

I don't disbelieve you, I'm just interested because it's not what Apple's documentation and datasheets say. In the second-gen PowerPC era, it makes more sense for the 7000 machines to have bundled a keyboard than the 8000 ones to have done, and the 8500 itself doesn't have a keyboard listed either. I don't happen to have seen the 7300 datasheet.

 

[Zippy Zapp]

Gotcha.  Yeah, like I said above, I know it was the ADK and I know it shipped inside the 7200 box as I only received one box and it was the PowerMac box.  I never used an AEKII until about 2010 when someone gave me one.  

I was oblivious to the fact back then that PowerMacs did not come with a keyboard.  I didn't even know that officially the 7200 didn't come with one until this thread, which is why I was amazed.  Some of my Amiga friends moved over to Macintosh in the early 90's and I actually went the DOS route because I thought the Mac prices were a total joke.  The only reason I bought the 7200 was because it was a PCI PowerMac and it was a special deal at $499 + shipping, brand new.  Yep, it was a steal and I could not pass it up. 

Thanks for cluing me in on these interesting history facts as I had no idea Apple didn't provide keyboards in the box of all Macs.  Was it to save money or was it to give you choice?  Since I didn't know about it at the time, I can't really say.  My friends mostly bought Performa models and they always came with a keyboard, to my knowledge.  

As for back to the threads topic with all the mouse and keyboard options what is your favorite?  I have 3 different models of keyboards.  I have several Apple Design keyboards and I consider them to be the cost reduced model.  Good asthetics, decent typing.  I have an Apple Extended II and of course these are amazing with alps switches.  I also have a Japanese version of the MacAlly 105 keyboard.  I like this keyboard because it has that clicky sound. Well, more like a clacky sound, since it is mechanical.  The only other keyboard I have owned was one that my friend gave me, a split ergonomic keyboard that I hated and gave away recently.  

As for mouse selections:  The ADB II was the first mouse I used. I still have it and a couple of Kensington trackballs which are cool. Someone gave me one of the original Apple square ADB mouse versions and it is decent too.  

 

[trag]

Wandering a bit from the current track of the thread, this is my current favorite ADB mouse:

https://www.amazon.com/Kensington-64475-Mouse-Box-Mouse/dp/B000052WM6

I was using a second generation (tear drop) Apple ADB mouse and before that I was using a NeXT ADB mouse.    Both of them picked up crud on the rollers way too often.  Even when using them with a 3M Precise Mousing Surface.

I don't know if it's luck or good engineering, but the Kensington rollers don't seem to gum up.  The teflon pads on the bottom do collect crud (perhaps protecting the rollers) but it is easy enough to remove that every so often with a fingernail.

Also, the Kensington has a heftier weight to it.  It feels more like the old Mac Plus mouse in terms of weight, instead of the featherweight ADB mice.   I find the extra weight makes my motions feel more precise and less strainful to hit my click points.

Of course, for USB, I'd just use an optical mouse, but for ADB, I really like the Kensington.  Anyone ever make an optical ADB mouse?

 

[Crutch]

Of course, for USB, I'd just use an optical mouse, but for ADB, I really like the Kensington.  Anyone ever make an optical ADB mouse?

One could use BMOW’s Wombat adapter and plug an optical USB mouse into an ADB port, right?  I have one but have yet to actually try this.

Going much farther back, I remember an optical mouse that plugged into a 128k/512k/Plus DB-9 mouse port circa 1986.  It was called the “A Plus Mouse” and required a special reflective pad with a printed grid on it.

 

[dcr]

Wandering a bit from the current track of the thread, this is my current favorite ADB mouse:

https://www.amazon.com/Kensington-64475-Mouse-Box-Mouse/dp/B000052WM6 

My favorite was the Kensington Thinking Mouse.  I guess they weren't common because I don't recall ever seeing an ADB version up for sale on eBay.  I've seen PS/2 versions but not ADB.

I had one at work and one at home.  I believe the one at work died a long time ago but the one at home still works, except the rubber siding is wearing off badly.

The Kensington Thinking Mouse has four buttons and, if I recall, if you push two together, it acts as a fifth button.  Or maybe it had a scroll wheel that works as a fifth button.  Not sure right now.  At any rate, it has five buttons and they are all programmable.  Plus, you could program them per application.  In PageMaker, I'd have a button set up for Copy and another set up for Paste.  For games, I might have a button set up as a rapid fire button where one click would generate four clicks.  Stuff like that.

Wish I would have bought more back then so I could use them on more Macs.

Anyone ever make an optical ADB mouse?

I am reasonably sure someone did.  Seems I recall seeing them available back in the day.  Don't recall who made them though.

 

[Crutch]

Here's the antique DB9 optical mouse I was referencing:  https://www.oldmouse.com/mouse/mousesystems/aplus.shtml

I have a goal of one day hacking an optical mechanism into a first-gen ADB wedge mouse and using it with my SE/30.  It seems from Googling that others have done this in the past.

 

[olePigeon]

I have the ADB version of that Mouse Systems mouse.