Etch-a-Sketch computer is a surprisingly simple hack
posted Jan 31st 2011 3:00pm by Mike Szczysfiled under: pcs hacks, peripherals hacks
We’re not sure whether to call this an Etch-a-Sketch upgrade or a computer interface downgrade but either way it’s unique. [Martin Raynsford] added a familiar red frame to his computer monitor with classic white knobs that control horizontal and vertical cursor movement. There’s even the click option by pressing the buttons in and, as you can see after the break, the modifications result in a perfectly usable digital Etch-a-Sketch. We’ve seen a lot of computer controlled versions of the toy which use fancy parts and take quite a bit of skill to build. This mimicry of the functionality is easy to build and the idea is genius in its simplicity. [Martin] separated the encoder wheels from a mouse. He placed each on one of the knobs and ran wires for sensors and micro-switches back to the original PCB which is stuck to the back of the monitor. From the computer’s point of view it looks and acts like a normal mouse but this is so much more fun (and less productive).
[via Hacked Gadgets]
While I had an old mechanical mouse, I used to flip it over, remove the ball, and manually drive the wheels if I wanted to draw a perfectly straight horizontal or vertical line. This looks enjoyable!