Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!pasteur!cory.Berkeley.EDU!bruce
From: bruce@cory.Berkeley.EDU (Bruce Burkhalter)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.hardware
Subject: Re: ADB Devices
Keywords: ADB
Message-ID: <22111@pasteur.Berkeley.EDU>
Date: 15 Feb 90 06:53:30 GMT
References: <35820@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu> <1635@mit-amt.MEDIA.MIT.EDU> <1154@ux.acs.umn.edu>
Sender: news@pasteur.Berkeley.EDU
Reply-To: bruce@cory.Berkeley.EDU.UUCP (Bruce Burkhalter)
Organization: University of California, Berkeley
Lines: 34

In article <1154@ux.acs.umn.edu> clarson@ux.acs.umn.edu (Chaz Larson) writes:
=In article <35820@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu> vogt@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu (Michael Vogt) writes:
=>Does anyone know of /or use an ADB converter device.  I need to purchase
=>a new keyboard and mouse, but would like to use it on a newer mac (if
=>I can ever get the bucks).  I've currently got a plus.
=
=Olduvai at one time sold a product called the "ADBridge" which allowed one
=to use ADB mice/keyboards/graphics pads on non-ADB machines and vice versa.
=I have no idea if they still offer the product for sale, but that would be
=a starting point.

Actually they never came out with the product, though they did announce and
advertise it.  I called them a couple months ago about it.  They dropped it
for a couple of reasons:
	
	1.  Technical problems.  They produced some of them but they just
	didn't work that well.  No details as what aspect was giving them
	trouble but the thing wasn't very reliable.

	2.  Market.  Seems that there were not to many people who needed the
	thing.  You can buy an extended keyboard, mouse, trackball, etc. for
	the Plus already.  Apparantly not too many people would spend another
	$100 bucks just so they could use the Apple keyboard or other ADB
	devices.  The number of people who wanted an ADB device so they could
	use it on an ADB machine when they got it was pretty small I guess.

My advice to Michael (who originally asked the question) is to determine if you
really are going to get an ADB.  If you plan on getting one in the next 6 or so
months, see if you can get by with what you have.  If you are thinking maybe a
year or so (depending on cash, etc.) just get a new keyboard and mouse.  They
will at least add some value to your system when you sell it.

Bruce Burkhalter
Berkeley Systems, Inc.