From the time I first got my hands on the Zebra Graphics Tablet, I have been investigating the use of a mouse for my TS2068. Granted, the Zebra Track ball for the 2068 is quite impressive, but my search for a Mouse continued. After a little British research I found that the best choices for Spectrum mice are the Kempston and the AMX.
My choice was the AMX Mouse by Advanced Memory Systems mainly because it was available here in the states from Curry Computer, who highly recomended it. The Mouse Interface plugs into any Spectrum expansion port, such as the Rainbow Interface, and it operates in the Spectrum mode. The back of the Mouse adapter contains two sockets, one for the mouse itself, and the other is for a Centronics parallel printer cable (the Tasman cable works just fine.)
The software loads in several parts. The first part asks whether or not you wish to save to microdrive. If you answer no then the software skips over loading the second part and goes on to load the third part which is the AMX ART program. As soon as the program has loaded, you are presented with boreded work area surrounded by Icons on the right and pul down menu headers above. In the center of the screen is a hand Icon which moves with the movement of the mouse. This pointer is used to select any of the Icons or the menu headers by just pointing to the desired function and pressing the leftmost button on the mouse.
The AMX ART program operates the same way as Mac Draw or Mac Paint on the MacIntosh. You can draw circles, boxes, and lines. You may draw using a pencil or a spray can with any number of patterns and shades. Imput/Output includes the TS2040 printer, the Interface 1 serial printer port or the AMX printer port with the proper cable. Using the TS2040 printer you are only able to print the immediate screen area, but with a full size printer you are able to select the area you wish to print which includes a larger area than the screen.
In addition to the AMX ART program, there is also the AMX Colour Palette program which allows you to add color to your drawings. The CP program is disappointing only in that it only allows you to add color in large blocks. On the other side of the tape are the AMX control and Icon Designer programs which allow you to create your own mouse software. These I will discuss in the next article.
Over all I have been very impressed with the AMX Mouse. It provides an excellent mouse/Icon enviroment at a reasonable cost ($100 or less.) The only thing lacking in the system is a more detailed owners manual. In future articles I plan to discuss writing software for the mouse, and other software available for the AMX Mouse from other companies.