Mice as used on the Amstrad PCW/PcW range of machines.

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MICE AS USED ON THE AMSTRAD PCW AND PcW RANGE OF MACHINES.

I offer below my thoughts on the mice as used by all the various Amstrad PCW/PcW machines.

Only one machine came with a mouse as standard, this the PcW16, and judging from the number of requests I have received of late for replacements then, even if your mouse would appear to be working well, it is time to find a replacement, either as a standby or to replace a defective mouse.
CPC Plc. of Preston have available the genuine Amstrad mice for the PcW16 but the costs are high, call them on 08701-202530 and ask for the current price (including VAT and delivery). Your alternative is hunt around for new or second-hand mouse fitting the following criteria

The type of mouse to look for as a replacement for the PcW16 mouse.
The switch is located on the underside and the two positions are labelled PC and MS (will only work when the PC label is on view). The mouse will be the three button type with a serial plug (9 pin Female D plug).
Other mice found to work are similar but the labels read XT and AT.
You are sure to be offered a PS/2 mouse (MiniDin Plug type) with a serial adapter -- refuse it, unless it has a switch on the underside of the mouse.
Finding the right mouse will be Hit and Miss but the above information should help a great deal.
The mouse pictured to the left was purchased for 50 pence from a car boot sale, and after cleaning worked perfectly.

AMX MOUSE.
The AMX mouse was available with or without a software package (for example Stop Press) and works with most models of PCW/PcW via an interface which fixed to the expansion port (they also did a version for the CPC and Spectrum +3). When the mouse becomes defective then it is a Rubbish Bin job ---- there is no chance of finding a substitute mouse as it has an unique connector.

KEMPSTON MOUSE.
I can not offer any advice on this type of mouse as I have yet to encounter one, although they were made for the early PCW's.

KEY MOUSE.
This mouse was recommended for use with products released by Creative Technology, such as MicroDesign but will work with many other D.T.P. packages. Unlike the other mice available it plugged into the keyboard socket via a small interface. The replacement mouse to look for is similar to the PcW16 mouse -- 3 button, serial plug and with a switch on the underside but many of the types that work with the PcW16 will not work as a Key mouse --- trial and error is the name of the game. Creative Technology no longer support the PCW so it will be down to you to find what you need.

Please note: There seems to be some confusion regarding the use of these mice ---- they will only work with programmes that were developed to use a mouse, most programmes were not!