Frequently Asked Questions
ColorMouse® FAQ and Troubleshooting guide
Is the ColorMouse communicating (Windows)?
Is the ColorMouse communicating (Macintosh OS 9)?
Is there Macintosh OS X support?
I really want the technical nitty gritty!
Connect the cables to the ColorMouse and power supply. You do not need to connect it to your computer yet. Flip the ColorMouse over and press the button. You should see a series of colored lights flash in the nose cone. If you do not, reconnect the cables and try again. Sometimes the connection at the ColorMouse is not in far enough. If the lights flash then the unit is working.
Is the ColorMouse communicating (Windows)?
In the Windows distribution there is a program called Hyper Terminal. You can usually find it in the Start->Programs->Accessories->Communications->Hyper Terminal menu. Create a new connection and have it connect directly to the COM port 1 or 2, which ever you think the ColorMouse is attached to. Set the port settings as follows:
Bits per second: 9600
Data bits: 8
Parity: None
Stop bits: 1
Flow control: None
When you've connected to that port, send the following: Type "VER" and press <Enter>. Do not type the quotes, just the characters <V> <E> <R>. Case is important. Do not worry if you do not see what you type, when you press the <Enter> key (or <return>) the ColorMouse should respond. If the ColorMouse is properly attached and communicating it will respond with a string of values and a 0000. If nothing responds make sure that the device is plugged in and the port is set correctly. If the response is ":0002" then there is some benign error. You can reset that error by typing "RES" and pressing return. Then try the "VER' command again.
If the device responds, try typing "MES" and pressing <Enter>. This is the measurement command. After you send this command, the measurement head of the ColorMouse should cycle through a number of colors LEDs and you should see several lines of numbers in the Hyper Terminal window. The numbers should be followed by ":0000" If not, please let Color Savvy know here.
Is the ColorMouse communicating (Macintosh OS 9)?
In order to test the ColorMouse communications (without using ColorMouse driver software) you will need a terminal emulator. The instructions below are for a shareware program called ZTerm. You can download and license ZTerm from their web site: http://homepage.mac.com/dalverson/zterm/ Because the ColorMouse does not have support for OS X, you should use version 1.01.
When you launch the application it may complain that the serial port it wants is not available. Choose a serial port that the ColorMouse is connected to.
Once ZTerm is running, you can configure the port and speed.
Under the Settings menu choose, "Connection..." remove any phone number and pre-dial init text. Set the Data Rate to "9600", Data Bits to "8", Parity to "None" and Stop Bits to "1". Check "Local Echo" and un-check "Xon/Xoff" and "Hardware Handshake"
Under the Settings menu choose, "Terminal...". Check the top and bottom check boxes and use "VT100"
Under the Settings menu choose, "Modem Preferences..." Choose the proper serial port at the top of the dialog. Remove any Initialize and De Initialize text.
Now you can type into the main window.
Type "VER" and press <return>. Do not type the quotes, just the characters <V> <E> <R> and then the <return> or <enter> key. Case is important. If the ColorMouse is properly attached and communicating it will respond with a string of values and a :0000. If nothing responds make sure that the device is plugged in and the port is set correctly. If the response is ":0002" then there is some benign error. You can reset that error by typing "RES" and pressing return. Then try the "VER' command again.
If the device responds, try typing "MES" and pressing return. This is the measurement command. After you send this command, the measurement head of the ColorMouse should cycle through a number of colors and you should see several lines of numbers in the ZTerm window. The numbers should be followed by ":0000" If not, please let Color Savvy know here.
If the device is communicating, then there may be something wrong with the application. Make sure that any modem inits are turned off in your extension manager.
Is there Macintosh OS X support?
All Macintosh ColorMouse software operates under Macintosh OS 8.1 and higher. While running Mac OS X, the ColorMouse software will operate in the Classic environment.
We will post information on the web site when there is support for native Mac OS X