Controlling an Etch-a-Sketch with a Mouse Might Make it Actually Fun

Here's a confession: I've always kind of hated the Etch-a-Sketch.

Those knobs are pretty much impossible to draw with, so it always felt like the "fun" of using it was just making a simple task needlessly harder. But I guess I'm in the minority there, because it's hugely popular. But this mod for the "toy" might just erase my criticisms by replacing those infernal knobs with a computer mouse, making the whole thing a bit more user friendly. Unfortunately for me, it was created as a school project at Cornell, so I guess I'll just stick to Microsoft Paint for my mediocre drawing needs. [Project Page via MAKE]

12:50 PM on Mon Mar 3 2008
By Adam Frucci
7,348 views
23 comments

Comments

parcaelum at 12:58 PM on 03/03/08
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you are not alone in hating that thing.
Viva La Volvo at 12:58 PM on 03/03/08
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They need to wire up a VGA connector on there ^_^
markgm at 01:02 PM on 03/03/08
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I never liked them either!
CODIFEROUS at 01:10 PM on 03/03/08
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[www.gvetchedintime.com]
dufus at 01:10 PM on 03/03/08
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I don't hate the etch-a-sketch, I hate the people who can draw things with them that come out looking like the thing they were trying to draw....

showoffs...
Curves at 01:14 PM on 03/03/08
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The Etch is a very popular toy and has been for years. The most frun I had ever had from it was systematically drawing the lines horizontally and vertically very close together across the whole screen so I could see INSIDE of it to figure out how it worked. (Hey cut me some slack, I was 8 and it was WAY before video games.)
MagnoliaBoy at 01:30 PM on 03/03/08
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I had one of those friends that could do the Mona Lisa, or whatever Da Vinci/Rembrandt study he put his mind to. He made me sick. Dude needs to sell this to Hasbro or whoever makes these. A USB Etch-a-Sketch would definitely make it to one of my kids stockings.
Kaiser-Machead at 01:46 PM on 03/03/08
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I loved my Etch-a-Sketch. No talent pundits be damned!
m4ximusprim3 at 02:08 PM on 03/03/08
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@Curves: I did that too. Never saw it though- I always got about a quarter done and lost interest. Sort of the hasbro equivalent of "how many licks".

As far as the mouse thing goes, they should have hooked it up to one of the old serial wacom tablets. Touch screen etch a sketch would be suh-weet.
What it is at 02:21 PM on 03/03/08
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@Kaiser-Machead: word. I was a master etcher 'n sketcher - a product of a cable-less upbringing I suppose.
IrisMR at 02:21 PM on 03/03/08
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Love the hate.

As a kid I always had a love-hate relationship with my etch-a-sketch. I cussed all along while "drawing" something on that piece of shit, but when it came out "good" I would show it around proudly and puff my chest with pride.
flyboy at 02:25 PM on 03/03/08
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@m4ximusprim3:

its some little pinpoint plastic part pulled around with fishing line - I did it the other day.

The whole point of Etch A Sketch was fo kids that can't draw. And wasting time learning how to do circles....
hagrun at 02:28 PM on 03/03/08
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did that mouse come out of a toilet?
IVPPITER at 02:42 PM on 03/03/08
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@hagrun: what kind of question is that? isn't it a microsoft mouse?
WiwiJumbo at 02:52 PM on 03/03/08
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Maybe not as impressive as the Etched in time page, but this guy puts a new one up every day. Scary in ways I can't quite describe.

[etchasketchist.blogspot.com]
Fierock at 02:54 PM on 03/03/08
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Etch-a-sketch was made by the devil. Instead of signing a contract with you, he'd just influence your parents to buy one for you every other christmas or when you (intentionally) broke the knobs off.

As a detail oriented perfectionist with way too much patience, and a younger brother, I once learned the hard way not to devote any energy to creating anything requiring any kind of long term commitment. Instead just draw since it is much less fun for siblings to erase afterwards.
videoCWK at 03:19 PM on 03/03/08
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SINNAR. I love the Etch a Sketch. I would also love to use it with a mouse.
J0hnP at 03:29 PM on 03/03/08
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@CODIFEROUS: Wow! I had no idea that some folks have become incredibly proficient in Etch A Sketch art! Thanks for the link!
SinAmos at 04:08 PM on 03/03/08
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It kind of takes the point away. This is my problem with guys on PCs playing first-person shooters; there is no skill necessary. Now those guys that make a living creating the etch-a-sketch artworks and draining them might fill a bit empty themselves.
dws at 04:15 PM on 03/03/08
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When I wanted to erase something on MS paint, I shook the laptop and it erased.. but it stayed black... I think my Etch a MS Paint is broken
FLegion at 05:02 PM on 03/03/08
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My lord, that mouse is a biohazard. Just looking at it makes me want to wash my hands!
Rapheo at 11:00 PM on 03/03/08
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I always had a problem with it because all the work can be put into makeing something cool then one drop and its all over, its like gambleing but a lot more time consuming
ManekiNeko at 03:56 AM on 03/04/08
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A serial port?! Damn, that mouse is older than the Etch-A-Sketch! Still a pretty neat mod, though.