Jacek Fedoryńsk's Raspberry Pi Pico-Powered Input Adapter Gets a Vintage SpaceMouse Talking USB

Developer Jacek Fedoryński has brought a vintage human interface device out of retirement, courtesy of some clever coding and a Raspberry Pi Pico — and if you have a Magellan or SpaceMouse Classic gathering dust, you can too.

Based on technology developed by SpaceTec IMC, the Magellan, later rebranded as the SpaceMouse Classic, was designed to add a whole new axis of motion to computer control. Built primarily with computer aided design (CAD) in mind, though sometimes finding its way into gaming, the Magellan allowed the user to move through the X, Y, and Z axes at will. 3Dconnexion continues to make modern equivalents, but they're priced for the professional user — leaving the budget-conscious finding a way to revive the old serial-port versions instead.

"This project lets you use an old serial Magellan/SpaceMouse controller with modern software on modern operating systems," Fedoryński explains. "It simulates a 3DConnexion SpaceMouse Compact, so it can be used with software like Fusion 360, 3ds Max, SolidWorks, Inventor, Maya, and many others. No special software is required on the computer, apart from 3DxWare. From the computer's point of view, your old Magellan will look like a real SpaceMouse Compact connected over USB."

Fedoryński's adapter uses a low-cost Raspberry Pi Pico development board, with its RP2040 microcontroller, and a Pololu 23201a RS232 adapter for interfacing with the Magellan itself. A custom firmware handles the conversion from serial communication to modern USB, and brings back a piece of history — while saving some ewaste from the landfill.

Full instructions and the project's source code are available on Fedoryński's GitHub repository, with a note: "Since we're simulating a SpaceMouse Compact, which only has two buttons, only two of the Magellan's many buttons are passed through," Fedoryński warns.