Microsoft Mouse Quality down

[willawake]

i am having problems with so many microsoft mice, this is generally units in the timescale around explorer 4.0 and the comfort optical 3000 etc and after. so many just with intermittent working buttons. any solution or just junk them. its a pity cos we have some microsoft keyboards and mouse from years back which are still working fine and heavily used every day.

[arneson]

Re: Microsoft Mouse Quality down

I got four dead rats yesterday. Threw them all away.
Set the trap, ten minutes later, whap,, that's one, snap, snap snap,
got the whole rat family.
That's a big help, huh?

[i4004]

Re: Microsoft Mouse Quality down

when i had issues with buttons on genius mouse, wd40 helped.
if that doesn't help, what you're gonna do, change their switches?
well you could, if they love that mice so much....

[zandrax]

Re: Microsoft Mouse Quality down

Half working left button switches are common on 2-3 years old Logitech mices too: I repaired mine once by following the guide on overclockers.com and I think the same procedure can be applied on MS products.
Beware: open the switch gently, using a flat screwdriver if necessary, and don't move the little copper plate used for contact: if you lose on your floor it or don't remember the exact position, I'd be near impossible to correctly reposition it. On wireless mices don't detach power cables too: solderings are too small to be welded again.

Zandrax

[370forlife]

Re: Microsoft Mouse Quality down

Mine is just fine...2 years strong now. Wireless mouse, never had any troubles, just gets laggy when the batteries go down. Came with my microsoft keyboard with a fingerprint scanner on it.

[PCBONEZ]

Re: Microsoft Mouse Quality down

I got four dead rats yesterday. Threw them all away.
Set the trap, ten minutes later, whap,, that's one, snap, snap snap,
got the whole rat family.
That's a big help, huh?

I used to just shoot them but they don't like that much since I moved into town.

.

[pentium]

Re: Microsoft Mouse Quality down

I got an explorer 2.0 that recently started to have a really finnicky right click and the scroll wheel is horribly stiff but the thing has been living on a single set of AA batteries for almost half a year now.

[Topcat]

Re: Microsoft Mouse Quality down

I have an ORIGINAL intellimouse explorer optical, back from about 1998, still works today. It was made in Japan I believe. Today, all made in china, and that's quite evident. I had a wireless intellimouse explorer, it sucked. response time was terrible, batteries would die twice a week (not rechargeable, used AA's), and one day, it just quit. It was about 3 months old when it died. Went logitech, and never looked back.

[momaka]

Re: Microsoft Mouse Quality down

I have an 8 year old Logitech ball mouse. Left button switch went bad 3 years ago and I just replaced it with another one from some crappy mouse someone gave me. Took me about 10 minutes to repair - 9 of which were me trying to figure how to desoldier the button since I was still learning how to solder. It worked great untill last year the right button switch started to act out. Maybe when I get time I'll try the overclockers.net guide.

@ Willawake: I guess if you have nothing better to do you can swap the non-working buttons from one mouse with working buttons from another. Should take a few minutes per mouse, though, I don't think it would be worth the hassle. Maybe try and sell them.

[Per Hansson]

Re: Microsoft Mouse Quality down

Yup, I love the Intellimouse Explorer 3.0 but the new ones have crap buttons
I replaced 2 under warranty (retailer asked me to just throw the old ones away, didn't even want em back)
But after those two failed he asked me if I wanted something else so I picked a Logitech in the same price range, didn't like it's feel as much tho

Elfa had the cure tho, 35-701-24 will buy you new buttons, they are very easy to replace
They are much stiffer then the originals but I replaced mine about a year ago and still going strong (Knock on wood)
And since the retailer asked me to not send in the faulty mice I now have several

[Krankshaft]

Re: Microsoft Mouse Quality down

For those interested I had to replace some buttons on some of my mice awhile back here is the Digikey link.

If you want to maintain the same pressing force you want the 150 gram buttons here:

http://search.digikey.com/scripts/Dk...?name=SW500-ND

Here are the 75 gram lighter pressing force buttons.

I bought these first paying too much attention to the lead spacing and actuator type. But I actually liked the lighter pressing force.

http://search.digikey.com/scripts/Dk...?name=SW503-ND

For a buck and change per button you don't have to cannibalize any more mice .

I use a Razer Deathadder since I do alot of gaming an optical mouse with 1800 DPI resolution for around 30 bucks plus two programmable hot key buttons on the side. The software is very user friendly too I can set the polling rate and DPI of course mine are all at max.

Whenever I use anyone elses mouse that came with their computer they feel incredibly sloppy by comparision.

[Topcat]

Re: Microsoft Mouse Quality down

For those interested I had to replace some buttons on some of my mice awhile back here is the Digikey link.

If you want to maintain the same pressing force you want the 150 gram buttons here:

http://search.digikey.com/scripts/Dk...?name=SW500-ND

Here are the 75 gram lighter pressing force buttons.

I bought these first paying too much attention to the lead spacing and actuator type. But I actually liked the lighter pressing force.

http://search.digikey.com/scripts/Dk...?name=SW503-ND

For a buck and change per button you don't have to cannibalize any more mice .

I use a Razer Deathadder since I do alot of gaming an optical mouse with 1800 DPI resolution for around 30 bucks plus two programmable hot key buttons on the side. The software is very user friendly too I can set the polling rate and DPI of course mine are all at max.

Whenever I use anyone elses mouse that came with their computer they feel incredibly sloppy by comparision.

Will these work in a logitech as well? My left button sticks once in a while, and needs to be replaced. I've never had it apart though, I was just wondering if they were universal. I love this mouse, so if they would work, I'd be tickled...

[Krankshaft]

Re: Microsoft Mouse Quality down

I've opened a bunch of different mice from name brands to crappy Chinese knockoffs and they all use the same button type with the same pinout.

I have an old Dell branded Logitech optical mouse and yes when I opened it the buttons above fit fine.

I almost certainly thought the same thing you did. But the manufacturers seem to like these buttons for mice.

I guess it's since they give that tactile and audible sensation that we are all used to on our mice?

Here is a pic of the switches on a mouse:

http://jdc.parodius.com/logitech/mx500_mini_pcb.jpg

Just make sure when you solder the new switches in that the button is facing the right direction. It is usually silkscreened on the PCB.

[Scenic]

Re: Microsoft Mouse Quality down

the logitech mouse i'm using ("Premium Optical Wheel Mouse" M-BT58) uses the same buttons as in krankshafts 1st link..

from what i've seen, almost all mice use those buttons.. only older microsoft ones (like the original PS2 Intellimouse (non-optical)) used other buttons.

@topic: i went logitech and never bought anything else... those basic models last like forever.. i only buy a new mouse if its suface gets really blank... (meaning those mouse buttons and at the side where your thumb is have no structure anymore... you can actually see yourself (like in a mirror) on one of my oldest logitechs at the side where your thumb usually is.. lol)

hard to take a photo of that... but i hope you get what i mean...




almost no structure anymore... doesn't look that bad on those photos but they are actually really blank.. lol

[i4004]

Re: Microsoft Mouse Quality down

@all: does it makes sense to replace something that can be cleaned with wd40?
how many of you tried cleaning it first?

scenic: i'm quite the opposite it seems: i like them to have no texture, because texture is something that all too often is just dirt...hehe...
so i would easilly pick left one in this pic
http://picasaweb.google.hr/i4004b3/MiOvi#
as it's all smooth...easier to clean...you know excatly how should it feel...
with rough surface it's always a doubt: is it mouse, or just dirt...

[Krankshaft]

Re: Microsoft Mouse Quality down

@all: does it makes sense to replace something that can be cleaned with wd40?
how many of you tried cleaning it first?

I've read this on other forums but IMO it's a waste first you have to remove the cover on the switch without breaking the clips. Then you have to deal with those small parts.

I can desolder and solder on a new switch in much less time.

By the time it starts sticking the switches contacts are probably badly worn down too. Unless the reason it's sticking is because of liquid intrusion.

If the switches weren't cheap I would give it a shot though.

IMO it's like oiling the bearings of an old case fan it's alot faster to just replace the fan and not have to worry about it.

[i4004]

Re: Microsoft Mouse Quality down

i didn't see it on other forums, i got problems with a switch and applied wd40.
didn't dismantle switch at all.

when you have intermittant problem with a switch wd40 seems like a natural solution.
because one of its purposes is to clean the contacts.
offcourse, you can try other spray that cleans the contacts.

in that aspect i find it weird that the guy(in zandrax link) bends the contacts but never cleans them.
if he was working in some industrial hall with lots of giant switches he would probably use a hammer to force the switch to conduct electricity->bang..."now i'll force you to carry those electrons"...the fact that contacts oxidize doesn't matter.....
what a dumbass.

i'm not saying wd40 will fix all mice switches, but it's easiest thing to try first, isn't it?(buying the new mouse as soon as old dies aside)
i used it, and it cured my mouse switch.

[PCBONEZ]

Re: Microsoft Mouse Quality down

A while ago some idget in another forum asked: "What is the fastest mouse?".

I told him Stuart Little because Mickey drives an old Model T or something.

.

[Gianni]

Re: Microsoft Mouse Quality down

I think you are wrong... the fastest mouse is Speedy

Gianni

[PCBONEZ]

Re: Microsoft Mouse Quality down

What! He's still alive!