> > Anyone know why mice go bad?
> > I don't mean dirt in the mechanism, I mean the jerky, patchy
> > behaviours that some mice begin to exhibit after varying periods of
> > time.
The ball and roller type mouse, typically exhibit this behavior when the
rollers (as described so well by David G) get embedded dirt in them.
Superficial cleaning will not restore functionality. Over the years I have
seen many perfectly good mice get tossed in he trash because the owners
didn't know how to clean them.
To clean a ball roller mouse, or any electronics, use 99 percent alcohol
which can be purchased at a pharmacy. Unlike rubbing alcohol, there is no
water or perfume = oil in 99%. It is also a much stronger cleaner then the
percentages would indicate. If it is not displayed ask the pharmacist to
order it for you.
Take a cotton swab immersed in alcohol, and clean the housing, the roller
ball, and the inside of the ball cavity, wetting down the rollers. Let the
rollers soak in alcohol for a bit. Then take an Xacto knife and scrape off
the rollers..You can also soak and scrap off the Teflon foot pads of the
mouse. Don't exert too much force with the razor blade, only what is
necessary. You don't want to gouge the rollers or the pads.
It is helpful to use a lighted magnified lamp when doing this. You will see
dirt that you can not see with the naked eye. Reassemble the mouse and it
should work fine. When the footpads are dry you can also spray a swab with
silicon lubricant, and use it to wet down the clean footpad. Using this
procedure, I have kept expensive cordless mice working like new for a
decade,... until the switches wore out.
With optical mice is necessary to occasionally use compressed air to blow
out the LED cavity. If any dust or lint gets in there, it will block the
reflective process and effect performance. You can also use a swab soaked
in alcohol to remove difficult dirt from the light cavity.
Another thing that can go wrong, particularly with mice that have been
abused by dangling from the cord,.... is when one of the wires starts to
break at the point where it enters the mouse. I have seen this happen a
number of times with Microsoft Intelleye mice. You can fix this by
disassembling the mouse, and then soldering the wire. I then use stainless
steel tape to reinforce the repair so it can't happen again. If you attempt
this repair, you had better be good at this sort of thing, as the wire you
will be working with is the size of a hair!
A third problem can occur with the buttons = internal switches. They
either stop working, or they work erratically. This is usually the result
of dirty sticky switches. Disassemble the mouse, clean the housing from the
inside and then use an electronic aerosol cleaner, perhaps with silicon to
spray the switches. The cleaner and the pressure will clean the contacts.
The silicon in the cleaner will lubricate the switch. Note: don't use pure
silicon or you will coat the contacts with an insulator and the switch will
cease to function.
Any of these procedures can be performed quickly, and are relatively easy
to accomplish. They can preserve a favorite and expensive mouse until it's
components wear out.
Rode
The NOSPIN Group
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