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Fixing my Mouse Clicker


Schot

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I guess it's that time again.  Ugh!  When I got my Logitech M570 many many years ago I fell into a love/hate relationship with it.  Comfort wise I can think of no other.  But!  All M570 models are plagued with a particularly crappy Micro Switch.  The clicky bit!  About a year or two after buying it, the left click began to fail.  Double clicking like crazy.  I managed to get warranty replacements but eventually that ran out so for the past several years I've been repairing the copper tension spring inside the Micro Switch whenever needed.  About a once a year tune up.  I hate doing it but the satisfaction of feeling that distinctive click of success as well as saving about $80 each time always feels great.

I just repaired one of my M570's.  About to start on the second backup M570.  Oh and for the record.  The Micro Switch is pretty much the same in every mouse.

Here's my go to guide that I follow from instructables.  If you've got a fave mouse that you'd like to resurrect I highly recommend this guide:

Repair Mouse With Double Click Problem

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Yes most often it is the spring, be it at a mouse, or springs pressing the battery on the contacts of a camera, if there is a spring looking for the spring is like 99% of all contact trouble.

When the spring failed at my trackball I removed the microswitch and searched  in a database for a replacement switch which needed a bit more pressing power(my taste) and way more clicks till fail.  Cost was like 20€ for 10 pieces. 90% of all mouses I knew have the same micro switch: D2FC-F-7N

Luckily I have a quite good soldering rework station with temperature control. So for me exchanging the microswitch is faster than fixing the spring.

p.s.: The main users of the soldering rework station are daughters: second studying robotics in medicine, and third for working on electrical music instruments.

 

 

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Ah!  Very nice chattius.  Those danged springs huh.  Second mouse is now fixed!

I really wanted to replace my micro switch too.  I looked around a bit and it looked as though the switch would cost minimum $30 CAD so I opted for the old "bend tha spring" method.  But your mention of the D2FC-F-7N had me looking at prices again and seeing much lower prices.  There's an electronics store near me that I think I'll pop by.  It appears they have loads of micro switches for cheap!
addison-electronique

I bought a capacitor from them a long time ago to repair a monitor and it's still going strong.  Looks like it's time to activate my own trusty soldering station.  My kitchen!  lol. 

Lucky daughters to have so many tools at their disposal.  :bow:

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11 hours ago, Schot said:

Ah!  Very nice chattius.  Those danged springs huh.  Second mouse is now fixed!

I really wanted to replace my micro switch too.  I looked around a bit and it looked as though the switch would cost minimum $30 CAD so I opted for the old "bend tha spring" method.  But your mention of the D2FC-F-7N had me looking at prices again and seeing much lower prices.  There's an electronics store near me that I think I'll pop by.  It appears they have loads of micro switches for cheap!
addison-electronique

I bought a capacitor from them a long time ago to repair a monitor and it's still going strong.  Looks like it's time to activate my own trusty soldering station.  My kitchen!  lol. 

Lucky daughters to have so many tools at their disposal.  :bow:

Our local electronics store is run by the owner who is 76 years now. This sort of store is dying out it seems. When I was at school I bought electronics for rail transport modelling, then I turned an electric typewriter into a printer, an automatic fish feeding system for the aquarium, temperature controller for the chemicals my sister needed for analog fotography, ...

The owner had always nice experiments for kids, could always discuss ideas with him and I probably learned more about electronics than at school. 

Bought something close to this at the store for our third when she asked how her electrical instrument was working. There is something at these old school stores online shops will never have.

 

s-l1600.jpg

 

  Miniatur-Orgel-Elektronik-Kinder-Bausatz

 

 

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1 hour ago, Schot said:

Tinkering is so much fun eh.  Those stores are like wonderlands.  These days it seems STEM kits are all the rage but I agree, it's not the same as walking into an electronics store and seeing all the possibilities in front of you.  Excellent lesson you provided to your #3!  Saves the child from taking apart all her belongings.  Reminds me of the time I thought it would be a great idea to try to recharge old alkaline batteries by connecting wires from a wall socket to a 9volt.  I was a child.  I swear it!

Would love to try this with the nephew!

 

Nice, My dad moved from one powerplant building place to the next installing turbines. If it was for more than half a year we moved with him. If it was shorter he visited every second weekend. My mother always was worried when I used iron(III)oxid and other chemicals for electronics. The electronic magazines used to have sides with special paper which you could glue on the copperside of a circuit board. The ironIIIchloride was used to remove the copper on places the paper wasn't black.

When my dad was at home he asked if I still had enough chemicals and then there was the discussion between my parents.

I wouldn't design material for work with it, but for teching electronics the pen seems to be nice.

p.s,; Is there already a criminal case with a murderer using the pen to draw a deadly line to high voltage? Might write a book or sell the idea ;)

 

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lol, Schot... ahhh, so thats how you been keeping this mouse alive for so many years... was always wondering how you were getting that thing to keep staying alive

Zombie MOuse!!

ravenous_zombie_mouse.jpg

:lol:

 

gogo

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On 6/26/2020 at 2:14 PM, chattius said:

Nice, My dad moved from one powerplant building place to the next installing turbines. If it was for more than half a year we moved with him. If it was shorter he visited every second weekend. My mother always was worried when I used iron(III)oxid and other chemicals for electronics. The electronic magazines used to have sides with special paper which you could glue on the copperside of a circuit board. The ironIIIchloride was used to remove the copper on places the paper wasn't black.

When my dad was at home he asked if I still had enough chemicals and then there was the discussion between my parents.

I wouldn't design material for work with it, but for teching electronics the pen seems to be nice.

p.s,; Is there already a criminal case with a murderer using the pen to draw a deadly line to high voltage? Might write a book or sell the idea ;)

 

Oh for sure, that silver pen conveys lofty ambitions but it's a delightful example of something fun and educational for young tinkerers everywhere.

Quite a job your dad had.  I'm continually impressed by the wealth of experiences you've shared.  Makes me wonder if you've had a chance to take part in Repair Cafe trend.  Seems to me you'd be well rewarded simply by the experience. 

 

On 6/26/2020 at 3:17 PM, gogoblender said:

lol, Schot... ahhh, so thats how you been keeping this mouse alive for so many years... was always wondering how you were getting that thing to keep staying alive

Zombie MOuse!!

ravenous_zombie_mouse.jpg

:lol:

 

gogo

Yeeeees....  YEEES!  Riiiise minion!  I will it!  Ah ah ah!   :schot:

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8 hours ago, Schot said:

Quite a job your dad had.  I'm continually impressed by the wealth of experiences you've shared.  Makes me wonder if you've had a chance to take part in Repair Cafe trend.  Seems to me you'd be well rewarded simply by the experience.

I know repair cafes from my mother's place. Closest to us is a recycle centrum where people can give their old stuff instead throwing it away. The centrum has some retired mechanics, electricians who show repair and demontage (if not repairable) to people without a chance to work. Be it that they are handicapped, considered too old, too long away from work, .... About a third of them is trained enough to find a work. The repaired stuff is sold to cover some costs. Last I bought was a 8track tape recorder for our number3 to record music old school.

Each second saturday it is open house and people can try their own repairs with some cookies and coffee.

But with 5 kids the spare time was normally filled with moving kids to sport, cinema, ... Disadvantage of countryside. To ease it a bit we had a Au-Pair girl for a year each. They could visit a translator school in morning and did help with kid sitting, mainly transports.

 

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15 hours ago, Schot said:

Oh for sure, that silver pen conveys lofty ambitions but it's a delightful example of something fun and educational for young tinkerers everywhere.

Quite a job your dad had.  I'm continually impressed by the wealth of experiences you've shared.  Makes me wonder if you've had a chance to take part in Repair Cafe trend.  Seems to me you'd be well rewarded simply by the experience. 

 

Yeeeees....  YEEES!  Riiiise minion!  I will it!  Ah ah ah!   :schot:

Does it work like for computers as well

:lol:

gogo

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17 hours ago, gogoblender said:

Does it work like for computers as well

:lol:

gogo

Yes, some computers have a spring in the %#%# power/reset switch ;)

As long as no risk is involved my kids can try out own repairs / ideas. Learning from mistakes is not only learning to avoid mistakes the next time, it is also training mechanical skills.

I once posted in the creative cures and repairs thread how our #3 repaired the washing machine when she was 11, using a bicycle repair kit. Got the idea without internet, just the thought: the seal is grey rubber. I can repair the rubber in the wheel of my bicycle, why not try the same here. The repair was still intact when we bought a new bigger washing machine.

She is great on her electric zither, but she likes repairing and 'inventing' too. She is 15 now and would have a test at music school next month for a stipendium if not for corona. Currently she is considering doing double studies in 3 years when joining university: orchestral music and instrument building.

Waschmaschine-600-400.jpg

 

 

 

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  • 5 months later...

Wouldn't it be possible to fully replace the switches with something else @Schot? I've never attempted that myself, nor have I looked into it, but I would imagine a nice set of omrons or khails or w'ever which seem to be the go-to in gaming mice at least could help out in the longevity department?

 

I've recently picked up a Logitech G203 Prodigy and... I have never had a mouse feel so comfortable that quickly. I grew up with the to me classic Logitech wireless mouse shape like they were last included with the ex100 IIRC (picture below). The G203 just feels so familiar. I bought a backup just for the sake of having a replacement in case it conks out and I'm genuinely considering selling my G Pro Wireless. That mouse was more than three times the price but I cannot shake the love I have for this mouse shape. This little thing feels like I'm back at my parents playing S1 on the family PC :3lmao:

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Edited by Timotheus
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