When I was a kid, we had ball mice. Since there could conceivably be people reading this for whom this is prehistory, I'll explain: a mouse had a steel-cored (therefore heavy) rubber-coated ball in the bottom which moved two rollers, each of which had an optical encoder on the end. This was surprisingly effective, but had a secondary purpose as a sort of miniature desktop lint roller, and constantly got clogged up with gunk. Gunk you knew, theoretically, was stuck on using your own skin oils. It was unpleasant. That, and they were always cabled. Modern optical mice are an enormous advance on this. They're lighter, they're lower-maintenance, they're higher in resolution, and they're often connected to the computer using a radio data link, but there's still a problem: Why the hell is it that we're still using the same super-easy-break microswitches for the damn buttons? We've got mice these days which practically have high frame rate video cameras in them, for christ's sake, which cost pocket money and which work beautifully, but we're still using two bits of metal strip banging together to detect mouseclicks. As a result I now have a growing collection of mice whose laser-illuminated, CCD-based motion detection equipment works fine, and whose microwave radio modems work fine, which are crammed with incredibly affordable, incredibly high technology, but which are unusable because of a switch. OK, OK, I know, one could make optical switches, too, but there would still need to be a mechanical component to it for tactile feedback and that would be just as bad, and... and... ...but for crying out loud. This here mouse, which currently registers about one left click in five, can't even be disassembled. It's glued together. I can't even squirt it full of switch cleaner and get another few weeks out of it. Technology, people! P
+1, that's why I bought a vintage industrial trackball. I'm tired of breaking buttons on modern mices. This model uses Omron microswitches. Only drawbacks is that I have to reprogramm the PIC to work with modern computer (or use a Teensy). Next step is an IBM XT / Model F keyboard lol.
Now now calm down, didn't you know that the switch is actually a built in self destruct button that is programmed to function after it senses that you like the mouse. It senses that you are enjoying using it then it begins a countdown to destruction so you have to buy another one. The early roller ball mice actually had a specially constructed roller that was positively charged to attract all your old skin particles and bits of old sarnies left on the mouse mat.
Yep, you're not supposed to look inside or repair. At least mice are cheap, effin smartphones are pretty useless after a year or two, while the 10 year old nokias and 15 year old ericssons are still functioning (but not going into the internet) That said I don't think I've ever had a mouse or keyboard really die on me. I'm sure my first "Genius" mouse from 1986 would still work if I found a driver for it (and a fitting plug) *incorrect* I've had an "A4 first finger trackball" die on me, back whe I did CAD before the war before that other war. Oh good now I feel old.
What on earth are you doing to your poor mouses to break the switches, aren't most switches rated for anything from 3-10 million clicks. I read some review for a mouse recently that had replaceable switches as one of its selling points, although for the life of me i can't remember what mouse it was now.
In all my years of using a PC and gaming on a PC I have never once broke a single mouse button. Now keyboard legs on the other hand.....
I replaced the Kids' PC mouse this year - a Microsoft Habu, which was seven or eight years old, and the DPI selection started to get a bit flaky and alternated between dead slow and super-twitchy . My office mouse is a MS Sidewinder which has seen continual use for about the same amount of time and hasn't missed a beat. My Logitech G500 at home has had plenty of use for a couple of years. I have NEVER had a mouse button switch die on me, so I'm not buying into the "built in obsolescence" theory. Kettles and toasters yes, PC peripherals, nah.
I've had several broken left-click buttons, every 1 or 2 years. I'm not and heavy gamer and I have light fingers. My double click speed is pretty high (around 70ms), but I doubt it'll affect the longevity of the switches.
Why not PC peripherals, maybe you have just been lucky? I've had my share of PSU's, motherboards, GPU's dying after only a year or so, and don't get me on OCZ Vector SSD's...sorry your warranty has run out And lets not forget the great Epson printer time out rip off!
Umm, those are components not peripherals. I will wholeheartedly agree with you on inkjet printers in general, and Epson have a special position of honour in my list of hateful things. Generally though, mice and keyboards have enjoyed long lives in my twenty years of building and tinkering with PCs. That's stretching luck to it's extremes, surely?
Up until about a year ago, I was using one of these MS mice. It lasted for 7 years until one of the switches started playing up.
Added Epson to my AVOID list this summer when my wife's mother asked me to install her Epson picture mate to her new Windows 8 laptop .... no driver for W8 xD.
If you can get into them and own a soldering iron then why not buy a pack of micro-switches and keep your favourite mouse alive? Products do have a destruction timer which they call "efficient and cost saving design". Saves the company money in manufacture, still charge you what they planned to and then make more money from you when you buy your next one because the last one broke. But that's business. Companies who make better quality products or seem to care a bit about customers only do so because it is beneficial to them. If quality or customers ceased being beneficial factors they would change their ways at the drop of a hat. If it was made to last when would it be the next time you bought something? They would go bust. If in the industrial era or the recent past when they "made them like they used to" they had access to computational analysis like we do now then engineers would not have over engineered everything like they had to just in case it wasn't strong enough. This is also being attacked from the parts angle. Fair enough it's an efficient design that might not be durable. But when you come to find parts they either don't exist or are discontinued after a very short period of time. I have an uncle who owns an appliance store and nowadays after two years parts for an appliance become rare. Whereas before that only started happening five years after manufacture. At the end of the day it's just business. Getting back on track from a cynical tangent. Leetgion makes a mouse with "high quality Japanese Omron micro-switches" for the primary buttons and Cherry blues for the auxiliary buttons.
I have a steelseries Ikari that developed a dodgy left click. It's in the spares draw along with a few others. Wasn't old or abused. It just bust. But as to EVERY other mouse I've owned? All lasted forever. Even the piece of crap that came with a £10 case+PSU+keyboard bundle.
I remember having one of these with my SNES mouse when I was a kid, I was obsessed with keeping the rollers clean EDIT: that reminds me, i should really go up my mothers attic and see what old consoles i can dig out.
Can't recall any of my mice quitting on me, from 2bit crapsters to my Razer. The Razer has had to live through 1000+ hours of mashing in BF3 as well as everything else.
Just buy a Logitech mouse. If it breaks in warranty they'll just replace it with the latest model in the same style. Out of warranty you can expect a 50% off voucher for use in their e-store.
