Welcome to Alan's Hints 'n Tips How can I fix my mouse when it won't move where I want it to very easily? How does it work? The normal mouse on a computer is opto-mechanical, that is, it has a ball which rubs against a pair of rollers and each roller has a slotted disc at one end - that's the mechanical part. The 'opto' part is four pairs of LEDs (light emitting diodes) and infra-red light sensitive diodes. |
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The ball rotates as you move the mouse, the rollers rotate as the ball rubs on them and the slotted discs interrupt the light from the LED as it shines across to the light sensitive diode.
The end result, through the marvels of electronics, is that the pulses from the mouse are sent via the mouse cable to your computer and the pointer or cursor follows the movement of your hand. Simple huh? How do I fix it? Firstly, turn the mouse on its back and look for the removable section of the base that allows the ball to be taken out. Most of these turn anti-clockwise to release but a few have arrows indicating the cover slides in one direction rather than turning. Once the cover is removed the ball will tip out. |
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Cleaning! The ball and the rollers have to be kept clean for efficient operation. To clean the ball I have found the best method is to wash it in some warm water. Use some dishwashing liquid or even some household bath or basin cleaner, then give a good rinsing in warm water. Once dried the ball should have lost the shiny feel and feel more like a rubber surface, gripping your finger as you rub it. Now that the ball is clean you also need to clean any built up lint and grease from the rollers. There are two rollers which have the slotted discs on them plus a roller which keeps pressure on the ball to maintain contact with the others. Try to get all the lint and dirt off these rollers, even using a pin or needle to extricate it from the edges of the roller shaft. Once this is done try using a clean rag moistened with methylated spirits to clean the roller surface. If you don't have methylated spirits use a cloth dampened with warm water. Reassemble the mouse and you should once again have it performing like new. Footnote: If your computer does not already have the more modern 'optical mouse' you may wish to consider purchasing one of the newer generation 'mice' which have no ball to clean. These are the optical variety which operate by infra-red technology. Once tried you'll just have to get one for yourself and prices are now down to an affordable level too.
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