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just brew it!
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Re: can mouse be rescued??? button keeps double-clicking!

Tue Dec 11, 2012 1:07 pm

I would probably avoid motor oil (too viscous) and olive oil (may leave a gummy residue once it evaporates)... but as you've noted, he's got nothing to lose at this point.
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ChronoReverse
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Re: can mouse be rescued??? button keeps double-clicking!

Tue Dec 11, 2012 1:15 pm

I used single drop of 3 in 1 oil.

As mentioned, motor oil is too viscous and olive oil might leave a residue. WD40 is okay but you'll have to be careful in applying it especially if it's a spray can.


Not sure what the mechanism of the oil is for stopping double-clicks. If the micro-switch wasn't registering, I'd assume the oil displaced the dirt or somehow helped dissolve corrosion in the contacts but since it's stopping double-clicks, perhaps it's acting as an "analog debounce"?
 
onlysublime
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Re: can mouse be rescued??? button keeps double-clicking!

Tue Dec 11, 2012 1:21 pm

I don't have any machine oil.

But I do have WD40! wouldn't hurt to give it a try! thanks for the suggestion. you guys are pretty awesome. :D
 
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Re: can mouse be rescued??? button keeps double-clicking!

Tue Dec 11, 2012 1:29 pm

ChronoReverse wrote:
Not sure what the mechanism of the oil is for stopping double-clicks. If the micro-switch wasn't registering, I'd assume the oil displaced the dirt or somehow helped dissolve corrosion in the contacts but since it's stopping double-clicks, perhaps it's acting as an "analog debounce"?

My guess is that it displaces dirt. But there may also be something to the "analog debounce" theory -- if there's excessive contact bounce due to worn contacts, the presence of a thin oil film would likely reduce it (assuming it doesn't prevent the contacts from closing outright).
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superjawes
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Re: can mouse be rescued??? button keeps double-clicking!

Tue Dec 11, 2012 1:30 pm

I see two possibilities (but I am no expert in mouse switches):

1. The switch is dirty. The oil will displace some of that "gunk" and leave a cleaner contact than you started with, and it may also help dissolve some of it.

2. The oil acts as an insulation for the contacts of the switch, essentially filtering out false-clicks.

The second case has more to do with worn components not creating a "clean" contact when you click the mouse, so yes, something like an analog debounce. I would really like to check a new vs. old switch out under a microsope for something like this, just to check because I find it interesting.
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onlysublime
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Re: can mouse be rescued??? button keeps double-clicking!

Tue Dec 11, 2012 8:33 pm

alright, first mistake was thinking I could control the WD40 spray... lots of cleanup afterward... :P

that aside, it's only been 10 minutes of use but so far, it's been looking good for the left mouse button. no double-clicking, no rubber banding when I didn't want it, etc. Button 4 is still DOA though (a switch I can't replace because there are no text markings!).

Whether this works or not, I'd like to thank everyone that helped me out so much. I've bookmarked the links for the switches if I end up having to get them. definitely will be back to use all the expertise here. :P
 
UberGerbil
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Re: can mouse be rescued??? button keeps double-clicking!

Tue Dec 11, 2012 9:00 pm

onlysublime wrote:
alright, first mistake was thinking I could control the WD40 spray... lots of cleanup afterward... :P
Reading this thread earlier, I almost posted something suggesting you spray it into a saucer/cap etc and then use another tool (eyedropper, straw/swizzle with finger over the end aka "bartender taste") to pick up a very small and controllable amount. Oh well.
 
superjawes
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Re: can mouse be rescued??? button keeps double-clicking!

Wed Dec 12, 2012 8:13 am

UberGerbil wrote:
onlysublime wrote:
alright, first mistake was thinking I could control the WD40 spray... lots of cleanup afterward... :P
Reading this thread earlier, I almost posted something suggesting you spray it into a saucer/cap etc and then use another tool (eyedropper, straw/swizzle with finger over the end aka "bartender taste") to pick up a very small and controllable amount. Oh well.

T'would be a wise suggestion for anyone in the future.
On second thought, let's not go to TechReport. It's infested by crypto bull****.
 
Wirko
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Re: can mouse be rescued??? button keeps double-clicking!

Wed Dec 12, 2012 8:49 am

Another suggestion: if you have no experience in soldering, do practice a little on a dead mouse or trackball before going live.

Here's an update on what I wrote yesterday. The Kontakt Chemie's Kontakt 60, the cleaner made specifically for this purpose, made things worse, not better. But that's all right 'cause I'm crazy enough to disassemble the switch, clean it and put it back together. Crazy folks have done that before.
 
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Re: can mouse be rescued??? button keeps double-clicking!

Wed Dec 12, 2012 9:42 am

Wirko wrote:
But that's all right 'cause I'm crazy enough to disassemble the switch, clean it and put it back together. Crazy folks have done that before.

That may be an option for the OP to deal with the switches that have no markings on them (assuming they come apart in a similar way).
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onlysublime
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Re: can mouse be rescued??? button keeps double-clicking!

Wed Dec 12, 2012 1:50 pm

I'll see if I can disassemble the messed up switch. thanks for the link!

I consider the problem for the left mouse button as solved! kudos to everyone with their terrific suggestions, especially ChronoReverse for giving the cheapest and fastest route.
 
morphine
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Re: can mouse be rescued??? button keeps double-clicking!

Wed Dec 12, 2012 2:01 pm

For the record, I have to do the same exact thing to my Logitech G5, I'll keep you guys updated. Problem is, I have some sort of bad karma, every time I try this sort of DYI repairs, something doesn't quite work as it's supposed to.

Side-story: last attempt was a charging cable for the gf's old Sagem phone. Actual wall charger was almost completely broken, so I used a multimeter, read out voltages on pins (+5 and ground, which match USB), cut off the cable, grabbed a USB cable and cut it, carefully soldered both. Worked just fine for a few days, then "Illegal charger". Re-made the cable twice, no luck. Triple-checked everything, no idea what went wrong :evil: . Gave up as it wasn't worth my time.
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morphine
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Re: can mouse be rescued??? button keeps double-clicking!

Thu Dec 13, 2012 8:42 pm

Okay, for the record:

1) WD40 really did fix the switch! My G5 is alive yet again after its second resurrection. I'm going to name it the G-Zombie.
2) I'm still jinxed. Mouse wouldn't pop open after removing the screws. When it did, it tugged on the table connecting the side buttons to the PCB and one of the wires broke. Soldering time.
There is a fixed amount of intelligence on the planet, and the population keeps growing :(

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