Don't put your mouse out to pasture yet<\/p>\n
By Zatni Arbi<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): You move your mouse around, but the mouse
\npointer on the screen doesn't budge. \"Oh, oh!\" you say. You think
\nthat yours is dead already and you wonder how much a new mouse
\nwould cost. You ask your friends for the name of the store that
\nsells the cheapest mouse in town. But maybe what it needs is just
\na CPR. And maybe it doesn't take a trained nurse to administer
\nthe aid.<\/p>\n
Today, the mouse is as indispensable to Windows users as
\ndiapers are for parents of babies and toddlers. However, because
\nof its fragile look, a lot of people think that the mouse is
\nsusceptible to sudden death. Some mice are designed so smoothly
\nthat their surface is as soft as a bar of soap and people think
\nthese rodents break down easily and quickly. Therefore, when
\ntheir mouse stops working, they immediately go out and buy
\nanother mouse. That's actually OK, since the price of mice are
\nnot really staggering. In fact, you can get a mouse of good
\nquality for just under Rp 20,000 (US$8.80).<\/p>\n
But, with the help of some alcohol and a couple of cotton
\nswabs, you may be able to bring your comatosed mouse back to
\nlife.<\/p>\n
On the rollers<\/p>\n
Cheap as mice are now, mouse pads are perhaps still too
\nexpensive, although some computer stores give them away freely at
\nexhibitions or when you buy a computer system from them. Unknown
\nto many of you, however, the pad really helps in keeping your
\nmouse healthy. It's not just colorful decoration for your desk,
\nit's a sterile breathing mask for the mouse.<\/p>\n
Without the mouse pad, people usually drag their mouse around
\non the surface of their desk surface. It's OK if the desk has a
\nglass top. But in many cases, the paint particles from the table
\nsurface get inside the mouse and choke it.<\/p>\n
To understand how a mouse can suffocate, take a look at the
\naccompanying picture. A typical mechanical mouse has a ball, two
\nrollers and a spindle. If you turn your mouse upside down, you'll
\nbe able to see the ball. It is held inside its well by a ring. To
\nget it out, all you have to do is rotate the ring
\ncounterclockwise -- perhaps with the end of your retracted
\nballpoint. On some mice, you have to push the ring upward or
\ndownward to take it off. Almost certainly there will be arrows
\nindicating which way you should turn it to remove it.<\/p>\n
After you take out the ball, you'll find the two rollers
\ninside the well. These rollers are perpendicular to each other,
\nsince they are supposed to register the movement of the mouse
\nalong the X and Y axes. Each of the rollers has a tiny cylinder
\nwith a slippery surface that is in constant contact with the
\nball. It should be clean and slippery so that the ball can rotate
\nagainst it easily. But it should be coarse enough to be rotated
\nby the ball when the direction conforms to its axis. After some
\ntime, dirt picked up by the ball will accumulate on the surface
\nof the cylinders.<\/p>\n
Here's what happens when the cylinder on the X axis roller
\ngets so dirty with paint particles or lint that the ball cannot
\nroll against it. When you move your mouse sideways, the pointer
\nmoves along. But when you move it up and down, the pointer stays
\non one line.<\/p>\n
When both rollers are covered with dirt, the mouse seems to be
\nstuck. No matter where you drag it, the pointer simply doesn't
\nmove.<\/p>\n
Just clean it<\/p>\n
Basically, if you know how to clean the head of a cassette
\nrecorder, you'll be able to clean the rollers inside the mouse.
\nJust use a cotton swab dipped in alcohol to clean it. In my
\nexperience, mice that have been used on varnished desk surfaces
\nare the hardest to clean.<\/p>\n
If the dirt sticks stubbornly on the cylinders, you may have
\nto perform invasive surgery on the mouse. Take heart, though, as
\nmost mice are designed in such a way that you can take them apart
\neasily. Usually all you have to do is loosen two or three screws,
\nand then you can pry the it open. Once the rollers are fully
\nexposed, you can clean them more easily and more thoroughly.<\/p>\n
In one extreme case, I had to use sandpaper to remove the
\ndirt. It worked fine, but it left scratches on the surface of the
\ncylinder because I did not use the finest sand paper. Once
\nconsidered dead by its owner, this mouse now works flawlessly,
\nbut the movement of the pointer is not as perfect as it would be
\nhad I used finer sandpaper. So, if you think you have to use
\nsandpaper, be sure to pick the finest.<\/p>\n
The spindle helps keep the ball in place against the two
\nrollers. Just like the rollers, it gets dirty too, and you also
\ncan use a swab to clean it.<\/p>\n
By the way, the roller ball needs some cleaning too. All you
\nhave to do is take it to your kitchen sink and wash it with a
\nvery mild detergent. Rinse it well under the tap before wiping
\nit, and let it dry completely before putting it back in its
\nplace.<\/p>\n
The vital cord<\/p>\n
Unless yours is a cordless mouse, such as Logitech MouseMan
\nCordless, there's definitely a cord that connects it with the
\nserial or bus port on your PC. Needless to say, there's not much
\nyou can do if the cord has been broken. Mouse makers would rather
\nhave you spend money on a new mouse rather than a cord
\nreplacement. So, if you tug too hard on the cord, you may end up
\nhaving to buy a new mouse.<\/p>\n
All said and done, when, and not if, your mouse fails to move
\nits pointer on the screen, you'll know its life may not
\nnecessarily be over yet. Most important of all, start using a
\nmouse pad -- if you haven't been using one already.<\/p>",
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