Don't put your mouse out to pasture yet

Don't put your mouse out to pasture yet

By Zatni Arbi

JAKARTA (JP): You move your mouse around, but the mouse
pointer on the screen doesn't budge. "Oh, oh!" you say. You think
that yours is dead already and you wonder how much a new mouse
would cost. You ask your friends for the name of the store that
sells the cheapest mouse in town. But maybe what it needs is just
a CPR. And maybe it doesn't take a trained nurse to administer
the aid.

Today, the mouse is as indispensable to Windows users as
diapers are for parents of babies and toddlers. However, because
of its fragile look, a lot of people think that the mouse is
susceptible to sudden death. Some mice are designed so smoothly
that their surface is as soft as a bar of soap and people think
these rodents break down easily and quickly. Therefore, when
their mouse stops working, they immediately go out and buy
another mouse. That's actually OK, since the price of mice are
not really staggering. In fact, you can get a mouse of good
quality for just under Rp 20,000 (US$8.80).

But, with the help of some alcohol and a couple of cotton
swabs, you may be able to bring your comatosed mouse back to
life.

On the rollers

Cheap as mice are now, mouse pads are perhaps still too
expensive, although some computer stores give them away freely at
exhibitions or when you buy a computer system from them. Unknown
to many of you, however, the pad really helps in keeping your
mouse healthy. It's not just colorful decoration for your desk,
it's a sterile breathing mask for the mouse.

Without the mouse pad, people usually drag their mouse around
on the surface of their desk surface. It's OK if the desk has a
glass top. But in many cases, the paint particles from the table
surface get inside the mouse and choke it.

To understand how a mouse can suffocate, take a look at the
accompanying picture. A typical mechanical mouse has a ball, two
rollers and a spindle. If you turn your mouse upside down, you'll
be able to see the ball. It is held inside its well by a ring. To
get it out, all you have to do is rotate the ring
counterclockwise -- perhaps with the end of your retracted
ballpoint. On some mice, you have to push the ring upward or
downward to take it off. Almost certainly there will be arrows
indicating which way you should turn it to remove it.

After you take out the ball, you'll find the two rollers
inside the well. These rollers are perpendicular to each other,
since they are supposed to register the movement of the mouse
along the X and Y axes. Each of the rollers has a tiny cylinder
with a slippery surface that is in constant contact with the
ball. It should be clean and slippery so that the ball can rotate
against it easily. But it should be coarse enough to be rotated
by the ball when the direction conforms to its axis. After some
time, dirt picked up by the ball will accumulate on the surface
of the cylinders.

Here's what happens when the cylinder on the X axis roller
gets so dirty with paint particles or lint that the ball cannot
roll against it. When you move your mouse sideways, the pointer
moves along. But when you move it up and down, the pointer stays
on one line.

When both rollers are covered with dirt, the mouse seems to be
stuck. No matter where you drag it, the pointer simply doesn't
move.

Just clean it

Basically, if you know how to clean the head of a cassette
recorder, you'll be able to clean the rollers inside the mouse.
Just use a cotton swab dipped in alcohol to clean it. In my
experience, mice that have been used on varnished desk surfaces
are the hardest to clean.

If the dirt sticks stubbornly on the cylinders, you may have
to perform invasive surgery on the mouse. Take heart, though, as
most mice are designed in such a way that you can take them apart
easily. Usually all you have to do is loosen two or three screws,
and then you can pry the it open. Once the rollers are fully
exposed, you can clean them more easily and more thoroughly.

In one extreme case, I had to use sandpaper to remove the
dirt. It worked fine, but it left scratches on the surface of the
cylinder because I did not use the finest sand paper. Once
considered dead by its owner, this mouse now works flawlessly,
but the movement of the pointer is not as perfect as it would be
had I used finer sandpaper. So, if you think you have to use
sandpaper, be sure to pick the finest.

The spindle helps keep the ball in place against the two
rollers. Just like the rollers, it gets dirty too, and you also
can use a swab to clean it.

By the way, the roller ball needs some cleaning too. All you
have to do is take it to your kitchen sink and wash it with a
very mild detergent. Rinse it well under the tap before wiping
it, and let it dry completely before putting it back in its
place.

The vital cord

Unless yours is a cordless mouse, such as Logitech MouseMan
Cordless, there's definitely a cord that connects it with the
serial or bus port on your PC. Needless to say, there's not much
you can do if the cord has been broken. Mouse makers would rather
have you spend money on a new mouse rather than a cord
replacement. So, if you tug too hard on the cord, you may end up
having to buy a new mouse.

All said and done, when, and not if, your mouse fails to move
its pointer on the screen, you'll know its life may not
necessarily be over yet. Most important of all, start using a
mouse pad -- if you haven't been using one already.