My trusty Intellimouse - the most comfortable mouse I've ever held - no longer scrolls up/down when I rotate the scroller. How can this be fixed?
I've previously fixed its double-click issue by manually adjusting the copper springs, but this time I just can't find any info (articles, videos) on the subject, and can't figure out how it even works. Is it mechanical? optical? Someone please give me a nudge in the right direction, thanks /diy/.
Sounds like the encoders went out. Find them, hook up an oscope and see if theyre working when you scroll.
this thing is probably shot. i've take one out of a old bus mouse and stuck it into a usb mouse and it worked okay (luckily the holes matched up).
>>1011670
Is this what autism looks like?
>>1011766
Let's see you fix it then, genius.
>>1011670
If I knew what the encoders were or how they functioned, I wouldn't need this thread, Anon, so it's not very helpful. Also I don't have access to an oscilloscope so I can't determine their function that way.
>>1011716
Mine doesn't seem to have these cogs or anything triggered mechanically by the scrollwheel; instead there's a resting place for the cogs on the scrollwheel, what looks like a small piece of glass under it and that's it, really. I'll try to get some pictures going.
>>1011958
some mice dont use an encoder wheel but a infrared emitter and receiver on each side of the scrolling wheel (which has pattern holes in it, kinda like a rim) and that is used to detect movement instead
what version is your intellimouse?
>>1011965
That's it! That's exactly what it looks like, plux your description of the pattern holes in the scrolling wheel. My "encoder" must be optical, then.
If that's the case, where do I even start to eliminate causes? I tried cleaning all the parts without luck. If the emitter or receiver are broken, I think I'm out of luck as I can't even test them electronically, I don't think.
>what version
The first one, maybe? I'm not sure, it's from 2003/4 at least, and has shit sampling rate and DPI compared with modern mice.
>>1011968
thats probably a v1.0 or 1.1, my brother used to have one too, worked pretty well, even thought the lower dpi, the accuracy was mighty fine (i think it had a high sample-count/refresh-rate, cant recall)
anyway, checking if the emitter is working is simple, record it in a semi-dark room, the camera should be able to pick up (some of) the infrared coming out of it. as for the receiver, without an oscilloscope or a multimeter with frequency counter you wont be able to check it
i find it quite hard to believe that any part of that optical circuit has gone bust, its much more likely to either be some blockage on the sensors or encoding wheel, or crack joint on the pcb or even those ribbons that carry the signals to the daughter board that might have broken due to movement/acceleration stress.
give the whole pcb (joints, traces and ribbons) a through check, and only if you cant find anything "out of place" then its time to take stuff apart (or buy a new mouse, those might still be available on amazon and ebay)
gl
>>1011968
>>1011975
after some googling, there seems to be a common issue for that plastic piece that holds the wheel up to a specific height so that the detection works correctly
>http://www.overclock.net/t/1151746/are-these-intellimouse-1-1-legit-does-anyone-know-now/10#post_15471346
>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_3fShRhjhc
give it a look, gl
>>1011628
Just buy a new one you cheap cunt.
>>1011991
Have you seen how much a new intellimouse goes for?
It's like $80-$100, even used ones are like $40.
Besides, why throw out a old mouse when it can easily be repaired? This is /diy/.
>>1011628
OP i had the same problem in my mouse. There is an optical encoder inside and the scroller is the interrupting disk part.mine had an unbelivable amount of junk in it. Take it apart, take the wheel out, clean it out with a toothpick, put it back together.
>>1011975
>record it in a semi-dark room
Done - the emitter seems to be working, I get a bright light showing in my phone's camera.
>without an oscilloscope or a multimeter with frequency counter you wont be able to check it
Well fuck.
>or crack joint on the pcb or even those ribbons that carry the signals
I don't see any physical tears or burns in the board or wires, and the rest of the functionality (clicking the scrollwheel for instance) work well.
>>1011978
I'll give it a look and report back, thanks for the help, Anon!
>>1011991
But I like this mouse :( I would much rather keep maintaining it as I have before than spend some money on one that doesn't fit my hands as much. It was given to me second-hand over a decade ago by a colleague and it was like magic, no other mouse I've ever held even compares to how comfortable and right it feels in my hand, it's a fucking wonderful device. Sure, if I have no choice I'll buy something else but I'm a sentimental fuck and I like knowing I can fix things, not just consume.
>>1012022
Cleaned everything just now with a toothpick and alcohol, scrolling still doesn't work. Thanks, though.
>>1011978
Bump. This seems like the answer, when I play with the height of the little plastic holder I can sometimes get the scroll to work, but it's fiddly as fuck and very hard to set down with just paper. I'll bump if I get it to work.
>>1012505
nice, thats good to hear (no damaged electronic components).
now whats left is for you to get the proper height set on it again, maybe using multiple thin pieces o alufoil, which is thinner than paper but is also conductive
also try orienting/nudging the infrared emitter and receiver a bit (towards each other, less than a milliliter change) to change the angle at which the scroll wheel catches the light
is the small indent on pic related worn out on your mouse?
>>1012520
It's not working, Anon... :( I've been trying to mess with the height of the little plastic that holds the side of the wheel up or down, and nothing works, it only makes scrolling tougher. In addition, if you look at the plastic bit holding it up here >>1011965 you'll see that it's arched upward from the base so there's very little space for me to work in, although aluminium foil was a good idea.
I'll try messing with the receiver next, but so far no luck.
![5828895268_394c8de945_b[1].jpg](https://i.imgur.com/nSlg1yc.jpg "5828895268_394c8de945_b[1].jpg")
>>1011965
>OMRON Japan
Not related but damn, this takes me back.
>>1012007
>Have you seen how much a new intellimouse goes for?
>It's like $80-$100, even used ones are like $40.
I know it's a pretty good mouse, but is there a rational reason for that? Are there no just as good or better alternatives?
>mfw I checked how much my MX518 can go for
I guess I would be desperate if it died on me too.
>>1012881
there must a be a sweet spot for it to work, and that spot must have some wiggle room to it so it works every time.
im out of ideas, i asked my brother if he still had that old mouse in storage somewhere (so i could fiddle with it a bit), but he couldnt find it, guess it went to the garbage can :(
how about you try sticking stuff on the front portion (under the holding tip) of that catcher thingy? its height is higher, there is no wiggle room for it to bend after you raise it and its base is squared. start with something a bit larger and then gradually sand it off till you hit the sweet spot where it always works, then use a tiny bit of glue to fix it in its place
gl
>>1012893
>wapanese stuff
iktf and kinda miss it. everything, and its dog, is chink made now
>>1013020
Maybe something isn't working properly; the emitter is clearly working - is there any way to check if the receiver is, without using an oscioscope (which I have no access to) and/or removing it from the board?
>>1013387
nope, the best bet without an oscilloscope would be to de-solder it and rig it onto some custom/self-made circuitry to light a led up when it receives something
