Really annoying wheel mouse.

[MajBach1]

Hi all. I have a MS wireless/optical keyboard and mouse. The scroll wheel on
the mouse has been driving me crazy and is getting worse and worse.About
half of the time or more, whenever I use the scroll wheel to go up, it
scrolls up one page (which is what I have it set for) and then immediately
scrolls back down to the position the browser window was in. I happens in
any application. Like if I have the wheel set to switch weapons in a game,
if I click the wheel up one notch to go from weapon 3 to 2, it will make the
switch then immediately go back to 3. Again, does this about half of the
time. No problem moving the wheel down though. Sounds mechanical, but I
wanted to know if others have experienced this problem and if cracking open
the mouse will yield something I can fix.
Thanks in advance,
Randy

 

[Noozer]

Hi all. I have a MS wireless/optical keyboard and mouse. The scroll wheel on
the mouse has been driving me crazy and is getting worse and worse.About
half of the time or more, whenever I use the scroll wheel to go up, it
scrolls up one page (which is what I have it set for) and then immediately
scrolls back down to the position the browser window was in. I happens in
any application. Like if I have the wheel set to switch weapons in a game,
if I click the wheel up one notch to go from weapon 3 to 2, it will make the
switch then immediately go back to 3. Again, does this about half of the
time. No problem moving the wheel down though. Sounds mechanical, but I
wanted to know if others have experienced this problem and if cracking open
the mouse will yield something I can fix.
Thanks in advance,
Randy

 

[Noozer]

Hi all. I have a MS wireless/optical keyboard and mouse. The scroll wheel on
the mouse has been driving me crazy and is getting worse and worse.About
half of the time or more, whenever I use the scroll wheel to go up, it
scrolls up one page (which is what I have it set for) and then immediately
scrolls back down to the position the browser window was in. I happens in
any application. Like if I have the wheel set to switch weapons in a game,
if I click the wheel up one notch to go from weapon 3 to 2, it will make the
switch then immediately go back to 3. Again, does this about half of the
time. No problem moving the wheel down though. Sounds mechanical, but I
wanted to know if others have experienced this problem and if cracking open
the mouse will yield something I can fix.

Most wheels/rollers/etc. use optics to sense movement, so it could be
dust/etc in the wheel slots or on the electronics that is interfering. If
still under warranty you might want to see about a retrun, otherwise, pull
the mouse open and blow out any dust/etc.

The only other thing I can think of is a defective switch, which would be
hard to replace.

 

[kony]

Hi all. I have a MS wireless/optical keyboard and mouse. The scroll wheel on
the mouse has been driving me crazy and is getting worse and worse.About
half of the time or more, whenever I use the scroll wheel to go up, it
scrolls up one page (which is what I have it set for) and then immediately
scrolls back down to the position the browser window was in. I happens in
any application. Like if I have the wheel set to switch weapons in a game,
if I click the wheel up one notch to go from weapon 3 to 2, it will make the
switch then immediately go back to 3. Again, does this about half of the
time. No problem moving the wheel down though. Sounds mechanical, but I
wanted to know if others have experienced this problem and if cracking open
the mouse will yield something I can fix.
Thanks in advance,
Randy

Sensors are soldered onto the PCB in what one would hope is
a precisely mounted position, but often a little less than
perfect. What usually happens is that the mechanical action
causing the "click-notch" does actually, slightly move the
wheel backwards a tiny bit on any mouse so designed. This
is inherant in any mouse with such a wheel, but the problem
occurs when the optical sensors aren't aligned well enough
so that the slight backwards motion of the wheel is enough
to cause the disc to rotate enough to put the past slot in
position. I am ASSUMING your mouse does have an optical
sensor for the wheel, if it has the old mechanical switch
then all you can (realistically) do is replace the whole
mouse.

The fix for the optical sensor misalignment is to BARELY
(less than 0.5mm) bend the sensor towards the rear of the
mouse. It may not easily be bent in this position and if so
then possibly twisting it a little is enough, but care must
be taken not to put too much strain on the component package
or the solder joints/traces on the circuit board.

If the mouse is a retail version you "might" be able to get
microsoft to replace it. Generally submitting proof of
ownership (fax then a scan of bottom of mouse) will result
in a replacement being sent within only a few days, at least
that's how it is with a (mouse-only) product, never tried
this with a wireless mouse-keyboard combo product.
Unfortunately I don't have the fax number or instructions
available but Google searching may find it... this may be
it:

http://www.xboxaddict.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-55820.html

 

[MajBach1]

Excellent advice, gentlemen. I will start with the simplest fix and work my
way up. Really do not know if it is an optical sensor.

 

[MajBach1]

I have taken the mouse apart and studied it (it is only about a year or two
old BTW). I cannot determine if it uses optical sensors on the wheel. If it
does, I cannot seem them. The wheel has a plastic rod through it that sits
on two pillars. On one end, this rod 'hangs' freely, about a half millimeter
above a little post. This would have to be the mouse button, as the post can
depress with a clicking noise. The other end of the rod narrows to a hex
shape - like a bolt head. It is inserted into another pillar that looks like
a semicircle on top of a square in shape. Obviously an mechanic device and
this pillar has a hex shaped hole near the top that the rod goes into. There
are also 3 copper tongs in which it connects to the main circuit board. From
this, I assume this mouse is mechanic and not optical as far as the wheel is
concerned. I tried moving it slightly and cleaning it - there is a small
amount of lubricant surrounding the hex hole - but it looks like all the
moving parts are enclosed in the switch. There was a noticeable improvement
after I reassembled the mouse but it quickly returned to its annoying faulty
operation. Any more thoughts?
I bought this thing on e-bay a year ago. I doubt MS would offer any
warranty.
Thanks again.
Randy

 

[kony]

I have taken the mouse apart and studied it (it is only about a year or two
old BTW). I cannot determine if it uses optical sensors on the wheel. If it
does, I cannot seem them. The wheel has a plastic rod through it that sits
on two pillars. On one end, this rod 'hangs' freely, about a half millimeter
above a little post. This would have to be the mouse button, as the post can
depress with a clicking noise. The other end of the rod narrows to a hex
shape - like a bolt head. It is inserted into another pillar that looks like
a semicircle on top of a square in shape. Obviously an mechanic device and
this pillar has a hex shaped hole near the top that the rod goes into. There
are also 3 copper tongs in which it connects to the main circuit board. From
this, I assume this mouse is mechanic and not optical as far as the wheel is
concerned. I tried moving it slightly and cleaning it - there is a small
amount of lubricant surrounding the hex hole - but it looks like all the
moving parts are enclosed in the switch. There was a noticeable improvement
after I reassembled the mouse but it quickly returned to its annoying faulty
operation. Any more thoughts?

Sounds like a mechanical switch, not adjustable and not
worth the time or cost to hunt down a replacement. Solution
is then to replace the whole mouse.

I prefer Logitech's wheels for better precision, and their
MX series for better tracking.