CBM Mouse Veteran
32 messages in this thread
The issue was not the feel, it was the reliability. And CBMs mouse has
given me fare many more hours of trouble free use than that on a $20,000
workstation!
Funny, I've had three C= rodents die on me because the left button went bad
on each and every one of them. It *is* a problem with C= rodents, and I've
heard the same thing with at least a hundred or so other amiga users…<no
exaggeration>
Rick,
Humm…this thread is the first I've heard of Amiga mice going bad,
so apparently your 'hundred or so' other Amiga users are an isolated
sample, or else…folks aren't reporting that problem here.
Don
My mouse has a so-so left button. Right now its ok, but at times I have to
bang at it.
Ron
Ron,
Have you ever tried cleaning it?
Don
Yes, I do clean it very carefully on occassion. But I don't know any way
to clean the microswitch contacts.
Ron
Ron,
It depends on which unit you have…my mouse has sealed switches,
so in theory, they shouldn't need to be cleaned. But if it started to act
flakey…I'd probably just spray the heck out of it hoping some of the
cleaner worked it's way in.
My memory of the older mouse from my A1000 was that it was more
open…that is…you could spray into the switch itself. I could be wrong
on that.
If it matters…the circuit board on my current mouse is marked TDK
who I presume made it.
Don
Don,
just to add to what was said earlier… I'm on my third Amiga mouse. And
it's starting to go flakey. Yep, the left button doesn't work reliably.
It's often difficult to get a good double-click out of it. So it's not
just an isolated incident. More like, most people don't mention it, they
just go out and buy a new mouse.
Chow, Cheryl P!
Cheryl:
I friend of mine who's had his amiga for almost 2 years now, and he
_thought_ that his mouse had finally bitten the dust, the usual problem,
the buttons didn't function as well as before. Well it turns out that all
we had to do was open up the mouse, and give a a through cleaning (more
than just the ball) and now it works great!
-Mike Schiller
CIS: 76416,3065
Mike,
Good suggestion, but in this case, mine get cleaned once a month or so. The
one on the my 1000 is so flakey, it's barely usable. (It's the second one
for that machine.) The one on my 2000 is just starting to get flakey. Ah,
well, it's a small price to pay.
Chow, Cheryl P!
Cheryl:
by cleaned, do you mean that the ball was removed, or was the whole thing
dismantled, and EVERYTHING cleaned?
-Mike Schiller
CIS: 76416,3065
Mike, Everything cleaned. Result the button still doesn't want to work
properly. One of these days, I'll have to get motivated and replace the
switches. It's that or buy a new one. For the moment, it's livable. It
does make doing my artwork my tedious. It's not that noticable when I'm
doing word processing.
Chow, Cheryl P!
Cheryl,
Ok…well, like I said….there were a couple of possibilities as
to why I'd not heard of this problem before. Either it wasn't as prevalant
as suggested…or folks simply didn't talk about it.
From my own personal experience…I've never had a problem with my
mouse. I had the A1000 for about 2 years, and this A2000 for about 3 years
now….nary a problem.
But I guess others have, and just not talked about them.
Don
Don,
How many kids you got playing with your mouse? And do you use mouse
intensive operations or stick to the keyboard? I think it's more a problem
for people who live in mouse-intensive environments. I know my son is
very hard on mouse buttons. He tends to press them more vigorously that is
really called for. Maybe someone out there will start making an industrial
strength mouse?
Chow, Cheryl P!
Cheryl,
You've got me there….I rarely use the mouse, and while I've got a
couple of kids (4 and 6 years old)…they don't play with the computer very
often.
So yes…I've had no problems…but I don't use it that much.
Don
Don, the left button has been a problem with me as well on both my
machines (500 and 2500). Never a serious problem, but nonetheless a
problem. Otherwise, however, it seems to be perfect.
— Ethan
Don,
Tell ya what — play a bit of Marble Madness, Drakkhen, or any number of
other games, and you'll kill mice often. It's not so bad if you stick
(mostly) to CLI and non-game programs. I'm on my 4th mouse (in 5 years).
-sja
Steve,
I guess this must be something folks take for granted (mice
breaking) because this is the first I've heard of a problem with them. I
don't even remember you saying anything when we've talked.
Oh well…obviously Rick's experience isn't atypical…it's just
something that folks don't mention very often.
Don
Don,
I used to work for an Amiga dealer and we would get people in to replace
their mice about 1 or 2 people a month. They were usually off of 2000,
although there were the occasional 1000 users. My mouse on my 1000 is
still alive and clicking, but my friend's mouse gave it up.
Nick
Weeell, I'd hardly call people here on CIS a cross sectional example of
Amiga users, either. And as for mice going bad, I seriously doubt that
would be isolated to a given area, either. I suspect your latter theory is
most likely, that it's just not getting reported up here.-Rick
ps- believe me, *every* local dealer around here sells quite a few
replacement rodents..
Rick,
Yes…so I've found since I left my message. Lots of others have
replied that they too have had mice go bad. So apparently it's not a
matter of whether they go bad or not…simply a matter that most folks here
don't post messages about them going bad.
Don
Rick,
Make that 101. 8) My second C= mouse died two nights ago with a bad left
button. (The first one died for another reason.)
David
Strange – I've used the same mouse for five years, and never had a problem.
A different Amiga, same mouse for two years, and no problem. Wonder if we
use them differently, perhaps? Different climate? Wonder what makes the
difference.
(Actually, I know of no one (personally) who has had to replace a mouse,
though a few have done so because they wanted a different kind.)
……Betty
Well, as I said before, most of the people I know who have needed to
replace their Commodore mouse, did so because of what is known as classic
"left-button failure".
I suspect this because some people may have a tendency to "mash" this
button, although I can't be certain.
I just know that if anything fails on them first, it's *usually* the left
button.
I know *I* personally had this tendency, but after switching to the Boing!
mouse, I found myself developing a "lite" touch on the button.
I suppose the reason for this is because the Boing mouse butons have this
distinct "click" when pressed, and the mouse does'nt fill my hand like the
C= mouse does. I literally move the mouse and use the buttons with three
fingers, and never have to move it more than 3-5 inches.
The C= mouse, on the other hand (pun intended), feels like a "Tonka toy"
because it's shape and size just does'nt lend itself very well to being
moved with the smoothness,grace, and efficiency of motion that the Boing
mouse seem to do. i don't know, to each his own…
Instead of buying new mice for what, 80-90 bucks, have you tried replacing
the mouse buttons. They are available from a manufacturer for about 28
cents. Unfortunately I don't know where they are available but clubs here
in Ohio have had them.
Mike,
Why do you need to keep buying new mice every year? I follow a
different tradition: I buy a new computer every year!
— Ethan
No, but I have tried "fixing" them, which is just about useless…
See, these "switches" (if you wanna call them that) are el cheapo, and seem
to require near-perfect alignment underneath a molded protruding plastic
post directly under the button. Occasionally I'd get one to work again, but
the "feel" was never the same afterwards.
The "switch", btw is a little piece of dome shaped metal which simply makes
contact with two "pads" on a tiny pc board in the mouse. These switches are
about as elementary (and inexpensive) as you can get. Unfortunately, for
me, "feel" counts as much as construction quality…
Rick,
Humm…after your earlier messages, I took my mouse apart to see
what kind of switches it had inside. They're raised "blocks" with a rubber
cover on them. I presume inside is some form of micro-switch
mechanism…perhaps the metal dome you speak of, or some other method of
closing a circuit. From the logo on the circuit board…it would appear
the mouse (or at least the circuit board) was made by TDK.
Don
I have an early a1000 and its' mouse switches are also the "raised block"
type. With regular cleanings, I've never had problems with switches or
x/y wheels – sensors. It is a bit heavy and one must be careful about
using a clean surface or mat as the glide pads scratch easily and cause
more drag. My keyboard however is another story. 🙁
Harry
I've used my mouse since Halloween '85 (great day to get an Amiga, no?),
and have had little problem. Every once in a while, the _menu_ button
doesn't make contact…but not often enough to be a _real_ annoyance.
Victor A. Wagner, Jr.
Rick,
I'm suprised! I've used mine so much that the left button is worn smooth
where I press most of the time… guess I'm the lucky one.
wmc