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Repairs: Repairs

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#330162 - 17/02/2010 16:02 When good mice go bad.
mlord
carpal tunnel

Registered: 29/08/2000
Posts: 14484
Loc: Canada
SWMBO & I use pretty much identical mice on our machines. Her's has a nice ladybug motif, whereas mine is boring Logitech silver. But mechanically and electrically they are the same Logitech M-UV69a/55a USB mouse.

And oddly, both of them wore out within days of each other. The left mouse buttons got bouncy and jittery, making use of Thunderbird much more difficult.

We like the mice, though, and see no reason to spend money on replacements. So into the junk pile of disused old serial and PS2 mice, for fresh micro-switches:


Attachments
lm.jpg

Description: Guts of one of the two mice.

sw.jpg

Description: Microswitches.. all very similar. The middle one is one that had died; the others were culled from older, less used Logitech mice.



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#330163 - 17/02/2010 16:07 Re: When good mice go bad. [Re: mlord]
mlord
carpal tunnel

Registered: 29/08/2000
Posts: 14484
Loc: Canada
Hmm.. being Logitech mice, I suppose they're under some kind of warranty, but shipping costs would likely kill that deal.

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#330164 - 17/02/2010 16:41 Re: When good mice go bad. [Re: mlord]
Robotic
pooh-bah

Registered: 06/04/2005
Posts: 2026
Loc: Seattle transplant
Originally Posted By: mlord
Hmm.. being Logitech mice, I suppose they're under some kind of warranty, but shipping costs would likely kill that deal.
IMO-
A 'warranty' these days is mostly a 'feel-good' selling angle.
fine print translation: "Sure, we'll warranty that for you! You are responsible for sending it to and from our repair center and a nominal repair fee, but the parts are free! You're better off buying another one of our pieces of crap than trying to fix the one you've got. Or, you could be smarter and just buy something else that's better quality..."

Nice fix on the mice! A neat afternoon project for you, I bet.
I love it when the power to repair something is within your own means. That's what I find frustrating about flash cards that go bad. There's absolutely no way to do anything about it.
*sigh*
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10101311 (20GB- backup empeg)
10101466 (2x60GB, Eutronix/GreenLights Blue) (Stolen!)

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#330169 - 17/02/2010 18:02 Re: When good mice go bad. [Re: mlord]
mlord
carpal tunnel

Registered: 29/08/2000
Posts: 14484
Loc: Canada
Inside a failed microswitch.


Attachments
is.jpg

Description: Inside a failed microswitch.



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#330172 - 17/02/2010 19:33 Re: When good mice go bad. [Re: Robotic]
wfaulk
carpal tunnel

Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
Don't forget "include the original receipt (no photocopies)".

I know that I always hang onto every receipt for every device I ever buy and file them away for seven years.
_________________________
Bitt Faulk

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#330186 - 18/02/2010 00:37 Re: When good mice go bad. [Re: wfaulk]
gbeer
carpal tunnel

Registered: 17/12/2000
Posts: 2665
Loc: Manteca, California
Most warranties are "repair or replace at our option".

Anyone have a notion of where the price break is, that makes an electronic device actually worth repairing.

edit: Repairing by the mfgr.


Edited by gbeer (18/02/2010 00:38)
_________________________
Glenn

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#330198 - 18/02/2010 08:11 Re: When good mice go bad. [Re: wfaulk]
Roger
carpal tunnel

Registered: 18/01/2000
Posts: 5682
Loc: London, UK
Originally Posted By: wfaulk
I know that I always hang onto every receipt for every device I ever buy and file them away for seven years.


Even if you did, it wouldn't matter, because most of them are "printed" on that heat-sensitive paper. This means that they're blank after 90 days anyway.
_________________________
-- roger

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#330199 - 18/02/2010 08:12 Re: When good mice go bad. [Re: gbeer]
Roger
carpal tunnel

Registered: 18/01/2000
Posts: 5682
Loc: London, UK
Originally Posted By: gbeer
Most warranties are "repair or replace at our option".


They often replace it with a refurbished unit. Then, presumably, they repair/refurbish yours and give it to someone else as a replacement later.
_________________________
-- roger

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#330267 - 20/02/2010 07:27 Re: When good mice go bad. [Re: Roger]
Shonky
pooh-bah

Registered: 12/01/2002
Posts: 2009
Loc: Brisbane, Australia
A bit of contact cleaner might have helped before going to the point of replacing the switches.
_________________________
Christian
#40104192 120Gb (no longer in my E36 M3, won't fit the E46 M3)

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#330270 - 20/02/2010 13:23 Re: When good mice go bad. [Re: Shonky]
tanstaafl.
carpal tunnel

Registered: 08/07/1999
Posts: 5544
Loc: Ajijic, Mexico
Originally Posted By: Shonky
A bit of contact cleaner might have helped before going to the point of replacing the switches


Yes, but where's the fun in that?

tanstaafl.


Attachments
FoxtrotFunInThat.jpg


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"There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch"

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#330272 - 20/02/2010 14:15 Re: When good mice go bad. [Re: Shonky]
mlord
carpal tunnel

Registered: 29/08/2000
Posts: 14484
Loc: Canada
I doubt that contact cleaner would have had any effect whatsoever on the non-springy spring that was 75% of the the problem. smile

Mind you, I've kept the original worn switches, and can always "refurbish" those as needed in the future, where "refurbish" means (1) bend the spring back into a spring shape, and (2) remove the oxide from the switch contact.

cheers

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