Mighty Mouse replacement? (Kensington SlimBlade)

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In article <C576DFFC.29771%nicknaym@[remove_this].gmail.com>,
Nick Naym <nicknaym@[remove_this].gmail.com> wrote:

> But it's not designed to be cleaned,

Granted.

> and it quickly gets dirty to the point of being virtually unusable.

Other than cleaning off the accumulated dust from the underside, I've
not needed to clean mine off since I got in Aug. 2006. The scroll bean
is my favorite feature.

Different environment, varying mileage, etc.

> And if you _do_ attempt to clean it by taking
> it apart, you not only run the risk of destroying it -- even if you are
> sufficiently mechanically inclined (which, I venture to guess, only a
> minority of users are) -- but you also void its warranty.

You should expect differently for a product not designed to be
disassembled for cleaning?

In article <lqOdnT_nTsH5wszUnZ2dnUVZ_q_inZ2d.RemoveThis@giganews.com>,
Tim Lance <see.sig.RemoveThis@bottom.com> wrote:

> On Tue, 23 Dec 2008 14:30:48 -0600, Jolly Roger wrote
> (in article <jollyroger-BEE5EB.14304823122008.RemoveThis@news.individual.net>):
>
> > How does this Kensington Slingblade Trackball mouse operate *without*
> > the Kensington drivers installed? I would hope that the right button and
> > track ball would work like they do in the Mighty Mouse. Can anyone
> > corroborate this?
>
> Things I read elsewhere said they did. I just went ahead and got another MM
> for myself for Christmas. That and an Airport Extreme. Took almost every
> loose coin I had in the fish bowl I use for a piggy bank.

In that case, it seems like a decent replacement for the Mighty Mouse -
even without the drivers installed.

> I couldn't go from 4 buttons to two (Slingblade), or use a tilting scroll
> wheel, or some other compromise.

I can do without the side buttons on the Mighty Mouse. I currently use
them for Dashboard, which I use rarely enough that I could launch it
other ways without trouble.

--
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JR

In article <C576DFFC.29771%nicknaym@[remove_this].gmail.com>,
Nick Naym <nicknaym@[remove_this].gmail.com> wrote:

> In article qdOdnVx9Bft988zUnZ2dnUVZ_gSdnZ2d.RemoveThis@giganews.com, Tim Lance at
> see.sig.RemoveThis@bottom.com wrote on 12/23/08 6:06 PM:
>
> > On Tue, 23 Dec 2008 16:35:38 -0600, Nick Naym wrote
> > (in article <C576D1EA.29760%nicknaym@[remove_this].gmail.com>):
> >
> >> why would you get another MM, given its apparent intrinsic design
> >> deficiencies?
> >
> > It served me better than any other. It has more of the features I want than
> > any other.
> >
> > Granted: design could be SO much better/user friendly. But I also made it
> > worse by not keeping it cleaner to begin with and by being kinda rough in
> > my taking apart (3 times). It had lasted me many years. So I resolve to
> >clean more often and when I do need to take it apart I will be more careful.
>
> But it's not designed to be cleaned, and it quickly gets dirty to the point
> of being virtually unusable.

That hasn't been my experience at all. I rarely need to clear the track
ball on my Mighty Mouse. Once every two to four months I encounter a
situation where the ball will stop responding to rolls in one direction.
I'll take out a lint-free cloth, put it on my knee, roll the ball upside
down on the cloth vigorously for a few seconds, and it'll solve the
problem. Only one single time has that ever failed to solve the problem.
So I took the mouse apart and gave it a thorough cleaning.

> And if you _do_ attempt to clean it by taking
> it apart, you not only run the risk of destroying it -- even if you are
> sufficiently mechanically inclined (which, I venture to guess, only a
> minority of users are)

Worked out fine for me. And it only took about 20 minutes, IIRC -
re-assembly and super glue drying time included. And I was on the phone
at the time as well.

> -- but you also void its warranty.

But if it's still in warranty, and you bring it to an Apple store and
show them the problem, I'm sure they'll replace it on the spot if they
can't get it working.

> my MM's scroll
> ball is virtually unusable: it only works consistently scrolling up...I can
> get it to scroll down only after dabbing the scroll ball with alcohol and
> then inverting the mouse and "scrubbing" the scroll ball against a piece of
> clean paper. But that "remedy" only lasts a few hours, at best.

Putting alcohol on rubber is a bad idea, because some types of rubber
actually decompose when exposed to alcohol. They can become sticky and
tacky as a result of absorbing the alcohol. And that means they'll just
gather *more* of the dust that clogs them up.

The best way to clean the ball of a Mighty Mouse is the method i
described above. If that doesn't work, get yourself an X-Acto knife and
some super glue and disassemble it to give it a thorough cleaning.

--
Send responses to the relevant news group rather than email to me.
E-mail sent to this address may be devoured by my very hungry SPAM
filter. Due to Google's refusal to prevent spammers from posting
messages through their servers, I often ignore posts from Google
Groups. Use a real news client if you want me to see your posts.

JR

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In article EemdnYHkItL85MzUnZ2dnUVZ_jGdnZ2d RemoveThis @giganews.com, Tim Lance at
see.sig RemoveThis @bottom.com wrote on 12/23/08 6:50 PM:

> On Tue, 23 Dec 2008 17:35:40 -0600, Nick Naym wrote
> (in article <C576DFFC.29771%nicknaym@[remove_this].gmail.com>):
>
>> In article qdOdnVx9Bft988zUnZ2dnUVZ_gSdnZ2d RemoveThis @giganews.com, Tim Lance at
>> see.sig RemoveThis @bottom.com wrote on 12/23/08 6:06 PM:
>>
>>> On Tue, 23 Dec 2008 16:35:38 -0600, Nick Naym wrote
>>> (in article <C576D1EA.29760%nicknaym@[remove_this].gmail.com>):
>>>
>>>> In article lqOdnT_nTsH5wszUnZ2dnUVZ_q_inZ2d RemoveThis @giganews.com, Tim Lance at
>>>> see.sig RemoveThis @bottom.com wrote on 12/23/08 5:00 PM:
>>>>
>>>>> On Tue, 23 Dec 2008 14:30:48 -0600, Jolly Roger wrote
>>>>> (in article <jollyroger-BEE5EB.14304823122008 RemoveThis @news.individual.net>):
>>>>>
>>>>>> In article <fmoore-6D2A41.14191523122008 RemoveThis @feeder.motzarella.org>,
>>>>>> Fred Moore <fmoore RemoveThis @gcfn.org> wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> In article <jollyroger-BD6D46.16340520122008 RemoveThis @news.individual.net>,
>>>>>>> Jolly Roger <jollyroger RemoveThis @pobox.com> wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> In article <5aydnRVc-vJE7dDUnZ2dnUVZ_hKdnZ2d RemoveThis @giganews.com>,
>>>>>>>> Tim Lance <see.sig RemoveThis @bottom.com> wrote:
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Any one use one of these?
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> JR. Might be the one. Trackball works just as a 360-degree scroller in
>>>>>>>>> "mouse
>>>>>>>>> mode" and then can be switched to "trackball mode" for full-blown
>>>>>>>>> trackball
>>>>>>>>> functionality (i.e. trackball controls pointer).
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> http://us.kensington.com/html/13880.html
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> My experience so far with Bluetooth mouses is that they ten to be just
>>>>>>>> a
>>>>>>>> bit laggy, which makes me feel as if I don't have complete control over
>>>>>>>> the cursor. I wonder if they offer it in a wired version.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> About 6-9 months ago I investigated this and other Kensington Bluetooth
>>>>>>> mice at the Apple mini-store inside a Microcenter near me. There were
>>>>>>> none in use in the Apple section even though the store sold them. I
>>>>>>> asked the Apple clerk. He said he had removed all the Kensington
>>>>>>> wireless mice because of significant and continuing driver issues which
>>>>>>> messed up the system. Perhaps Kensington has fixed this. Perhaps not.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> And that brings to mind this question:
>>>>>>
>>>>>> How does this Kensington Slingblade Trackball mouse operate *without*
>>>>>> the Kensington drivers installed? I would hope that the right button and
>>>>>> track ball would work like they do in the Mighty Mouse. Can anyone
>>>>>> corroborate this?
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Things I read elsewhere said they did. I just went ahead and got another
>>>>> MM
>>>>> for myself for Christmas. That and an Airport Extreme. Took almost every
>>>>> loose coin I had in the fish bowl I use for a piggy bank.
>>>>>
>>>>> I couldn't go from 4 buttons to two (Slingblade), or use a tilting scroll
>>>>> wheel, or some other compromise.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> But why would you get another MM, given its apparent intrinsic design
>>>> deficiencies?
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>> It served me better than any other. It has more of the features I want than
>>> any other.
>>>
>>> Granted: design could be SO much better/user friendly. But I also made it
>>> worse by not keeping it cleaner to begin with and by being kinda rough in my
>>> taking apart (3 times). It had lasted me many years. So I resolve to clean
>>> more often and when I do need to take it apart I will be more careful.
>>
>> But it's not designed to be cleaned, and it quickly gets dirty to the point
>> of being virtually unusable. And if you _do_ attempt to clean it by taking
>> it apart, you not only run the risk of destroying it -- even if you are
>> sufficiently mechanically inclined (which, I venture to guess, only a
>> minority of users are) -- but you also void its warranty.
>>
> REality is *I* can deal with it and did so 3 times. Others, too.
>
>> I have an older-model Logitech "Cordless MouseMan Optical" (4-buttons,
>> scroll wheel, wireless optical) that I used with my previous OS 9 machine,
>> and I was very pleased with it. I downloaded the OS X version of its driver
>> software, but found it to be a tad buggy (maybe it's something I did
>> wrong?), so I can't use it with my iMac. In the meantime, my MM's scroll
>> ball is virtually unusable: it only works consistently scrolling up...I can
>> get it to scroll down only after dabbing the scroll ball with alcohol and
>> then inverting the mouse and "scrubbing" the scroll ball against a piece of
>> clean paper. But that "remedy" only lasts a few hours, at best.
>>
>>
>>
> You're having your own issues with your MM which also sound as if they're
> partly yours (e.g. never use alcohol with rubber).
>>


I only started using alcohol about a week ago. Until then, just scrubbing on
clean paper was sufficient. But gradually, it became less effective, so I
tried alcohol as a last resort after someone suggested using it sparingly,
and someone else (perhaps here?) mentioned those cleaning tissues used to
clean eyeglasses.



--
iMac (24", 2.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 2GB RAM, 320 GB HDD) € OS X (10.5.4)

In article jollyroger-670CB6.18560423122008.TakeThisOut@news.individual.net, Jolly Roger
at jollyroger.TakeThisOut@pobox.com wrote on 12/23/08 7:56 PM:

....
....

>
>> my MM's scroll
>> ball is virtually unusable: it only works consistently scrolling up...I can
>> get it to scroll down only after dabbing the scroll ball with alcohol and
>> then inverting the mouse and "scrubbing" the scroll ball against a piece of
>> clean paper. But that "remedy" only lasts a few hours, at best.
>
> Putting alcohol on rubber is a bad idea, because some types of rubber
> actually decompose when exposed to alcohol. They can become sticky and
> tacky as a result of absorbing the alcohol. And that means they'll just
> gather *more* of the dust that clogs them up.

Yeah...I was hoping that the rubber material it is made from (which appears
to be very dense) would stand up against alcohol


> The best way to clean the ball of a Mighty Mouse is the method i
> described above. ...

I've been using that method (with paper, not a cloth), but it has lost its
effectiveness.

> If that doesn't work, get yourself an X-Acto knife and
> some super glue and disassemble it to give it a thorough cleaning.

Dunno...seems akin to buying a Porsche 911, only to find that you need to
pull over every 100 miles to break the seals and clean the ball joints.




--
iMac (24", 2.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 2GB RAM, 320 GB HDD) € OS X (10.5.4)

In article sehix-024C5B.18203423122008 RemoveThis @news.speakeasy.net, Steve Hix at
sehix RemoveThis @NOSPAMspeakeasy.netINVALID wrote on 12/23/08 9:20 PM:

> In article <C576DFFC.29771%nicknaym@[remove_this].gmail.com>,
> Nick Naym <nicknaym@[remove_this].gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> But it's not designed to be cleaned,
>
> Granted.
>
>> and it quickly gets dirty to the point of being virtually unusable.
>
> Other than cleaning off the accumulated dust from the underside, I've
> not needed to clean mine off since I got in Aug. 2006. The scroll bean
> is my favorite feature.
>
> Different environment, varying mileage, etc.
>
>> And if you _do_ attempt to clean it by taking
>> it apart, you not only run the risk of destroying it -- even if you are
>> sufficiently mechanically inclined (which, I venture to guess, only a
>> minority of users are) -- but you also void its warranty.
>
> You should expect differently for a product not designed to be
> disassembled for cleaning?


Of course not...that's why I referred to "its apparent intrinsic design
deficiencies" as a reason for not getting another one.


--
iMac (24", 2.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 2GB RAM, 320 GB HDD) € OS X (10.5.4)

In article <C57710B3.297A1%nicknaym@[remove_this].gmail.com>,
Nick Naym <nicknaym@[remove_this].gmail.com> wrote:

> In article sehix-024C5B.18203423122008 RemoveThis @news.speakeasy.net, Steve Hix at
> sehix RemoveThis @NOSPAMspeakeasy.netINVALID wrote on 12/23/08 9:20 PM:
>
> > In article <C576DFFC.29771%nicknaym@[remove_this].gmail.com>,
> > Nick Naym <nicknaym@[remove_this].gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> >> But it's not designed to be cleaned,
> >
> > Granted.
> >
> >> and it quickly gets dirty to the point of being virtually unusable.
> >
> > Other than cleaning off the accumulated dust from the underside, I've
> > not needed to clean mine off since I got in Aug. 2006. The scroll bean
> > is my favorite feature.
> >
> > Different environment, varying mileage, etc.
> >
> >> And if you _do_ attempt to clean it by taking
> >> it apart, you not only run the risk of destroying it -- even if you are
> >> sufficiently mechanically inclined (which, I venture to guess, only a
> >> minority of users are) -- but you also void its warranty.
> >
> > You should expect differently for a product not designed to be
> > disassembled for cleaning?
>
>
> Of course not...that's why I referred to "its apparent intrinsic design
> deficiencies" as a reason for not getting another one.

But since, in my experience MMMV; it works just fine for at least some
others.

I don't know why I've never had the reported problems with the scroll
bean clogging up, but I'm not unhappy about missing the experience.

In article <C577109E.297A1%nicknaym@[remove_this].gmail.com>,
Nick Naym <nicknaym@[remove_this].gmail.com> wrote:

> In article jollyroger-670CB6.18560423122008.TakeThisOut@news.individual.net, Jolly Roger
> at jollyroger.TakeThisOut@pobox.com wrote on 12/23/08 7:56 PM:
>
> ...
> ...
>
> >
> >> my MM's scroll
> >> ball is virtually unusable: it only works consistently scrolling up...I can
> >> get it to scroll down only after dabbing the scroll ball with alcohol and
> >> then inverting the mouse and "scrubbing" the scroll ball against a piece of
> >> clean paper. But that "remedy" only lasts a few hours, at best.
> >
> > Putting alcohol on rubber is a bad idea, because some types of rubber
> > actually decompose when exposed to alcohol. They can become sticky and
> > tacky as a result of absorbing the alcohol. And that means they'll just
> > gather *more* of the dust that clogs them up.
>
> Yeah...I was hoping that the rubber material it is made from (which appears
> to be very dense) would stand up against alcohol

I think it's more likely the opposite is true.

> > The best way to clean the ball of a Mighty Mouse is the method i
> > described above. ...
>
> I've been using that method (with paper, not a cloth), but it has lost its
> effectiveness.

Why paper? I doubt paper would behave the same way as a lint-free
cloth. The cloth will scrub the ball of anything clinging to it more
than paper would. Also, paper, if rubbed enough, will emit small pieces
of dust. I would try a lint-free cloth instead.

> > If that doesn't work, get yourself an X-Acto knife and
> > some super glue and disassemble it to give it a thorough cleaning.
>
> Dunno...seems akin to buying a Porsche 911, only to find that you need to
> pull over every 100 miles to break the seals and clean the ball joints.

I bought my Mighty Mouse in 2005. I've had to take it apart exactly
ONCE. I think we can safely say that a mouse has a significantly shorter
expected life span than a car. If my Mighty Mouse lasts a whopping 20
years I might have to take it apart around five times. Every 100 miles
my ass.

--
Send responses to the relevant news group rather than email to me.
E-mail sent to this address may be devoured by my very hungry SPAM
filter. Due to Google's refusal to prevent spammers from posting
messages through their servers, I often ignore posts from Google
Groups. Use a real news client if you want me to see your posts.

JR

In article jollyroger-691B8C.00100624122008.TakeThisOut@news.individual.net, Jolly Roger
at jollyroger.TakeThisOut@pobox.com wrote on 12/24/08 1:10 AM:

> In article <C577109E.297A1%nicknaym@[remove_this].gmail.com>,
> Nick Naym <nicknaym@[remove_this].gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> In article jollyroger-670CB6.18560423122008.TakeThisOut@news.individual.net, Jolly Roger
>> at jollyroger.TakeThisOut@pobox.com wrote on 12/23/08 7:56 PM:
>>
>> ...
>> ...
>>
>>>
>>>> my MM's scroll
>>>> ball is virtually unusable: it only works consistently scrolling up...I can
>>>> get it to scroll down only after dabbing the scroll ball with alcohol and
>>>> then inverting the mouse and "scrubbing" the scroll ball against a piece of
>>>> clean paper. But that "remedy" only lasts a few hours, at best.
>>>
>>> Putting alcohol on rubber is a bad idea, because some types of rubber
>>> actually decompose when exposed to alcohol. They can become sticky and
>>> tacky as a result of absorbing the alcohol. And that means they'll just
>>> gather *more* of the dust that clogs them up.
>>
>> Yeah...I was hoping that the rubber material it is made from (which appears
>> to be very dense) would stand up against alcohol
>
> I think it's more likely the opposite is true.
>
>>> The best way to clean the ball of a Mighty Mouse is the method i
>>> described above. ...
>>
>> I've been using that method (with paper, not a cloth), but it has lost its
>> effectiveness.
>
> Why paper?


It was suggested in another group a long time back. I didn't believe it
would work -- it was so ridiculously counterintuitive. But it worked like a
charm.



> I doubt paper would behave the same way as a lint-free
> cloth. The cloth will scrub the ball of anything clinging to it more
> than paper would. Also, paper, if rubbed enough, will emit small pieces
> of dust. I would try a lint-free cloth instead.

You did...and I will.


>>> If that doesn't work, get yourself an X-Acto knife and
>>> some super glue and disassemble it to give it a thorough cleaning.
>>
>> Dunno...seems akin to buying a Porsche 911, only to find that you need to
>> pull over every 100 miles to break the seals and clean the ball joints.
>
> I bought my Mighty Mouse in 2005. I've had to take it apart exactly
> ONCE. I think we can safely say that a mouse has a significantly shorter
> expected life span than a car. If my Mighty Mouse lasts a whopping 20
> years I might have to take it apart around five times. Every 100 miles
> my ass.


Let's leave you ass out of this.


--
iMac (24", 2.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 2GB RAM, 320 GB HDD) € OS X (10.5.4)

In article <sehix-550057.23383523122008.DeleteThis@news.speakeasy.net>,
Steve Hix <sehix.DeleteThis@NOSPAMspeakeasy.netINVALID> wrote:

> I don't know why I've never had the reported problems with the scroll
> bean clogging up, but I'm not unhappy about missing the experience.

I'm sure there are lots of contributing factors, including:

* the humidity of the environment
* the dustiness of the environment
* how oily or dirty the person's fingers are
* how the person cleans the mouse

Personally, I've had very little trouble with my Mighty Mouse. My home
office environment is fairly dusty, like any other; but I wipe my
mousing surface off each morning with a cloth before using the mouse. My
mouse pad is aX-Ray Thunder 8 mouse pad, which is hard plastic rather
than the typical padded cloth type most people use. I wash my hands
fairly regularly throughout the day, as I'm kind of neurotic when it
comes to the cleanliness of my hands. I make it a point not to use the
computer if my hands are the slightest bit oily or dirty. I rarely use
liquid solutions to clean my computer equipment, including the mouse;
and when I do use liquid, it's plain water on a damp cloth or extremely
lightly soapy water.

--
Send responses to the relevant news group rather than email to me.
E-mail sent to this address may be devoured by my very hungry SPAM
filter. Due to Google's refusal to prevent spammers from posting
messages through their servers, I often ignore posts from Google
Groups. Use a real news client if you want me to see your posts.

JR

This message is not archived