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Logitech has an idea for a “forever mouse” that requires a subscription
(arstechnica.com)
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this post was submitted on 30 Jul 2024
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Yeah, maybe work on making their switches not start double-clicking after a couple of years first.
I'm on my third-or-fourth one that has done this to me. Once this one gets too bad (they inevitably do) I am through with them. It's a shame because I really do like their peripherals. The mouse that convinced to keep buying them was an excellent device that lasted a very long time and I only replaced because it was a dinosaur. I used their solar powered keyboard for a decade-and-a-half, too, until I accidentally dropped something on it and broke it. Now, the switches in their mice die on me after a year or two without fail. They've clearly cheaped out on components. Fuck em. Goodbye Logitech. I will not miss their software.
I went down a rabbit hole when my mouse started double clicking wanting to know why, especially compared to older mice that seem to last forever. turns out the switches themselves technically haven't changed or even dropped in quality much over the years, they've always used the same shit-tier switches. many modern mice use too low of a voltage and operate out of spec, and the otherwise good enough switches don't hold up. here's an hour+ long youtube video about it if you want all the details.
it's bullshit that it's necessary, but if you're willing to solder in new switches you can get better quality ones that will outlast the rest of the mouse for ~$5-10.
That might be worth it. I'll have to see if I can find those switches.
most logitech mice use the same switches, any Japanese Omron switches will work (avoid the Chinese Omrons). here's an amazon link to a 2-pack. there's also a bunch of other switch types nearly as varied as keyboard switches, these are what I put in my mouse, but if you're just looking to stop the double-clicking the Japanese Omrons are the way to go.
Oooh. I'm sure I can find those in Korea. Thanks!
I just wish I could find another mouse with the same form factor as the G602/604. That button layout on the side is so nice. I go looking for an alternative every now and then but nothing I've found matches it so I'm stuck. I'm on my third 602 and fortunately it seems to be the charm because I've had this one for several years and it's still going strong but it's certainly annoying that I had to RMA 2 of them to get a lasting one. I also had to do the same with 2 of their headsets. They didn't even have me send the mouse back last time so I have a second one with a double click problem laying around here somewhere I might see about swapping the switch out one of these days. and yea, the software does suck.
That's the one I'm using now. I like the buttons, too. I also find I only really use them in some pretty niche cases, so I can probably do without.
On my 602 I have them set for switching browser tabs, forward, back, copy, paste, right click>save as, and shift. Those get a lot of use. Then I have specific profiles for some games/apps I use. I would miss that a lot if I had to switch.
Oooh, some of those sound like a really good idea. I'm only using mine for forward and back in browser, but next tab sounds good. Copy and paste, too.
the switches are pretty straightforward to swap out, fwiw. fairly large and reasonably spaced pins to solder compared to any other mouse hardware. tbh the disassembly and reassembly of my g604 to get to them was more effort than replacing the switches themselves.
Yea, I actually replaced the spring inside the switch on the mouse with one out of a mouse I "disposed of" at the place I was working at the time. It got me a few more years out of it.
The annoying thing is that fixing the double click is stupidly easy. Years ago, I got frustrated with that exact problem (after a string of 3 mice that each lasted only a few months); so I opened one up and soldered on a random capacitor I had lieing around.
Capacitors like that cost literally less than a penny, and are no more complicated to install at production time than any other component already on the circuit board.
I didn't know it was a capacitor. I thought it was bent springs. I managed to fix one once by opening up the switches and bending the springs back, but it went back to double clicking within a month, and the process was not easy. I've got huge hands, and those switches are tiny.
The actual difference between a working new mouse and a failing double click mouse is in the button itself (mechanical parts are almost always the problem).
However, it is not some exotic failure mode. All mechanical switches have a "bounce", where the contact makes and breaks a few times before settling into the connected position. Switches are typically designed to make the actual contact spring loaded (which is the origin of the click sound you here). As they age, this mechanism degrades, making the bouncing problem worse.
However, this is a well understood problem that any electrical engineer should be familiar with. One solution is to install a filter capacitor. Now it takes longer to switch between the on and off state, so the inherent bounce in the switch is smoothed out to the point where you cannot detect it.
They probably did testing with a new switch, and decided that they didn't need to include any explicit debounce component, ignoring the fact that the switch would degrade over its lifetime.
So, the capacitor can mitigate the spring weakening. Good to know. Replacing a cap is probably much easier than taking the switches apart and bending the springs.