Building the mouse Logitech won't make
157 comments
·August 25, 2025stn8188
frankus
For just straight up assembly of one-sided SMT boards (i.e. not reclaiming components from a donor board), a $30 plug-in electric skillet and a solder paste stencil from the PCB manufacturer (or patience and a solder paste syringe) works far better than it has any right to. https://www.instructables.com/Simple-Skillet-Surface-mount-S...
Aurornis
The hot air station is called a "rework station" because it's very helpful for rework, too.
Using a hot plate to reflow boards is fine if you already know everything is correct. Having a real hot air station is very important if you need to change any parts or even fix reflow problems.
throw-qqqqq
I prefer a regular soldering iron for SMD. Below 0603 I tend to blow off unrelated components if I’m not very very careful!
So for me, a loupe/microscope and a fine SMD iron is the best option. I have some China-model that uses Hakko tips.
ctippett
That hit home for me too. My DIY cupboard is full of quality buy-it-for-life tools and accessories that I've used only a handful of times (or sometimes not at all).
ruined
you might consider contributing to your local tool library or hackerspace
njovin
We both know that approximately 24 hours after donating something he will BADLY need it for an unexpected repair.
Aurornis
This is easier than many assume: If you can find the Discord or even an e-mail for your local makerspace and send them a photo, they might urgently send someone to pick it up from you if it's useful to them.
ctippett
Great suggestion.
null
paulddraper
But now you have it for "next" time....
bityard
My favorite mouse is the Logitech Anywhere MX. It's highly comfortable despite being pretty small. The back/forward buttons on the side are indispensable for web browsing, file management, and switching weapons in first-person shooters. It takes two AA batteries which last for months and take seconds to swap out. The dongle is small and has good range. The scroll wheel switches between clicky and free-scrolling.
It's pretty much the perfect mouse, IMO, to the point that I built up a back stock by hoarding new and open box on eBay. But there are two main problems:
1) The the microswitches go bad after a couple years. It's possible to replace them, but it's tedious and you run a very real risk of damaging the PCB (as I have already done).
2) The dongle is USB Type-A only. Logitech actively refused to make a USB-C unifying receiver. I assume they wanted to shift to bluetooth but they still made unifying receiver devices for years and years after bluetooth was everywhere, so I dunno.
As far as newer iterations, the Anywhere MX 2S is somewhat tolerable, but it has a built-in battery which must be charged every couple of months, which is annoying. All of the newer Anywhere MX mice are even worse because they changed the basic functionality/features of the mouse with each revision. Oh, yes and they cost $90 (!) retail now.
So basically one of my side-projects, one of these days, is going to be to try building an open source Anywhere MX clone. Should be a fun yet challenging endeavour. I know there are a bunch of online communities making their own keyboards from scratch and at great expense, is there such a thing for mice?
phire
I like my Anywhere MX 3.
The smaller size is actually ideal for my fingertip grip, and I actually like the rechargeable battery. It lasts well over a month on a single charge and then charges really quickly (if it ever does go flat, just chuck it on the charger while you make a coffee, 2-3 min is enough to last the rest of the day). And I love the scroll wheel.
The microswitches going bad is a massive downside.
I read somewhere that it's caused by static build up due to Logitech using much lower voltage/current than what the switches were originally designed for... After a bit of experimentation, I found that simply breathing warm air into the side of the left button clears up my issues for a few days....
Which is stupid annoying workaround, but what else am I going to do, buy a second one which probably has the same flaw?
mbreese
I too use the mx 3. It’s a great mouse that can also travel easily in my laptop bag.
I went to get a new one to keep at my office last year and noticed that the buttons had changed from clicky ones to silent ones. That drove me nuts and I returned the new version. However, the issue you mention with static and the buttons might explain the change. I thought it was just a vendor making a good device cheaper to manufacture. Maybe it was a better version after all?
phire
Yeah... apparently the MX Anywhere 3S uses new "silent" switches, which I was hoping might fix the issue.
But I've found one post complaining about bad switches on the Anywhere 3S and a few complaining about the MX Master 3S (which uses the same switches?).
I'm sticking with my current mouse for now, since I know it's quirks.
Liftyee
Not sure about online mouse communities, but it intrigued me that you prefer replaceable AA batteries to built-in rechargeables. I realise now that because of my dislike (leaning towards hatred) of single-use alkaline batteries I unwittingly dismissed the benefits of having quick replaceability.
Nickel metal rechargeables are a good AA/AAA substitute for devices designed to tolerate their lower voltage. For more power, 14500/18650/21700 cylindrical lithium cells are my go-to.
Personally though, I find it more convenient to have a charging cable on hand vs keep some charged batteries on standby. When the built-in battery eventually goes bad, I am confident that I could replace it myself (not a universal position).
Zak
> Nickel metal rechargeables are a good AA/AAA substitute for devices designed to tolerate their lower voltage.
Any device that can't is arguably broken as designed. Much of the energy (the majority, in a higher current application) in an alkaline battery is found under 1.2V.
See discharge curves: https://lygte-info.dk/review/batteries2012/Duracell%20Ultra%...
NiMH actually stays above 1.2V longer for all but the lightest loads: https://lygte-info.dk/review/batteries2012/Eneloop%20AA%20BK...
jamesgeck0
Unless the device was designed around the alkaline discharge curve! Smoke alarms rely on the lower voltage to give sufficient warning when the battery is low, and mine refuses to operate at all when powered by a rechargeable battery.
gdwatson
My Logitech G603 runs quite happily on Eneloops, for the best of both worlds.
skywal_l
Had to use my old TI 89 one day. Haven't used it in 10 years. Took it out of storage, put in 4 AAA usb-c rechargable batteries, worked like a charm. Could you do the same with your hard to replace custom battery?
Any consumer electronic using standard format batteries is superior by default. Because 10 or 20 years from now, it still have brand new full batteries lying around.
jamesgeck0
I have an early digital video camera with a genius design. It came with a custom rechargeable cell in the battery compartment. But the compartment _also_ supports regular AA batteries.
f1shy
I‘ve done this with my HHKB. Great solution.
swiftcoder
I too was surprised by this view when I started at Oculus, where the game controller folks who had come over from Xbox were adamant that players would rather swap in a fresh pair of AAs than plug into a charging cable.
Personally I've never come around to their side of things, although I do recognise the inconvenience of charging cables while you are using a peripheral (Apple Mouse charging port location especially :D )
devilbunny
I, too, prefer disposables, but for a somewhat different reason. One very commonly used surgical item is a sterile suction/irrigator. It's sealed with 8 AA's at the factory, used for 2-3 minutes during laparoscopic surgery, and disposed of. So pretty much anyone who works in a surgical suite that does laparoscopy has a personally unlimited supply of AA's that would be thrown away anyway.
Scoundreller
Same but with portable infusion pumps. They were always sent out with fresh sets but worked for days on a single set often leaving a lot of life.
rowanG077
Isn't that a biohazard strictly speaking? I'm not sure you want to get caught stealing used surgical equipment for home use.
Zak
> it intrigued me that you prefer replaceable AA batteries to built-in rechargeables
I share this preference. Replacing a battery has a device back in a working state a couple orders of magnitude faster than onboard charging, and when built-in batteries wear out, replacement is often difficult to impossible.
I always use NiMH rechargeables; alkalines are wasteful and sometimes leaky.
alnwlsn
>1) The the microswitches go bad after a couple years.
I had this happen to my shop PC mouse's left button. I was too lazy to get another mouse or desolder and put in a new switch, so I tried drilling a small hole in the top of the switch and squirted some Deoxit in there. That fixed it. Later, the right button went bad too, so I did the same thing. Now it's been a year and it's still working.
Scoundreller
My speculation: this is due to the lower and lower voltages that “long battery life” wireless mice run.
It’s not necessarily that switches have lowered in quality, it’s that you get less current flow at 1.8V or whatever than 5V and any added resistance exacerbates that.
Maybe adding another pull-up resistor in parallel with the existing one can buy more time per switch.
GeekyBear
> 1) The the microswitches go bad after a couple years.
I've got to mention how reliable the switches used to be. I purchased a wired Logitech mouse in the 90's that lasted through three different computers.
More recent models fail quickly with such regularity that I just stopped purchasing the brand at all.
mikepurvis
I'm on an MX Anywhere 3S and overall I'm a fan. The killer feature for me is the Bolt receiver being able to pair to both the mouse and the MX Mechanical Mini keyboard and being able to have a second receiver that both devices can switch to. Unfortunately they have to be switched over individually rather than following each other (and the mouse's switch button is underneath), but still, this is a pretty killer configuration that I haven't seen offered elsewhere.
For clarity, I plug my main receiver into my workstation and use Synergy to take the M&K over to an adjacent laptop in software, but the secondary receiver is useful when testing installers for NUC, Jetson, etc. Basically I've got a bare metal device on my desk plugged into a mini monitor and with one little dongle I can trivially get my keyboard/mouse on that device including in a preboot environment like the EFI firmware.
gunalx
ist that the whole point of unifying recovers as well? or am I missing something?
mikepurvis
Unifying definitely lets you pair multiple devices (keyboard, mice) to the same dongle, but I'm less sure about whether it lets you pair multiple dongles to the same device(s) and then hot switch between them.
mcdonje
Built in rechargeable batteries are a plus, not a minus.
apricot
I disagree. I'm still using hardware that I bought at the turn of the century (a wireless mouse and an MP3 player) because they are powered by rechargeable AAA cells. If they used a built-in battery, I would have had to replace the battery, which is much more complex than changing a AAA cell.
I have three recent electronic devices that I would like to keep using but cannot, as their battery has reached end of life, replacements are hard to find, and changing the battery involves performing surgery on the device that I'm not confident I can do safely.
the_snooze
I consider them a minus because the proprietary batteries will likely fail before the rest of the mouse does. Using standard batteries means you’re not at the mercy of Logitech’s warranty when that happens. I wish more devices use standard batteries, but planned obsolescence is a hell of a drug.
nfriedly
FWIW, some of logitech's mice use "standard" rechargeable batteries - they look like an AA battery and are roughly as easy to replace (after 5-10 years of use).
Lalabadie
My wireless controller eventually convinced me that AA/AAA rechargeable batteries give the same benefit, but you can swap them in a few seconds instead of getting stuck waiting for a recharge.
justinparus
Support for standard battery cells is seriously underrated! Especially when you are on-the-go and your mouse dies, all you need to do is swap in a fresh rechargeable AA/AAA. No need to deal with a cable or waiting for a recharge.
flanbiscuit
> My absolute favorite mouse is the MX Ergo from Logitech.
I switched to using Logitech's MX Vertical mouse and I love it. There was a learning curve period, especially when it came to finer grained movements, but I'm totally used to it now and it feels much more comfortable and natural to me that any other mouse I've used. It has a USB-C port and I can switch between 3 different Bluetooth connections (press a button, connects to my work laptop, press it again, connects to my personal one). I'm not much of a power user so I don't customize the buttons but I know it's possible with an app. I don't use the app.
https://www.logitech.com/en-us/shop/p/mx-vertical-ergonomic-...
fredfoobar
+1
The mouse has disappeared into my hand and I've forgotten its existence. When I read your post I remembered how pain free my mousing experience has been lately.
dr_kiszonka
I am on my 3rd unit because their right button breaks after about a year of use. There are a few threads about it on Reddit and elsewhere. It's such a great mouse otherwise.
exitb
You may want to consider Evoluent mice. They’re a bit more expensive, but I have mine for 5 years and it works just fine. As a bonus, they have a true middle button, which is just marvelous.
dfxm12
I like the design, but I had similar problems with the hardware. It sucks paying a premium for a poor product. I've had no issues with thee Kinesis DXT Mouse 3. They have a traditional vertical mouse too. Consider these when your current Logitech breaks.
https://kinesis-ergo.com/products/#mice-and-pointing-devices
dazc
I haven't had one actually break but, for sure, the pressure required to click becomes annoying after a year or so.
jedahan
I wish the coating lasted longer, I had to throw some tape on mine to keep using it - the rubber keeps wearing down.
rwmj
I wish that web page would show it actually being used. Basic question: Is it a mouse or a trackball?
arp242
Mouse
this_is_a_drill
+1 as well, this mouse and a split keyboard have made my wrist pain virtually nonexistent
Krasnol
I switched from a vertical mouse to Logitech MX and I wish the vertical one would have felt more comfortable because there are many more to chose from and they're easier to fit on large hands.
I've tried everything after setting my seating and table properly and it seems this is my thing. I bough 4 more because I fear, like with everything good, Logitech might stop selling them and I'd be lost...
monster_truck
I've been using a mouse from https://pmm.gg, it weighs about half as much as the mouse I swapped the guts out of (28 grams vs 60 grams). Basically a couple sheets of printer paper.
I don't really care about the weight, what caught my attention was they offer ceramic? coated magnesium scrollwheels. My otherwise mild skin condition completely destroys the shitty grippy/gummy rubber they put on scrollwheels and sometimes the sides of the mice. They offer the same coating on the shells, which I really enjoy.
Yes, it's expensive but it still costs less than replacing mice over and over. I spend too much time holding this damn thing to settle for anything less. The quality is exceptional, assembly was easy, and the carbon fiber rod that snaps into place horizontally across the shape makes it more rigid than the stock mouse.
masklinn
> My otherwise mild skin condition completely destroys the shitty grippy/gummy rubber they put on scrollwheels and sometimes the sides of the mice.
I’m not sure it’s even skin conditions. I think it’s just the natural oils in the skin. It’s part of what polishes plastics (e.g. keyboard keys), and over time it impregnates the rubber which swells then falls apart.
This process is why wet belts are stupid, no reason to think mouse wheel rubber is any different.
ibaikov
I successfully removed this coating from my razer mouse using alcohol, it was pretty easy to do. The coating felt good when I unboxed the mouse, but yeah it turned into this chewed gum mess, now it's just plastic which is ok.
Also turned out that disassembling the mouse was easy, so you probably might just swap the wheel entirely.
moron4hire
I actually like a heavier mouse. A lot of modern devices feel inconsequential and cheap (well, because they are). I've gone so far as to open my mice and glue in a few pennies to increase the weight. Makes it feel much better. At first it seemed kind of silly, but then I realized it doesn't matter. All that matters is how I feel about the devices I use for hours a day, every day.
KennyBlanken
That manufacturer falls under "fool, money, parted, easily." A Finalmouse which is probably the pinnacle of lightweight gaming mice, costs about $180 and they want $100-ish more than that?
> Yes, it's expensive but it still costs less than replacing mice over and over.
I have a ten year old Razer Ultimate still going strong, buddy. $100 new.
> My otherwise mild skin condition completely destroys the shitty grippy/gummy rubber they put on scrollwheels and sometimes the sides of the mice.
No, whatever you're putting on your skin is. In any case: buy a $20 set of grips/pads and problem solved...
> the carbon fiber rod that snaps into place horizontally across the shape makes it more rigid than the stock mouse.
If you're having issues with rigidity of your mouse, you're holding it too tight...
jcuenod
I would _love_ to see more DIY mouse options. I feel like the mechanical keyboard crowd has so many options.
I've been dreaming of a set of lego-style bits of a mouse that can be assembled together... want another button? here you go. Want it on the side? Modify the 3D print file. Want bluetooth? Use this board... Want USB-C? Use that board... Want both? We've got you covered... Want a hyper-scroll wheel? Well, Logitech has a patent on that one, but here's the closest thing you can get on a DIY mouse. Now click these buttons in the configurator and hit "upload", and the firmware is installed to use your new mouse on any machine.
Perz1val
There's a YT channel called optimum and he made his perfect mouse and brought it up to a product stage. It may give you some ideas (like the sensor PCB is a set you can buy). https://youtu.be/oMUEsz71_xQ
dmonitor
The open source / open hardware offerings from Ploopy are very attractive for people that don't want to take this route
They've apparently suspended shipping to the US, though. Not sure who to blame for that one..
adregan
I was using a vertical Logitech mouse but was still experiencing discomfort mousing out to the side of my enormous Advantage2 keyboard. In an effort to head off any compounding RSI issues, I switched to a ploopy Adept trackball. Had no idea if I'd like switching to a trackball, and I love it! My hand never moves in an awkward motion, and mousing has become pretty restful. Better be careful tossing the ball up in the air idly during meetings as I won't be able to get a replacement if ploopy has paused shipping to the US (It's a pretty dumb habit at any rate).
MyNameIsFred
TL;DR Is US continues to change policy without any clear guidance nor facilitation. Impractical to comply. https://apnews.com/article/us-tariffs-goods-services-suspens...
arp242
The MX Ergo S has USB-C and much more silent switches. Other than that, it's basically the same as the previous MX Ergo. I bought one a few weeks ago after I dropped and broke my old Ergo.
sammycdubs
This is how I find out they actually made one I honestly had no idea hahahaha
Scene_Cast2
A bit unrelated, but I have the same soldering helper as in the post. It's called Omnifixo (I found out about it from a YouTube video (Norm from Tested)). I was initially skeptical, but it's made soldering a whole lot easier - highly recommended.
I've done some mouse PCB mods myself (swapping dead switches mainly). My biggest annoyance is resoldering through-hole components - unfortunately aftermarket PCBs for mice are quite rare, and my favorite mouse isn't all that popular in the "mouse community".
HocusLocus
Used a trackball since 1994. Desktop publishing and photo editing, if you've ever needed to position precisely and lift finger off the ball and click or mousedown without moving the focus again you'll just know.
Kensignton makes a good one with a scrollwheel ring around it, the ball XY is perfect though the clickers are so-so in longevity. Working without a physical middle click and two button software middle click emulation is frustrating sometimes.
SirMaster
I love my Logitech G603.
Was like $50 new, so nothing too expensive, has LIGHTSPEED wireless which has super low latency, but also has bluetooth in case you forget the dongle or can't use it for some reason. Or it's also really convenient to switch the mouse between 2 computers simply by pressing the button on the bottom, and it instantly switches.
Uses the HERO sensor which is really power efficient and has a slot for 2 AA batteries of which you only need to actually install 1. Lasts several months off a single AA battery, and also so I just use those rechargeable AA batteries with built in USB port under the cap, so I can just charge it from the computer if I need a little more juice.
Perz1val
I've modded it. The main switches are on separate, one sided PCB's and are easy to solder. Side switches are not standard, they're lower profile. Scroll and DPI switches are on the main PCB with a huge ground pad on one pin, I recommend just using a destructive method when removing them, or just leaving them alone. When it starts double clicking, just go for the swap. There's plenty of switches with different feel to choose from. Before disassembly get a set on new skates, you'll need to remove those long ones to get to the screws, they get wonky, don't slide as good anymore.
Perz1val
My chosen mouse (for now) is logitech G305 with silent switches swapped in. I've one with Huano (brown case, bright dot) and one with Kailh (the grey cube with big round, red dot). They feel different, both will be weird if you're used to stock, clicky omrons. I've also replaced the side switches, scroll switch and DPI switch (6 in total).
Kailhs have a sharper click feel, travel is smaller than stock. Huanos feel like they have more travel than stock, with a very long (soft?) tactile bump. Kailhs are marginally quieter. I don't prefer either, both are so much nicer than stock. I highly recommend swapping mouse switches, the stock omrons that logitech (and others) put in are loud, rattly trash. Huano makes really good clicky switches too. The good thing is that you can upgrade (fix) after the inevitable death (more likely double clicking than not clicking at all) of the stock ones. You'll likely want to buy both, because you will need (at least for G305) a square footprint switch to put under the scroll wheel. Kailhs despite being square and 2 pin, work fine for the main switches that have a 3 pin footprint. The third pin doesn't do anything.
I've not experimented with nor researched the scroll encoder yet. Maybe there are quiet options to swap in. It's not bad as is, but it'd like something quieter with softer jumps.
Except the obvious tools for soldering, don't forget to buy a new set of skates, because the screws will be under them. If the mouse is new, you might be able to unstick them intact. If it's not, you'll likely bend them and it won't glide as good.
About the mouse - I just like the shape of G305, the wireless is good and with a lithium battery it is pretty light and lasts a long time.
Lithium cells are like 7x the price, last maybe 2-3x as long, but are like 7-10g lighter, for mice get them only for weight reduction or working in cold places. People say Energizer ultimate lithium are the best, in my experience they last longer than lithium cells from Varta.
basscomm
I still haven't figured out why they no longer make wired trackballs. The thing never moves, why do I need it to be wireless?
Glyptodon
Have been happy w/ an Elecom not having found Kensington or Logitech options that I was happy with.
hotsauceror
When you say "they", do you mean Logitech or Big Mouse in general?
Because I have wired trackballs from both Logitech and Kensington, and have for many years. You can pry my Kensington Orbit from my cold, dead hand.
rwmj
I found that wired trackballs with scrollwheels no longer seem to exist. I bought a wired trackball without a scrollwheel and absolutely hate it.
JdeBP
Who is "they"? Perixx seems to be still selling wired trackballs.
officialchicken
To add some context to the title for you, "Building the mouse Logitech won't make", it's referring to / implying the entire PC industry including Logitech.
JdeBP
Which would make a statement that "they no longer make wired trackballs" a falsehood. So likely not whatever "they" basscomm had in mind, if you think about it.
Krasnol
As far as I can see it, they sell only wired vertical mice. Trackballs are all wireless.
https://perixx.com/collections/mice?filter.v.t.shopify.conne...
JdeBP
The PERIMICE-520, right there on that page that you pointed to, is a wired trackball. I know because I have one beside me right now with the wire going across the desk. (-:
"Balking at the $50+ charge for turnkey assembly, I opted to take the financially responsible route and pay $200+ for a hot-air rework station to solder it myself."
Yeah, I feel this :)