Jim the Geordie <
jim@jimXscott.co.uk> wrote:
Does anyone here have trouble with a cordless mouse on a black mousepad? Sometimes it just doesn't move the cursor
I tried a plain red pad too and that's not much better
It is a new Logik with red led and fresh batteries.
I use a Logitech M100 mouse. Nothing special: just a 3-button LED mouse
with scrollwheel, but it is wired. I found cordless mice more heavy due
to the battery. I stick with LED mice. Laser mice are overly sensitive
at a greater distance. I can hover a laser mouse a couple inches from
the mat, and still get the mouse pointer to move. Since mice always
require lifting and repositioning (unless you have a huge mat the size
of your monitor even with acceleration enabled for the mouse since that
only applies with large movement), it is harder to lift and move a laser
mouse without the mouse pointer moving on the screen, or in a game.
No way to tell which cordless mouse you use other than it is some
Logitech models. The old models had battery longevity and sensitivity
issues. Black pads may absorb too much of the light for the detector to
notice movement. I've used the Belkin mouse pad with gel wrist rest for
many years, replacing them eventually as they get burnished with wear.
I've always gotten black ones. I do recall years ago having to use a
gray pad, because the mouse would stick on the black ones (movement was
jerky because the sensor wasn't sensitive enough to detect movement).
Saying you changed from black to red doesn't say if it was a light or
dark red. Dark red, dark green, and dark anything will absorb a lot of
the light just as does black.
If you stop using the black pad to use the mouse directly on your desk,
and assuming you don't have a glass top on your desk or it is shiny
metal, see if the mouse suddenly becomes more responsive. Might not be
as comfortable, but you want to see if it's the pad as the cause. Long
before the batteries are detected as too low, flaky behavior with low
charge is another reason I don't use cordless mice. You said you tried
fresh batteries, but where they alkaline or NiMH or lithium or what?
Different chemistries will have different voltages, capacity (coloumbs),
and drain rates. Rechargeables have more cycles, but drain faster, and
not as much load capacity.
You said fresh batteries, but not which chemistry, and which brand. I
stopped buying Duracell because they leak too often, and testing has
proven they don't have longer use-time nor higher load capacity.
Duracell uses a more liquid paste. If it leaks, it can more easily
spread easier to damage more of the contact, and even get inside the electronics. Energizers have a thicker paste. Don't waste money on
cheap crap (e.g., Rayovac, Northern, Everready, store brand, unknown).
It is possible a fresh pack of batteries immediately fail. Only takes
one weak battery to ruin performance of a set of 2, or more, in series.
How about switching to a gray pad instead of black? Not some other dark
color, but a light colored pad. Obviously black absorbs more light, so
less to reflect back to the detector. If I had a problem with the black
Belkin gel wrist pad, I'd try their gray one. The sensor draws the most
power. A lightly colored mouse pad cab boost battery life. Not an
issue with wired mice. Dark, rought, or dull surfaces absorb more of
the light hence less getting back to the sensor. There needs to be some texture for the sensor to detect a change in position. A perfectly
smooth surface is a poor choice for a mouse pad.
Besides not mentioning which specific cordless mouse you have, and which battery chemistry you use, also not mentioned is whose mouse pad (make
and model) you use. The material matters. The ones I get use lycra
affixed to neoprene. They may get burnished from wear, but they don't
fray (and not just at the edges, but also across the surface).
Polyester and jersey are other good fabrics for the surface.
Have you looked inside the pocket with the LED on the underside? Often
lint or debris gets stuck in there. Use an ear swab and tweezers to
pull out the debris. Put a bright light over the upturned mouse and
change angles of the mouse to catch the light at different angles on any
hair or lint. If a hair is across the sensor, it may not detect
movement on the pad, or movement can jump a lot as the hair flexes.
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