In this video I give my old, but trusty, mouse of 7 years some fresh excitement. I’ve wondered about doing this for a long time. But, I was afraid I might ruin it if I tried. After coming across a few posts on random forums about successful outcomes, I decided to give it a shot. I also thought it would be a good idea to share my attempt at it. With information on this being such a chore to track down, I figure someone might find an extra video to be of some help. As it turns out, it’s a pretty straight forward modification. You just have to keep track of what’s going on.
This SHOULD work with other mice, as well. But I can only vouch for the MX518. I do recall reading that some mice only run at 1.5 volts (mostly wireless, if I remember correctly). This project is based on mice that run at 3 volts. You could try getting an LED rated around 1.5 volts and see what happens. But, that would be at your own risk (as is any mod like this). I can’t confirm how that will result.
In order for an LED swap to be successful, you need to have a “super bright” / “high intensity” LED with a clear lens. The one that I picked for this project has the following specs:
-Emitted color: Blue
-Size: 5mm
-Lens Color: Water Clear
-Forward Voltage: 3.2 – 3.4V (volts)
-Current: 10 – 20mA (milliamps)
-View Angle: Approx. 30 degrees
-Luminous Intensity: 8,000 – 10,000mcd (millicandelas)
-Life Rating: 30,000 hours
Tools needed/used:
-Soldering iron (temperature controlled station is recommended)
-Solder (Lead-based is easier to work with. As is rosin-core (flux already in the solder).)
-Liquid flux (Helps coax solder to where you want. Not needed if using rosin-core solder.)
-Desoldering braid or a desoldering vacuum (bulb or pump).
-Small Phillips-Head screw driver
-Small Flat-Head screw driver (or similar tool for prying in small spaces)
-Safety goggles/glasses
-Isopropyl alcohol
-Small horsehair brush
-A small dish (to put a little of the alcohol in (This helps keep the rest of bottle fresh.))
-Another small dish (to put the screws and other small parts in).
-Latex/rubber gloves (Not required, but they help to keep the electronics clean.)
-Electrical tape (Not required, but helps keep LED housing stable during actual use.)
-Fan. (Use for air circulation. But don’t place so close as to affect actual soldering work.)
-Twist tie (to keep the USB cable bundled up).
-Needle-nosed pliers (to hold the desoldering braid. It can get very hot, very quickly!)
-Wire cutters or end-nippers (To snip the excess lead wire from the LED.)
-Paper towel(s) (Always handy to keep around.)
-Plenty of lighting.
Be safe, and enjoy!
The songs used in this video are composed by Kevin MacLeod, and can be found at www.incompetech.com.
Song titles (in order of appearance): Spy Groove; Long Time Coming; Local Forecast
Post time: Sep-27-2017