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geekhack Community => geekhack Media => Topic started by: CPTBadAss on Sun, 20 April 2014, 15:27:00

Title: CPTBadAss Does His First Mouse Mod - Anker Mouse
Post by: CPTBadAss on Sun, 20 April 2014, 15:27:00: This is just a photodump of the mouse mod I did today. Binge sent me an Anker Vertical Mouse which I found comfortable except for the switches. They were too heavy for my tastes. So I swapped out the stock microswitches, which were Zhij, for Omron D2FC-F-7N switches I harvested from a Logitech mouse I had laying around.

Shoutouts to Binge for the mouse and TheFlyingRaccoon (http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=46128.msg972520#msg972520) for his excellent disassembly pictures.

Full imgur album can be found here (http://imgur.com/a/EhUvQ). Just an FYI, I wanted to see how good my new phone camera was so everything was shot on the S5. There are still some potato pictures so I apologize ahead of time.

(http://i.imgur.com/WXGbA4R.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/GwBYRec.jpg)
I had this wireless Logitech mice sitting around as well as another mouse. This mouse had a nice feeling to the switches so I was hoping they were Omrons. I totally guessed right. Here's it disassembled with a closeup of the Omrons.

(http://i.imgur.com/Jus8Z9a.jpg?1)
Bottom of the Anker has the mouse feet. Under those three feet are screws.

(http://i.imgur.com/UGzU9e1.jpg?1)
(http://i.imgur.com/5ASNBzg.jpg)
After you take out the screws, you can slide the bottom out, which looks like this.

(http://i.imgur.com/B4ISfIN.jpg)
The side panel with the light panel is a snap fit, so you can just pull that off. You'll have the mouse in 3 parts: bottom, side with light panel, and slide with left/right click.

(http://i.imgur.com/TxYTnOt.jpg)
On the side with the left and right click, you'll notice there's a seam under the click areas. You pry that panel off. It's a snap fit. I used a pocket knife and gently popped it off. In the picture, you can see the 4 snap fits.

(http://i.imgur.com/51AtuQs.jpg?1)
(http://i.imgur.com/B85PCOD.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/uMPu8yw.jpg?1)
(http://i.imgur.com/xUFrHBT.jpg)
After you take off the left/right click panel, you can remove all three sides to get at the PCBs. You can see all the hardware and plastic sides that hold the PCBs together. And then you can see what you can unplug to get the PCBs apart.

(http://i.imgur.com/Tyd9UDz.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/7DEsJkh.jpg?1)
PCBs. Swapped the microswitches. You can see the legs because they're in triplet and inline with a slightly larger pad diameter.

(http://i.imgur.com/dudR9kG.jpg)
LED test. Gotta make everything purple right? :P Pro tip, if you're doing this, leave it a little long and then bend the LED until you get the desired lighting effect. I left mine a little too short but I got the lighting to be muted, which I like.

(http://i.imgur.com/OS2aeMb.jpg)
Mouse reassembled. I plugged the mouse in when I had the switches swapped; before I had the sides back together. Just to test to see if the switches worked.

(http://i.imgur.com/LYcX6f5.jpg)
Done. I only swapped the left/right and forward/back buttons. The Anker also has a switch under the scroll wheel so you can click down and a DPI button. I didn't have enough Omron's. I felt that the wheel click was fine. And I won't click the DPI button too much so that can stay.
Title: Re: CPTBadAss Does His First Mouse Mod - Anker Mouse
Post by: Binge on Sun, 20 April 2014, 23:40:13: only the hypest mouse mod only taken with pictures from only an S5...only...

BEST THREAD EVER!

<3 anker love
Title: Re: CPTBadAss Does His First Mouse Mod - Anker Mouse
Post by: HoffmanMyster on Sun, 20 April 2014, 23:57:00: I read the intro to this, but it wasn't until I got to the end that I finally realize what happened. :D Wow, nice mod!
Title: Re: CPTBadAss Does His First Mouse Mod - Anker Mouse
Post by: Melvang on Mon, 21 April 2014, 00:37:23: Nice job there CPT. How are you liking your "new" vice now that I see you are using it? Can you tell a difference with my mods, aside from just looking pretty?
Title: Re: CPTBadAss Does His First Mouse Mod - Anker Mouse
Post by: Badwrench on Mon, 21 April 2014, 00:54:56: How do you like it with the new switches? I have actually switched back to my Deathadder with all the recent D3 due to the stiff clicks of the Anker. I might have to head over to my local salvation army to find some mice to harvest from.
Title: Re: CPTBadAss Does His First Mouse Mod - Anker Mouse
Post by: margo baggins on Mon, 21 April 2014, 01:33:30: nice mod :)

I wish omron's lasted longer - my g500 is on it's 3rd omron for the left click, right click is still on the stock one. Maybe I just have a heavy finger :) Who knoes.

Fancy vise too! I am really sad I missed that one, they look very handy.
Title: Re: CPTBadAss Does His First Mouse Mod - Anker Mouse
Post by: CPTBadAss on Mon, 21 April 2014, 07:44:54: Quote from: Melvang on Mon, 21 April 2014, 00:37:23
Nice job there CPT. How are you liking your "new" vice now that I see you are using it? Can you tell a difference with my mods, aside from just looking pretty?

With the new threading, the ball and socket joint thread actually locks much tighter now. Before when I locked the vice, if I hit it hard enough, I could still move the head around. Now it's just completely solid. Much nicer to work with.

Quote from: margo baggins on Mon, 21 April 2014, 01:33:30
nice mod :)

I wish omron's lasted longer - my g500 is on it's 3rd omron for the left click, right click is still on the stock one. Maybe I just have a heavy finger :) Who knoes.

Fancy vise too! I am really sad I missed that one, they look very handy.

The vice is quite nice. Just having a Panavise around is very handy for mods like this. No more jury-rigging setups to hold projects together so I can solder them. :D

I didn't realize Omrons wore out so fast....I'll have to see how long these last. Thanks for the heads up.

Quote from: Badwrench on Mon, 21 April 2014, 00:54:56
How do you like it with the new switches? I have actually switched back to my Deathadder with all the recent D3 due to the stiff clicks of the Anker. I might have to head over to my local salvation army to find some mice to harvest from.

It's *way* better with the new switches. I played like 4 hours of D3 with the Anker mouse with the stock switches and I had to switch like you said. After I did the mod, I played another 4 hours probably? Muuuuuch better. If you're trying to use your Anker to play video games, I highly recommend you mod it. And the project doesn't take too long. I spent more time figuring out how to take it apart then actually doing the soldering work.
Title: Re: CPTBadAss Does His First Mouse Mod - Anker Mouse
Post by: Melvang on Mon, 21 April 2014, 08:39:30: Quote from: margo baggins on Mon, 21 April 2014, 01:33:30
nice mod :)

I wish omron's lasted longer - my g500 is on it's 3rd omron for the left click, right click is still on the stock one. Maybe I just have a heavy finger :) Who knoes.

Fancy vise too! I am really sad I missed that one, they look very handy.

If you want to pick up a vise from their website I can do the physical mods for $20 + shipping.
Title: Re: CPTBadAss Does His First Mouse Mod - Anker Mouse
Post by: Txduck on Wed, 23 April 2014, 00:35:58: Hey CPT, nice mod! Have you ever considered going to med school to be a surgeon? LOL
Title: Re: CPTBadAss Does His First Mouse Mod - Anker Mouse
Post by: Pacifist on Wed, 23 April 2014, 00:53:30: Quote from: Melvang on Mon, 21 April 2014, 08:39:30
Quote from: margo baggins on Mon, 21 April 2014, 01:33:30
nice mod :)

I wish omron's lasted longer - my g500 is on it's 3rd omron for the left click, right click is still on the stock one. Maybe I just have a heavy finger :) Who knoes.

Fancy vise too! I am really sad I missed that one, they look very handy.

If you want to pick up a vise from their website I can do the physical mods for $20 + shipping.

what are the mods? The vise im using right now is some 15 year old rusty POS that cakes rust on everything
Title: Re: CPTBadAss Does His First Mouse Mod - Anker Mouse
Post by: Melvang on Wed, 23 April 2014, 00:55:41: Quote from: Pacifist on Wed, 23 April 2014, 00:53:30
Quote from: Melvang on Mon, 21 April 2014, 08:39:30
Quote from: margo baggins on Mon, 21 April 2014, 01:33:30
nice mod :)

I wish omron's lasted longer - my g500 is on it's 3rd omron for the left click, right click is still on the stock one. Maybe I just have a heavy finger :) Who knoes.

Fancy vise too! I am really sad I missed that one, they look very handy.

If you want to pick up a vise from their website I can do the physical mods for $20 + shipping.

what are the mods? The vise im using right now is some 15 year old rusty POS that cakes rust on everything

Using a Panavise... screw it I am going to start a new thread. Probably in the Making stuff Together to detail what I did for the physical mods. If you look to the bottom of the Living Soldering Thread there is a link to the panavise thread posted by mkawa.
Title: Re: CPTBadAss Does His First Mouse Mod - Anker Mouse
Post by: margo baggins on Wed, 23 April 2014, 03:21:00: Quote from: CPTBadAss on Mon, 21 April 2014, 07:44:54
Quote from: margo baggins on Mon, 21 April 2014, 01:33:30
nice mod :)

I wish omron's lasted longer - my g500 is on it's 3rd omron for the left click, right click is still on the stock one. Maybe I just have a heavy finger :) Who knoes.

Fancy vise too! I am really sad I missed that one, they look very handy.

The vice is quite nice. Just having a Panavise around is very handy for mods like this. No more jury-rigging setups to hold projects together so I can solder them. :D

I didn't realize Omrons wore out so fast....I'll have to see how long these last. Thanks for the heads up.

Oh it's not like they wear out fast - I bought this g500 like the week they came out, so it's ancient! I make key caps shine really fast so maybe I have destructive fingers :)

I found a potato from last time I upset my mouse

(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a258/lymph/DSCF0149_zps745ed356.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/lymph/media/DSCF0149_zps745ed356.jpg.html)

I think the shipping would murder me for getting a panavise modded and sent from over there, I can get panavises here but they are like £65 at least, for the same size as that one.
Title: Re: CPTBadAss Does His First Mouse Mod - Anker Mouse
Post by: CPTBadAss on Wed, 23 April 2014, 07:52:31: Ahhh I see. Well regardless, I now have a starting date for the switches so I can gauge how long they last. And I too shine keycaps fast :(.

Maybe Melvang's new thread will show how he did his Panavise mod so you can do something similar Margo :).

Quote from: Txduck on Wed, 23 April 2014, 00:35:58
Have you ever considered going to med school to be a surgeon?

Pfft, I can't even SMD solder right now so I'd be a bad surgeon. Need to level up my dex :P
Title: Re: CPTBadAss Does His First Mouse Mod - Anker Mouse
Post by: jtu39102 on Wed, 29 July 2015, 12:18:02: Quote from: CPTBadAss on Sun, 20 April 2014, 15:27:00
Show Image
(http://i.imgur.com/5ASNBzg.jpg)

After you take out the screws, you can slide the bottom out, which looks like this.

Show Image
(http://i.imgur.com/B4ISfIN.jpg)

The side panel with the light panel is a snap fit, so you can just pull that off. You'll have the mouse in 3 parts: bottom, side with light panel, and slide with left/right click.

I want to replace the switches, but I am stuck between these two steps. The hook next to the DPI button (second picture, bottom right) keeps me from separating the two parts. Just pulling does not work, I am actually impressed that I didn't break anything yet as I pulled kind of hard. How did you do that? :/ Thanks.
Title: Re: CPTBadAss Does His First Mouse Mod - Anker Mouse
Post by: CPTBadAss on Wed, 29 July 2015, 12:28:37: Pull harder? That's what I did.