Logitech G500 Scroll Wheel Issue

[jeroplane]

I've had my Logitech G500 for a while now, but recently the feel has changed significantly. The scroll wheel feels stiffer, and when I switch it to frictionless scrolling, whereas it used to scroll for about 15s before stopping, now it does continue to roll at all.

I guess something must have gotten into the bearings or whatever they use? Perhaps moisturiser or something may be the culprit. Any advice on how I can remedy this? Perhaps lubrication at a certain point?

[SmallFry]

Yup, sounds like the lube dried up. Open 'er up and apply a little bit more. I don't have my G500 in hand (just ordered it) and I won't be taking it apart to look where to lube since it was purchased for a family computer. Sorry!

[tp4tissue]

Just throw it out, and get a G400, superior mouse, no acceleration, and Bulletproof wheel........

[SmallFry]

Just throw it out, and get a G400, superior mouse, no acceleration, and Bulletproof wheel........

-_- Why would you do that? Silly ideas.

[jeroplane]

Just throw it out, and get a G400, superior mouse, no acceleration, and Bulletproof wheel........

Thanks for helping.

Yup, sounds like the lube dried up. Open 'er up and apply a little bit more. I don't have my G500 in hand (just ordered it) and I won't be taking it apart to look where to lube since it was purchased for a family computer. Sorry!

Might do this some time... Any idea on what kind of lube I should use?

[SmallFry]

Not sure, I'm sure anything will work. They asking at the hardware store for some high viscosity oil/lube etc.
You want something that is most likely runny-ish. Not positive though. So don't do it until other members chime in

[Quarzac]

I hope you get this worked out- I've been using my G500 for almost 3 years now, and it's a fantastic mouse. That being said, I have absolutely no idea how to disassemble it, sorry!

[tp4tissue]

I'm quite serious about Switching "away" from the G500... check out the Sensors information thread below, Notice that all of the current high end laser mice have acceleration, which is Very bad for FPS.

http://www.overclock.net/t/854100/mouse-sensor-technology-guide-v2-0

[SmallFry]

Its all a matter of opinion. I highly recomend the G500 over the G400 for two reasons, weight tuning and better drivers.

[jeroplane]

So I opened up the G500 and found an inherent flaw in the design of the scroll wheel.

The main piece of the wheel is made of some metal (maybe stainless steel?). That wheel has a ridge in the middle, where a gripped rubber band has been fitted to be flush with the metal, which is what provides grip for the fingers on the wheel.

At first I thought my issue was a lubrication problem, but as it turns out there is no lubrication nor bearings within the mouse. The wheel axle simply lies between two notches in a plastic mount.

The scroll wheel mount is something like a semicircle of clear plastic which encases the bottom half of the scroll wheel inside the mouse. However, the tolerance between the mount and the wheel is very, very little. Probably less than 1mm.

So the two problem factors are: the tolerance and the rubber grip.

Over time, the rubber grip has loosened off the metal wheel ever so slightly probably due to heat and use. It looks to me like it's made of silicon. That tiny loosening apparently exceeded the tolerance between the mount and the wheel, and thus the rubber grip was rubbing against the bottom half of the plastic wheel mount inside the mouse body, causing the friction.

I was able to carefully remove the scroll wheel and remove the rubber grip, which is my temporary solution for now until I can think of something better. It's still usable without the grip, but might get slightly uncomfortable after prolonged use. I wonder if I can shrink the grip a little, or maybe shave some of it so that it fits more snugly. Or perhaps I may have to shave off some of the interior of the mount. Not sure. Or maybe I can find a rubber band that will fit as a new grip.

Anyone know whether silicon can be shrunk? Even if it's by a very little amount.

[do_Og@n]

That sounds like a design flaw which tells me that your fix may only be temporary. That's good to know though. Saves me from disassembling my G500.

Thanks for the great article.

[vun]

I'm quite serious about Switching "away" from the G500... check out the Sensors information thread below, Notice that all of the current high end laser mice have acceleration, which is Very bad for FPS.

http://www.overclock.net/t/854100/mouse-sensor-technology-guide-v2-0

I believe the same sensor is in the G9x I use, and the "imperfect" sensor does not impair me at all when playing FPS games. Acceleration is not bad for FPS, in fact a lot of the low sens players use acceleration. The only problem this might pose is if you don't use or want accel and want to seriously compete in something like Quake Live.
Most modern FPS games don't require enough precision to warrant going all mathematical over mice and you can easily top the scoreboards on public servers with skill alone. The only thing that matters with your equipment at that level is how you like it, which isn't something you can measure like the nutters over at OCN do.