Logitech Mouse starts working after blowing warm / hot air using hair dryer

raksrules

Elite
I have Logitech M570 Trackball wireless Mouse. Off late, it has been giving me many issues and it my primary pointing device for use with office laptop and an indispensable item for me. So much that I have already ordered another one from a US website.

I opened up the mouse to look into it and see what the issue is and didn't see much. Turning switch on / off didn't do anything, pressing things on the PCB of mouse did nothing. Sometimes removing battery and placing it back and making sure everything was connected between positive and negative terminals and it would light but only sometimes.
On reddit user suggested that I can put isopropyl alcohol but I don't have it and I don't even know how to use it. But instead, I used a blow dryer and used it for sometime over the PCB and the mouse started working.
But then next day same issue wherein the mouse would not work, so i again opened up today and did the blow drying and it worked again.

Any permanent fix for this?
 
Hi,

If you think, it's due to moisture/rainy season, how if you put one Silica gel bag inside (if have that much space) mouse.

If not, how if you can keep mouse in container and fill the container with Silica gel bag & remove from contatiner only when about to use
 
I just gave up on my Logitech G102 and dipped it in hot water (not boiling ) and let it dry for a day. Works great now :D
 
Hi,

If you think, it's due to moisture/rainy season, how if you put one Silica gel bag inside (if have that much space) mouse.

If not, how if you can keep mouse in container and fill the container with Silica gel bag & remove from contatiner only when about to use

I will surely check this out. I am not sure where I will find silica gel in home. There is definitely space in mouse for that. Also earlier, I always kept mouse in its case (yes I have a case which is exact shape of mouse) when I used to go to office, but now with WFH, I just keep mouse open. I think I will start putting it back in its case.
 
I think it would be better if you get some isopropyl alcohol and try cleaning the PCB first and see how it goes. It will be a lot cheaper than the new mouse and will also come in handy for cleaning other electronic components in future.

Just put some of the solution on a microfiber cloth and clean the PCB with it. It'll remove any condensation etc from the board and will evaporate after a little while.
Refer to this guide if you want:-
 
I think it would be better if you get some isopropyl alcohol and try cleaning the PCB first and see how it goes. It will be a lot cheaper than the new mouse and will also come in handy for cleaning other electronic components in future.

Just put some of the solution on a microfiber cloth and clean the PCB with it. It'll remove any condensation etc from the board and will evaporate after a little while.
Refer to this guide if you want:-

Thanks. Yes I will plan to get it. Also the 2nd mouse is a backup I wanted to buy anyways since I cannot do without this mouse and it is more comfortable than a regular mouse for me. So I took the opportunity and bought it.

Dumb question but can sanitizer spray be used for cleaning the PCB ? Because when i search for the isoprophyl alcohol on amazon I get many sanitizers. Here is link...

 
Dumb question but can sanitizer spray be used for cleaning the PCB ? Because when i search for the isoprophyl alcohol on amazon I get many sanitizers.

Isopropyl alcohol is used in most of the hand sanitizers and that's why they show up in the search. But DON'T use those on any electronic components. Most of them have only 70% alcohol along with other stuff in it which might not be good for the PCB. For cleaning electronics, more than 90% is recommended.

This one would do well
 
But then next day same issue wherein the mouse would not work, so i again opened up today and did the blow drying and it worked again.

Any permanent fix for this?
How old is it? The circuit bus and the solders have gone dry hence when you blow it with hot air the metal contacts rejuvenate for a temporary period until its turned off and cooled down...
I bet even if you keep the mouse ideally working wihtout turning off it will keep working as long as it isnt switched off.
This happens in zones with air mixed with humidty moisture and salt.
 
How old is it? The circuit bus and the solders have gone dry hence when you blow it with hot air the metal contacts rejuvenate for a temporary period until its turned off and cooled down...
I bet even if you keep the mouse ideally working wihtout turning off it will keep working as long as it isnt switched off.
This happens in zones with air mixed with humidty moisture and salt.
As of writing this post, it has been 5 hours and mouse is still working. Keeping it on entire night is not an issue per se but I would try to put the mouse in its case today. I stay in Mumbai and it is constantly raining so moisture can be a factor.
Mouse is 2 years old.
 
There it is, Mumbai... I'm also from Mumbai and faced similar issues in the past with monitor and keyboards.
Off late my our home laptop kept getting rusty on the ports, so much that the hdmi output and one usb conked off. We tried IP solution earlier regularly but seems it has give up, so bought a new laptop here.
 
Normal alcohol spirit bought from a medical store works fine. DO NOT use sanitizer it has added fragrance etc. Pour it liberally on a toothbrush and brush the entire PCB with it. Don't be afraid of being firm, just dont bend any upright components like caps etc. You won't believe the number of devices i've fixed with this method. Just last week my building intercom was acting up and an alcohol brushing fixed it. It happens due to dust+humidity.

Also if it's battery powered, give the contacts inside the device a good clean. It may need scraping with a hard device like a small flat screwdriver to remove built up oxidation. Again, fixed countless devices with this method.
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My basic logitech usb mouse bought in 2007 is still working fine. I bought two wireless keyboard combos since, but i hate the feel of the wireless mice with them. So i now have two wireless mice in storage, and still using the usb mouse with a wireless keyboard! The buttons fail about every year. I then open up the mouse and spray wd-40 into the button switches. And it then works perfectly. Also use the opportunity to clean the scroll wheel and the body by washing with soap and water. Insane that this is working after 13 years. I peeled off the teflon feet long ago, i actually like how it feels without them on my goliathus control.
 
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There it is, Mumbai... I'm also from Mumbai and faced similar issues in the past with monitor and keyboards.
Off late my our home laptop kept getting rusty on the ports, so much that the hdmi output and one usb conked off. We tried IP solution earlier regularly but seems it has give up, so bought a new laptop here.

This is scary. I may opt to keep my laptop also in cupboard from now on everyday to prevent issues with my work laptop. So from today, my work laptop and mouse both will go in cupboard to avoid humidity messing it up (potentially).
 
There is humidity inside the cupboard as well. In fact the air inside is usually more humid because of no air exchange. If you don't use ACs, one can consider buying a dehumidifier and using that for the few months this is a problem.
 
There is humidity inside the cupboard as well. In fact the air inside is usually more humid because of no air exchange. If you don't use ACs, one can consider buying a dehumidifier and using that for the few months this is a problem.
But keeping the devices in places like that CAN actually help a bit. I live near the coast in Goa and the humidity here is always high, at least for 9 months out of 12.
What I've noticed is that things start corroding faster if dust settles on it. This dust absorbs the moisture and accelerates corrosion. So basically, if you keep your devices dust free, you can also avoid corrosion to some extent. A lot even.
Im sure @nRiTeCh 's ports started corroding for the same reason. Cleaning those ports regularly is pretty hard and most of the time we dont even look there or try.
 
But keeping the devices in places like that CAN actually help a bit. I live near the coast in Goa and the humidity here is always high, at least for 9 months out of 12.
What I've noticed is that things start corroding faster if dust settles on it. This dust absorbs the moisture and accelerates corrosion. So basically, if you keep your devices dust free, you can also avoid corrosion to some extent. A lot even.
Im sure @nRiTeCh 's ports started corroding for the same reason. Cleaning those ports regularly is pretty hard and most of the time we dont even look there or try.
We have very high humidity during monsoons as well. I have seen fungus grow inside our cupboards so my post regarding humidity was about that. It is also very clear concept because only way to deal with high humidity is through air exchange. In fact dehumidifiers are rated by ACH - number of air changes per hour. So my comment was regarding the humidity aspect which would be more inside the cupboard due to less air exchange.
 
Same story today morning even after keeping mouse in its case and then in drawer. But surprisingly light came on in morning when I switched it on but it refused to work. So I was back to opening it up, doing the blow drying for like 30 seconds and it started working again.
 
The circuit bus and the solders have gone dry hence when you blow it with hot air the metal contacts rejuvenate for a temporary period until its turned off and cooled down...
Is this called a 'dry solder' ? If so I think the bad solder can be identified with a magnifying glass, and then fixed?
 
Ok so yesterday and today morning, did the same "Blow dry for 30 seconds" and only then the mouse works. Is this due to moisture? I can see some rusting in one of the connectors and I have ordered the isopropyl alcohol to clean the board.
Should I be also getting those silica packets to keep inside mouse and may be inside the case of mouse too ? If yes then are those regular silica packets like this..

 
Ok so yesterday and today morning, did the same "Blow dry for 30 seconds" and only then the mouse works. Is this due to moisture? I can see some rusting in one of the connectors and I have ordered the isopropyl alcohol to clean the board.
Should I be also getting those silica packets to keep inside mouse and may be inside the case of mouse too ? If yes then are those regular silica packets like this..

Its already late. Those gels wont work as the damage to the circuitry is already done. Get a new mouse.
 
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