More on Apple Pro Mouse problems

David Kilbridge offers a number of links that include take-apart and repair instructions for Apple Pro mice. Most users who have performed repairs, however, say that they are tedious and often not worth the effort.

• "Opening and Repairing an Apple Pro Mouse"
• "Modding the Apple Pro Mouse MOD apart"
• "An Optical Mouse on the inside..."
• "Apple Pro Mouse Repair - Unofficial, Warrantee Voiding"
• "Dave's Tech Tips"

Kilbridge also notes an easy test for a damaged mouse cable can be performed by launching Granted Software's freeware USB Monitor (Mac OS X only) and manipulating the cable at the mouse housing. If the transparent window indicating a USB connection or disconnection appears, the cable is bad.

MacFixIt reader Henry describes why repairs can be so problematic: "All together, you can get a pretty good idea of how to disassemble a Pro Mouse using these resources, but it seems inevitable that some parts get broken or badly deformed in the process. That makes repair a messy proposition, no matter what. Worse, the mechanism for switch-clicking on this design is subtle. Even if I get everything else right, it's my experience that the clicking performance --the button "touch"-- deteriorates.

"Finally, I have doubts about the longevity of any repair on these devices. I've put aside my repair efforts and ordered a new Apple mouse. When I get it, I'm going to see if I can add some kind of stiffener for the cable as it emerges from the case -- and resolve to keep the cable straight. It is a really nice mouse."

In September, we experienced a problem with the Apple Pro Mouse in-house at MacFixIt, first hand.

The problem manifested on our Power Macintosh G4/733 (QuickSilver, only one display connected). Using an Apple Pro Keyboard and Mouse, the mouse movement would suddenly cease, and the optical light on the mouse would also turn off.

Temporarily, the problem was solved by moving the Apple Pro Mouse from the port on the keyboard to the USB port on the back of the Power Mac G4. The mouse worked for several minutes, but then the entire system shut off, apparently from power failure. Subsequent attempts to connect the mouse directly to the G4 produced the same result - complete system shut down after a few minutes. In fact, with the mouse connected while the system was off, no startup could occur. Connecting the mouse through the keyboard resulted in no functionality, but did not cause a system shut down.

Eventually, we replaced the Apple Pro mouse with a Kensington model, which worked normally.

Bruce Levin's experience mimics our own "The mouse would periodically freeze requiring unplugging and re-plugging into the USB port in the keyboard. Additionally this would knock out all other USB ports and I began to experience random issues with the ports on the back of my 17" flat panel studio monitor. Additionally the Keyspan driver for my PDA adaptor would occasionally disappear from my machine completely! I thought the problem was possibly related to an Asante USB card, so I removed it. When I finally discovered that the problem was the mouse itself, the USB ports on the monitor returned to working operation and are problem free and the Asante USB card is once again a champ."

Trackballs If you want to avoid mouse wire strain, Jack Rodgers has a straightforward suggestion "Do yourself a favor and get a trackball or trackpad. Saves a lot of pain caused by the mouse and only requires a little finger movement."

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