Can this mouse be repaired?

My bastard–I mean, beloved–cat Jacob chewed through the cord for my ergonomic gaming mouse when he was teething.


I’m going to get a cheap mouse from Walmart for now, but would it be possible for me (or someone else on my behalf, handsomely rewarded) to fix this one? It cost like $45 and, more importantly, I’d rather keep the same device than dump it in a landfill to buy another.

1 Like

It is repairable, you will need a replacement cable, cheap USB extensions will do but make sure that it supports power + data, some only have the power lines connected (also do a quick check to see if the mouse has the extra 5 USB 3.0+ pins but they are almost unheard of on a mouse). It is a fairly basic soldering job but I unfortunately do not have time to help out with it at the moment.

2 Likes

When you find the cord you’d like to have put on, bring everything to the Electronics Meetup, any Sunday 3-5pm, and one of us (probably me) will see if we can fix it for you.

3 Likes

Thank you!!!
Would I be able to make clean cuts in the existing cord and solder it back together, or is it best to buy a whole new cord? My kitten only chewed through about an inch, and it doesn’t need to be very long.

1 Like

It’s up to you, if you don’t mind the “lump”, which will be annoying if it is located right where the lump keeps going above and below the edge of the desk/table. If the lump is close enough to the mouse to always travel with it, or far enough down the cable that it never moves, you probably won’t mind reusing/repairing the old cable. If you’re OK trying to reuse the old cable, don’t cut it, just bring it as is, and we’ll try to salvage the maximum length possible.

2 Likes

There’s a way to prevent the ‘lump’ which is to take out a larger portion.

So hopefully this doesn’t “Help” my ascii art, X being the repairs, the whole thing heatshrunk or electrical taped:

—X---------------
-------X-----------
-----------X-------
---------------X—

If you cut it so it’s staggered there’s a lot less of a lump and more a larger section, which may be preferable, but it also loses more of the cord length to do so. It’s fairly easy to do in any case.

It’s easier to get a new cord if you can find them, as that’s just unscrewing the mouse, plugging it in and putting it back together, I have done that on some of mine over the years.

(I’ve been a fan of the Logitech MX5xx series, and am amused to realize just how old the mouse I use regularly is. (MX518… from CompUSA, so probably nearly 20 years old.) I’ve got a few and have replaced or repaired several cords for them.) However, most mice you can’t get just the cables for. (Those were very popular.))

4 Likes

Thank you to @Kim_Kirwan for fixing my mouse! I really appreciate it, and it was so cool watching you work.

3 Likes