Slashdot Mirror
Silent Mice for Silent PCs?
UnrefinedLayman asks: "In the quest for a silent PC, one item that seems to be consistently overlooked is the mouse: it's one of the more noisy computer components if only by virtue of the fact that it is a staccato noise. I don't notice my fans or hard drives very often, given that they are constant background sounds whose levels don't noticeably change. My mouse, on the other hand, makes a very audible *click* each time I use it, and while providing a pleasant tactile feedback, it keeps my girlfriend awake during my late-night work sessions. So I turn to the Ask Slashdot community: have you found a silent mouse for your silent PC? Numerous Google searches have yielded
little. It's not as though it's impossible, as touch pads for laptops have been around for quite some time, and the iPod makes great use of the technology. ThinkGeek also sells a force-free keyboard with a "mouse replacement" built into it, but while the keyboard technology looks very promising, I prefer to stick with a mouse (not to mention something a bit cheaper). Mouse manufacturers have long touted optical mice as being superior to their trackball cousins for having no moving, mechanical parts, but it seems like they're overlooking the most obvious and still mechanical function: the buttons themselves! So what say you Slashdot? Are there force-free, truly non-mechanical and silent mice out there to be had?"
It's been my experience thast the mice doen't need to click.
They usually have a clicker switch.
What if you took a cheep mouse, opened it and replaced the clicker-switcheswith normal ones?
BTW - My dell laptop (latitude c400) is pretty quiet and the touch pad or buttons don't make noise!
-Sean
You just made me notice how loudly my mouse clicks. *sigh* Thanks for ruining my weekend! (-;
This may not be a practical suggestion, but it came to my mind as I was reading this, since I have dabbled in some minor electronics and case modification in the last while... if one knew what they were doing, perhaps one could modify an existing mouse to replace the existing microswitch with something else, perhaps a IR emitter/sensor which is blocked by a tab when the mouse button is pressed. That would eliminate the clicking sound of the microswitch.
... though could be interesting trying to rest your
finger on there.
:)
Or perhaps a touchplate
One would have to consult someone more experienced in building this sort of stuff regarding feasibility though.
-- Silhouette
And you can have your choice of keyboards:
IBM Model M
Omnikey 102
Ortek MCK-142
All nice & clicky...Oh.
Nevermind.
"As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly." A. Carlson
will you at least be happy with a scroll wheel and not worry about three buttons?
...and that's all there is to it.
When I started reading, that was the first thing I thought. Then, as I was reading on, it occurred to me the guy was serious.
I mean, come on. How hard is it to replace a high tech item like a switch under a mouse button, with a switch that does not do *click*?
The sound has a function in most cases. It's a signal. Even using a mouse button is referred to as clicking. It also prevents arthritis. You do not need to apply more pressure than to make the click, thus preventing excessive wear the finger joints.
I once had a mouse where one of the mouse buttons had been repaired, and it was replaced with a silent switch (amiga mouses were expensive). I repaired it again, this time with a clicking switch. YMMV.
the pun is mightier than the sword
I don't know wich operating system you use but I presume there will be some accessibility-software for it to accociate some keys of your keyboard with your mouse-keys.
--> Insert Funny Sig Here
My mouse, on the other hand, makes a very audible *click* each time I use it, and while providing a pleasant tactile feedback, it keeps my girlfriend awake during my late-night work sessions.
You dont't snore, do you?
Try this, it works great for me: Go to bed when your SO goes to bed. No, really, it works great. And there are other benefits as well.
If you cannot pull yourself away from the computer, then you can either get a touchpad (like a laptop), or you can hack your mouse.
The clicking device in the mouse is a microswitch, which has a very distinct switchover feeling and sound. If you wrap the switch and some of the circuitboard in yarn, you can deaden the sound somewhat. You can also replace it with something else of your own invention - two wires on the circuitboard, and a piece of tin foil on the button for instance.
You'll have reliability issues unless it's well designed (spring steel instead of tin foil, for instance), but it'll be quiet.
Another option is to hack some optical gates inside there. It would require much more engineering, but a simple optical gate, resister, and an epoxied piece of plastic on the button to break the beam when pressed should do very nicely. It'll take up little more room than the microswitch.
Send me a mouse and $90 and I'll do it for you.
-Adam
1. Go get yourself a mac (as little fans as possible)
2. Go get yourself an Apple Wireless Mouse (no balls, no buttons, no wires)
3. Be a happy man
...singing "Silent Mice" to the tune of "Silent Night"? Cause I am.
The 1985-ish MS Mouse 5.0 might do the trick if you can find one that still works. These were the beige ones with two brown buttons. There wasn't really any tactile feedback either, so there was a tendency to press too hard which would kill the switches after a while.
I know it's kinda a foreign concept in windows, but I've learned most of the keyboard shortcuts/ commands to do navigation things, and I think sometimes it's actually quicker than using the mouse. And there's no click. So I don't know what exactly what you're working on, I know some programs will obviously require a mouse, but if you can, see how much you can do with the keyboard.
Good luck.
Ask Slashdot has just hit a new low.
Or perhaps trolled
Try these:
++ Learn to use the keyboard - there are easy keystroke shortcuts to perform the mouse clicks for you.++ Move the computer out of the bedroom into another room.
++ Tell your girlfriend to get over it.++ Get another girlfriend.
++ Go to bed with your girlfriend (what the hell are you doing at night anyway?).++ Get on with your life.
Could someone please explain why this was submitted???...we are from the government - we are here to help...
My mouse, on the other hand, makes a very audible *click* each time I use it...
Why do you use your other hand?
*ducks*
Touchpads usually can be set up so a tap on the pad signals a click.
are the stress lvls.
Personal experience, people CAN sleep though anything they've been conditioned to.
People do NOT condition themselves when they haven't a stress free place they can spend a good portion of their time at.
My stress free place is my home. In my home we do not
shout, there is no drama. ("He was like ___! and so I was like ___!")
Attitudes are for people who are afraid to be
brutally honest with themselves and honest with
those around them.
Start telling the truth people. Your life may go in the tank for a few
years like mine did, but after 2 years of telling the truth
my life is fantastic. Better than I ever dreamed
as a child. (As if I could have even imagined anything
as complicated as adult life LOL)
If your gf is busting your chops over this, you have much more serious problems than a loud mouse. Lose the gf, keep the mouse.
Anything worth doing is worth doing badly -- G.K. Chesterton
[blockquote][i]My mouse, on the other hand, makes a very audible *click* each time I use it, and while providing a pleasant tactile feedback, it keeps my girlfriend awake during my late-night work sessions.[/i][/blockquote]So why not move the computer?
Your best option is a trackpad or touchpad of some sort. Most modern touchpads have several functions you may assign to various actions such as double-tapping, tap-dragging, dragging along the left or right edges, tapping in certain zones, etc. to keep you from ever having to use the function buttons.
Michael C. Hollinger
Have you considered moving the computer into another room ? If your girlfriend is that much sensitive to noise, you would be better work elsewhere ...
Intelligence shared is intelligence squared.
Thanks, but I need my mouse and keyboard to both be nice and clicky. Otherwise, how am I going to know whether my son is surfing for pr0n when I'm not in the room?
For example, I do a bit of multitrack digital recording. The mouse clicks can be a distraction when you're trying to get an artist to focus on the *song*, not the recording of the song.
I have yet to find a way to use the keyboard to select a point in a recording where one wishes to punch in...
Dave O'Heare
Your girlfriend isn't complaining about the clicking per se. In my opnion she is probably complaining because you are on the computer. So even if you find a quieter mouse she will complain about something else. Pay more attention to her and she won't care about the sound your mouse makes.
Alas, another poor victim on online gaming trying to steathily use the computer. Shhh..... be verrry quiet, I don't want anyone to know that the computer is on or that I am typing or clicking. :)
Does anyone sell silent soundcards and speakers?
It's a valid question. There's no reason why mice need to click so loud. Tactile feedback is enough -- we don't need auditory feedback.
Going to bed at the same time as the other person isn't always possible: people have different schedules and sometimes one person is just tired, or has insomnia. And putting the computer in a different room often isn't an option if it's a really small appartment, or a "studio"-style apartment, or if you have just one room in a shared house to cram all your personal stuff into.
So, yes please, bring on the silent mice!
I have yet to find a way to use the keyboard to select a point in a recording
Open your desktop environment's accessibility control panel (on Windows, Start > Settings > Control Panel > Accessibility Options; on old Mac OS, Apple > Control Panel > Easy Access) and turn on Mouse Keys. Then you can press 5 on the keypad to simulate a mouse click, and if your keyboard is not a model M like mine, it'll be nearly silent. In addition, some audio apps allow for moving the time cursor with the arrow keys.
While I find the seriousness of the question scary, what is really disturbing is that it's a repeat:/ 05/172221 2&mode=thread&tid=137
http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=02/04
Seriously I would get that g/f some mental health and some nice calming drugs if mouse clicks really bother her...
Anyway, besides the various brands/cad mice and other options mentioned in the above, I've seen plenty of touchpads with quiet clicks and also my space saving keyboard with a microjoystick and mouse buttons is quiet as well. So simple solution would be to use your mouse for movement and a touchpad's buttons for clicking.
Similarly I remember back in college making my own PS/2 mouse and the circuit board was not complex at all. It would be easy to dig up the plans off the net and cut them down to a button only model allowing you to choose your own buttons. Then hot glue them onto your existing mouse if you so desire (I think I've used multiple ps/2 mice before, but worst case make your buttons ps/2 and use a usb base mouse for the motion).
Do you kill flies with tactical nuclear devices?
I mean, the guy has a problem with one micro-switch and you tell him to switch computer.
Heh.
Treehugger? Treehugger... Treehugger!
Thank you all for the well thought-out and insightful replies. Especially the first poster. I'd like to address some of the replies, but rather than hit them one at a time, I'll give it a single go.
Yes, I am serious. Don't look at me shocked and appalled, regarding me as some retarded freak of nature. If you think the question's stupid, don't reply. I think that if someone should stand over your shoulder and everytime you ask a question whose answer you don't know insult you and degrade you, you'd grow a little tired of it. So to all insightful posters, thanks. To all trolls, fuck off.
While I understand it's possible to modify my existing mouse, my question mainly centered on whether or not there are silent mice manufactured. Notably, I'm looking to get rid of a mouse that uses mechanical parts, because since optical mice have come about I've gone through several simply by breaking the buttons or having the cables die. So while it's possible, that's not the focus of my inquiry.
Yes, I'm happy with a scroll mouse and not a three-button mouse.
If you re-read my post, you'll see I'm not interested in using the keyboard as my mouse. For example, the ThinkGeek keyboard replaces a mouse, but I'm not interested in doing that. I simply want to have a mouse that does not make noise, not relearn how to use a keyboard as a mouse.
I don't go to bed when my SO goes to bed because I have to work for a living. Sometimes my work requires me to work at home, and sometimes into the night. But you're right, I should say "Fuck work!" go to bed, and worry about getting fired some other time!
And for those times when it's not because I'm working into the night, but rather because I worked into the evening at my actual place of business, I should just say to hell with my relaxation time, go to bed, and worry about having no time to unwind some other time!
Yes, I *was* talking about my girlfriend, not my sister, as one poster pointed out (and another corrected).
To the poster who recommended the simple steps of:
1) Buy a Mac
2) Buy a wireless Mac mouse
3) Quiet!!!!!!
Thanks, but as I mentioned in the question, the ThinkGeek keyboard is too expensive, so I don't think getting an Apple is going to help me.
I did not sing "Silent Night" when writing either this or the question.
I know a lack of feedback can cause people to press too hard, which is why I'm looking for something like the buttons on the iPod on a mouse. Pushing too hard breaks keys, which is why I don't have a mechanical mouse. The adaptation to a non-mechanical mouse and not pressint too hard should be a non-issue for someone serious about it.
It's not a foreign concept not to use the keyboard in Windows. I'm rather adept at using the keyboard only in Windows. The point is there are many things that cannot be done without a mouse, and even if I could do everything with the mouse, that wouldn't resolve the question I posed: is there a silent mouse? That's like saying "Use a banana!" when someone asks for an apple to make apple juice. You cannot make apple juice no matter how many bananas you have.
To the person who recommended I learn how to use the keyboard, please note that I already know how to use a keyboard, as you may have noticed from me typing this reply and the original question up.
I also cannot move the computer out of the room. Again, that doesn't answer the question of "is there a silent mouse?" If someone were to ask how to make their garage door quieter, you wouldn't tell them to move their garage somewhere else, would you? Unlike some people, I don't live with mommy and daddy and must make do with the space available in my 600 sq. ft. apartment. With two people living here, that means the computer goes in the bedroom.
And just in case you're planning on telling me to move, I suggest that you note what I said above and note the fact that l
There is a mouse out there that does not click when you press the button: http://www.thinkgeek.com/computing/input/gaming/66 89/ ;-) Maybe a little expensive but a very precise and good mouse - except that maybe the zero-force approach makes you click more often then you intend =). I heard though that you get used to it.
At least the older model they sold like 2 years ago did not click because that would make the sniper move the mouse about 1nm and then he'd miss...
~Squisher
My mouse, on the other hand, makes a very audible *click* each time I use it, and while providing a pleasant tactile feedback, it keeps my girlfriend awake during my late-night work sessions.
You could always do like the prince did: marry her and put the mouse in a museum.
But seriously, are you living in a studio apartment or something? Add this to the long list of reasons that the computer should not be placed in the bedroom (I say this of course lounging on my bed with my laptop, but hey, I'm a bachelor, I'm allowed to do these things).
Try this, it works great for me: Go to bed when your SO goes to bed.
Actually, that's probably what she's really asking for anyway. I'm sure when you fix the mouse clicks she'll complain about the keyboard. Then when you fix that she'll complain about the excess heat coming from the processor. Then when you freak out on her for being absolutely crazy she'll say "but I only wanted you to come cuddle with me instead of working on your computer."
Of course, if you wanted that advice, you wouldn't be Asking Slashdot. So drop the female and make a robot, or something.
And throw your mouse away!
Awesome furniture, accessories and cabinetry in Santa Rosa, CA: http://humanity-home.com/
like one of these Kensington Studio Mice http://www.kensington.com/html/1216.html and configure middle mouse button as left click. But that doesn't help with right mouse button; much. There are two programs I know of that you can use software-wise on 2k/XP to emulate the right mouse button, for the truly quiet environment. One of them is called something like Lokai Mouse; the other escapes me at the moment. Lokai Mouse was written so the author could use a Mac mouse with only one mouse button, and still do right-clicks by holding down the mouse button for a period of time. It sounds good to me, never tried it though. -e
Jesus Christ! Shut the fuck up already. I'm surprised you [still] have a girlfriend. If making mice is so fucking simple, genius, then why don't you go and design your own? Quit bitching and go do something about it, dickwad.
If your GF can't stand the sound of the mouse clicking, get her some of those foam earplugs. No, I am serious. They are pretty comfortable to wear at night, and will cut all the sound (I wear some at times because my wife likes to watch TV when we go to sleep). I doubt you will find anything, simply because it is such a niche product. Plus, there are the HID (human interface design) issues - the click is both a tactile and audible feedback for the user, without it, you might feel "odd", as if something is out of place, and uncomfortable, when using it (kinda like how those rubbery chicklet keyboards never caught on)...
Reason is the Path to God - Anon
What if you took a cat strapped a piece of toast butter side up to it's back and threw it outside. would it land on it's feet, or on butter side down?
How much is your data worth? Back it up now.
NOT EVEN A STRUCTURED FLOWCHART!
I mean what the hell is thiss? some untranslated latin, and whats worse?
An unstructured flowchart!
Go back to logic, and structured design
(CIS 168 @ spscc)
This was discussed on Slashdot previously. Here
Holy Mice?
Holy $h!t that made me laugh!
That would depend on the relative sizes of the cat and the toast. If you had a very small cat and a very large piece of toast... :-)
When the editors post an "Ask Slashdot" question, they aren't doing it to help the person asking the question. They post it because they think it might be a problem shared by lots of people. You, the original questioner, are not the primary audience of these posts. You're just one of hundreds of thousands of readers, some of whom are just looking for the funny responses, some of whom have similar problems, some who's curiosity is piqued (because hey, I've never seen a silent mouse... let's see what people say) and some of whom just want to get a frist pr0st out there.
Slashdot's moderation system is designed to keep the content as helpful as possible to the general readership (which includes you, but also includes lots of other people).
Lots of the posts that you are slamming in your response were good posts -- they just weren't useful to your specific situation. Well, they're still good posts. Someone buying a new computer might like to know that they can get s silent Mac mouse. Someone with a yen for taking stuff apart might like to read how they can mod their mouse to silence it. Personally, I was sorry to see that there doesn't seem to be a standard-but-silent mouse (and I think you knew that already, since you've been searching for a while), but I might get one of those TouchStream keyboards on ThinkGeek to try it out... it looks cool. I thought the "learn how to avoid using the mouse" is a decent solution to your actual problem, which is noise. There are plenty of silent keyboards, some with touchpads (which would also help). If you know all the key combinations, you can certainly reduce the need for the mouse.
I guess my main point is that I was kind of shocked by your reaction to a decent discussion on an interesting question. If you didn't find what you wanted, maybe it's not out there at the moment... that's no reason to flame a bunch of people offering helpful advice for free.
There are only 10 types of people: those who understand decimal, those who don't, and, uh, 8 other types I forget.
Let me get this straight. You actually believe that thinking goes one in the selection of stories on /.?
/. are picked by a drunk monkey who is droping acid, doing speed, and randomly jaming crayons up his nose.
You must be really new, stories on
And that is on a good day.
Ahhh! Not the Big Blue Room, anything but that!
Well, at least he isn't a gentoo user who would have said to just recompile the mouse with gcc -donesnt_have_to_work_right_just_go_FAST flag.
And you don't kill flys with tactical nukes, you use tactical nukes on fire ants. And when that doesn't work you use stratigic nukes with colbalt sleaves.
I've got a Microsoft Trackball Optical 1.0. The buttons are pretty quiet on it, partly because it's been used heavily for a year, but I remember it was fairly quiet when I got it new. Their mice probably have similar buttons.
Find a neoprene sleeve and cut it to put on top of your mouse like a glove. It'll insultate the noise and give you better texture to hold the mouse with. Or you can please your GF by sticking a cute stuffed animal on it.
while the mice provided with the wacom tablets still click, you can avoid that by using the pressure-sensitive stylus. you click by tapping the stylus on the pad.
Be careful! Bears shouldn't consume large furry dogs.
What if you got another girlfriend that wasn't so annoying.
Everybody dies frustrated and sad and that is beautiful
My IBM Thinkpads (R31 and T30) both have silent pointing devices built into the keyboard.
Unlike the optical USB mouse that came with the T30.
Can't you learn to use the CUA keyboard shortcuts rather than a mouse.
this company sells supposedly clickless mice for gaming, whether that might meet your needs, dunno
http://www.rotokiller.com/rtr720.html
Probably neither, it would hover in the air spinning round and round. Actually I think if you got enough of them you could power a small city.
Wow, a relevant response, with a URL to boot. And all the silly drivel about ditching the girlfriend got modded +5. This is actually a possible answer to the question.
But people liked the tactile feedback so the noiseless mouse never caught on.
And as for the comment that a mouse is one of the noisest parts of a computer.... dream on. My mouse doesn't make near as much noise as my keyboard, or even just a single case fan or HDD spinning.
If you are that concerned with having the "quietest" PC, then go modify a "normal" mouse to be silent. There are a million easy ways to do it, and if you are that obsessed with a silent PC the small amount of work needed would be nothing to you.
Shoot Pixels, Not People!
Try moving to a house where your girlfriend can sleep in a bedroom instead of in your office. If your mouse clicks so loudly it wakes her up in another room, replace either the mouse, or the girlfriend, or both.
Slashdot quality declines as the number of hot grits posts decreases. - Provolt's Law, Apr-09-2005
I keep my girlfriend awake at night too but not with my mouse...
She isn't complaining! And after 14 years together that makes me proud!
realkiwi
http://www.doc.ic.ac.uk/~nd/surprise_97/journal/vo l1/ncp/ if you happen to have $14,000 to spare - actually, make that $28,000 - you will want two.
~ Better a freak than a sheep. ~
My experience is that the mouse is not needed anymore! Do you heard about products from fingerworks? the have touch-sensible keyboards which are keyboard and mouse at the same time!
:)
have a look on (i am located in austria, so this page is in german only, but you can get to the manufactorer page from there) www.ngit.at
this keyboard (and mouse) does not make any noise at all
best regards
Don't let the Wachowski brothers hear of that!
Before you know it, we'd all have to go see the Catrix, featuring Meo and Kittnity...
I liked my next sig a lot better
I've noticed lately that the whoosh sound made by the combination of the earth's very fast rotation and also very speedy orbit about the sun, have been keeping my hamsters awake at night, clutching bits of sawdust to their wee little ears and pacing about like mad little sons of bitches. Slashdot, what do you suggest to dampen the ever so annoying noise of the earths orbit/rotation?
I have Touchstream LP, completely silent for typing and mousing.
You had me going.. till I saw it was posted by an Anonymous Coward..
Go to this page. Scroll down to StupidaMouse.
I think it will fit the bill perfectly.
Give me my freedom, and I'll take care of my own security, thank you.
No offense intended but if your girlfriend is kept awake by the clicking of a mouse you have two options - since such a quiet noise affects her you should also stop breathing or option 2 - get another girlfriend...
I suppose you could try using a touch pad or even a graphic tablet - they can also act as a mouse if needed - no buttons.
Or just go to sleep at night... you'll be healthier and happier.
BTW - how do you type - this must also be a disturbing activity, no?
Try sleeping with your girlfriend rather than your mouse. I'm sure both of you will be happier, even the mouse.
lick the cancle button (at least thats what our Chinese QA says)
I work at a public radio station, and everything we do is run by computers anymore. But, The GUIs of these radio software packages scream for a mouse, and that's what most operators use. So, while they're talking on-mic, you can hear the clicking of the mouse as they page through their weather forcast, or launch other audio bits. It sounds like crap, so I too am searching for a silent mouse.
I'm sure your girlfriend has pointed this out already, but you could just stop slamming your meathands down on the mouse so hard.
Oh, and does her mother know you're living together?
My friend once had a mouse that broke, and one of the symptoms was that the clicking was gone. I have no idea how it happened, but it's damn annoying using his mouse.
It's true that you won't miss the clicking sound until it's gone.. it's just not right!
ummm perhaps the best method would be to move your computer to a diffrent room, sp you wouldnt keep up your woman.
-Ross
you've gotta be the whiniest bitch I've ever seen. and I've seen some whiney bitches on slashdot.
but..even whiney bitches deserve an answer..
so...
http://www.rotokiller.com/rtr720.html
it's a gaming mouse.
it's different and you'll probably bitch about that.
it's expensive, so bitch about that too.
but it uses membrane buttons, doesn't click, and aparently you can click about 5 billion clicks per second.
you're welcome.
Funnily enough I work for a national braodcast company and one of our radio presenters asked us this very thing, seemingly the mouse clicks as she worked her mouse were being carried over the radio and people complained. Any answer would be welcome....
There are several "non-mouse" options you can try. Some trackballs make little or no
"click" and there are several programs available for handicapped folks that let you use a joystick as a mouse, just get one that has no click on "fire".
It doesn't matter what you wrap your emotions around, Reality is a brick wall specifically designed to scramble eggs
Please. How often can you click while working? Everyone knows that incessant clicking is associated with one thing: fragging. Go to bed with the woman and stop playing games.
http://www.thinkgeek.com/computing/input/gaming/66 89/
Not on-topic to the discussion, but related to the parent post.
I cut-and-pasted the URL and hit Enter, before seeing that it was split by the lameness filter. "Oh, crap," I think.
ThinkGeek had no problem... this URL == this URL.
Now that is geek genius at work. A simple concept, but what other sites have thought of it, hmmm?
Stressed? Me? Of course not. Stress is what a rubber band feels before it breaks, silly.