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?
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.
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.
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
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
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.
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
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.
Simple. Just look in the history, favorites and bookmarks. That way you can be add the good sites yourself if he forgets to CC you on them.
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
This was discussed on Slashdot previously. Here
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.
What if you got another girlfriend that wasn't so annoying.
Everybody dies frustrated and sad and that is beautiful
>
> She isn't complaining! And after 14 years together that makes me proud!
Just because it plugs into a PS/2 port doesn't make it a mouse. Now take that pager motor out of your :CueCat before someone sues you, you pervert.