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    New Keyboard/mouse suggestions

    1. Keyboard

    The keyboard to my main rig died... and while I have a bunch of spare keyboards, they all are basic yellowed 104 key relics.

    The few things I'm looking for in a new (or used if cheap, I can clean) keyboard are:

    1. Older type keyboard. Doesn't need to be fully mechanical , but I want some keystroke.
    2. Have at least some volume hotkeys (+, -. mute) that work with linux. Any other hotkeys I don't care for.
    3. Must be PS/2 or usb with PS/2 adapter compatibility. My rig only has 2 rear USB ports, and if I ever have a USB printer, I'll be filled (it already has a webcam on one port). And no, I really don't want to use a hub or Usb card.
    4. Must be decent quality.
    5. Must be no more than $30, the less the better.

    I don't care about color to be honest.

    Otherwise, I'm all ears.

    2. Mice

    I'd also like to swap mice on the main rig.

    What I have now is a Microsoft optical 5 button with a PS/2 adapter. It's kinda yellowed and it's the last one that still works (I've had 3 failures in the past). This one seems to be on the way out (the optical sensors seem to wear, and no, it's not a dirty sensor).

    I'd also like to get a decent laptop mouse for my laptop. The Microsoft wireless 6000 I have is the 3rd one I've gotten under warranty... and it technically broke (rubber scroll tire split, POS).

    Specs for both mice:

    1. 5 Button, with buttons 4 and 5 on opposite sides. I don't like the kind that have both on the left side (I tend to accidentally hit the wrong one, which can have TRAGIC results).
    2A. For the desktop, I want a wired desktop sized mouse with PS/2 or USB with PS/2 adapter compatibility
    2B. For the laptop, I want a non-rechargeable wireless. I'd really like to go to bluetooth on this one, if said mouse exists. Laptop sized will work, but I'm also open to laptop mice.
    3. 4 way scroll would be nice but not quite required.
    4. Some sort of optical. A ball might work for the desktop, but probably not for the laptop.
    5. Must be decent quality. Flimsy won't do.
    6. New or used will work. If used, decent condition only.
    7. No more than $25 for the desktop or $40 for the laptop.

    Any suggestions?
    sigpic

    (Insert witty quote here)

    #2
    Re: New Keyboard/mouse suggestions

    Originally posted by ratdude747 View Post
    5. Must be decent quality. Flimsy won't do.

    7. No more than $25 for the desktop or $40 for the laptop.
    Those kinda cancel themselves out....so that doesn't leave much room for anything.

    Go hunt down an old clicky keyboard. mouse, logitech mx1000 all the way!
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      #3
      Re: New Keyboard/mouse suggestions

      I have a A4Tech X7 Oscar Gaming Mouse X-748K
      Yea short name I know
      Anyway it's the best mouse I have used so far and it's very cheap too, paid £20 for it almost 2 years ago.
      Also I admit I did not read your whole post so maybe it's missing a requirement or two

      I used to love the Microsoft Intellimouse Explorer 3.0 series.
      But since 5 or 6 years ago they have gone way downhill.
      I wore out like 5 of them while under warranty, the micro switches started double clicking even when you single click, extremely frustrating!
      I even bought new ones on Elfa but they where way stiffer, and they actually broke too within 6 months or so...
      "The one who says it cannot be done should never interrupt the one who is doing it."

      Comment


        #4
        Re: New Keyboard/mouse suggestions

        Updates:

        1. I bought a keyboard... I found a PS/2 Compaq keyboard that was like I wanted. More on that when I bring my main rig back online tonight.

        2. Nix BT from the laptop list. I bought a Dell BT mouse for cheap as a test... and Bluetooth is useless for dualbooting! I have to uninstall and reinstall the mouse everytime I boot into a different OS... and when your laptop is triple booted, that won't do (I'll use it with my old XP only laptop).

        Given that I cannot escape sacrificing a USB port for my mouse... I may look into logitech mice, given how crappy my Microsoft laptop mouse has been.
        sigpic

        (Insert witty quote here)

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          #5
          Re: New Keyboard/mouse suggestions

          I know it's an old thread, but I couldn't find another relevant one. I have a generic Dell USB optical mouse with scroll wheel, which generally works very well (probably for some 5+ years). It suddenly started acting flaky yesterday.

          It probably isn't worth trying to repair a cheap $2 part, but I had to see what it looked like inside. Everything seemed to be of good quality - except two small caps: 2.2uF/50V and a 4.7uF/35V, both sub-miniature G-Luxon. I replaced them with a new Elna RBL 2.2uF/50V and a Panasonic ECE-V 4.7uF/50V, which I had lying around, and all the flakiness went away. It's now working like new.

          So, yes, even small G-Luxons can fail over time. The values of the failed caps are in spec, but the ESR of the 2.2uF cap measures as 3.2 ohms, and the 4.7uF cap measures ~4 ohms. The latter seems to bypass the USB power rails at the point the cable terminates on the board - 4 ohms seems to be a bit high for a bypass cap. I'm guessing that the value isn't critical and 10uF may work just as well.

          It's probably feasible to use film caps (say Wima MKS2XL metallized polyester) at both locations, but it's a tight fit and probably overkill. If the new electrolytics fail, I'll go with Wima next time around.

          Comment


            #6
            Re: New Keyboard/mouse suggestions

            Originally posted by linuxguru View Post
            I know it's an old thread, but I couldn't find another relevant one. I have a generic Dell USB optical mouse with scroll wheel, which generally works very well (probably for some 5+ years). It suddenly started acting flaky yesterday.
            Scroll wheels usually get flakey from an accumulation of dust/dirt/etc. A puff of air can sometimes force the cruft out of the way.

            I, too, have had a few Dell mice "act up", lately. Intermittently stop sending motion events -- then, resume of their own accord. One started disconnecting and reconnecting from the USB port periodically.

            Life is too short to screw with small bits of plastic that see lots of mechanical abuse so I just cut the cords (so no one mistakes them for functional!) and toss them in the recycle bin.

            When my "stock" of mice gets too low, I pick up another dozen of them to have on hand (ditto keyboards as I don't want my hands to have to needlessly adjust to different keyboard "feels").

            Comment


              #7
              Re: New Keyboard/mouse suggestions

              Originally posted by Curious.George View Post
              I, too, have had a few Dell mice "act up", lately. Intermittently stop sending motion events -- then, resume of their own accord. One started disconnecting and reconnecting from the USB port periodically.
              Exactly the same symptoms here - it's fixable, but maybe not worth the time and effort for a $2 part. After replacing those two caps, I realized that I had better NOS replacements - the bypass location can be substituted by a Sanyo OSCON SC 10uF/16V, which is a subminiature ~5 x 7mm low-profile 105c cap with (measured) ESR of only 0.13 ohms, and should fit at that location.

              The scroll wheel is a slide-in assembly without a screw. These mice can probably run forever with the OSCON upgrade - there are only two microswitches whose contacts could go bad.

              Comment


                #8
                Re: New Keyboard/mouse suggestions

                Originally posted by linuxguru View Post
                Exactly the same symptoms here - it's fixable, but maybe not worth the time and effort for a $2 part.
                I used to clean mice and keyboards when they started getting grungy and intermittent. Now, I just keep a "stockpile" of spares and take the next one off the pile when I find a problem with one. Most (auction) places sell (used) keyboards for $1/each and mice for $0.10 so you can "buy" a lot of time (saved) for just a couple of bucks!

                Increasingly, when I encounter something "broken", I'll just limit my effort to disassembling it and doing a rough visual inspection (e.g., lint accumulating by the scroll wheel) to get a rough idea as to what might be wrong. It also gives me ideas as to labor/cost saving "tricks" folks have used to manufacture those items.

                But, not even PLAN on repairing it and then reassembling it.

                [This makes the disassembly considerably easier as you don't have to be careful of marring the case, losing fasteners, etc.]

                If I know what the problem is likely to be, then I'll decide if I have a need/use for the item to justify the time spent on the repair. Otherwise, don't even waste the time to take it apart for a peek inside...

                Comment


                  #9
                  Re: New Keyboard/mouse suggestions

                  just get mice from Poundland / Dollar-Store type places.

                  keyboards are more tricky, there are so many shit ones these days that you dont want to let good ones go.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Re: New Keyboard/mouse suggestions

                    Originally posted by stj View Post
                    keyboards are more tricky, there are so many shit ones these days that you dont want to let good ones go.
                    This is what $5 worth of keyboards looks like... (you don't get to keep the "hamper"!)
                    Attached Files

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Re: New Keyboard/mouse suggestions

                      Originally posted by Curious.George View Post
                      This is what $5 worth of keyboards looks like... (you don't get to keep the "hamper"!)
                      and they look like m$ junk!

                      those 2 terminals / CPM machines in the background look interesting though!

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Re: New Keyboard/mouse suggestions

                        Originally posted by stj View Post
                        and they look like m$ junk!
                        They are typically Dell (note the "DELL" logo on the keyboard at the lower left) or HP keyboards, from (complete) systems purchased by the dozens -- and eventually scrapped (the "CPUs" piled on pallets with keyboards, monitors and mice "processed" separately). There were two such "hampers" available. Beyond those, there were others filled with mice, power cords and patch cords.

                        Find someone who is willing to take the lot (for $5) and offer him/her a buck or two to cherry-pick a keyboard or two from the pile. He'll be tickled that his costs have been further reduced and you're tickled to get the keyboard(s) you want for a song...
                        Last edited by Curious.George; 08-28-2019, 04:28 AM.

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                          #13
                          Re: New Keyboard/mouse suggestions

                          I have a NiceEShop 6 Button Mouse, it's pretty good.

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                            #14
                            Re: New Keyboard/mouse suggestions

                            Now I'm looking for another mouse. My nine-month-old Logitech M310 started double-clicking. I'll have to hunt down a non-gaming mouse.

                            Since that mouse is part of a keyboard/mouse combo (MK520), I would like to find another keyboard as well, but a full-size keyboard that has volume control keys and doesn't light up like a Christmas tree seems hard to find (unless I want to clean up a used one).

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Re: New Keyboard/mouse suggestions

                              hah, microsoft mouse 6000, I had one of those for a few years

                              and the microsoft intellimouse optical with the button on each side, that was before the 6000

                              I ended up with a Logitech M705. Love it. wore the shit out of the last one, got one used and salvaged parts from one to the other
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                                #16
                                Re: New Keyboard/mouse suggestions

                                I'd just replace the Omron D2FC-1-7M microswitch, or worst case take it apart and bend the spring to add tension. It could be a cold solder joint too. https://otwthesis.blogspot.com/2015/...tech-m310.html

                                All my stuff is wired, as the Logitech clashed with my neighbor's mouse/keyboard or maybe the apartment WiFi keeps the 2.4G band busy and anyhow that M310/MK520 did not work well enough so I returned it.
                                Stay away from Razer overpriced crap. The cheap chinese mice are kind of funny, they miss clicks when moving at the same time, so I constantly curse it.
                                I've switched over to a keyboard with Cherry switches and can't go back to anything else. Really loud when I hit the keys hard. CMStorm Trigger Z brown almost like a 5151.

                                Comment


                                  #17
                                  Re: New Keyboard/mouse suggestions

                                  I will do some kind of quick fix to get it working until the stay-at-home stuff is over, but I don't want to fix it properly because it has other problems. It sometimes stops responding to movement, especially when I move it slowly. It's bad enough to make basic use difficult. I tried my old Microsoft Wireless Mobile Mouse 3500 on this computer, and it didn't have that problem.

                                  Comment


                                    #18
                                    Re: New Keyboard/mouse suggestions

                                    Originally posted by lti View Post
                                    Since that mouse is part of a keyboard/mouse combo (MK520), I would like to find another keyboard as well, but a full-size keyboard that has volume control keys and doesn't light up like a Christmas tree seems hard to find (unless I want to clean up a used one).
                                    Why can't you keep using the keyboard (with it's PC-side wireless adapter) and just ADD a new mouse alongside? (does it use one of the "universal" wireless adapters that can be paired to a variety of devices, concurrently?)

                                    Comment


                                      #19
                                      Re: New Keyboard/mouse suggestions

                                      That was something I forgot to mention. The keyboard is good enough that I don't need to replace it.

                                      Yes, it uses the "unifying" receiver.

                                      I've found that both the Logitech and Microsoft wireless mice I mentioned will stop working if I plug the receivers into a USB 3.x port and then plug a USB 3.x device into the same hub.
                                      Last edited by lti; 04-14-2020, 08:26 AM.

                                      Comment


                                        #20
                                        Re: New Keyboard/mouse suggestions

                                        Originally posted by Per Hansson View Post
                                        double clicking even when you single click, extremely frustrating!
                                        I know that for the Logitech G Pro, (at least the revision, where it looks like it's probably an earlier revision) (pre-"Hero") clean the gunk out and move the button back and forth (horizontally and in circles) then try to remove more gunk by blowing under the button top. Seemed to fix that mouse at least for a while. Mine got what appears to be a lot of dead skin! Yikes!
                                        I think those Logitech mice are called "Pro Hero" now.

                                        And BTW, they seem more likely to do that, if you haven't been using them for some time! My previous one, mentioned above, was fine, at least through most of 2019 and I likely purchased it in 2018 or 2017.
                                        In my case, the left-click button seems to stick.
                                        Last edited by RJARRRPCGP; 04-14-2020, 05:41 PM.
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