Failure of Switches in Logitech and Other Popular Mice Reportedly Caused by Improper Voltage

[Tsing]

Image: Logitech



It’s not unusual to hear of enthusiasts with even the most expensive, high-quality mice to experience annoying issues such as singe clicks registering as double clicks or outright failure of buttons after extended ownership. According to a technical review by YouTuber Alex Kenis, the reason why Logitech and other popular mice are failing lies with a discrepancy between the voltage at which they’re running and the ubiquitous Omron D2F switches that many of these devices employ. Despite being rated for 6 volts, most modern mice are said to be running at a much lower voltage (e.g., 3.3 volts), which could result in early and premature switch failure.









TL;DR:-the change from 5v to lower (3.3v) logic voltage and use of the MCUs’ higher resistance internal pull-ups (~40k) necessitates a change in hardware design, which...

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[MacLeod]

I would say this is a pretty rare occurrence. I'm a pretty big Logitech fanboy and the vast majority of my peripherals have been Logitech products dating back to my G9 and G501 from back in 2008 and I've never had a problem with any of them at all.

 

[termus]

My G903 had this exact issue. It drove me insane so I bought a G502 Lightspeed.

 

[Brian_B]

Hmm.

I'm not a semiconductor engineer. But a switch is a switch. It does care about voltage - too high and it will arc. It really cares about current - too high and it will melt.

Voltage too low? I've never, never heard of that being a problem for a mechanical switch.

Now, voltage and current are related, and for a given power, if you lower the voltage, the current goes up. So maybe that's what he really is meaning to say. But I kinda doubt it, since he's also talking about a subsequent increase in pull-up resistance (which would limit the current) somehow being a part of this grand conspiracy.

I kinda think the dude is just talking out his ***. If anything, I would suspect a chemical issue before I'd suspect an electrical issue (corrosion). But every mouse I've ever had that started the double click doom cycle, it was pretty obvious the switch was mechanically broken - they wouldn't even click the same. That isn't to say everyone has the same failure mode... but I think this sounds like bunk.

 

[SmokeRngs]

I would say this is a pretty rare occurrence. I'm a pretty big Logitech fanboy and the vast majority of my peripherals have been Logitech products dating back to my G9 and G501 from back in 2008 and I've never had a problem with any of them at all.

I think you are the exception which proves the rule. The last Logitech peripheral I had which lasted a long time was my MX 700 and I only replaced it because of switches starting to go bad. However, that mouse lasted years and took a lot of punishment before it got to that point. Since then every single Logitech mouse I've used has had switch problems within a year. My other Logitech success story and the reason I started to love Logitech products is the Trackman Marble+ I got in the late 90s. I still have it and use it on my server. It has some button switch issues but even being as old and abused as it is the issues still aren't as bad as any of the three previous Logitech mice I had which started having problems within a year. Remembering to press harder than usual on the buttons is usually enough to avoid the no click response problem. Hell, they probably just need a good cleaning.

Unfortunately, most other brands of mice aren't much, if any better. I recently purchased another Logitech mouse due to major limitations of choice and quality. I much prefer wireless and I've always had good luck with Logitech wireless capabilities. I also need a minimum of four thumb buttons but can't really use nor do I want to use an MMO style mouse. Logitech's infinite scroll option is also a huge convenience bordering on a requirement. There were really only a couple possible options when I was looking for a new mouse and I replaced my previous G700s with a G604 a few months back. Battery life over the G700s is nothing short of a miracle. The six thumb buttons are the perfect amount for me but unfortunately are much easier to activate compared to the G700s with a claw grip especially since the thumb rest area is much smaller. Despite looking about the same width as the G604 it's skinnier which I still haven't been able to get used to. It's not a perfect mouse but it's good enough in the correct areas. I really hope I get lucky with the switches this time but I'm not counting on it.

 

[Auer]

Too much voltage creates heat and that I could see as a contributor to wear and tear.

 

[Riccochet]

With the exception of an MX518, every Logitech mouse I've owned since has only lasted maybe 1-2 years before the left button gives up the ghost. And a Corsair M65 that made it about 4 months before the LMB started double clicking.

 

[MacLeod]

I guess I have been lucky then. My G9, G400, MX518, G Pro, G502, G502 Hero and G700 are l still working fine even with a couple of them even being over a decade old. Either that or I just have a really delicate fingers lol.

 

[LazyGamer]

With the exception of an MX518, every Logitech mouse I've owned since has only lasted maybe 1-2 years before the left button gives up the ghost. And a Corsair M65 that made it about 4 months before the LMB started double clicking.

I've run across this one a bit. I've also seen issues with cables getting worn out from being wrapped around things.

I'll say that the focus on switch reliability, at least as far as marketing is concerned, is a positive development, and I recommend using mouse bungees to ground the cable both to the mouse and to the computer.

 

[Zarathustra]

Interesting.

I'm used to TOO HIGH voltages being a problem, not too low voltages.

I always assumed the switches were just ****ty and mechanically wearing out.

 

[Grimlakin]

This reminds me of the IBM deskstar 80 gig drives. Back in the day. If your 5 volt rail wasn't rock solid the drives had a notoriously short lifespan.

 

[Niner51]

I just picked up a G703 after a faulty Corsair mouse failed. Hopefully I have no issues. I have used Logitech in the past with zero issues. Still have an old MX518 and a G9 mouse in storage here for whatever reason (not thinking I would use them again), but they still work.