Logitech MX518 - How To Stop The Slop

Let me start this off by saying that I'm pretty picky about what mouse I use, both at work and at home. I've gone through dozens of them. I've been a big fan of Razer's Copperhead, and owned two until they both died. I then read a lot of reviews of the latest Logitech laser mice such as the G500, but Logitech's marketing team seems to be obsessed with cramming the outside of the box with feature bullet points that wind up performing horrifically during actual real-world gaming. During my mouse search, I had an old Logitech MX518 that I pulled out of a box of retired mice. It always worked fine, and I loved the shape, button placement, and scroll wheel, but it had one really annoying problem...

The MX518 had slop in the left mouse button. In other words, there was a very noticeable gap between the button and the microswitch. Whenever you would rest your finger on the left button, you would hear a very audible "clack" as it landed on the unpressed microswitch. I tried to ignore it, but it wound up driving me crazy, and bought something else at the time. The crazy part is, other than this issue, the MX518 is close to being the ideal gaming mouse. So instead of buying one of the new feature-cursed mice from Logitech, or one of the excellent but consistently unreliable mice from Razer, or the head-scratching, overly-configurable Cyborg RAT mice, I decided to simply try a brand new Logitech MX518.

It had been a few years since my last MX518, and the first thing I noticed was that they've updated the design with a new 1800 DPI sensor and much better skate placement (this will be important later). However, as soon as I put my finger on the left mouse button, I noticed the same "clack" sound caused by button slop! I then browsed some forums online, and discovered that many MX518's have this issue, if not all of them. Needless to say, I was disappointed to find out that Logitech had failed to fix this problem with the latest version refresh. I was even more disappointed when I realized that if I bought another MX518 it would likely have the same problem, and there probably isn't a decent mouse that exists that isn't a victim of feature-cram or reliability issues... so I decided to fix this one.

The concept of this mod is simple. We're going to wedge a piece of foil inbetween the plastic button and the microswitch in order to kill the slop. You will need the following:

Required:

-Small (jeweler) phillips head screwdriver

-Aluminum Foil + Super Glue --OR-- Adhesive Foil Tape

Optional but Highly Recommended:

-Replacement Skates (HyperGlide MX-5 Kit, ~$11+shipping)

-Isopropyl Alcohol

-Dental picks

NOTICE: THIS WILL VOID YOUR WARRANTY AND I TAKE NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANYTHING THAT HAPPENS TO YOUR MOUSE IF IT BECOMES DAMAGED. HOWEVER IF IT BECOMES TOTALLY AWESOME THEN YEAH OK I TAKE SOME CREDIT.

STEP 1: Remove the Old Skates.

First, we need to remove the old skates. You have the option of re-using them, but I wouldn't recommend it as they'll likely become very mangled when you remove them. Unplug the mouse and use a dental pick or some other sharp object and carefully remove each skate. You'll see a slight notch in each skate location where Logitech actually made it easy to get something in there to pry them loose.

STEP 2: Remove the Three Screws

After removing the skates you'll clearly see 3 screws. Remove all three and put them in a safe place. You should then be able to tug slightly downward from the USB cable and the circuitboard tray should easily fall out.

Take care to not bump anything on the board, especially the spring attached to the middle mouse wheel/button. If it falls off, make sure you return it to the notches in the plastic mounts.

STEP 3: Add Foil To Mouse Button

You'll notice an annoyingly faint red circle on internal side of the left mouse button. It makes an "I" shaped base that pushes the button. We will be attaching the foil to this base.

Originally I wanted to use some foil tape that I bought at home depot. It's thick and very adhesive. What I found out by experimentation is that even a single layer is actually too thick, and depressed the mouse button as soon as I reassembled the mouse. If you find some foil tape that is thinner, try that first. Otherwise...

...you'll have to use regular kitchen aluminum foil and super glue like I did. Thankfully, it worked out quite well. Cut a small square about the same size I cut there, if not smaller. You do NOT want any extra foil jamming the sides of the button's base.

Place a small drop of glue in the center of the square and stick it in the middle of the base. It doesn't have to look pretty- just make sure that there isn't any glue that is keeping it sticky on the switch side. If there is, use some isopropyl alcohol and remove the residue. Then put the mouse back together and test out the left button. If you still feel some slop, add another layer.

STEP 4: Add the New Skates

It's now time to replace the skates, and you can thankfully buy a set of aftermarket skates that are actually somewhat slicker. Make sure that you match the right skates to your version of the MX518 (1800 DPI version shown above). You'll get a set of two in each pack, so if you screw up or wear these out or have two mice to modify, you'll have another set to use.

If you test out the mouse and you're happy with your new left button and all of the other buttons still work, it's safe to add the new skates. Carefully stick them on like any sticker.... and you're done. The mouse should now perform much better than stock. Hopefully Logitech will eventually fix this tolerance design issue. Until they do, or they release a new high-end mouse that is crammed with quality instead of useless features, we have this mod to lean on.

Anatomy of a Fanboy

There's no denying it- we've all been guilty of being a "fanboy" (or "fangirl") of a certain product, service, or even politician/party. We tout this product/person/company as the second coming of Jesus without ever truly investigating the competition, or the actual thing/person/company themselves. It must be a default human reaction to act this way. After all, it makes us feel safe when everything is "right", and all of the time and money you've invested hasn't gone to waste. Problem is, 99.9% of the time, this fact isn't true. That's when the self-imposed ignorance kicks in. After all, buyer's remorse in today's society is a pretty crappy feeling.

The plan was to dig up a good example of "fanboyism", but knowing the internet, a commenter in the "Microsoft Games Division (XBOX) and Your Wallet" editorial has already left us with some low-hanging fruit:

LMFAO

No I think the service is just fine and this guy is to yound to know any better. Dude just ask you mommy or get a job.

OWN you later

At first it's difficult to notice the poster's argument, but after wading through the grammar (who knows, maybe that was the idea) we can see that this poster believes that the opposing argument of Microsoft's Xbox Live service being too expensive can be offset by a job or a mother. Okay, fair enough. But notice how the poster doesn't make any point to back up the value of the service. No true argument of the object or company in question ever takes place. It is far easier to tell yourself "yeah, things are alright" without ever actually thinking about it. Are you being ripped off? Duped into thinking what you're paying for is worth it? God I hope not! And in the context of the case above, there is no right answer. Yes, paying $50 for that service could be worth it to you. The problem occurs when you come to that conclusion instantly for the sake of your emotional well-being that is detrimental to yourself- more specifically your wallet. The argument here is that he who obeys the quite psychologically-intelligent marketing departments of large companies is the one who is truly "owned".

Fanboys in the technology space are an annoyance, and they can even shift market trends (often for the worse), but in other areas of society. And while this isn't the focus of this blog, this needs to be discussed. Not necessarily referred to as fanboys, but posses almost identical behavior, it is those who unwittingly align themselves to a political party due to one or two beliefs, instead of the whole, who are the most guilty. Even worse are those who support (or damn) a candidate without actually looking at their voting record. The danger here of course is people making votes completely uninformed. Just like the tech fanboy makes his vote with his dollar without doing any research, the political fanboy spends very little time evaluating options (scarily enough, studies have shown that many people vote on looks), and then elects a person into office that goes against the majority of their beliefs.

What should be taken away from this is the following: we all get buyer's remorse sometimes, but instead of blindly supporting the product/company and fooling yourself into thinking you made the right choice only because you've already committed, try the following:

1. Take the product back.

2. Complain to the company. Let them know. You'd be surprised what a firmware update can fix. If it's policy, that may be a little tougher.

3. Give it away. You won't have to look at it anymore, and your buddy might actually enjoy it.

4. Get over it, and try and enjoy the product the best you can. What NOT to do is trick yourself into thinking that said "bad" thing is actually "good". Your subconscious will only become more disappointed as you invest more into said thing.

5. Or, maybe you actually do like it! And if so, good for you for making the right choice. However, should you happen to wander onto any random form of communication, whether it be the water cooler at work or an internet forum, do not back said thing without any true argument- unless you have a hunch that maybe their mom can pay for it.

Team Fortress 2 Birthday Easter Egg?

Apparently this is officially turned on December 22nd and August 24th of every year, which are each considered as the birthday of the original Team Fortress. However, a certain server out there found a way to turn it on artificially. Everyone has a little hat, and when blown up they turn into confetti and presents. There are also sounds of people clapping and cheering, and blowing kazoos. Enjoy the screenshots.