Choppy cursor with original Intellimouse \ VOGONS

Choppy cursor with original Intellimouse

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First post, by fleedar

Posted on 2019-01-20, 18:15

fleedar Offline

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I recently picked up an original Microsoft Intellimouse 1.1A (serial version).

I remember using this mouse as a kid and loving it, but I’m having an issue with this one that makes it unusable. The polling rate seems to be a fraction of every other serial mouse I connect. The cursor is choppy, and drawing a circle in MS Paint results in an octogonal shape. Connecting my original Microsoft ball mouse and drawing at the same speed gives me a nice smooth circle.

This is the case on every machine I connect it to, and it does it with and without the Intellipoint drivers and software. I’m wondering if this is an issue specifically with the serial version, since the one I had as a kid was a PS/2 mouse, but I can’t imagine why that would be the case. Does anyone have experience with this mouse? I don’t know if it’s a common thing or if mine is just defective.

Reply 1 of 6, by chrismeyer6

Posted on 2019-01-21, 04:46

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Have you made sure that the ball, rollers, and sensors inside are clean and free of dust,lint, and hair?

Reply 2 of 6, by oeuvre

Posted on 2019-01-21, 13:58

oeuvre Offline

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clean the guts with isopropyl alcohol

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Reply 3 of 6, by Scali

Posted on 2019-01-21, 14:20

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I have the serial Intellimouse without scroll wheel, and mine is reasonably smooth, no worse than other serial mice I've used (incuding Genius ones).
So I'm pretty sure it's not supposed to be like that, and you may need to clean or repair it.

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Reply 4 of 6, by fleedar

Posted on 2019-01-21, 19:18

fleedar Offline

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Thanks. The mouse was thoroughly cleaned before use, so I guess something strange is going on with it.

Reply 5 of 6, by Ozzuneoj

Posted on 2019-01-21, 23:56

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Have you actually dismantled it completely? You may find something obviously wrong inside. Maybe some hair stuck in way of the sensors, stuck in the "spokes" of the wheels etc.

Now for some blitting from the back buffer.

Reply 6 of 6, by fleedar

Posted on 2019-01-27, 00:52

fleedar Offline

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Ozzuneoj wrote:
Have you actually dismantled it completely? You may find something obviously wrong inside. Maybe some hair stuck in way of the sensors, stuck in the "spokes" of the wheels etc.

I did indeed dismantle it completely and clean it.

This issue got more complicated, however. I purchased a new-in-box Microsoft ball mouse that has the exact same problem (both over PS/2 and with a serial adapter), and after further inspection of the other ball mouse I mentioned that worked fine, it seems to be a knock off. The Microsoft logo is blurry, the plastic is thinner, and the PCB inside is flimsy and unbranded. This was one of the “new old stock” mice that are available in large quantities on eBay.

So the two mice I’m sure are genuine both have abysmal performance in Windows 95, but the apparent knock off mouse works perfectly. Again, I’d assume this is due to my machine, but I tested each mouse on my Compaq LTE laptop and the issues are also present there.

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