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You are here: MacNN Forums > Hardware - Troubleshooting and Discussion > Consumer Hardware & Components > Mighty Mouse Wildly Moving All Over The Place

Mighty Mouse Wildly Moving All Over The Place
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ndptal85
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Aug 17, 2005, 10:23 PM
 
I just bought a Mighty Mouse and it seems to have a problem. When using it the pointer will randomly jump to a completely random point on the screen. This doesn't happen with any of my other optical mice or trackballs.

Anyone else have a similar problem?
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Helmling
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Aug 17, 2005, 10:32 PM
 
you know what...I just plugged back in my original wired Pro Mouse and it's doing that...Tiger bug?

I just yanked my MS mouse because its batteries died and I ordered a Mighty.

How often is yours doing this? My old mouse has only done it a few times.
     
JazzCatDRP
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Aug 17, 2005, 10:43 PM
 
What surface are you mousing over? My mouse had a problem on my desk and did that, but I put a piece of plain white paper under it and it works fine now.
     
budster101
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Aug 17, 2005, 10:53 PM
 
I think the wireless mice have problems with certain surfaces, and this mouse may have similar problems.
     
ndptal85  (op)
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Aug 18, 2005, 12:05 AM
 
I'm actually on WinXP and I noticed that on my wooden desk the problem goes away. My mousepad is light gray with white and other colors. I'm thinking I need a darker mouse pad.
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southtdi
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Aug 18, 2005, 09:54 AM
 
If your mouse pad was not made for optical mice and the colers you describe are busy then that is your problem. Try a sheet of plain white paper and see if it still does it. If not then you now positve that was the problem.
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budster101
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Aug 18, 2005, 10:40 AM
 
Did you install the software that came with the mouse?
     
ndptal85  (op)
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Aug 18, 2005, 09:29 PM
 
There is no software for Windows. I used a different darker mousepad and the problem dissapeared.
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budster101
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Aug 18, 2005, 11:06 PM
 
It's probably a windows problem then as well. I don't see a reason for a darker mousepad. I've used a white one and mine is fine. Why would you use this mouse with Windows anyway? \
     
tomrock
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Aug 19, 2005, 07:18 AM
 
Dark or light doesn't really matter but a solid color is going to work better. I was at a friends the other day and he had a checked tablecloth. Man was my mouse jumpy. :-)
     
ndptal85  (op)
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Aug 19, 2005, 08:08 AM
 
Its not a Windows issue. My bluetooth Logitech optical mice are fine on my multicolored mouse pad. Only the Mighty Mouse has the problem. I use the mouse on Windows because I want to. Do I need a reason to?
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elvis2000
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Aug 19, 2005, 09:22 AM
 
Originally Posted by budster101
It's probably a windows problem then as well. I don't see a reason for a darker mousepad. I've used a white one and mine is fine. Why would you use this mouse with Windows anyway? \
Oh please. The Mighty Mouse is crap!
     
fhoubi
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Aug 19, 2005, 05:10 PM
 
You are not alone. My ikea table is confusing my mighty also. With a mousepad is it getting better, but not perfect. Funny that my normal cord-apple mouse tracks much better, but both are getting beaten by a cheap logitech mouse...
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budster101
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Aug 19, 2005, 05:40 PM
 
There are optical mouse pads. The mighty mouse is not crap.

[removed oversize image. --tooki]
( Last edited by tooki; Aug 19, 2005 at 06:39 PM. )
     
ndptal85  (op)
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Aug 19, 2005, 05:48 PM
 
Why does the Mighty Mouse need a special mouse pad when other optical mice do not? Is that not a deficiency on the Mighty Mouse's part?
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fhoubi
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Aug 19, 2005, 05:51 PM
 
Plain white paper works great , only it looks so clumsy... (still the old apple mouse tracked better imho ).
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budster101
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Aug 19, 2005, 05:59 PM
 
Actually, your current optical mouse may be having problems and you don't even know it because of it's poor quality. Whatever the case, a decent mousepad does wonders for optical mice, and they are dirt cheap. The example I posted was a quicky just to demonstrate they why.

Maybe calibration is needed in production? I'm not sure.

I use a black leather mousepad from Ikea and love it. Works great.
     
tooki
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Aug 19, 2005, 06:41 PM
 
All optical mice have trouble with repeating patterns. Optical mice work by looking at the surface they're on and tracking the movement. Repeating patterns can fool it into thinking it's moved far or not at all, causing the jumpiness. (It's actually the same optical effect as the wheels on cars on TV that appear to be turning backwards slowly as the car speeds forward down the road.) Typical sources for these repeating patterns are the knit pattern on fabric mouse mats, or the dither pattern of printed ones.

Switching to something solid with fine texture, like a piece of paper, or something with a non-repeating pattern (like real wood) fixes it.

tooki
     
ndptal85  (op)
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Aug 19, 2005, 06:46 PM
 
Originally Posted by budster101
Actually, your current optical mouse may be having problems and you don't even know it because of it's poor quality. Whatever the case, a decent mousepad does wonders for optical mice, and they are dirt cheap. The example I posted was a quicky just to demonstrate they why.

Maybe calibration is needed in production? I'm not sure.

I use a black leather mousepad from Ikea and love it. Works great.

Budster, I don't understand your first sentence. Are you saying that my Logitech optical mice may be having problems but I don't know it because of their poor quality? If so that makes no sense. If its not malfunctioning then its not having a problem.
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budster101
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Aug 19, 2005, 06:53 PM
 
I'm not sure what I meant there. Strike that. I jus think that the mighty mouse may be more sensitive to those issues and your mouse is not. I've got a scroll / optical mouse I've used for over 10 years. Works great. I also like the mighty mouse.
     
   
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