MX Revolution USB mouse repair
Most people know me to be cheap. How cheap? Well, I somehow see the logic in buying a broken USB mouse on eBay in the hopes of fixing it, rather than paying full price for the mouse new. Don’t laugh just yet. I fixed it.
Here are the pictures to prove it (make sure you read the captions; I explain the process on each picture):
Full Project Gallery:
This is Logitech’s MX Revolution mouse. It’s a beautiful piece of engineering. It’s wireless, USB, has a lithium ion rechargeable battery and a charging dock. It has a nifty mouse wheel that is free-running by default, i.e., it doesn’t have the usual “detents” while scrolling. This is a handy mode when you have a lot of scrolling to do. Click the wheel button and an electromagnet engages. This then acts like the stator of a motor, such that the wheel feels the usual detents for the more traditional mouse wheel feel.
The problem with my mouse was that it appeared not to be charging. I tore it apart and started measuring various things, like the battery. It was fine, so I looked harder. Eventually, I found that the processor wasn’t running. It tuned out to be the crystal, reference designator XT4 (P/N KDS6M), which is absolutely vital in any processor-based piece of electronics (read: everything). So I replaced it and voila! It’s now back to life.
Cool project! I have a cheap roller ball mouse, which occasionally requires a good de-cat-hairing and de-fuzzifying. That’s about the extent of my repair capabilities.
The crystal is 32KHz, or it is anhoter clock speed?
I have one, and i think my crystal is broken.
Correct, Z80user. 32.768KHz. Sorry, I left out that detail. Do you need help with the rework?
http://forums.logitech.com/t5/Mice-and-Trackballs/MX-Revolution-How-to-change-battery/td-p/163301
but my e-mail to logitech, the resume answer is: “exchange the mouse ONLY is it have a waranty, but NOT repair”, the batery voltage is perfect, the mouse not charge, the red led only bright less than 5 seconds, and power off.
Is the other web-page, that perform disasemble mouse
the mainboard are solder in base, and the switch are the only attack to the base or are more points to remove?
Sorry, Mr. Z80, I’m not understanding.
Hello
I too have a Revolution mouse that is lacking both the receiver and a charger – just wondering if it was possible to wire in a USB lead and convert it fully to corded (circumventing both the radio link and the battery)- or failing this as a half way point just use a USB cord to replace the battery (using a wireless receiver of course) – I know that there have been issues using the stock charger as well as the wireless link going down.
Hi, Pamifi. You’ve got an interesting mod idea, but a tough one to implement. The microcontroller in the Revolution mouse (AVR, if I remember) is programmed for wireless transactions. I have a pretty strong feeling that if you were to solder a USB cable to the USB data lines inside the mouse, the microcontroller would probably error out when it received no successful wireless packets.
Sorry! Maybe get a more complete Revolution? Hey, if you’re interested, I might want to part with mine. I just upgraded to an Apply Magic Mouse and have retired my Revolution. Still works fine.
Hi Rob,
great innovation – I’ve been using the MX Revolution for years, and hadn’t quite appreciated it’s complexities.
Unfortunately, it looks like my tinkering has come back to bite me.
I disassembled mine as the scroll wheel was severely stuck. I cleaned quite a bit of gunk out (from the well and the wheel itself) and managed to put most everything back together, but now that I’ve put it back together, I’ve a host of problems post-teardown – no scroll wheel recognition and the click-to-click function seems to no longer work (though the wheel itself isn’t fitting flush with the top shell)
Any thoughts?
Good question, Anders. Sounds like one or both of the cables of the scroll wheel are still unplugged. There’s are two little data cables on it that plug into the main board. Check out the image above labeled “wheel assembly”.
Will check – though it seems as if the scroll wheel isn’t sitting flush with the top cover. (when it’s placed directly on the mouse, the wheel sits ‘jammed’ on the right side of the scroll wheel well)
I fear this mouse may be approaching palliative care…
I admire your resourcefulness. You’re lucky you know how to fix a broken mouse.
I like the fact that you fixed it. I was so impressed with your patience, resourcefulness and diligence in repairing it. You’re good!
Hi, just a question, how did you remove the thumb contours section? there are barely any accessible screws. Thanks a lot
Sorry for the delay, Jackie. If I remember right, there were either no screws (just glue), or maybe one on the underside. Refer to my picture number 10 of 15. Hope that helps!
i have a mx revolution 6 i used it for a couple of weeks and moved house and i had a bag with all my flash drives and recivers in a bag taped to my computer. the movers lost it. anyway it has been sitting in a box for the past 2 years i came across it. and i got on to logitech and they said they cant help me. i bought 2 online but they both for the 7 series. my mouse and charger are like brand new and now i got 2 series 7 recievers that are no good to me either. if you hear of anyone with the 6 whos mouse is broken with a working reciver could you let me know. very frustrated. thanks. pete
Peter, I could put you in touch with the other people that have commented here. Maybe they would be interested in helping you out.