Scroll-Wheel Hack

Step 3 Locate component

The photos I have only contain the main circuit with these main interface components:
- Left button
- Right button
- Scroll wheel button
- Scroll wheel turn 1
- Scroll wheel turn 2
- Optical position tracking (built into chip)

This Instructable only deals with the scroll wheel component that is the red little potentiometer-looking thing in the photos.

Check your circuit and pick out the scroll wheel component with its three legs. One going to plus and the other two going to two of the pins on the chip.

Now you will want to check if your scroll wheel component works the same way as mine. So plug in your mouse and measure the voltage running between the plus and each of the other legs of the components. Basically what you should see is that each time you scroll the wheel forwards one click you will turn on and off the flow of electricity between the plus and each of the other two legs. And if you turn your wheel slow enough you will see that on of them switches slightly before the other and in reverse if you turn it the other way.

I had to dislocate my scroll wheel component from the metal casing before I could actually de-solder it and then I was also able to de-solder the metal casing.

Comments

[Foreverhex]

That has to be the only mouse I have ever seen that has an normal encoder instead of LED encoder.

[CrudeBuster]

Nah, that's very common, some old monitors use it too for menu-selecting spinning controls.

[CrudeBuster]

I agree totally with your arguement.

[hot-fresh-rider]

yep rotary ENCOder scroll wheels can be found on many different brands and at surprising price points. It's completely up to the manufacturer whether they install IR or rotary, whichever happened to be cheaper at the time most probably! Optical can get bits of cat hair in the gears and rotary can loose its accuracy over time.

[Koil_1]

Hey keep those micro switches. Those can be seriously fun to play with in other projects...