Apple Pro Mouse USB Pinout and Cable Repair DIY

The black Apple pro mouse have some well known issues:
-Only one button
-Too flexible and short cord, which have a very high failure rate.
But I love it's sleek minimal design.
Mine has broken too, next to the mouse end and also at the USB plug. Since to open and to nicely refit the USB plug seems impossible, I decided to change the USB cable completely.

Step 1: Taking Apart

There are a couple well detailed guide on the web about how to open and refit an apple pro mouse. But all of them only helps you when your USB cord broken next to the mouse's end. My cord has been broken on the other end too, so I have to change the whole cable. Also, I was fed up a bit with that very short cord. 

Step 2: Color Match? Nooo...

I sacreficed a cheap USB mouse for get it's longer USB cable.My biggest problem were that no USB pinouts data about inside the mouse nor on the web (or well hidden).

The standard USB built up from four wires:
BLUE(or BLACK), GREEN, RED, WHITE

In the apple mouse' original cord are five wires ( see picture, from left to right):
SHIELD, BLACK, GREEN, BROWN, WHITE

Heureka! I ignored the shield wire, I paired the colors to it's nearest on the spectrum (Blue-Black, Green-green, Red-Brown, White-White), and resoldered them.
But as I tought at the begining, Apple always change the rules a bit, NOT  WORKING, no success...

Step 3: A to A, a to B, Etc...

OK, I had to play a patience-game, if I want to give a new life to this mouse. Because the original cable were broken too, I cannot check the pinouts through the USB plug.
I started to connect a cables to a different cables, and check them at every settings on my Mac.
There were a little help when I saw the LED is lighting, I knew at least the +/- 5V cable is on place.

Step 4: The Pinout

My results:
RED to WHITE
WHITE to RED
GREEN to GREEN
BLACK to BLUE
I ignored the SHIELD cable.
I can not guarantee that this pinout will work with your new USB cable too, but there is a chance ( I checked the sacrificed mouse internal pinout and on one another -both from the same manufacturer- and there were different pinouts too!).

Step 5: Black to Black With Extras

Check those giudes about how to put/glue the mouse together.
On the end I have a black mouse with a new, long, less flexible black cord.
Thereafter I made a genuine apple keyring from the faulty USB plug too. Just for fun.

Comments

[projectbronco]

I miss these mice, they were very comfortable in your hand... I think it was the first optical mouse I ever used years ago.
If they were cheaper, I would almost consider switching back to Mac.

[ale624]

ah crap, this instructable just burned out the microchip in my WHITE pro mouse (just sayin cuz he used a black one) . so now its a cool looking paper weight...

[Max Headroom]

Is that for sale?

[ale624]

Na, I'll by another with a broke cable one. Besides I'll probably just use it for a button in another project.

Why what would you do with it?

[Max Headroom]

same as you will :) a nice piece of plastic

[chorus187]

 Yeah I tried the lay out like you have it here and nothing is happening so far. Any suggestions?

[Max Headroom]

Try to find the right connection mode when the red LED is lighting (use temporary connectors).
Also remember that when the mouse dressed down, the LED sensor won't be working correctly at all, because the missing condenser lens. You have to lift up a bit from the surface!

[Bongmaster]

one button sucks DX
gimme my right click back XD

[Max Headroom]

there is a prefpane to simulate the right click, simply just hold down the click for a few moments.