"Dreaded" Hockey Puck Mouse - Broken?

So I bought a pink "hockey puck" mouse from someone in my city. They said it worked fine, but upon plugging it in to my pink G3 it didn't seem to function. I tried it on an Intel iMac and my Intel MacBook, but no luck. This morning I plugged it into my Mac on a Windows partition and it told me the mouse had malfunctioned - believe it or not, this was amazing because I thought that the mouse wasn't giving off any sign of life at all.
Is there any way I can get the mouse working again? Do I need to get a driver or something in particular? I really want a working mouse to compliment my G3.

I probably have something like 20 Macintosh computer mice laying around...and knock on wood...never had a problem with any of them.

The only things I ever do with the older mice with the rubber coated ball in them...is remove the ball, and clean the "cheese" off the wheels inside.

Otherwise...all the mouse is...is one micro switch for the mouse button, and a small circuit board. So there's not much inside for you to "tinker" with.

Give it:

- a good cleaning inside (the little wheels) and see if that helps.
- it could also be a short circuit of some sort...either at the USB connector end, or the mouse end. You could try plugging the mouse in...and "jiggling" the mouse cord while moving the mouse to test if you have a short circuit.

Good luck,

- Nick

All my Hockey Puck mice work great and only needed a good cleaning. Your issue might be a broken USB cable like like Pigoo said, a loose or shorted wire where the cable connected inside the mouse.

Try giving the mouse a really good clean as described in this link. Are you plugging the mouse directly into the keyboard and not a USB hub? If so give the other port a try and connect directly to the iMac.

How to Clean a Computer Mouse: Step-by-Step Instructions and Pictures | Electrical Projects | Reader's Digest

Thank you all! I will clean it today (it does look a little dirty) and report back. I am using a 3rd party keyboard without USB ports so I always plug directly into the computer.

Some people say the Clamshell iBook looks like a toilet seat. Those people must have very strange bathrooms.

Or very strange bottoms?

After cleaning see if the mouse lights up underneath when moved. I would suggest keeping an eye out for a matching Mac keyboard. Keep us posted?

harryb2448 said:

Some people say the Clamshell iBook looks like a toilet seat. Those people must have very strange bathrooms.

Or very strange bottoms?

Click to expand...

He he.

harryb2448 said:

After cleaning see if the mouse lights up underneath when moved. I would suggest keeping an eye out for a matching Mac keyboard. Keep us posted?

Click to expand...

I would love a matching keyboard too. I use a d'ickSmith keyboard as it was lying around it my cupboard.
I will keep you up to date.

Hard luck. Like real time mouses, they do die. See them from time to time on eBay Australia in all their various coloured splendour.

Neat photo you made there!

Too bad about the mouse...I guess you will have to look for another.

- Nick

Oh well, its a collectors item all the same.