Left Mouse Button Won't Work

[Super TWiT]

Hey guys, haven't been back here in awhile.  Been really busy lately.  Anyway, I plugged in the mouse that I bought from ebay, and it seems to have a short in it (which I think I can fix/work around) but more strangely, the left mouse button will not work.  Any ideas for a fix?

[motrucker]

If the mouse has a short, rather than an open line - it may have popped (technical term?) one of the CIA chips.
Is the left mouse button problem the mouse, or the computer?  That should be narrowed down first.

[Super TWiT]

Well, it turns out that it does have something to do with a short in the mouse cable.  If you push the cable down, the mouse works fine.  If not, the left mouse button will not work and sometimes the mouse won't even move left or right.  I was going to try to tape it in the correct position, but are you saying that using it with a short may potentially damage my amiga (cia chips)?  If thats the case I DEFINITELY don't want to use it!!

[Zac67]

Sounds like a contact problem (which may be in the mouse cable or the port). Taping it into working position will only be a temporary solution, a more permanent fix may require repairing/exchanging the port. You can check the buttons of the mouse including cable with a simple multimeter and a piece of wire.

A short like motrucker mentioned shouldn't damage the CIAs right away if it isn't left on for extended periods.

[Super TWiT]

Well, I think I got the use of the word short and open circuit confused since a short is:

Short:
An electrical  short or a short circuit is a  problem which occurs when an accidental path is created in a circuit,  generating a connection where one did not exist before.

I don't think in the case of my mouse an extra electrical connection is being made, or an accidental path crossed, so I think I am safe to keep using this. The short is in the connector end that runs to the computer, because if you apply pressure there it works perfectly, so I know the buttons work.

[mousehouse]

Have you tried another mouse to see if it is the mouse causing the problems or the port? If it's the mouse, you can still find plenty of replacement mice on Ebay. If it's the port you might want to consider fixing it ;-)

[Super TWiT]

I don't have another mouse to try, but I think that because the mouse works when I wiggle the chord, the culprit is most certainly the mouse itself, having an open line in (break in circuit) in the chord. I do want to fix this (never like to throw anything away, especially if its partially useful and amiga! LOL) so could someone lay out in detail what I should do to if I wanted to try to fix this. I do not have soldering experience, but wouldn't mind learning. I have always wanted to but never got around to it.

[Zac67]

You can fix a broken cable by cutting off the damaged end and replacing the plug with a new one or reattaching the cable inside the mouse, depending on which side is faulty. However, it's highly recommended to make sure it's the mouse in the first place...

[Super TWiT]

To me it sounds pretty likely that it is the mouse itself, since when I wiggle the cord it works. But what do you guys think percentage wise? How much of a percent chance do you think is it the computer itself, and how much of a percent chance is it the mouse? I would test the computer by using another mouse, but I don't have one. Oh, and just thought I would mention, that I did open the mouse, and reseat the connector that connects to the mouse circuit board.

[zipper]

I had to shorten the cable to my Logitech mouse several times as it developed a break into the place where it enters the mouse casing.

[dougal]

Just get another mouse. They sell quite cheap second hand on ebay. Its not worth the hassle repairing it or the risk of damaging the cia chips especially if its a more modern amiga like an A600 or A1200 as its a b**tard to replace since they are surface mounted and not socketed like on the older A500's/A2000s etc..

[Super TWiT]

The bad spot on mine is on the port side of the cable going into the computer, right about an inch from where the cable ends.

[Super TWiT]

Just get another mouse. They sell quite cheap second hand on ebay. Its not worth the hassle repairing it or the risk of damaging the cia chips especially if its a more modern amiga like an A600 or A1200 as its a b**tard to replace since they are surface mounted and not socketed like on the older A500's/A2000s etc..

Well, I really don't think that an open line is going to damage the CIA chips any, and I really hate throwing stuff out. It's not a short like I said in my original post, as I got the definition of a short and an open line confused. Its an amiga 500 btw, so if they did get blown somehow (I make sure to NEVER hotplug) I could replace the chips.

[Zac67]

Well, you can also use a joystick - it's button closes the same contact as the left mouse button.

[Super TWiT]

I don't have any joysticks or gamepads either.....  Sadly, this is my only amiga peripheral.