I thought this might make for a good thread not only to show off our personal victories over waste, but maybe even to highlight some things that could be easily made more repairable, or just to show that with a little extra effort, you can fix so many things that you may not otherwise consider. I think it could be a fun way to maybe give each other ideas of what we’re all capable of fixing, if not give Framework ideas for products they could improve the typical lifespan of!
I thought I’d start with a mouse I just fixed. I wouldn’t say it was difficult, but it certainly wasn’t as easy as a Framework repair. HINT! HINT!
So after pretty light use over 5 years or so, my Logitech G203’s left click had developed an obnoxious, unpredictable double-click. No quick fix seemed to work very long, so it was either get a new mouse or fix this one. Predictably, as a Framework customer, I chose to repair. I’m very pleased with how easy and effective it was and my wife and kids aren’t nearly as enthusiastic about this they should be, so hopefully this forum can appreciate the triumph!
These Omron switches are readily available on Digi-key, so I bought 4 (AKA a lifetime supply). Well OK, technically I bought the version rated for 20M cycles instead of the original 10M (which I definitely did not hit!). They’re used on just about all the buttons on this mouse except for the wheel click. The board is easily removed and pretty easily serviced, but can you imagine if these switches plugged into sockets instead of being soldered?!
So until Framework builds a mouse, I think anyone with a basic soldering iron (solder wick and extra flux helps too) can keep a mouse like this clicking well until the plastic itself dissolves in your grimy hands. Is it cheaper than buying a new one? Sure, provided you have the tools already, but if you have the tools, you can fix a lot of other things too. Besides, the rest of the mouse didn’t do anything wrong, so it’d be a shame to throw it all out because of one 50¢ switch!
So yeah, anyone else go the extra mile lately and save something from being undeservingly sent to a landfill?
I’ve spent some time tuning the nib on my Monteverde Dakota, which I’d done deeper repairs to about a week ago.
The Dakota is a fountain pen styled as an homage to WWII cargo planes that bore the same name. Mine arrived with a defective nib and feed. The nib (the part of the pen that touches paper) had such a sharp burr on it that it caught and tore the paper. The feed had a plastic defect that obstructed ink flow.
I could have returned the pen to the shop I got it from, but that seems like such a waste. I was able to grind down the burr from the nib, and then polish it smooth. I opened up the ink channel in the feed with a craft knife. The ink flow isn’t perfect, but I have the Dakota working reliably with lubricated inks, which I think is good enough for now. Monteverde said they can sell me a nib and feed replacement for $20, so I may go that route. I love the pen, despite its flaws, but I probably won’t order another Monteverde. I’ve since heard from others that my experience is not unique: they seem to have issues with quality control generally.
Had to do the exact same repair last year! Also a G203, and also with some Omron switches I think (which I got from Conrad, nice supplier for Europe!). Only annoying part was the scummy screws hidden behind slide pads…
Idk they are so easy to solder that I am not sure it’s worth it, especially since that would either require a relatively tall socket or much less standardized switches.
I have used hotpluggable mouse switches in a 3d printer probe before through, turns out a jst-xh 5pin connector fits perfectly XD.
With the extra benefit of being able to choose your switches, they don’t all feel (and sound) the same and are surprisingly a standard size for over 90% of mice. (I am kind of fond of kailh gm8.0 ones, have not found any silent ones I like jet).
You can also play with the height of the switches a little. On my current mouse I shimmed the switch for middle mouse up by 0.8mm (3d printed a shim but you could also take some bits of wood or anything else non conductive and drill some holes) to need less force to trigger that.
Yeah I tend to just cut screw holes into those, found that to work better than removing and reataching them.
