LED mouse.

[Helix666]

So, I finally decided to get off my A$$ and do something.
And, having my mouse close to hand, I decided to add LEDs to my mouse...

Sorry about the crap-tastic pictures. I only have my phone camera. :(

So, I marked and punched the holes...
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t293/James_Penk/M0use/05-07-07_2002.jpg

Ah, the donor. (An Ex-PS2 controller. It lights (lit) up red)
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t293/James_Penk/M0use/05-07-07_2003.jpg

Now I levered the two layers of the mouse top apart...
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t293/James_Penk/M0use/05-07-07_2005.jpg

Tada!
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t293/James_Penk/M0use/05-07-07_2007.jpg

And 'drilled' the holes using a screwdriver. (And I only stabbed myself once!) :banana:
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t293/James_Penk/M0use/05-07-07_2010.jpg

the top with the holes in.
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t293/James_Penk/M0use/05-07-07_2016.jpg


Now, to transfer the holes to the botton of the two layers...
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t293/James_Penk/M0use/05-07-07_2018.jpg

And, trimming off the waste plastic...
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t293/James_Penk/M0use/05-07-07_2023.jpg
(Didn't cut myself, even with the sharp knife. :D)

Ah, the hole's too small. No worries. :neutral: *finds a bigger screwdriver*
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t293/James_Penk/M0use/05-07-07_2033.jpg

The test LED. (And a shot of my back garden.)
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t293/James_Penk/M0use/05-07-07_2034.jpg

Perfect.
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t293/James_Penk/M0use/05-07-07_2035.jpg
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t293/James_Penk/M0use/05-07-07_2036.jpg

Now the fiddly bit, getting them in the holes.
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t293/James_Penk/M0use/05-07-07_2125.jpg

And, I succeded. (Yeah, sorry but I din't get any phots of the soldering process. But it's the same old.)
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t293/James_Penk/M0use/05-07-07_2126.jpg
^^ All in

Hot Glue gun! Yay!
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t293/James_Penk/M0use/05-07-07_2129.jpg
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t293/James_Penk/M0use/05-07-07_2130.jpg

two relatively minor burns later...
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t293/James_Penk/M0use/05-07-07_2135.jpg

Now, to test. *Digs up a spare 9v battery...*
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t293/James_Penk/M0use/05-07-07_2139.jpg
Yup, it works. Well, all apart from that one LED in the middle. But, oh well.

Reconstruction
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t293/James_Penk/M0use/05-07-07_2153.jpg

Only to find....
Oh noes, it doesn't light!
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t293/James_Penk/M0use/05-07-07_2155.jpg

Obviously, the USB doesn't carry enough power to light these LEDs. I'll have to remove them and wire them in parallel or something...

[SgtM]

Parallel would probably work best. You have 5 volts coming from the USB. + rep.

[Helix666]

thanks SgtM.

The idea behind me originally wiring them in series is because I don't have any resistors. (The nearest place that sells them is, ooh, a twenty minute drive away.)

EDIT: A quick fiddle with some wire and a paperclip and I've found that they do indeed light up in series. But that non-lighting LED in the middle of the chain ruins it. :(
And I've just found out that, on USB power, they flash. :) lovely...

[Greco101]

they dont make ur palms sweat?

[slytherock]

they dont make ur palms sweat?

Leds don't create heat...

[Helix666]

OK, at the moment, I'm having to do other things, so I havn't got round to sorting out the LEDs.
I'm just working out how to remove the massive amounts of hot melt glue that I used, and then I'll rewire the LEDs.
(I'll also think about going out and buying some new LEDs, mainly because I'm not sure the current ones are going to survive me re-soldering them again.)

[Helix666]

I went out and bought some new LEDs this morning (1300H, that's morning to me. :p)
So here we go...

WARNING: Craptacular photos ahead.

The first step was to remove the previous mess
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t293/James_Penk/M0use/12-07-07_1346.jpg

Which left me with an empty mouse.
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t293/James_Penk/M0use/12-07-07_1347.jpg

So I cut some spare wire I had lying around so I could wire the LEDs in parallel. (sp?)
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t293/James_Penk/M0use/12-07-07_1352.jpg

However, as you can see (or rather not), my attempt to wire wrap them failed miserably.
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t293/James_Penk/M0use/12-07-07_1358.jpg

hmm...
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t293/James_Penk/M0use/12-07-07_1406.jpg

job's a good 'un.
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t293/James_Penk/M0use/12-07-07_1418.jpg

*Insert ten minutes of soldering, during which I had to hold a pair of needlenose pliers in my mouth to be able to solder a few things.*

The soldering left my eyeballs coated in lead. again.
However, I had this as a result:
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t293/James_Penk/M0use/12-07-07_1457.jpg

The PVC tubing and the 47Ohm Resistors. I already had the tubing, it was left over from when I dismantled a CRT monitor. It insulates, or something....
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t293/James_Penk/M0use/12-07-07_1458.jpg

Put it back together...
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t293/James_Penk/M0use/12-07-07_1501.jpg

http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t293/James_Penk/M0use/12-07-07_1502.jpg
Aw, a little dim...

Ooh! Hang on, It randomly lights up really brightly. :banana:
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t293/James_Penk/M0use/12-07-07_1508.jpg

Unfortunately, with the LEDs connected, the mouse pointer will not move.
So I had to snip the positive lead to get a functioning mouse. :mad:
It's probably excessive current draw. :think:

anyone got any ideas?

(A shot of the mouse on my computer desk. It's a mess. :down: I'll get around to tidying it, eventually)
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t293/James_Penk/M0use/12-07-07_1530.jpg