Inspired by projects like Optimum’s zeromouse and the discourse over ultra lightweight mice on r/MouseReview, I wanted to see what the hype was all about. Therefore, I took it upon myself to make my final project for digital fabrication class, taught by Maya Pollack, an exploration of this topic. With access to old tech at the IMA junk shelf and free 3D printing, I could finally get a taste of what I was missing.
The first step was to rip apart a sacrificial mouse in order to obtain a PCB to design around, in this case a Kensington wired mouse with non-functioning buttons and a missing USB connector. Measurements were made along every dimension of its internals using a digital caliper and recreated in Blender. From there, I could start a new body to be the shell. I sketched with no particular shape in mind. I just knew that I wanted it to be symmetrical and one contiguous piece to reduce any structural complexity. This decision, along with printing in tough PLA would prove to be an issue with V1, as the PCB was unable to slot into place as the pillar for the scroll wheel and buttons button covers blocked access. Because of this, I switched to printing with flexible TPU so that I wouldn’t have to design an entirely new shell. Meanwhile, I soldered on a new USB connector and soldered on new, clicky switches from another junk mouse. Future iterations built on the frame I had, adding cable management to hold the cable down, as well as side walls to accommodate the thumb, ring, and pinky fingers. Outside of fitment issues, I encountered a problem where the mouse would only track on mousepads and not hard, desktop surfaces. These were shortcomings that I was willing to put up with, given that I started the project solely to be a proof of concept for myself.
A real foray into hardware design, I felt like I gained an understanding of what makes a mouse shape even slightly comfortable - my design felt too narrow for even my small hands, causing a pinch-like grip. Barring that, I certainly FELT like my goal was achieved. My mouse weighs HALF as much as my daily driver, Pwnage mouse, finally giving me the context for the weightless, “extension-of-the-arm” feeling that reviewers praise.
