There is a follow up to this repair available here. Unfortunately the repair even with the “better” switches only lasted about two years.

So I had purchased this mouse November of 2020 for a grand total of $65. And while that is certainly not the most you can spend on a mouse it was the most I had to that point. And the first year with it I had no complaints. It provided the functionality I wanted.

Assembled Mouse Before Repair Assembled mouse before repair.

It provided me with 3 swappable side panels each with their own array of buttons which could be configured how I saw fit. This allowed me to set up buttons on my mouse to swap virtual desktops among other things. Unfortunately though the left mouse button began to fail sometime around the first year of use.

Originally I just kind of ignored the issue. Because if I placed my finger in a specific spot to click the issue seemed resolved. And that was fine until now. Where it is to the point I can’t click and drag anything. While also double clicking anything I try to single click. One specifically annoying instance of this was when I closed four tabs in chrome when I was trying to only close one.

So after finally getting tired of it I decided to see if I could fix it. Having replaced batteries in smart watches and laptops I figured it wouldn’t be to difficult. At least not as difficult as replacing the battery in a Moto 360 first generation watch.

Day One (3/28/2022)

So with iFixit guide for the repair I began my the tear down.

First up was getting access to circuit board itself. This required removing the skates off the bottom to get access to the screws. Followed by the disconnecting of a ribbon cable that leads to the side panel connection and another cable that leads to some more buttons on the top.

Top shell of mouse Top shell of the mouse

Then to provide easier access to the board itself I removed the right side panel which isn’t held in by any screws. It is just blocked from coming off it’s posts by the top of the mouse.

Right side panel Right side panel of the mouse

This allowed me to get my first good look at the switch I’ll be replacing. That being the left button in the following picture.

Scroll wheel Closeup of scroll wheel area.

Now the challenge of getting the circuit board off the bottom plate. This requires the removal of four screws. Two of which are under the scroll wheel which needed to be removed. The other two where simple enough to get access to.

Bottom before removal of circuit board Bottom panel before removal of circuit board.

But after a bit of work I got myself an empty bottom panel.

After circuit board removal Bottom panel after board removal.

I was also able to finally confirm that the switch in use was the D2FC-F-K. Just with green coloring since it’s a Razer product apparently.

The switch that will be replaced. Close up of switch to be replaced.

Unfortunately the mouse did not get to this state unscathed. With one of the sockets for the plugs breaking in the process. The plug still fits and the connections still seem fine. So I’m not terribly worried about it.

Damage while disassembling Damaged socket for scroll wheel encoder plug.

Day 2 (4/15/2022)

A few weeks later due to due to a miscommunication about a soldering iron came the task of de-soldering and soldering on the new switch. Originally for the sake of sanity I was going to replace both the left and right switch. But it was found that the de-soldering of the switch was more difficult than originally anticipated.

When de-soldering my switch I found out that my iron couldn’t get hot enough in order to remove the switch. Which I hadn’t expected because it had been fine when I used it to solder on other projects. But then again this was the first time I had to actually de-solder something. So I again had to borrow another iron. Once that was done though I due to the amount of time it took to de-solder the switch I decided not to replace both switches. And in all reality it’s probably fine.

New switch soldered on the mouse. Final switch replacement

Final Notes

Overall I’m happy with my repair. The mouse is now in working order and for the $26.30 I spent I got 5 switches, and two sets of skates. So I have enough materials for another repair or two. Depending on how careful I am with the skates during removal.

Though if I’m honest with myself I should just buy a new mouse entirely. While it is possible to replace the switch it is difficult. With the largest difficulty being the de-soldering of the switch itself. And, at least for me, the final removal resulted in the old switch being destroyed.

I’ll also want to get a better soldering iron if I want to de-solder in the future. Cause while my current iron is fine for normal soldering it just couldn’t provide the heat needed to de-solder. With this lesson being learned the hard way for me. I do not want to spend 2 hours trying to de-solder a switch again. So a better iron will be needed.