I finally switched back to a wired mouse at my bench after years of wireless

I had been using a Logitech wireless mouse for about 4 years at my repair bench. Kept dealing with dropouts during BIOS work and the battery always died mid-diagnosis on a Tuesday. Picked up a cheap $15 wired Dell mouse from a surplus store last month. Honestly, the lack of lag during boot tests and never hunting for batteries made a bigger difference than I expected. Anyone else stick with wired for bench work or am I just old?

3 comments

3 Comments

murray.drew23d ago

Man I see this totally different though. I've been using a Logitech G305 at my bench for like 3 years now and the battery thing is real but I just keep a pack of AAs in my drawer (costs like nothing). The dropouts during BIOS work sound like a bad USB port or interference more than the mouse itself honestly. I've never had issues with my wireless during boot tests or diagnostics (and I do a ton of board-level stuff). Plus wireless means I can walk across the shop to grab a tool or check a part number without unplugging anything. That convenience outweighs the occasional battery swap for me by a mile.

barbarah1922d ago

That AA pack in the drawer is a smart system, I might just borrow that trick myself.

beth_reed22d ago

The freedom to walk across the shop without unplugging is actually a bigger deal than people give it credit for. I keep a G305 at my main bench too and that range is a lifesaver when I'm juggling a scope probe in one hand and need to grab a different SMD cap from the bins across the room. You hit on something real with the battery thing though - I just keep a 20 pack of AAs in my tool drawer and swap them every 3 months whether they need it or not. That way I never get caught mid-diagnosis. The trick is treating the battery change like a scheduled maintenance item, not a reactive thing.