| Product Name | Comments |
|---|---|
| Logitech MouseMan Dual Optical Mouse | No longer manufactured |
| Logitech MX300 Optical Mouse | No longer manufactured |
| Logitech MX500 Optical Mouse | No longer manufactured |
An ever-so-common complaint about the Logitech MX300 and MX500 mice is that occasionally, as the mouse is sitting idle, the cursor will begin to jiggle, wiggle, jitter, or twitch without any human interaction. Many who don't experience this flaw claim it's a problem with either dust on the optical lens, shiny or excessively dark (or bright!) mouse pads, or simply "user error".
The following video proves the issue has nothing to do with dust, the optical lens, or mouse pads, but rather is the direct result of broken or improper use of optical technology. The recording device was a Sony DSC-S70 digital camera; no recompression or editing has been done to the video or audio.
This problem seems to have been fixed in both the MX310 and the MX510 series, as well as all mice engineered past that time. I've read no reports of the flaw in those products. I have 3 reports of MX300/MX500 users moving to the MX510 mice — with the exact same mouse pad and in the same environment — to find that the problem had permanently disappeared.
| Product Name | Model No. | Part No. | Details / Comments | Affected? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asus Logitech 518 Mouse | M-BS81A | 810-000129 | Bundled with Asus G1S Laptop (Sweden) | Yes |
| Logitech G5 Laser Mouse | No longer manufactured | Single side-button revision | Yes | |
| Logitech G5 Laser Mouse | No longer manufactured | Dual side-button revision First generation P/N |
Yes | |
| Logitech G5 Laser Mouse | No longer manufactured | Dual side-button revision Second generation P/N |
Yes | |
| Logitech G9 Laser Mouse | No longer manufactured | Yes | ||
| Logitech LX3 Optical Mouse | No | |||
| Logitech M500 Corded Laser Mouse | M-U0007 | 910-001204 | No | |
| Logitech MouseMan Dual Optical Mouse | No longer manufactured | Yes | ||
| Logitech MX310 Optical Mouse | No longer manufactured | Yes | ||
| Logitech MX400 Performance Laser Mouse | 931638-0403 | Yes | ||
| Logitech MX500 Optical Mouse | No longer manufactured | Yes | ||
| Logitech MX510 Performance Optical Mouse | No longer manufactured | Red model | Yes | |
| Logitech MX510 Performance Optical Mouse | No longer manufactured | Blue model | Yes | |
| Logitech MX518 Gaming-Grade Optical Mouse | M-BS81A | 831349-0000 | First generation P/N | Yes |
| Logitech MX518 Gaming-Grade Optical Mouse | M-BS81A | 810-000446 | Second generation P/N | Yes |
| Logitech MX518 Gaming-Grade Optical Mouse | M-BS81A | 810-000636 | Third (?) generation P/N | Yes |
| Logitech Optical Mouse | M-BT96a | 830187-A000 | No | |
| Logitech Optical Gaming Mouse G400 | M-U0028 | 810-002197 | Advertised as "The new MX518" | No |
| Logitech G400s Optical Gaming Mouse | M-U0028 | 910-003644 | Same as G400 but with different microswitches for L/R buttons, and different cosmetics |
No |
| Product Name | Model No. | Part No. | Details / Comments | Affected? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ideazon Reaper Gaming Mouse | ZMS-1000 | Used as comparison to Logitech | No | |
| Kensington Ci20 Optical Mouse | 72557 | Used as comparison to Logitech | No | |
| Microsoft Habu Laser Gaming Mouse | 1092 | X810290-001 | Used as comparison to Logitech | No |
| Microsoft IntelliMouse Explorer 3.0 | Used as comparison to Logitech | No | ||
| Microsoft IntelliMouse Explorer 4.0 | Used as comparison to Logitech | No | ||
| Microsoft IntelliMouse Optical | Used as comparison to Logitech | No | ||
| Microsoft Natural Wireless Laser Mouse 6000 | 69K-00001 | Used as comparison to Logitech | No | |
| Microsoft Comfort Mouse 4500 | 4FD-00006 | Used as comparison to Logitech | Yes | |
| Microsoft SideWinder X-3 | UUC-00001 | Used as comparison to Logitech | Yes |
Many models of Logitech mice emit a high-pitch "squeal" which sounds very similar to that of powered-on television, CRT monitor, or "mosquito" unit (in the UK). Some people describe the noise as "sounding like electrical interference".
NOTE: Not all individuals will be able to hear this noise. Each person has a different level of hearing sensitivity. For example, some can hear emissions from consumer television sets or CRT monitors, while others cannot. If you cannot hear the noise in question, it may be outside of the frequency spectrum you can hear. Please do not use this as a method of discrediting those of us who can hear the emitted noise. :-)
The following WAV files were taken of the noise in question. No amplification was applied to these recordings. The recording device was a Logitech QuickCam Express webcam (yes, the noise is so loud that a webcam microphone can pick it up); the general "clatter" you hear is due to me moving the webcam closer to the mouse, and the background "hiss" you hear is environmental noise.
Past information on this site stated the problem was with the IR/LED transmitter used in handling scroll wheel functionality: this is not the case, but the IR/LED transmitter does play a role with regards to the issue. The source of the noise is a ceramic capacitor on the the mini-PCB of all of these mice. The mini-PCB is what holds the left/right/middle buttons, as well as the scroll wheel, in addition to some very basic circuitry.
A technical description of the problem from the individual who tracked it down:
The problem isn't terribly uncommon - ceramic caps have an awful lot of good qualities. For a number of applications, properly rated ceramic caps are pretty much the ideal choice. The problem is that if there is enough voltage ripple on a ceramic cap, it will physically "ring" (Google for "ceramic capacitor microphonics"). The real kicker here is that whoever designed this for Logitech decided to pulse the wheel encoder LED at 5KHz, and due to the magic of frequency multiplication, we end up with noise at the 3rd harmonic, 15KHz which is high enough to only enough to drive some small fraction of the general population nuts. ... If Logitech were to change the sampling frequency up by 20% or more, or change the capacitor type, or just stop pulsing the thing and eat the extra couple mW of power dissipation, this issue would go away.
Case #050429-000058).
However, due to the previous dealings I had with Logitech and the Support Manager who denied there was
any problem with the mice, I am unable to communicate with Logitech in any way. I am being asked to fax all
communications through Logitech's legal department in Fremont. I am also not allowed to publicly disclose
the aforementioned Support Managers' name or divulge any of his contact information. At this point, I have
now done everything I can to bring this matter to Logitech's attention. My hands are tied; I cannot
communicate with Logitech due to their legalities and strict communication policies. I urge users and owners
of any of the aforementioned Logitech mice to contact Logitech Support, open a support case, and put pressure
on Logitech to acknowledge this engineering flaw. Document everything you do, in the case that what happened
to me happens to you (re: legal threats and what not). Please be respectful and kind to Logitech's telephone
and online Support staff — the flaw has nothing to do with them, they're just doing their job. But
please make it clear to them that this issue is quite major, as it could possibly lead to a class-action lawsuit
due to the health problems it can cause (damage to hearing, induced headaches, and possible nausea).
No manufacturer fix is presently available for this flaw.
The ceramic capacitor on the mini-PCB that emits the noise is labelled C11 on MX500, MX510, and MX518 mice. De-solder and remove the ceramic capacitor and replace it with a tantalum capacitor (0.1uF, rated at 6.3V or more). Keep in mind tantalum capacitors are sensitive to polarity.
In days to come, I'll begin providing photos of the mini-PCBs of each mouse model, in addition to proper step-by-step repair instructions, and links to where you can purchase the proper tantalum capacitors, on a per-model basis.
NOTE: You will void your warranty by performing this modification.
The following reference material proves this problem is not specific to just me, but affects many other Logitech mouse owners as well.
The following models have been personally confirmed by the author to suffer from the documented problem:
Read the article IGN wrote about this problem.
From my experiences with some other manufacturers' speakers (such as Klipsch), I can attest to the "idle hiss" problem usually being the result of the default gain (either hard-wired, or possibly controlled via a potentiometre inside of the amplifier) being set WAY too high. Another example of the "louder is better" mentality that the audio industry has been pushing for many years.
I know of no way to adjust the default gain of the Logitech Z-680 speaker system. Also, do not let IGN's article fool you — upgrading the control pod to the latest firmware DOES NOT necessarily fix this problem. In my case, the problem existed even after the entire control pod was replaced, and the on-board firmware was running the latest version as of February 2004.
| Product Name | Comments |
|---|---|
| Logitech Z-5500 | None |
| Logitech X-530 | None |
| ...and possibly other Logitech models | |
Members of the forum Gathering of Tweakers, specifically Het Logitech PLOPJES probleem topic Deel 4, started this topic in the Netherlands due to an overwhelming number of complaints concerning noise issues regarding Logitech Audio Systems. This involves, in particular, the Z-5500 and X-530 speaker set, but other Logitech audio models may suffer from these issues.
The issues are as follows:
Since most people do not realize that the problems are part of their Logitech speaker system, they usually blame their indoor electrical system or other electrical appliances. This idea was (and still is) stimulated by the things mentioned in the customer support (FAQ 3629 and 3630) section on Logitech's website. As a result, many people are buying EMI filters, which of course do not provide a solution. Some members have started the initiative and contacted Logitech about these issues in order to solve the problems. At first, Logitech even denied that a problem existed which affected their speaker systems. However, a few members, who are qualified engineers, did investigate the Z-5500 and some other audio models and figured out exactly what is causing the noise problems. With some minor modifications they managed to solve almost completely the noise issues.
It became very clear that the noise problem is a result of a design error and affects not only the Z-5500 and the X-530, but also other Logitech audio models. There is no doubt that the Logitech design staff has repeatedly underestimated the importance of a proper shielding of the respective audio units. May we point out that it is common knowledge that a proper shielding of audio equipment is essential, in order to avoid noise problems.
However, it took an incredible 5 months for Logitech to accept this fact. Due to our efforts Logitech was not able to deny any longer that a serious problem exists regarding their audio units. Since Logitech showed no initiative at all to change their FAQ section, we had to press hard for Logitech to do so! As a result the FAQ were somewhat altered and a refund policy, concerning the Z-5500 as well as the X-530, is offered.
Logitech claims this problem is a "manufacturing issue", and not an engineering design flaw.
Now, 10 months later, after many emails, phone calls, meetings, prototype testing and even some visits of members of Logitech's Technical staff (to test some experimental units at the homes of members), the aim of this matter, a popping free Z-5500 speaker system has been obtained!
For X-530 Surround-Sound Audio customers who experience this problem and have not found a suitable solution with our Customer-Support staff, Logitech is offering the option of a refund on the purchase price.
Logitech believes that the noise (popping) problem is very localized and only concerns The Netherlands and Belgium. However, this is a far cry from the reality. By using Google it is not very hard to find many, many, forums (worldwide) that are related to this "popping" problem.
Contact Logitech Support and ask about their replacement program starting November 2006.
Want to contact me about any of the aforementioned issues? Please be my guest.