Optical and wireless mice

You may wonder what there is to say about a device as simple as a computer mouse. Actually, quite a lot. Mice come in e great number of types and with a great number of different features today. Different types of mice have are tailored to different types of users. The fanatic gamer usually demands the most from his or her mouse. Gamers are therefor a popular target group for mouse manufacturers. In this article you will read about the classical track ball mouse, the wireless mouse, the optical mouse and the relatively new laser mouse.

The track ball mouse

The mouse was invented in the sixties, but became popular with the public in the eighties. Apple was the first computer manufacturer to provide a mouse with it's Macintosh computer in 1984. This mouse used a track ball to track movement. When moving the mouse, the track ball passes the mouse movement onto two small wheels, one to capture vertical and to capture horizontal movement. These small wheels are each attached to there own axis. On the other side of the axis there is a larger wheel with small holes in it. On one side of the larger wheel there is a infrared light. On the other side there is an infrared sensor. The holes in the larger wheel let the infrared light pass through, causing a series of pulses on each mouse movement. These infrared pulses are detected by the infrared sensors. By combining the pulses from either infraredsensor (vertical and horizontal) the speed and direction of the mouse can be calculated.

The optical mouse

In 1999 the optical mouse was introduced. The optical mouse uses the reflection of a light-emitting diode (LED) that is attached at the bottom of the mouse. The LED light reflecting back from the table or mousepad is sensed by a tiny CMOS sensor. CMOS sensors are relatively cheap light sensors that you will find in budget digital camera's, phone camera's and other PDA camera's too. The CMOS sensor in an optical mouse sends a picture of the underground to a Digital Signal Processor (DSP) at regular intervals. The DSP unit can analyzes the images from the mouse's underground supplied by the CMOS chip. IT calculates mouse direction and speed from the differences found in consecutive images.

Optical mice are more accurate than track ball mice. Another advantage is that optical mice don't fill up with dust, because their bodies are closed. Cluttered dust is a common annoyance with track ball mice.

The laser mouse

The laser mouse is a type of optical mouse that uses a very small, but very intens beam of bundled light. Laser technology allows for the detection of even the tiniest movement. Laser mice are by far the most accurate mice available at this moment. Unfortunately laser mice are still relatively expensive, which is normal form new hardware. Prices will fall and I think that in a couple of years laser mice will come standard with each desktop pc.

Accuracy and resolution

Resolution is a measure of accuracy. For computer mice, resolution is measured in dots per inch (DPI). Imagine a mouse having a resolution of 2 dotch per inch. That mouse would detect 1 movement per inch of mouse movement. The higher the resolution the tinier the movement a mouse can detect. The resolution of current optical mouse models ranges from 800 to 2500 DPI. The highest accuracy is attained with laser mice.

Besides resolution, CMOS quality has an effect on the accuracy of a mouse. The refresh rate indicated how many times per second the CMOS chip can captue a picture of the mouse's underground. The refresh rate of modern mice varies from 1500 to 6000..

Wireless mice

Not all mice have tails. Wireless mice use radio technology to communicate with a receiver station that is attached to the computer (usually via USB). In wireless mice that use WIFI, the wireless mouse and receiver work on the same radio frequency and they identify eachother using a unique key. The devices are unique to eachother with WIFI. Mice that use Bluetooth radio technology connect to a Bluetooth hub that can support multiple devices at the same time, such as mice, mobile phones, PDAs, etc.

The advantage of a wireless mouse is of course being rid of the wire. There are some disadvantages to wireless mice too. Wireless mice are often heavier than wired mice, because they carry a radio transmitter and the have their power supply onboard. Furthermore, these batteries have to be replaced or recharged every now and then. Some wireless mice can be recharged in a docking station.

Mouse buttons

Advanced mice come with an abundance of buttons and switches. Besides the usual left and right click buttons they carry buttons on the side that can be operated with the thumb and/or clickable and turnable mouse wheels. These buttons and wheels can usually be configured with software provided by the manufacturer. Side-buttons for example, are often configured to function as back and forward buttons in the web browser. Especially gamers are fond of figuring out the best possible mouse button configuration to allow hyperfast weapon switching, weapon reloading, aiming, etc.

The scroll wheel was invented to allow users to quickly scroll through documents that are longer that the screen height. Today, nearly every mouse is equipped with a scroll wheel. Some modern mice have scrool wheels that can be clicked and turned left and right. Personally I find the scroll wheel a very important ergonomical aspect of the mouse. Some scroll wheels move to easily, which is a real annoyance when trying to switch to the right weapon in my favorite shooter. Apple's Mighty Mouse has a very small scroll wheel. This wheel requires only a tiny movement of a finger tip, which is great if you don't like the large movement that other mice require.

Gaming mice

Gaming mice are the Formula 1 cars of the mouse industry. They are quick, accurate and a lot of innovations are found in each new type that hits the market. One of the latest innovations found in Logitech's G5 Laser Mouse is the possibility to change the mouse's weight and balance by adding or removing small weight units. Besides that the mouse's resolution can be adjusted in-game. A gamer could maximize the resolution while flying in a jet to allow for really tight turns. When zoomed in on a target with a sniper rifle he or she could minimize the resolution to allow for small and accurate movements of the scope.

As a Battlefield 2 and Unreal fanatic I have tried many different mice, including the newest laser mice. The funny thing is that I prefer a relatively cheap optical (LED) mice with a cord. The first mouse that I used for years was a basic Micorsoft Optical Mouse and the one I use now is a 15 dollar HP desktop mouse. For gaming, I prefer a mouse that weighs little and that is not too high. I want my thumb, ring finger and little finger to rest on the table. I use my entire wrist and hand to make large movements and my finger tips to make small accurate movements.

Of course, what type of gaming mouse is best suited for you depends entirely on your personal preference, experience and the size of your hands. If you are not sure what mouse to buy, ask your hardware store if you can test a few models before you buy.

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