Optical mouse is inaccurate

[zircon]

This might seem like a dumb question, but I recently got a new optical mouse - about a month ago. From day 1 it seems to be very... inaccurate. I don't know how to describe it exactly, but the best way to explain would be that I can't draw a straight line in any direction. I don't have shaky hands and this wasn't a problem for other optical mice I've had (which have broken for various reasons, like damaged mousewheels or cables.) This makes it VERY hard to do precise tasks in a DAW, like drawing automation or even picking the right value from a knob or slider. Seriously, look at how bad it is. This is me doing my very best to draw straight lines.

And it's not even some $2 mouse either. It was a $15 Logitech optical mouse. Notice how it just moves all over the place. I've tried changing my hand position, moving the mousepad and stabilizing the wire. None of that has any effect. Is there some way to... make the moues more accurate while dragging? Is that even possible?

Edit: Also, it's not pointer speed or the "enhance pointer precision" option. This is some serious drift.

[Nase]

And it's not even some $2 mouse either. It was a $15 Logitech optical mouse.

that's what i've been using for years, no troubles with accuracy so far.

wow, looking at the lines...maybe it's just broken. can't think of anything that would explain this amount of drift (software related anyway).

dirty lense maybe??

[prophetik music]

i've found that i have issues on certain tabletops. did you try doing this on, say, a sheet of paper, or a mousepad?

also, does it wiggle when it's just sitting there, or does it only wiggle when it's being moved?

[zircon]

Thanks for the responses so far. This is on the same mousepad I've been using for a few years, and it does NOT move if I'm not touching it. However... putting a napkin on top of my mousepad actually seemed to help a lot. Weird. I guess I'll try some different surfaces and see what happens.

[prophetik music]

mice respond to different surfaces differently, not to mention that there are different kinds of optical mice for different surfaces. i used a sheet of resume (thick) paper for a year for one of my mice.

it sounds like it's just responding in extremes to movement as opposed to having a natural wiggle. so it's just a matter of finding the right material for your mousepad. does jill have any spare fabric sitting around? if not, you can get cheapo stuff from most craft stores for under a dollar. wrap that around your desk side and tape it down, and that might be all you need.

of course, you could just do what i did and pick up a logi MX Revolution for like 15$ at a garage sale. best mouse i've ever used, bar none.

edit: after re-reading your post, i'm a little curious. you mentioned that you've had other optical mice before...are you sure you've always had optical mice, and not laser mice? optical is a camera watching where you move, specifically, there's no light involved, and it's ok to look directly into the lens (some laser mice have visible lasers, most do not).

[Pyrion]

Even optical mice use a light source, just a diffuse LED as opposed to a pinpoint laser. Otherwise you'd have no illuminated surface for the sensor to track.

[prophetik music]

i wasn't clear. i said there was no light involved, and that's not right. it's that there's different kinds of light involved.

[Dhsu]

Not to sound like a shill, but the MX518 is $26 AR right now. It looks kind of goofy but it really is a nice mouse that just feels right in your hand.