MacAlly Micro Optical Mod

by rEdmAc

before

I bought this MacAlly Micro Optical Mouse when I was at the 2002 San Fransisco Macworld Expo with my friend Paul. He commented that if someone could change the original red light to a blue one it would be great. That was the beginning of this mod.

contacts marker

After taking apart the mouse a few times, I got it all figured out. I bought a blue 3.6v, 20mA, 2600mcd LED from the local RadioShack and dropped it in. From the mod, I learned a few important things:

1. Be sure you get the polarity correct, that is, make sure you have the positive (+) and negative (-) legs of the LED inserted in the proper holes. I used a fine tip marker to mark the negative leg of the original LED and then compared it to the new one. That way, you know which leg goes in the proper socket.

latch

2. The LED housing has a small latch that holds the LED in pretty firmly. You need to either push down on the LED a bit or use a jeweler's screwdriver to lift the latch in order to get the LED out.

bracket

3. Once you get the new LED situated inside the housing, you need to bend the legs ninety degrees in order to solder it on the board. Measure by eye the edge of the housing and use that as a guide for your bend.

after

When you're done, snap the case back together and there you have it--a mouse of a different color!

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