How Mouse Works

By Xah Lee. Date: . Last updated: .

Roller ball mouse is used from about 1990 to 2000. You have to clean the ball every half a year or so. It gathers dust and dirt, and can get stuck. It works well on smooth flat surfaces only. It does not work well on carpet.

computer ball mouse mechanism 2005
Inside of a roller ball mouse. image source
mouse mechanism diagram
Roller ball mouse mechanism. [image source 2016-05-09 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mouse_mechanism_diagram.svg ]
  1. Pulling the mouse turns the ball.
  2. X and Y rollers grip the ball and transfer movement.
  3. Optical encoding disks include light holes.
  4. Infrared LEDs shine through the disks.
  5. Sensors gather light pulses to convert to X and Y velocities.