Computer Mouse

WHAT IS A COMPUTER MOUSE?

The computer mouse is an accessory to the personal computer that has become an essential part of the operation of the computer.

MANUFACTURING PROCESS

In one of the sets of manufacturing and assembling steps, the printed circuit board (PCB) is cut and prepared. It is a flat, resin-coated sheet that can be of surface-mount design or through-hole design. The surface-mount version is assembled almost entirely by machine. For through-hole PCB assembly, attachment wires of the electronic components are inserted in holes in the PCB. Each assembly line worker has a drawing for part of the board and specific units to add. After all the components are mounted on the board, the bottom surface of the board is passed through molten lead solder in a wave soldering machine. As the underside of the board flows over the completely smooth, thin liquid sheet of molten solder, the solder moves up each wire by capillary action, seals the perforations, and fixes the components in place. The soldered boards are cooled. The PCB is visually inspected at this stage, and imperfect boards are rejected before the encoder mechanism is attached.

The encoder mechanism (including the rubber-covered ball, the support wheel, both spoked wheels and their axles, the LED, and its detector) is assembled as a separate unit. After the mechanism is assembled, the unit is fastened to the PCB using either clips or screws. The board is now completely assembled and is subjected to an electronics quality control test. The mouse's tail—its electrical cable—has also been manufactured using a set of wires, shielding, and the rubber cover. The cable has two additional pieces of moulded rubber called over moulds. These are strain relief devices that prevent the cable from detaching from the mouse or its connector plug if the cable is tugged. The near mouse over-mould is hooked to the housing, and, at the opposite end of the tail, the connector is soldered to the wires and the connector over-mould is popped into place.

The completed PCB and encoder assembly are inserted into the bottom of the shell. The buttons are snapped into the top part of the housing, the cable is attached, and the top and bottom are screwed together using automated screwdrivers. The final electronics and performance quality check is performed when the assembly is essentially complete. While the tooling designs and physical assembly described above have been in progress, a programming team has been developing, testing, and reproducing the mouse driver firmware. When the driver has been developed, the manufacturer's testers run it through rigorous trials, and both the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the European Commission (CE—an organization that governs radio emissions and electrostatic discharge) also approve the electronics. Approved driver data is encoded and mass-produced on diskettes.

The FCC requires that signalling or communications devices including the mouse bear labels identify the company and certain product specifications. The device, its driver diskette, and an instruction booklet with registration and warrantee information are boxed and prepared for shipment and sale.

Quality Control

At least three quality control steps are performed during assembly. An electronics check is carried out on the PCB after its components are attached and before any of the plastic mechanism is attached. The plastic parts are visually inspected when they are complete but before they are connected to the board and electronics; this prevents disassembly or wasting electronics due to a defective shell, for example.

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DISCLAIMER

The information is provided by Tecquisition for general informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional legal advice. If you have any feedback, comments, requests for technical support or other inquiries, please mail us by tecqusition@gmail.com.