Tell me about mouse pads (this not spam), and homemade mousepads, please

Forums: Computers, Mouse Pads, Inventing Solutions, Mousepads
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My present mouse pad drives me crazy, should you have been noticing crazy posts. Yes, my present mousepad is a cheapo. It often leaps to the floor if I'm not paying attention.

Yes, I can look at amazon or go to Staples, but I figure making my own actually good mouse pad is doable. Part of an old rug? Probably not. Part of an old blanket, too flimsy. Somewhat uneven surfaced tile? an ordinary mouse pad somehow glued to the desk?

I think the answer might be a book of some depth and maybe a little interesting cover, but I don't want to kill a book in the experiment..

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@ossobuco,

I don't even use a mouse pad anymore. I just use the wooden desk top.

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@jespah,

ah, I think that doesn't work for me, but I'll test it. I sort of know this from when Mousey leaves the pad.. too slick. (I painted the wood.) But maybe I could fix that..

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@ossobuco,

You could always use an old cutting board or something like that. Are you using an old style wheel mouse? The modern laser mice would on just about anything.

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@engineer,

Hmm, I have one of those (long story of course, after bro in law and niece demolished the one from - oh, never mind, something about cracking nuts)

Mine may be an old style wheel.. or not. My computer is amazingly old, but the mouse isn't all that old. I would have to guess, maybe three years now. It's actually from a mac store.

I've no clue if it is laser - how do I tell? the light? I might guess it as laser.

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@ossobuco,

Yes, red light, no ball. It almost certainly is so something like a cutting board (or heavy piece of cardboard) should work fine.

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we're using a plain wood desk here - no mousepad

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@engineer,

Red light, yes.

Thanks a lot, Eng.

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There are also rubber like place mats for pet dishes that should work great, and they can be cut to size and even shape if that's how your desk works. Like many substitutes, it's possible this will end up costing more than a dedicated mouse pad. You never know till you look.

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@roger,

Meantime, I'll try and then report re my cutting board.

It can only get better.

It's so tacky to try and kill a mouse pad.

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@roger,

plus that sounds like the one I have, for more money, probaby thicker, but, eh, and thanks for scouring the posibilities.

Thank y0u all. appreciate the answers.

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@ossobuco,

Ok, I'm trying it, this cutting board from Pottery Barn. The one my family memembers killed by mistake by twhacking was teak.

So far, I take the cutting board as a very good idea.

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@engineer,

engineer wrote:

Yes, red light, no ball. It almost certainly is so something like a cutting board (or heavy piece of cardboard) should work fine.

Actually there are a variety of things a mouse could use. Before laser mice became popular there were optical mice. And since then there has been that Microsoft blue light thing, and mice that use a darkfield microscope.

A darkfield mouse might be slightly expensive, but the other technologies should be available fairly cheaply.

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I have one of those mats one used on desks earlier when writing letters.
Thick plastic. I also have a mouse pad but I put coffee cups, tea cups and drinking glasses there so I do not make marks on my desk.

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@saab,

I'm now using my old cutting board and the old pad. The cutting board has a raised edge around it, so the desk pad has stopped 'walking away' when I use my mouse on it. Using just the cutting board was causing odd stuff to happen with the mouse; now with the combination things are fine.

A friend and I are going grocery and other shopping today - I'll look at mouse pads and see what I think.

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@ossobuco,

Ah, what a treat! There in my mailbox was an envelope from Australia containing one fine colorful mouse pad; sturdy too. Plus an australian business card. This all made me not only smile, but laugh.

Thank you, Margo!!

It works too, given its sturdiness.

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Tell me about mouse pads (this not spam), and homemade mousepads, please

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