Looking for something heavy but small

[riffwraith]

Hi all

Wasnt sure where to put this; if this is better off elsewhere, please feel free to move.

It's a bit of a story, and as someone is bound to ask why I would want to do this...

I use a Logitech wireless mouse with my desktop computer. All of a sudden, it stopped working properly. I tried everything - new mouse pad, new USB port, made sure the port does not share bandwidth with anything else,  no other devices save for kbd attached, etc. Even tried a brand new mouse of the same M&M. Not sure why this is happening, but it is.

Finding a mouse I am happy with, that I can use 10-13 hrs a day almost every day of my life is a real challenge. I wound up buying a new mouse by Roccat that works just fine. It's almost perfect - the back button on the left is in the perfect location, the wheel feels good, and the profile is very similar to the Logi mouse. The issue is that, unlike the Logi mouse,  the Roccat mouse doesn't use any batteries. Meaning it is a bit lighter, which is a bit annoying. The Logi weighs the same as the Roccat when it does not have any batteries in it. So, how to add that weight diff to the Roccat?

There is an indent on the underside of the Roccat, which is meant to hold the USB rcvr when the mouse is not in use. My thought is to put something in there, to add approx as much weight as the batteries. Two Energizer AA batteries weigh 1.7 oz. The mouse indent is .75" x .05" x 0.125"

My first attempt was  a tiny pebble, but that is not nearly enough weight, at .01 oz.

I then did a search for "the heaviest element", and came up with Osmium and Iridium. Uranium notwithstanding, but I think the chances of getting my hands on any of that are rather slim.

Can I get my hands on some Osmium or Iridium, or is that just a fool's errand? And can I put a small piece of either in that mouse indent, without worrying about any health concerns?

If not, anything else that weighs about 1.7 oz, that would be the right size?

Thanks in advance. 

 

[mistermack]

I use a wireless Logitech mouse/keyboard deskset, I find them very good, but you don't get forward and back buttons on the side of the one I have. 

Every once in a while, the mouse would play up, and I had to pull out the usb reciever, and push it back in. It was then ok for four or five hours. Eventually, I got fed up of getting up and walking to the computer to do the pull out/replace procedure, so I got a usb extension cable, and kept the reciever close to hand. That appears to have cure the problem. It hardly ever needs pulling out and replacing back in now. 

With the new mouse, I can't help with exotic metals. I would try a thin sheet of lead on the base, or maybe make a steel mouse pad, and glue some thin neodymium magnets on the base of the mouse. You can get them pretty cheap on ebay, and they can be as thin as 2mm or even less.

[Ghideon]

1 hour ago, riffwraith said:

There is an indent on the underside of the Roccat, which is meant to hold the USB rcvr when the mouse is not in use. My thought is to put something in there, to add approx as much weight as the batteries. Two Energizer AA batteries weigh 1.7 oz. The mouse indent is .75" x .05" x 0.125"

Are the numbers correct? 0.05" sounds small for an usb receiver. If the numbers are indeed correct my best guess is that the volume is too small to fit enough mass even if Osmium or Iridium is used. 

(Disclaimer, I haven't cross checked my quick calculations)