Logitech MX700 Mouse

[Rhino]

I have some questions about the Logitech MX700 optical rechargeable mouse.

I've had this mouse for several months now and I'm very happy with it for
the most part. But I'd like to get a little more information so that I can
have even better results with it. The "manual" (tiny setup guide really)
that came with it doesn't answer my questions and I don't see the MX700 at
the Logitech website any more so it may be discontinued....

The one thing that has proven annoying from time to time is that the mouse
runs out of power and needs a recharge just when I'm "on a roll" with a
programming project. I put the mouse in the charger and try to proceed with
Alt-Tab and Ctrl-Tab but it definitely slows me down. Anyway, I'd like some
questions about battery life.

1. What kind fo rechargeable batteries are in this mouse? NiCads? NiMH?
Lithium Ion?
2. Should I be letting the mouse discharge completely before attempting to
charge it? Or is it okay to put it in the charger at any time?
3. Will I cause the mouse any harm or shorten its life if I remove the mouse
from the charger and use it before it has fully charged?
4. I saw a suggestion that the surface on which the mouse operates can
really affect the life of the batteries; apparently white paper gives the
best results for battery life and tracking. Are these claims true? I'd like
to know what the best surfaces are for prolonging the battery life.
5. Is there anything else I can do to prolong the battery life and/or reduce
the time it takes to recharge?

I use the computer many hours each day and use the mouse pretty much all of
that time; I'm not just signing on twice a week for 10 minutes to check
email

One other question that doesn't deal with battery life: how many "channels"
does this mouse have? Is there any reason to prefer any particular channel?
I'm guessing that the multiple channels are there so that you can switch to
another channel in the event of interference; for instance, if using your
mouse changes your TV channel, you probably want to change the "channel" on
the mouse so that the two devices don't clash. Is that correct?

Any information would be appreciated, including references to online
documentation about this mouse.

 

[Noozer]

I have some questions about the Logitech MX700 optical rechargeable mouse.

I've had this mouse for several months now and I'm very happy with it for
the most part. But I'd like to get a little more information so that I can
have even better results with it. The "manual" (tiny setup guide really)
that came with it doesn't answer my questions and I don't see the MX700 at
the Logitech website any more so it may be discontinued....

The one thing that has proven annoying from time to time is that the mouse
runs out of power and needs a recharge just when I'm "on a roll" with a
programming project. I put the mouse in the charger and try to proceed
with Alt-Tab and Ctrl-Tab but it definitely slows me down. Anyway, I'd
like some questions about battery life.

1. What kind fo rechargeable batteries are in this mouse? NiCads? NiMH?
Lithium Ion?
2. Should I be letting the mouse discharge completely before attempting to
charge it? Or is it okay to put it in the charger at any time?
3. Will I cause the mouse any harm or shorten its life if I remove the
mouse from the charger and use it before it has fully charged?
4. I saw a suggestion that the surface on which the mouse operates can
really affect the life of the batteries; apparently white paper gives the
best results for battery life and tracking. Are these claims true? I'd
like to know what the best surfaces are for prolonging the battery life.
5. Is there anything else I can do to prolong the battery life and/or
reduce the time it takes to recharge?

I use the computer many hours each day and use the mouse pretty much all
of that time; I'm not just signing on twice a week for 10 minutes to check
email

One other question that doesn't deal with battery life: how many
"channels" does this mouse have? Is there any reason to prefer any
particular channel? I'm guessing that the multiple channels are there so
that you can switch to another channel in the event of interference; for
instance, if using your mouse changes your TV channel, you probably want
to change the "channel" on the mouse so that the two devices don't clash.
Is that correct?

Any information would be appreciated, including references to online
documentation about this mouse.

 

[Noozer]

I have some questions about the Logitech MX700 optical rechargeable mouse.

I've had one of these for over a year and have never had it happen that the
battries were not good enough to use. I use the MiMH batteries that came
with mouse. I always place it in the charger when I leave the PC. I've had
the low battery warning a few times when I've forgotten to put the mouse in
the charger but never actually ran out of juice.

Just put the mouse back in the charger when you're finished with it and all
will be well.

The mouse has 2 channels but neither is better than the other.

 

[kony]

I have some questions about the Logitech MX700 optical rechargeable mouse.

I've had this mouse for several months ...

1. What kind fo rechargeable batteries are in this mouse? NiCads? NiMH?
Lithium Ion?
NiMH

2. Should I be letting the mouse discharge completely before attempting to
charge it?

You can if you want to, but that seems a bit inconvenient
since it'll mean you have to stop working with the mouse at
that point.

Or is it okay to put it in the charger at any time?

Yes that's fine too.
If any particular recharging strategy were to reduce the
total cell life by a few %, at worst you'd just have to
spend $4 for another pair of batteries, every couple years
or whenever their capacity falls below what you deem
acceptible, and that capacity would of course have to be
higher if you're not in the habit of returning the mouse to
the base often, to ensure that inbetween each recharging
interval your mouse continued to function for long enough.

3. Will I cause the mouse any harm or shorten its life if I remove the mouse
from the charger and use it before it has fully charged?

No
In fact, you might actually, slightly increase the lifespan
of the cells by removing it from the base when it reaches
roughly 85% charged, as the temp of the batteries goes up
towads the end. However, the difference in life could
easily be offset by the lower convenience of having to do
that, since all you really need to do is "forget" about it
completely until the day comes when the cells don't give the
capacity you desire, then just buy another pair (every year
or two). Towards this end, it may make the most sense to
just recharge it daily and when the batteries don't last
long enough to do that anymore, replace them.

4. I saw a suggestion that the surface on which the mouse operates can
really affect the life of the batteries; apparently white paper gives the
best results for battery life and tracking. Are these claims true? I'd like
to know what the best surfaces are for prolonging the battery life.

Do you find the batteries aren't lasting an entire day or
two? Why care how long they last so long as there's
sufficient time between each use to recharge it?

I've read suggestions that the mouse would reduce LED output
on a light surface but I have no confirmation of that, and
it is doubtful that this current consumption is significant
enough to matter much one way or the other. If I had not
read (from a user, not Logitech) about that, I would've been
inclined to believe it doesn't. There is a 'site (or two or
ten) on the net somewhere that mentions the specific Agilent
controller used in your mouse, so if you look over the spec
sheet it might mention specifics about LED driving current
and whether it changes under different conditions. If would
have to be a function of the Agilent chip.

Tracking is another matter, and may depend on the detail of
the surface as well as the color so try a few surfaces and
then settle on one, rather than simply trying for a certain
color. However, light surfaces tend to be better than dark
ones.

In other words, if it works ok now, be happy and enjoy it.

5. Is there anything else I can do to prolong the battery life and/or reduce
the time it takes to recharge?

Sure, put lower capacity batteries in it and it will
recharge faster, but then it won't run at long.

Lower capacity batteries often weigh slightly less though,
but the difference isn't much. If you find this capacity
issue is a problem, try higher capacity cells. IIRC, the
originals are only 1700mAH, while today's premium cells
offer closer to 2500mAH (chose top brands like Maha, or
Sanyo (or Sanyo relabels which include Energizer, Sony, and
others I don't recall at the moment).

I use the computer many hours each day and use the mouse pretty much all of
that time; I'm not just signing on twice a week for 10 minutes to check
email

Does that matter? Surely there's at least a few dozen
minutes every day when you could put the mouse in the base,
whether that be at lunch or at the end of a work day or
whenever.

One other question that doesn't deal with battery life: how many "channels"
does this mouse have?

Don't remember, 2 distinct frequencies for the keyboard and
mouse, maybe 10 neighboring for each but I could be wrong
about that - read the manual or look up some old web review
to find out if it really matters. More significant is
probably the frequency range, which is around 27MHz IIRC.
For those with 900MHz or 2.4GHz phones or wifi, that's good,
but IIRC the range is only supposed to be 6'.

Is there any reason to prefer any particular channel?

Not if it works, a different channel would combat
interference from nearby devices using same frequency, like
a remote-controlled car or another wireless kbd/mouse/etc.

I'm guessing that the multiple channels are there so that you can switch to
another channel in the event of interference; for instance, if using your
mouse changes your TV channel, you probably want to change the "channel" on
the mouse so that the two devices don't clash. Is that correct?

Essentially, yes, but most TVs use infrared and other
devices often use entirely different frequencies. Mostly
it's so other keyboards and mice don't conflict.

 

[Alceryes]

I've got the Logitech Cordless Click Plus (basically the MX700 bundled with
a wireless KB)

1. What kind fo rechargeable batteries are in this mouse? NiCads? NiMH?
Lithium Ion?

They're NiMH.

2. Should I be letting the mouse discharge completely before attempting to
charge it? Or is it okay to put it in the charger at any time?

It's OK every once in a while but if you continually use only half the
charge and then recharge it you will shorten the battery life.

3. Will I cause the mouse any harm or shorten its life if I remove the
mouse from the charger and use it before it has fully charged?

It won't do anything to the mouse per say you'll just kill the rechargeable
batteries.

4. I saw a suggestion that the surface on which the mouse operates can
really affect the life of the batteries; apparently white paper gives the
best results for battery life and tracking. Are these claims true? I'd
like to know what the best surfaces are for prolonging the battery life.

I don't think it matters (as far as battery life) what surface you use as
long as the mouse will track on it (i.e. no mirrors or highly reflective
surfaces).

5. Is there anything else I can do to prolong the battery life and/or
reduce the time it takes to recharge?

It sounds like the batteries in yours are already going bad so the first
step is to get some new rechargables. Next, follow good charging habits for
the longest life of the batteries (try and run the battery all the way down
before charging and always charge to full). Also, you can have a USB mouse
plugged in and pushed off to the side. That way if your wireless one is
running low you can set it to charge and pick up right where you left off.

Personally I've never run into problems. I've run it way past where I
thought it would fail (recharge light on for a day or so) and it still kept
working till I finally charged it.
--


"I don't cheat to survive. I cheat to LIVE!!"
- Alceryes

 

[UCLAN]

I have some questions about the Logitech MX700 optical rechargeable mouse.
[...snip]

1. What kind fo rechargeable batteries are in this mouse? NiCads? NiMH?
Lithium Ion?
NiMH.

2. Should I be letting the mouse discharge completely before attempting to
charge it? Or is it okay to put it in the charger at any time?

I've been using the MX700 for well over a year with the supplied NiMH
batteries. I simply put the mouse in its cradle when I retire for the
night. Never had a problem. I purchased a pair of Energizer NiMH AA
batteries to use when these finally fail. Forgot where I put them. <g>

 

[Duddits]

I have some questions about the Logitech MX700 optical rechargeable mouse.

http://tinyurl.com/bdfn7

My MX700 - MX900 loses its charge very quickly.
Answer


The MX700/MX900 should reach a full charge, after a complete discharge, in
four to six and a half hours. A full charge should last, on average, about
ten days for a standard office user. Some "heavy" users might need to
recharge the mouse more often. Charging the mouse for 15 minutes gives the
mouse enough power to operate for one day of standard use. We recommend you
fully charge the mouse as often as possible.

The MX700/MX900 will let you know when it is about eight hours away from a
total discharge by flashing a red light on the top of the mouse. When you
see this light, you should recharge the mouse. Once the mouse has been
charged past the eight hour warning point, the light will no longer flash
red when the mouse is not in the charger/base station. While the mouse is
charging, the light should flash green. When it is fully charged, the
light will stop flashing.

If your mouse doesn’t charge as described above, there may be an issue with
the charging base or the batteries. First check that the charger/base
station is properly connected to the AC power adapter. Also, please check
that the AC power adapter is plugged into a functioning electrical outlet.
You can test if the electrical outlet functions by plugging in another
electrical device and seeing if it works.

Next, replace the batteries with two AA nickel metal hydride (NiMH)
batteries that are rated between 1500-2300 mAh. Warning: do NOT try to
use any other batteries to charge the mouse. This means that the mouse
must never be put on the Rapid Charge Base Station while equipped with any
batteries other than the NiMH batteries.

Also, if you are using the mouse on a dark surface, try using it on a white
sheet of paper. Dark surfaces cause the optical sensor to work harder,
thus draining the batteries faster.

If using a different surface and changing the batteries does not correct
the issue, your device may be defective.

regards

Dud