Technical Description – Chris Perez Writing for Engineers- Digital Portfolio

B100 Optical Logitech Computer Mouse

Chris Perez

The City College of New York

English 21007: Writing for Engineering

Kristine Slentz

January 8, 2025

Table of Contents

Definition………………………………………………………………………………….3

Overview…………………………………………………………………………………..3

Components……………………………………………………………………………….4-5

Explanation………………………………………………………………………………..6-7

Visual………………………………………………………………………………………..7-8

Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………8-9

References………………………………………………………………………………10-11

Definition

A device that allows one to be able to control the cursor within their computer. This cursor can do an array of things, such as clicking, dragging, selecting, and scrolling. Without the mouse, such actions would be difficult to accomplish. Many use the device for convenience and the many uses it offers compared to the trackpad on some laptops.

Overview

The B100 Optical Mouse is over 4.45 inches in height and 2.44 inches in width. The Mouse is made out of hard plastic sporting a wheel and two buttons beside the wheel. The Mouse is slightly curved so that the user can comfortably fit the Mouse within their palm. It has a cable running from the back that connects to the computer, this cable is 70.87 inches. On the bottom of the Mouse, a red LED is shining when the mouse is active

Components

Figure 1: Internal View of a Mouse (Britannica 2013)

Internals of the Mouse

Optical Sensor: A tiny camera found in the bottom of the mouse found near a red LED.
LED: A red light that shines from within the mouse when it is active and shines inside the mouse onto the Optical encoder.
Scroll Wheel: A wheel in the middle of the mouse, able to be turned.
Optical Encoder: A tiny sensor able to detect lights and shadows, found on the left side of the wheel.
Switches: A tiny button able to detect when clicked.

Outer Components of the Mouse

Outer Casing: A hard plastic shell that is the main foundation protecting the internals of the mouse. Oftentimes found to be flexible to be able to click the switches under it.
Cable: A long rubber line that connects the USB connector to the mouse
USB Connector: A rectangular stainless steel object that can be inserted into a USB port.

Figure 2: Outer layer of a Mouse (Subnani 2019)

Explanation

Movement of the Mouse

When the user moves around the mouse, the cursor on the screen of the computer will move in the direction the user moves the mouse. This action is done due to the tiny slit on the bottom of the mouse having an Optical Sensor, essentially a tiny camera that has an extremely quick frame rate to capture the movement made. The red LED light found on the bottom of the mouse lights up the surface so that the camera can constantly take thousands of photos of the surface, and compare it to the previous image taken allowing the computer to find out how far the mouse was pulled on the surface, and the direction made. Based on how high quality the camera in the mouse is, the smoother and quicker the computer will be able to detect the movements made with the mouse. The calculations on which direction and movement the mouse has moved are made by the processors within the mouse, which is further sent to the CPU of the computer it is connected to, meaning the computer does the rest of the calculation afterward.

The Wheel of the Mouse

When one scrolls on the wheel of the mouse, one will notice that the computer moves the page or object on the screen to move up or down. This action is processed by an Optical Encoder that intakes both lights and shadows to calculate the motion of the scroll wheel. This light and shadow is made from an LED light within the mouse that is on the opposite side of the encoder so that it can calculate the motion made.

The Click of a Mouse

When the user clicks on the left side or right side of the mouse, within the screen the user will be able to interact, drag, or select anything within the computer. This action is fairly done by two switches inside the mouse that detect when it’s clicked, allowing it to quickly note what action to take. When one holds on either switch the computer will be able to do the specified action for holding it in.

Visuals

Figure 3: Image of a Logitech B100 Optical Mouse from the top (Logitech, 2022)

Figure 4: Image of a Mouse from the Bottom (Evanson, 2021)

Conclusion

The Mouse was first invented by a man named Douglas Engelbart, who initially created it to navigate his oNLine System at the time (Greenemeier, 2009). Upon making the mouse, he filed a patent on it in 1967 but had to wait three years for the U.S. to acknowledge what he had created (Greenemeier, 2009). Sadly he never got any royalty or recognition for creating it due to the patent expiring before it was widely used. It’s worth knowing that the tracking technologies in the Optical Mouse were pioneered by the military to track aircraft in the air flying near their base or surroundings (Basics Explained, 2019, 0:02:34). Nowadays there are many variations of mice one can use, whether it be the Traditional Mouse or widely used Optical Mouse. Many more are being created today for comfortability and a much quicker detection rate, but the B100 Logitech Mouse is affordable at the price of 7.99$ for many to buy.

References

Basics Explained, H3Vtux. (2019, March 31). How does a mouse work? [Video].

YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eccSwn9QVxo

Evanson, N. (2021, January 12). Anatomy of a mouse. TechSpot.

https://www.techspot.com/article/2181-anatomy-mouse

Greenemeier, L. (2024, February 20). The origin of the computer mouse. Scientific

American. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/origins-computer-mouse/#:~:text=Engelbart%20originally%20invented%20the%20mouse%20as%20a%20way,users%20to%20share%20information%20stored%20on%20their%20computers.

Mouse | Teaching Resources. (n.d.).

https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/mouse-12054445

Logitech Business B100 Optical USB Mouse. (n.d.).

https://www.logitech.com/en-us/products/mice/b100-usb-business-mouse.910-001439.html

Rizvi, M. (2024, November 7). What is a Mouse? A Complete Guide to Computer