Computer mice are small, durable gadgets that, with proper care (e.g., keeping them away from the kittens and the kids), can last for a long time. However, like everything else, they’re subject to wear and tear; as a result, you wake up one morning and your mouse isn’t working anymore.
Funnily, even when it eventually wears out, most users often stash their mouse in their old electronics box, hoping they’ll fix it with help from a YouTube tutorial. If you’re anything like these users and have a bunch of old computer mice sitting around, you’ve just bumped into the right page. Here are eight awesome DIY projects to make using that old computer mouse.
1. Make a Remote-Control Scorpion
If you’ve ever wanted a toy stinging arachnid, you'll be glad to know that old mouse sitting in your electronics stash can be modified into a high-tech scorpion. You can tweak the insides of your mouse and pair them up with additional components, such as a DC motor, gears, battery, and charging module, to make a fully functional, remote-controlled scorpion mouse. Read the Instructables guide for more details.
2. Turn an Old Mouse Into a USB-Powered LED Desk Light
Don’t toss that old mouse just yet! With a little bit of Sugru and some magnets, you can transform it into a USB power source for some LED lights. These lights can stick to your tower or any other metal surface, making them a super addition to your plain, boring keyboard tray. Check out the Instructables project for a step-by-step breakdown of how to take apart the mouse, add some two-pin connectors to the USB cable, and some Sugru to hold everything together. It’s a quick, easy way to repurpose that old mouse and add colorful lighting to your setup.
3. Make an Avoider MouseBot
Never owned a robot but have always wanted one? That old mouse is your opportunity. Transform it into a simple robot that can avoid obstacles using some scrap materials. This project uses DC motors, wheels, batteries, connecting wires, a rocker switch, and microswitches with levers to reverse the motor/battery polarity.
All you need is an old mouse and some glue-stick to mount the horns, and you’ll be well on your way to building your robot. See the Instructables guide for a detailed schematic diagram and a step-by-step guide. If you are new to robotics, check out these DIY projects to get your feet wet in robotics.
4. Make a Mouse Security Alarm
Motion-sensing alarms are fantastic. They detect and measure motion, alerting household owners of anyone trying to gain unauthorized entry. The downside is they’re expensive to buy and install. However, you can make something similar to motion-detecting alarms using an old mouse. Besides the mouse, it features some wires, a laser diode, a battery, and a few other basic components to create an alarm that triggers when the laser beam is broken.
Follow the video illustration above to modify the insides of the mouse and test the alarm to ensure it’s working properly. With a little work, you’ll have a unique, functional laser alarm to protect your home or office. You may also set it up in areas you don’t want your pets to get to, so you’re alerted whenever they cross the line.
5. USB Mouse Flash Drive Hack
Want a USB flash drive no one can steal? Use your old mouse to build one, and you’ll have a unique and useful creation. All you need is a USB extension cord and some assorted screwdrivers to transform the mouse and flash drive into a handy USB mouse flash drive. Disassemble the mouse, USB extension, and flash drive, and then follow the Instructables guide to begin reassembly. You can even use a Dremel tool to customize the mouse.
When you’re finished, the flash drive should fit under the mouse with no contact. Put everything back together and have a unique, helpful USB mouse flash drive. Here are some more creative USB flash drives you can easily build.
6. DIY Mini Electric Car With Mouse
Want to be your young nephew or niece’s next favorite person? Build them this mini electric car, as shown in the Instructables project, with an old mouse. And it’s incredibly easy to build too!
Start by removing the insides of your mouse (they’ll not be needed, so set them aside for other similar projects), apply some black tape on four bottle caps, and then hot-glue a pair of DC motors to two caps. Next, hot-glue the DC-paired caps to the bottom of the mouse and use some negative and positive wires to connect the motors to a 9V battery and an on/off switch. The remaining wheels (caps) go to the front and are connected using only a toothpick! Once this is done, your mouse-based mini car is ready. Press the switch and watch it go!
7. Salvage Parts From an Old Wireless Mouse
Not in the mood to get all technical and revamp an old mouse into something new? Would you love to DIY your old mouse for some projects but have no time? If your answer is yes to either question, then take the easy route: salvage the parts and reuse them on other projects in the future. Check out this Instructables guide to see parts you can salvage from an old mouse. While you're at it, discover what you can salvage from a broken laptop in case you end up with one.
8. Convert a Mouse Into a Pen
Even with advanced illustration software, drawing or creating art on a laptop or PC always seems tricky because you use a mouse instead of your hand directly. But guess what?: you can turn an old mouse into a pen you’ll use to draw on your computer screen. Check out the YouTube video above for a step-by-step guide on how to convert an old mouse into a pen, and how to use the pen to draw interesting stuff on your laptop screen.
DIY an Old Mouse Into Something Useful
At a surface glance, an old mouse is like a lost battle—there’s not much you can do with it. However, if you are technically minded, it provides nearly endless opportunities for fun DIY projects. For instance, the simple Avoider MouseBot above can successfully dodge any obstacle you place on its path. Feel free to tweak any of the projects to your liking as you build one to utilize that old computer mouse cluttering your desk.