After recently migrating the innards of my SE/30 into a MacEffects clear shell, I did the same thing with the Apple ADB Mouse. This is the original mouse with the black roller ball inside. The problem was the cord, and more to the point of this post—the strain relief.
The easy step with the MacEffects mouse shell is to just transfer the whole works into the new shell. This is trivial, as you just lift it out and drop it in, nestling the strain relief into the slot. You end up with a clear mouse and the original beige cord. Good enough for most folks perhaps, but those of us who want to replace the cord too will need a strain relief. Yes, you can desolder the original cord and slide off the strain relief, but it will be beige and it won’t match your new DIN connector which is probably black.
So, here’s my solution. A replacement strain relief, carefully designed by measuring the original and printed in flexible TPU. You can be the judge on how it looks here as I rebuild my mouse cord, but it will match the DIN connectors I bought and the 3.8mm clear cable fits snugly and the part slides perfectly into the slot. I am VERY pleased with the outcome here as it’s a fantastic match first time.
Followers of this section know that you don’t always get lucky on the first try, but it feels good when you do! If I could change one thing, it would be to use CLEAR TPU filament. I don‘t have any (yet) and might print it again someday when I do. For now, black will match the DIN connector and I won’t have to rip apart the beige one which I will de-solder, but keep with the old shell which seems appropriate.
My original also has a built-in bend to the left—probably due to age. This is now fixed, obviously, and I am excited to get the connector soldered and add one more clear piece to the transparent Mac!
Here are links to the part so you can print your own. Please share if you do so, especially if you print in clear TPU.
https://www.printables.com/model/1426107-apple-adb-mouse-cord-strain-relief
https://makerworld.com/en/models/1830367-apple-adb-mouse-cord-strain-relief
The easy step with the MacEffects mouse shell is to just transfer the whole works into the new shell. This is trivial, as you just lift it out and drop it in, nestling the strain relief into the slot. You end up with a clear mouse and the original beige cord. Good enough for most folks perhaps, but those of us who want to replace the cord too will need a strain relief. Yes, you can desolder the original cord and slide off the strain relief, but it will be beige and it won’t match your new DIN connector which is probably black.
So, here’s my solution. A replacement strain relief, carefully designed by measuring the original and printed in flexible TPU. You can be the judge on how it looks here as I rebuild my mouse cord, but it will match the DIN connectors I bought and the 3.8mm clear cable fits snugly and the part slides perfectly into the slot. I am VERY pleased with the outcome here as it’s a fantastic match first time.
Followers of this section know that you don’t always get lucky on the first try, but it feels good when you do! If I could change one thing, it would be to use CLEAR TPU filament. I don‘t have any (yet) and might print it again someday when I do. For now, black will match the DIN connector and I won’t have to rip apart the beige one which I will de-solder, but keep with the old shell which seems appropriate.
My original also has a built-in bend to the left—probably due to age. This is now fixed, obviously, and I am excited to get the connector soldered and add one more clear piece to the transparent Mac!
Here are links to the part so you can print your own. Please share if you do so, especially if you print in clear TPU.
https://www.printables.com/model/1426107-apple-adb-mouse-cord-strain-relief
https://makerworld.com/en/models/1830367-apple-adb-mouse-cord-strain-relief
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