mouse balls

i work in a school district and students keep stealing the balls from the mice. Does anyone know if it is possible to buy just the balls? They are all microsoft mice.

I found some used ones here, though: <a href="http://www.directron.com/mouseball.html" target="_blank">http://www.directron.com/mouseball.html</a>

You should buy optical mice instead, because as soon as the balls are replaced, they will go missing again.

...and Logitech optical mice can be had for $12 these days....

Does anyone make a serial optical mouse? These are older machines and do not have usb or ps2.

OUCH. I'm almost positive that serial can not handle optical...

but I will do an internet search anyway, and post my results..

Why not just super glue the mice shut when you put in new balls?

Because that would make them impossible to clean

What? Kids don't get stuff dirty!

How about a PS2 / Serial adapter?

We've got boxes of these at work.

I could only find vauge hints about optical serial mice, Like I said, I think these are non-existant, as I believe serial would be to slow for optical signals.
I would love someone to prove me wrong.
also the ps2 to serial adapters I personally have never had good luck making these work correctly, and what would prevent the kids from just stealing the adapters as well?
Sorry to be such a downer...

I just started as Comp. Lab Assistant for our High School in October. It's happened here, too. BUT! We can usually figure out who did what and when. Every kid in the lab, outside of a class, has to sign in and put down their machine number. I've also found that when I treat the kids as the young adults they are, I get very little trouble. The monitor up in the library is nick named 'the print nazi' because she make them (14-18 yr olds) raise their hands to print!!

As to buying mouse balls seperately, have done so many times at our local computer show. I have 3 boys and they like to surprise each other by lobbing them at each other unexpectedly :)

Sorry for the length.

Sue

Try here
<a href="http://www.cyberguys.com" target="_blank">Cyberguys</a>

Serial adapters for the PS/2 in my experience never seem to work. May one if you are extremely lucky.

Some mice have the mouse ball cover screwed in, would make it a little more difficult for your would be thieves! Sorry could not tell you exactly where to find them, they may not even make them anymore, but I used to have some. As for the replacement mouse balls, go to cyberguys.com and search for Item# 106 0102
and it should pull up replacment mouse balls.

Thanks everyone!!

I just placed an order with cyberguys.com

One could also install a PS/2 or USB port card into the PC.

My $.02

LoL! I did not even expect what someone in USA having the same troubles with missing balls as we're having now. :D (I'm co-owner of biggest computer college in Odessa).
Fortunately,we have enough faulty mouses laying around to pull those balls out of them. :D
And hows about mouse pads? ;)

[quote]Originally posted by Sowulo:
<strong>...and Logitech optical mice can be had for $12 these days....</strong><hr></blockquote>

Yeah, i just got one of these, they 0wn.

sometimes you can hamper their stealing efforts by putting clear tape on the edges of the ball opening (not over the opening, that is another trick :D )
what really sucks is when they take the ball and the cover.

You might try putting a coupl screws in the cover to prevent it from happening again.

BTW all the optical mice I've seen are USB, so you would need a USB/PS2 AND a PS2/Serial adapter for each. And I have doubts that would work.

[quote]Originally posted by *MAYHEM*:
<strong>BTW all the optical mice I've seen are USB, so you would need a USB/PS2 AND a PS2/Serial adapter for each. And I have doubts that would work.</strong><hr></blockquote>

All the logitech opticals I've seen come with the USB/PS2 adapter. BTW, they're down to $9.97 at the major stores...