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The Logitech G5 Deluxe

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damarble

Member
Joined
Mar 3, 2005
Location
Spokane, WA
I really like my G5, but I still feel it's too small. The right side has a concave that doesn't support my pinky finger very well. After an hour or so my hand is very sore from the position it puts my pinky into. So what else to do but build it up? Hence the "G5 Deluxe Edition" is born.

A couple shots to show what I'm up against, and a general idea where the new material will be. I also want to make a slight lip to support my pinky, like the left side has for the thumb.

g5.jpg
g52.jpg

My idea is to use a small chunk of styrofoam to get the basic shape, and glue it on. Then cover the whole area with an epoxy to bond it. Finally a coat of automotive body filler (Bondo) to smooth it out, and finally painted with a textured paint.


More to come later, since I need to find a temp mouse to use while this one's down, and I of course need to get the materials.

Any input would be appreciated!
 
The styrofoam is mostly to give it shape. The epoxy (probably JB Weld) will be layered on thick, and be the main support. I will of course do some trial runs to test the durability before I apply it to the actuall mouse.
 
Actually, styrofoam coated inside and out with fiberglass is pound for pound stronger than steel. The point is that the styro will make a good filler and is lightweight. I would recommend using 2 ton epoxy resin as opposed to JB, but that is personal pref. The resin is runnier(harder to work with) but that will actually help to coat the styro and make a solid covering on it. For the covering coat i would recommend using Dip It spray. The coating is tough, flexible and rubbery. It will give you good grip and a softer feel to the surface. The spray form is just like using spray paint. It comes in black, red, blue, clear, green and possibly others.

BTW for any doubting that the foam can be a good filler, the warpig paintball site has a link to PAV(paintball armoured vehicles). One of them is built completly out of styrofoam coated inside and out with fiberglass resin. It has been taking paintballs for years.
 
Thanks Deadbot, that is exactly my line of thinking.

Where can I get the 2 ton epoxy? Thanks for the tip about Dip It, I will look for it.
 
Project under way! I decided to just use the JB Weld, since I already had some. I skipped the trial run too because I'm impatient. :p

Top popped and taped:
mousetape.jpg

Chunk of styrofoam covered in JB Weld:
mouseweld.jpg

View 2:
mouseweldtop.jpg

Ugly huh? I filled it in more, poking individual "kernels" into the gaps:
mousefoamweld.jpg

View 2:
mousefoamweldtop.jpg


I'll let it dry overnight then apply another coat. Thursday I will grind down any bumps after the JB Weld is thouroughly dry. I'll follow that up with Bondo.
 
I may be able to use only JB Weld. But I really like the workabilty of Bondo, and it gets rock hard. I've done a bit of body work and it just seems natural to use it.

As far as how much I've built up the edge, I was worried i put too much on, but after test fitting this morning it fit my had pretty well. The extra layer of bondo will make it wider still, but I still have to shape and smooth the bumps in the JB Weld first, so that will reduce it a bit.

My goal is to have the bump be seamlessly integrated, so it looks factory. So I need to start the filler up near the top of the mouse and work to the base to get one continuous curve. You'll see as i post more pix.
 
that's looking very nice.

While you're at it, scratch up the sides a bit and re-paint it to make a better grip!

i personally like the concave in my MX518, but whatever floats your boat :p
 
Thats a lot of jb weld. I would have used reagular epoxy instead of jb-weld. It is cheaper and seems to apply better, imo. I would put some bond over the jb so that u can get a smooth surface
 
Thanks for the comments!

Making progress now. Since the last pic I applied another coat of JB Weld, shaved and filed the whole mass smooth, and applied the first coat of Bondo.

g5bondo.jpg

g5bondotop.jpg


On a side note, my temporary replacement came today. And it's already shaped almost exactly like I'm trying to do. :p But it's a bit too tall and doesnt have the quality feel of the G5, so it stays a temp.

g5_opterite.jpg
 
Agh! I had it all sanded smooth and ready for paint. I starting pressing it to feel how solid it was, and it was very spongy over the foam chunk. So I guess that wasnt such a good idea. I ended up cutting a hole and digging out all the foam, I'm about ready to fill it full of Bondo.
 
90% done. The bondo is shaped and sanded. I just filled in a few pinholes and will sand again in a few minutes, then I can primer it. Will post pic after sanded.
 
95% done!


Bondo sanded:

g5bondosanded.jpg

g5bondosandedtop.jpg


Primered:

g5primer.jpg

g5primertop.jpg


Sorry the pix are a bit blurry, I got too close. :p I'm going to follow the primer up with a very light sanding to knock down dust, then I will spray the finish coating. I choose Plasti Dip, since it was easily attainable at my local Lowes.
 
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