I recently had the chance to test out a set of Dexter Industries Thermal Sensors produced for the NXT. For those that are not aware, Dexter Industries has entered the market of producing LEGO Mindstorms NXT-compatible sensors and has come up with some pretty cool ideas such as the dSwitch (allows you to switch in-home devices on/off using the NXT) and some cool new ideas such as solar charging for the NXT as well as a flex sensor (stay tuned for more on this).

Dexter Industries Temperature Sensors

Dexter Industries offers two options;  the Protected Thermal Probe (DIThermal-P) and the Open Thermal Probe (DIThermal-O). The Protected model looks a lot like the LEGO Education temperature sensor in that it has the metal tube encasing a thermistor.

This sensor can be useful if you are monitoring liquids and need to submerge the probe (similar to what I did with my Aquasuars project).  The probe is approx 6″ long (with about 16″ of cable extension). The probe diameter is not the standard LEGO Technic hole width, but, appears to be a standard size for Chemistry equipment.   Temperature operating range and precision details can be found here.

The Open model provides an exposed thermistor and is well sealed in shrink tubing.  This sensor could be particularly useful if you wanted to insert the sensor into small LEGO elements (such as a friction peg).

Temperature Sensor Comparison

To evaluate the performance of the sensors, I pitched the sensors against the LEGO Education NXT Temperature Sensor (right).  The approach was to boil a pot of water with the sensors hovering approx 1″ into the surface of the water and monitor the change on temperature over time to evaluate how the sensors handle rapid changes in temperature.    I created an NXT-G program that monitors all 3 sensors and writes the temperature value to a file every second.  The test was performed for 3 minutes which was sufficient to demonstrate the sensor response.

The NXT-g program was straight forward.  Open a file for writing, run the sensor monitoring through a loop (running 180 seconds), write the values to the file, close the file,  upload to Excel, create chart.  Within the loop, I use the Text block to concatenate each temperature senor reading with a “,” to create a CSV formatted file for import.  For example:  Line 1: 20.5,20,21

(Download the NXT-g program here)

The following chart shows the response from all three sensors:

Comparison Chart

The legend shows Di1 (protected probe), Di2 (open probe) and the LEGO sensor.  As the chart shows, all three sensors performed nearly identical in their ability to track temperature changes over time.  It is also important to know that the LEGO NXT sensor reported its readings in 1/10th increments while the Dexter sensors reported their readings in whole degrees ( see update below).  This would account for the less granular (or “stepped”) responses of the Dexter sensors.  The LEGO sensor simply showed a finer change in temperature per second.   It is also quite possible that the Dexter sensors may be able to report temperature readings tenths at a later time.

** Update ** – Dexter Industries has recently updated the NXT-G block with the ability to also track in 1/10th increments.  I would expect that, if the test were run again, all 3 sensors would now show nearly identical results.

Conclusions:

Based on the above results, there is not much to worry about regarding sensor performance between the Dexter Industries sensors and the LEGO NXT sensor.  It really comes down to price, features and usefulness.    The LEGO NXT sensor is more expensive and will set you back about $40 USD.  It has the ability to connect directly to NXT/Technic elements and the probe fits through the standard Technic beam hole.  The Dexter sensors will run you about $25 USD, and does not have the ability to directly connect to NXT/Technic elements.   However, it would be easy to mock something up to hold it.   Both sensors will report readings using 1/10th increments.

Download the NXT-G block here.  |   Dexter Industries Temperature Probe Website

One option would be to simply go out and drop $$ (insert cost here – I don’t know) on a aquarium heater – but that would be too easy.  I’d rather take my $300+ extra NXT & temperature sensor and make them work for a bit.    Now you ask yourself, how the heck would the NXT heat the water.  Well, that’s where dSwitch from Dexter Industries comes in. Interestingly enough, the dSwitch did not come to me with the intent of using it to heat the Aquasaurs tank. It was more like irony and good timing that I just received the dSwitch and we got the Aquasaurs going.

How does it work?

Pretty simple really.  dSwitch allows you to programmatically control a 120V (also available in 240V for other countries) outlet to switch a power source on/off as desired.  The NXT is programmed to monitor the temperature using the LEGO temperature sensor and the dSwitch NXT-G block is used to turn the light on and off based on temperature thresholds.  My current setup has the dSwitch turn the light on when the water temperature is below 72F and turn it off when it hits 79F.  With NXT-G I am also able to control how often it polls the temperature to ensure that the granularity of monitoring is over a longer period of time (e.g. we dont want the light flicking on and off when the temp is near 72F and 79F).  Currently I have it set to evaluate the temperature every 10 minutes and switch the light on/off as necessary.

The following shows the NXT screen with current & average temperature and the status of the dSwitch.  The average temperature is done by taking 10 readings over a period of time and averaging the result.  The current program has this being done every 20ms. However, that was only for testing. You would likely want this at something like every minute or so and then average the result every 10 minutes.

The Aquasaurs setup in a temporary location with the dSwitch, NXT, temperature sensor and light all connected to the 120V outlet.  If it wasn’t yet obvious, the light is used as the heating source for the tank. 

The dSwitch beside the NXT currently heating the tank.  (I plan on connecting the NXT to a wallwart later so it doesn’t eat up the batteries)

The NXT-G code has 2 main loops. The first monitors the temperature and averages its values over time. The average temperature is stored in a variable to be used in the switching loop.  Additionally, this loop also handles the display of the temperature, avg temperature and counter (for debugging). Click for a larger view.

The second loop is the switching loop.  This loop monitors the average temperature variable for changes over time.   The first entry (logic switch) determines if the temperature is below 72F,  if True, then evaluate the average temperature again (to ensure that it is not above 78F).   If the average temperature is within the 72F-78F range, dSwitch is on.  If it s > 78F, dSwitch is turned off and if it is < 72F, dSwitch is turned on.  Click for a larger view.

The following shows the entire program.

Download the NXT-G block here ~ 1MB. (requires the dSwitch block available at Dexter Industries)

More information on the dSwitch at  Dexter Industries

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If you Google them, you will find some great ideas on making these treads more ’sticky’.  Some have used 1/2 Technic pins (which fit nicely into the supplied holes), others have used elastics wrapped around them – all great ideas that work fine.  I attacked the challenge from a different angle.  The result is DG – or Dual Grip (yes, the name is somewhat plain).  DG went through numerous revisions as I worked out kinks related to weight, stability, traction, sensors, flex etc.  At the bottom I have included some pictures on previous versions of DG – some changes significant, others subtle.

The idea was to have a treaded robot that could navigate varying terrain, turn quickly and of course, climb.  Based on my experience with my other robots using the same tracks (eg UNV and DynaTrax), I found that they were not very good when it came to inclines.  I figured that the LEGO rubber wheels have great traction on most surfaces, so why not slap a set of them along with the treads.  However, this posed another challenge.  I did not want both wheel systems in contact with the ground at all times as this would make turning tougher and be redundant.

In normal running state, the entire drive system runs parallel to the ground.  The wheels do not touch the ground at this point.    When the robot meets an incline, the drive wheels are angled down which puts the rubber in contact with the ground.  At this point the tracks have little to no contact with the surface.  The following set of images shows the two drive states.

I considered creating a dual drive system with rubber wheels and tracks separated by a mechanism that would deploy the rubber wheels downwards when needed. However, after some thinking, I decided on an alternate route.  In order to make it easy, light and effective, I figured the most effective way of doing this was to build the rubber wheel drive directly into the tread drive and have the entire structure rotate to change contact points.  I am sure there are numerous ways this could be done, but this seemed like the easiest and most obvious approach.

How does it work?

The current version of DG functions in a dual state mode – a combination of both autonomous and remote control activity – all working at the same time.  The autonomous portion consists of the NXT brick, a Mindsensors Accelleration Sensor (2 axis2/g), and an NXT motor.  The remote portion uses the Power Functions system with a remote control. Its purpose is to drive and steer.  When running, the NXT is monitoring the robot via the Mindsensors Accelleration Sensor and can detect when DG is beginning a climb.  When it detects a certain (consistent) level of G’s, it triggers the NXT motor to deploy causing both sets of track/wheel combos to angle themselves.  This results in the wheels making contact with the ground, and the treads loosing contact (more grip).  When the robot reaches level ground, it reverses and returns the tracks to level.

]]> http://www.plastibots.com/?feed=rss2&p=1086 7 http://www.plastibots.com/?p=1322 http://www.plastibots.com/?p=1322#comments Wed, 13 Jan 2010 13:51:43 +0000 Dave http://www.plastibots.com/?p=1322 I recently decided that it is about time to replace my old P4 server in the interest of speed, space and power reductions. Even with a P4, this sever is heavily underused.  My choice was a mini-ITX form factor system running the Intel Atom N330 Dual Core processor.  Although there is little improvement over CPU speed, I also migrated to an OCZ Indilinx SSD.  That’s a little background for you.  Now, my existing machine is my web/db server and is running Windows 2000 (yes, I realize its a 10yr old OS, but its working just fine for my purposes), SQL Server, MySQL, IIS5 and PHP.

A very slightly used, never competed Solarbotics Mini Sumovore Kit. When I bought this, I purchased the sumovore kit, the stamp stack microcontroller as well as the brainboard as I thought I needed all of them. I assembled the Sumovore, programmed and tested it and it works fine, but it has been sitting on a shelf for months not getting any use. So, it’s time for it to go. I am selling all three items below as a package. Total cost was about $180 USD with shipping, customs duty/taxes etc. Details as follows:

Sumo Robot: Solarbotics Mini Sumovore (link)

The Solarbotics Sumovore Kit is a strong, modular design with over 500 man-hours of development and 21 prototypes behind it. It has more power, speed, and is less expensive than the Junun Mark III, Parallax Mini-Sumo, and Tab SumoBot. This kit features: * Powerful GM8 gear motors powered by a robust L293D motor driver * Four opto-reflector edge sensors (fifth edge sensor position available when using microprocessor brainboard) * Two 38kHz IR emitters and detectors for opponent detection * 6AA power supply * Steel frame for easy assembly * Modular brain boards (discrete brainboard included, BS2 / Atmel / Stamp Stack brainboards extra) * Discrete brainboard “Anti Sumo-dance” behavior (stops two sumos from spinning around each other) * Discrete brainboard “Anti edge-ram” behavior (stops dual edge triggers resulting in repeated edge-charging) * Discrete brainboard offers selectable sumo/line-follower modes * Multiple trimpots for simple behavior tuning * Modular front edge sensor / IR transmitter daughterboard * 345 grams “batteries-in” finished weight (6 x AA batteries not included) * Powder-coated front Steel (not Aluminum) plates available in several colours * Multiple wheel colours available * 32-page detailed instruction document also contains full electronic schematics, both logical and symbolic for custom modifications Extra options available : * Rear-looking IR detector and emitter – great for active or passive searching. * Atmel Mega8L brainboard with additional breadboard space. * PIC 16F877 brainboard with additional breadboard space. * BS2 brainboard to accommodate 24-pin BS2-compatible family of microprocessors (BS2 not included). * HVWTech Stamp-Stack Basic Stamp 2 clone board (mates with BS2 brainboard). * PICAXE brainboard complete with 28X1 IC * Prototyping board with spots for three servo headers and I2C taps, raw 6V and regulated 5V power, Transistor, RJ11 and IC footprints Also be sure to check out the Yahoo! Sumovore Mailing List Besides offering support regarding building, tuning, programming (for the microcontroller add-ons), we hope to see lots of cool Sumovore hacks!

Note: I have assembled the sumovore and it is fully operational. All you need is batteries. It also has been programmed, but may need to be reloaded.

HWVTech Stamp Stack Microcontroller Kit: Designed to plug into any solderless breadboard, this 100%-compatible Basic Stamp 2 microcontroller is reverse-polarity protected, has a built-on serial programming connector and reset switch, and has an easily replaced interpreter & EEPROM. Although somewhat larger, it’s substantially less expensive than a true Parallax BS2 module, but still interfaces with our Sumovore Mini-sumo through the BS2-brainboard add-on. Note – one I have is a Parallax model, the picture shown is just for reference.

BrainBoard: Sumovore BS2 Brainboard Addon: Program the Sumovore with a Basic Stamp II add-on! This module lets you interface your own BS2 compatible or Stamp Stack II module (not included) to your Sumovore. Yank off the default “discrete brain”, plunk this interface board on, add your own controller, and you’re ready to load code!

Price for all items above: $105.00 (Sumvore Kit, Brainboard, Microcontroller).
Shipping: $20.00
Note: US buyers responsible for customs and handling fees
Payment: When you click Add to Cart, the cart will show below with the item in it. Clicking checkout will take you to PayPal where you can pay securely. You can also check my Ebay Feedback here.

(cart will show at bottom)

Before getting into detail, here are some difficult facts that I am dealing with:

1. I live in Southern Ontario – daylight benefits are shorter in the winter – both due to limited sunlight in the daytime and clouds due to snowy winter months.
2. My timing has had this project go live in the worst possible time – beginning of winter, shortest days of the year, and snow due to start falling anytime = limited light conditions.
3. It’s cold, and its only going to get colder.  The solar cell,  battery and charge controller will be outside – this will allow me to evaluate how well they will perform in colder conditions.

Project Materials (all prices in CAD):

• 12V 12Amp Hour Lead Acid Sealed Battery: $50
• Sea Sense Marine Battery Box: $20
• Solar Charge Controller: $32
• 10 Watt Solar Cell:  $55
• 75 Watt Inverter: $10
• Various Connectors/Nuts/Bolts/Other materials: $20
• Wire Line (40ft): $30
• PVC Piping: $10

Details:

I decided to go with a 10Watt solar cell. The unit is quite small measuring 13.8″ x 11.2″ x 0.7″ with a max voltage of approx 19V (although it hit 21.5 today), a max current of 0.58A.

The general concept of a solar charger is that you have a power source (solar cell), a battery, a load and a controller.  The controller is the brains of the system with all components linking to it.  The following image shows the inputs at the bottom.  The solar cell to the left, battery in the middle and the load to the right.  All components are 12V.  The load can be a 120V inverter.

The controller that I used also doubles as a timer of sorts.  It can be programmed in a number of ways that allows you to turn the output (load) on as follows:

• load on all the time – the output load can be set to always be on and drawing power.
• load on after sunset – after the voltage drops off below specific voltage (e.g. 10.5V) for a prolonged period (eg 10 minutes uninterrupted), the system can turn the load on for a set number of hours (1-10 hours)
• manual load mode – allows me to hit to button to turn the load on manually.

I used a marine battery box that allows me to keep the components protected from the elements while still allowing them to release heat as well as any hydrogen to escape from the battery and charging processes.  The current layout still needs some work.  I intend to securely mount all the components as well as get the inverter setup so it can be plugged in externally to the box.  I am stuck with this as I want to box to be resistant to the elements while being versatile enough to allow me to connect to it.  At some point, I also plan on connecting a digital volt metre inline so I can assess the charging status and power draw on the system while its in use. More work needs to be done here..

Some pictures of the battery box on my porch.  The lid that has venting built in to allow the internals to breath.  I plan on adding some of that nylon cleaning pad at the top to keep pests out but to allow it to breath.

I am fortunate to side onto a ravine area and have a property line that allows me to install the panel away from obstructions to maximize the light exposure it will receive.  The picture below shows the current setup. However, I suspect that this will have to change as it’s a bit of an eyesore – especially as we are entering the winter months. In the summer the plants and shrubs would obscure the mechanics somewhat and make it a little less visible to the neighbours.

Specifications:

Solar Charge Controller:

Solar Cell:

• Maximum Power:  10.3W watt
• Maximum-power Voltage:  17.8 volt
• Maximum-power current:   0.58 Ampere
• Open-circuit voltage:   22.1 volt
• Short-circuit current:  0.69 Ampere
• Size:  350 x 285 x 18 mm ( 13.8″ x 11.2″ x 0.7″ )
• Weight: 1.25 KG (2.8 pounds )
• Surface of the cell:  125 x 125 mm
• Temperature:   -40 ° C / +80 ° C
• Temperature coefficient of Pm (%):  -0.47 / ° C
• Temperature coefficient of Im (%):  +0.1 / ° C
• Temperature coefficient of Vm (%):  -0.38 / ° C
• Tolerance:   + / -5%

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Before you get started, make sure that you have the right tools and cleaning supplies. You will need a Torx screwdriver set (small bits), a multi-knife always helps, some q-tips and isopropyl alcohol for cleaning. Also made sure you have a clean, dust/dirt-free working area.

Tools and cleaning items.

Next, remove the plastic feet from the base of the mouse being careful not to damage them.  Don’t forget to remove the battery as well. After you unscrew the mouse, gently pry it apart around all the corners. There may be a bit of resistance, but it should not require much force. Take note of the tiny left side click button when it comes apart as it is loosely sitting in place. It should be self-evident how this goes back in when you are re-assembling the mouse. If you are not sure, here’s a tip – take a picture for a record of where all the components are.

Prepare the mouse

Once you have the mouse apart, you will see all the components inside. The next step is to remove the scroll wheel. The wheel unit uses a snap-fit mechanism to hold it in place. Take some time to see how the wheel has various movements and note the switches that it triggers. You will see there is one for the push click, 2 that are triggered for side-to-side scrolling (down low to the back where the wheel unit enters the main board area). You will also notice the light sensors that are used to detect movement of the wheel. Primarily, you should be focuses on the wheel itself (the clear rubber unit, as well as the lattice inside as this can get clogged up). If you are having trouble removing the front side of the click-wheel, you can use a multi-tool to help pry it upwards. Just be careful of the force you are using.

Pull straight up and out to snap the wheel out.

Use a multi-tool to help pry the wheel assembly up.

With the scroll wheel unit removed, used a q-tip and some rubbing alcohol to clean the rubber surrounding (wheel). Also, slowly rotate the wheel while cleaning the inside (black lattice bits).  If you notice any crud, or debris, remove it as well.

Cleaning the wheel area.

Once cleaned, simply follow the above steps in reverse.

• Insert the scroll wheel back into the mainboard
• place the side tab click unit where it belongs (make sure it is seated such that it will trigger the switch below it)
• place the mouse body back together.
• Important – there is a tiny reset tab button at the bottom of the mouse. This may have become dislodged.  Make sure it is in its place.  If you have a really keen eye, you will see in one of my pics above, I already made this mistake.  I had to take the unit back apart and re-seat the tab.  BTW – I’m talking about the ‘connect’ button used to reset the mouse to connect to its receiver at the bottom of the unit.
• Before screwing the mouse back together, connect it you your PC, insert the battery (while holding it in place) and give it a test. Make sure that all its expected functions work.
• Screw the mouse back together (4 screws).  If you don’t have 4 screws, then you are in trouble!  If this is your first DIY, and you don’t have the same count of  screws you removed – then welcome to DIY – it happens to all of us.
• Stick the plastic feet back on and make sure they are firmly in place.
• You’re done!

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Over the years I have had many great comments and questions primarily related to my LEGO robots.  When I did my Apple MightyMouse mod to my Asus EEE 901 (which I am typing this on right now), I decided to post instructions to my site.  Well, I managed to get picked up by a number of blogs around the world and received a huge response.  This has driven me to document more of my hobby projects here.

My hope is to share as much information as possible about LEGO and other DIY projects that I create.  I hope that you enjoy the site and please use the ratings and provide comments as I would like to know what people like and dislike.

Dave

Why: I found the 2-finger scrolling using the touchpad a PINTA.   So, since it’s never my intent to leave well enough alone, and I was itching for something to take apart and hack, I decided to integrate a trackball into my EEE 901. The Apple Mighty Mouse was the best candidate becase the trackball acts like a wheel on the mouse – I can use it solely for scrolling rapidly through pages of content. Of course, there are out there, but its ball acts as a mouse controller (not for scrolling) and I didn’t want to pay the price.  I figured the Mighty Mouse would be more of a challenge anyhow.  Well, it was.  Read on for details, a video, and instructions…

How Much: $22 USD (the mouse)

Update: Jan 2010 -
There have been a number of blogs and forums that have picked up this DIY, which is nice to see. There have also been a number of posts that share similar themes that either point to the Mighty Mouse being trash, or questions as to why would someone want to do this hack when the EEE already has two finger scrolling on the trackpad.   To answer the quality question – the trackball has been installed since July 09.  6 months later (and counting), it’s still working as good as it did when I first installed it.   No crud, skips, etc etc.  To answer the ‘whatever floats your boat’ question, I guess its just that. I like to hack and DIY things – never satisfied with status-quo. As noted in this post, I dont like the 2 finger scrolling. While some consider these things an effort, others (like myself) consider them fun and challenging. I just find it funny when reading some of the responses out there as they either seem to be arrogant of the concept of DIY, or just like to get their post counts up . Thanks to those of you who can appreciate the hobby of DIY.

How To:

When I first starting thinking about a solution, I immediately thought about using the trackball from a Blackberry. However, the electronics/hall effect sensors are part of the main board and not the removable track ball unit. This would mean I would have to figure out a way to get the entire BB in the EEE as well as how to interpret the signals to translate to (for example) a small wheel mouse trackwheel.

The below images show the pinouts and signals from the Mighty Mouse trackball. I figured these out on my own – so no guarantees – but it works for me. After figuring this out, my plan was to then try to hack the signals into a tiny USB wired mouse like this one (since it has a small main board). After doing some testing, I found that the signals generated by the Hall Effect sensors in the Apple mouse do not translate well to the signals generated by an IR emitter/receiver (I was hoping that they would both show as voltage drops between 0-5V – but it wasn’t the case.

So, my only option was to use the main board from the Mighty Mouse and hope I could cram it into the underside (memory / SSD) bay of the EEE 901. The following pic shows the size of the mainboard with the trackball attached.

Here you can see the thickness of the board. The height limitations of the EEE underside bay limited me to the height of the yellow box. So, the connectors to the left had to go. I also had to desolder the two CAPs and give their leads more room so I could bend them down.

The following 3 pics, show the mainboard at various states of desoldering parts. The leftmost img is the final product after removing all the large bits (rightmost img) as well as the USB and trackball connectors. The middle img shows the parts on the topside of the mainboard.

Showing some preliminary tests to see the fit.

Imtermission time.. Go get a coffee, tea, choclate.. Before I started working on the EEE, I wanted something to protect the LCD. The neoprene cover makes for great protection! Try it.

Showing the complete unit ready to be mounted in the EEE. All large bits removed from the mainboard and an extension soldered onto the trackball.

I used JKK’s guide to determine the USB connection points. However, for USB D- and D+ I went directly to pins 36 and 38. If you do this, make sure you have a fine tipped soldering iron and very steady hand as the pinouts of the mini pic-e are very close together. The pics look worse than it is (mostly because of the wire melting a bit). Click the images for close-ups.

Showing the wiring and touchwheel on the topside of the mainboard. Also note that I had to move the CMOS battery on top of the SD card slot loader.

Showing the trackwheel mounted on the underside of the palm rest. This was the most difficult part of doing this mod. Why? Because I was about to put a hole in the palm rest. Of course, in my typical fashion, I did this without dwelling on the thought (sort of like being with your buddies and jumping off a high cliff into water – if you wait and think – its too late – just do it!)

Close-up of the trackball. I used hot glue to hold the unit in place. Oddly, its failure to stick to the trackball shell (while sticking to the EEE palm rest) turned out to be an advantage. I expect (sometime next week) to get a blue coloured trackball (from a Blackberry) that I want to try and fit in, but I need to remove the Mighty Mouse trackback – now I can as the glue has formed a ‘clamp’ of sorts so it will fit right back in. The trackball is held in place mostly because it touches the EEE mainboard when installed (very slight buldge in the right palm rest). Keep in mind that the 3 screw tabs (used to screw the trackball to the bottom of the mouse) have to be shaved off to allow the trackball to fit in the EEE.

The final fit. Another P.I.N.T.A. Spent a lot of time trying to get the Mighty Mouse mainboard to fit. I even attempted to desolder the mainboard LED Camera sensor (mouse movement detector) to give it more space, but the trackball failed to work – guess it is part of the circuit. The third image shows the final resting spot. I had to cut out a bunch of the EEE plastics to give it more room.

The final product – and it works great. The hack was well worth the money. It took me approx 2 hrs to do it, and I would do it again!

Final Thoughts:

The Apple Mighty Mouse uses a built-in driver from Win XP. From the trackball standpoint, the driver provides the ability to scroll vertically (95% of what I was looking for). However, it does not provide horizontal scrolling (no big deal as most pages I visit fit within the resolution and screen size I have). For the fun of it, I researched this a bit and found that a 3rd party is selling a driver (Japaneese) to enable horizontal scrolling. Googling this further, there are even translations on how to download and get it working.

Other ideas: There is also the possibility that if you do this hack, you might also consider doing something with those
Capacative Touch Sensors on the underside of the mouse shell. They work in conjunction with the click button inside the mouse to detect and allow left and right hand clicks. Who knows, maybe you can do something funky with the palm rest on one side and a click button…

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