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I have a wireless mouse that is powered by standard AA batteries. Periodically I will go to use the mouse and there's no response. Every time when this happens all I need to do is open up the mouse, re-seat the battery, and then everything works fine again. I want to emphasize that this is NOT simply because I am cycling power. There is a power switch on the back as well, and turning the power off and then on does not fix the mouse.

Why would re-seating the battery make a device work again when simply cycling power does not?

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  • \$\begingroup\$ This is why low current (<2A) relay contacts are gold plated. \$\endgroup\$
    – D.A.S.
    Commented Jan 11, 2018 at 13:02
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    \$\begingroup\$ It tricks the mouse into thinking you fed it and it wakes up for a while trying to chew on the old batteries. Either that or @DerStrom8 's answer. \$\endgroup\$
    – Trevor_G
    Commented Jan 11, 2018 at 15:38
  • \$\begingroup\$ The above was a joke, but there may be more to it than meets the eye if the mouse monitors the battery level and cuts out when it sees it fall. Reseating may reset the hysteresis on that giving you a bit more time. \$\endgroup\$
    – Trevor_G
    Commented Jan 11, 2018 at 15:42

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Sometimes the contacts of the battery oxidize and/or corrode slightly, sometimes just enough to cause an intermittent or no connection to the battery contacts. Re-seating the battery (or sometimes even just spinning the batteries in the holder) can scrape off this oxidization and make the electrical connection again.

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    \$\begingroup\$ Sometimes, also, the power switch doesn't actually cycle power to the device. \$\endgroup\$
    – user16324
    Commented Jan 11, 2018 at 13:00

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