Did you know your Microsoft mouse works just fine with only one battery?

From telling the world about Jedi Mind tricks for Windows Hello, explaining how the Y2K was like at Microsoft, or just shedding some light on mysterious toggle switches, Microsoft veteran Raymond Chen has always been known for his interesting posts on The Old New Thing blog.

Today, the old-timer Microsoftie answered yet another puzzling question and explained why your Microsoft mouse works just fine with just one battery.

According to Chen, although many Microsoft mouse devices have a battery compartment that accepts two batteries, the mouse still works even if you insert just one battery. The reason behind this is the fact that two batteries double the time between battery swaps. He explains,

“Yes, the mouse works just fine on only one battery. The reason why the mouse accepts two batteries is to double the amount of time between battery changes! This allows the text on the box to say “Runs for N months without needing to change batteries” for a value of N that is twice as high as it would have been if the battery compartment accepted only one battery. This is the electronics equivalent of installing a larger gas tank in a car so you can advertise it as “Travels ⟨distance⟩ on a single tank of gas.””

So, there you have it. Did Raymond’s post catch your curiosity? Let us know what you think by dropping us a comment below!

Share This Post: