IPS and LOD: Indispensable Aids for Optical Mice

IPS and LOD: Indispensable Aids for Optical Mice

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With the change of the times, now we use the mouse is basically optical mouse, before this there is a mechanical mouse, optical mouse, photocell mouse, but now has almost not seen. Today let's briefly discuss how an optical mouse works and what it means to understand the two mouse parameters. Hopefully this article will give you a better understanding of this little item that you hold in your hands every day.

Optical mouse in addition to the shell, microswitch, scroll wheel, the most core components are LED infrared light emitters, micro-camera, sensors and control chips. When the mouse works, the LED will emit infrared light to illuminate the bottom surface of the mouse through the lens, and then the infrared light will be bounced through the lens to the image sensor. These surfaces cast distinct shadows when illuminated, similar to the hilly terrain illuminated at sunset.

During the movement of the mouse, the micro-camera will continuously shoot, according to the speed of the mouse movement, each image will be offset from the previous image by a small number of pixels, the chip will calculate the offset of each consecutive image from the previous image, and finally converted to coordinate offset to realize positioning.

DPI is specifically covered in other sections of our Blog, so if you are interested, click on the link to see it.   https://www.atk.store/blogs/blogs/dpi-the-key-to-enhancing-your-mouse-experience

IPS
IPS (Inches Per Second), the value of inches moved per second. It is a unit of speed, usually the maximum speed value that can be recognized by the mouse sensor.
Assuming a mouse with an IPS of 100, 1 inch = 2.54cm, then 100 inches = 2.54 meters, 100 ips is 2.54 meters per second. If more than this speed, such as the mouse moved 5 meters per second, then the sensor will not be able to recognize, the mouse may appear “frame skipping” situation. Currently on the market mouse IPS are basically above 100, daily use is no problem. The IPS of gaming mouse is basically above 150, even the professional players are very difficult to break this value.

LOD
LOD (Lift off Distance, Silent Distance) is also known as the response height of the mouse, usually refers to the mouse lift up a certain height, the sensor will stop responding.

For example, if the LOD is 3mm, the mouse can be operated normally if the mouse is lifted up no more than 3mm, and the mouse will fail if it is lifted up more than 3mm. For players who are used to lifting the mouse operation, this value is more important. Nowadays, the high-end mouse LOD value can be adjusted, and there are even more advanced asymmetric lifting and landing distance settings, you can set the mouse landing distance, thus further improving the accuracy.

So, do you have further knowledge about the optical mouse you are using or want to buy? And will the parameters of the mouse help you in your future mouse purchases? Feel free to leave your feelings in the comment section.

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