I spray-painted a cheap mouse that came with my laptop (it looks messy but in a good way?), and the left/right clicks miraculously worked after a bit of work (the left clicks is actually a bit dampened now, making it quieter!)
However, I think the optical sensor is borked. The mouse can click but it can’t move the cursor.
I’m thinking something like a bluetooth motion tracker that moves your cursor could work if I mounted it on the mouse, but does something like that even exist? I searched online and it doesn’t seem to be a thing. Maybe I have to DIY it a bit by buying a bluetooth motion tracker and using a program that makes it so that is moves the cursor?
Wireless optical mice are basically given away free in boxes of Frosted Flakes these days. Is there really any pressing need to “fix” this one in particular via some roundabout method? Like, do you have some sentimental attachment to it, or something? I don’t think you’re likely to succeed, there. Notwithstanding that the sensors you’d need to buy would be significantly more expensive than a new mouse, but then as you’ve observed you’d also have to hack up a way to make your operating system treat your new sensors as a mouse input, and also preserve the click inputs from the separate remaining carcass of the mouse.
Really, just replace it. Any nerd should have a whole box of the things. I do; hell, I could just give you one.
The next time you paint a mouse take it apart first. The upper shell is typically quite easy to remove with just a couple of screws and then you can paint it separately from all the electronics to avoid destroying any of the functional parts.
I don’t see any screws at all, and I got this mouse for free so I spray-painted it for the sake of it. I have a second working Logitech Pebble I also spray-painted where the front cover is magnetic so I just spray-painted that. I think the yellow didn’t turn out too great though.
I did separate the case from the electronics for my PS4 controller, and it looks sick (in both senses of the word) especially with the 3D printed face buttons