Lyonsden Blog

Category - PC

Razer Basilisk Ultimate Battery Replacement

Razer Basilisk Ultimate Mouse

When I am not tinkering around with my old Commodores my ‘daily driver’ computer is a Windows PC and lately the mouse I use with it has been driving me crazy. It’s a wireless Razer Basilisk Ultimate that I bought three years ago and it’s been terrific until recently. Over the past 6 months or so the battery life has deteriorated to the point where it barely lasts an hour before it needs charging again! I made sure the contacts were clean on both the mouse and dock and even charged it with a micro USB cable but nothing worked. Basically the rechargeable battery was completely knackered and so began my mission to replace it!

 

Razer Basilisk Ultimate

Positions of the 5 screws holding the case together.

 

The first job was to find where the screws were hiding so I could take the mouse apart. I removed all the glide feet and managed to find two of the screws. The remaining three screws were hidden underneath the serial number/barcode sticker which I also had to remove. The sticker came away quite cleanly with the use of a craft knife to lift up a corner. However the glide pads were really stuck down well so although I got them all off in one piece they were quite tatty afterwards and wouldn’t stick back down properly. They ended up in the bin! The good news if you are looking to do this yourself is that you now know that only the bottom two gliders need removing so if you are careful you might not need to replace them like I did!

 

The T-6 bit needed to undo the screws.

 

The screws were tiny little torx head ones and required the use of a T6 bit to remove them as you can see in the photos above and below.

 

Razer Basilisk Ultimate

Removing the screws.

 

With the five screws now removed the top of the mouse shell could be lifted off. There was a short ribbon cable joining the two halves but it was just long enough to not have to bother disconnecting it whilst working on the lower half.

 

Razer Basilisk Ultimate

View of the two halves of the case.

 

The battery was connected to the mouse by means of a short connector with red, yellow and black wires which unplugged easily.

 

Razer Basilisk Ultimate Battery

The battery is lurking under this piece of grey foam.

 

The battery itself was stuck to the mouse chassis but pulled away fairly easily.

 

Razer Basilisk Ultimate

Battery removed.

 

The top of the battery had a small square of foam attached. I can only assume it was there to help make sure the battery didn’t work its way loose so I opted to keep it and carefully removed it with my craft knife.

 

Razer Basilisk Ultimate Battery

Razer Basilisk Ultimate Battery still covered by the foam.

 

With the foam removed (mostly in-tact) I could finally read the label to get the exact specs of the battery.

 

Foam removed in one piece.

 

Sourcing a New Battery

The battery model number was ‘PL782144’ and the specs stated it was 3.7v, 700mAH and 2.59Wh.

 

Razer Basilisk Ultimate Battery

The old battery label.

 

These specs didn’t help too much initially as I scoured both Amazon, eBay and even AliExpress for a suitable replacement. I found many batteries with the same ratings but they were all the wrong shape or size or only had two wires instead of three. The battery was quite a snug fit inside the mouse so I needed something the same size.

 

Razer Basilisk Ultimate Battery Listing on eBay.

 

After a lot of searching around I found a battery that claimed it would fit my mouse and had the right specs, connector and size. The seller was based in China and the delivery time suggested it could take up to two months to arrive but it seemed to be my only option so I went ahead and ordered one. Here’s a link to the one I ordered: Mouse Battery. The link works right now but at some point in the future it may not so just use the details in the screengrab above to search around for an alternative.

 

Razer Basilisk Ultimate Gliders Listing on eBay.

 

As I’d also messed up the gliders I found a set of those too here. They were only a few quid including postage from China so well worth it. The picture showed them as being white but they were actually black when I got them. No big deal as I think they look better black anyway. Besides, you never get to see them when the mouse is on your desk anyway!

 

New Gliders and Battery in supplied packaging.

 

Thankfully both items arrived in a little under three weeks, much sooner than the listings had stated. I guess they quote the worst case scenario so that people don’t complain.

 

New Gliders and Battery unpacked.

 

When I placed the battery next to the original they were a pretty good match in terms of size with the new one just a millimetre or two smaller.

 

New Gliders and Battery in supplied packaging.

Old battery (left) and new battery (right).

 

Installing the New Battery

Now that I had everything I needed to fix my Razer Basilisk Ultimate mouse I set about finishing the job.

 

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The first thing to do was peel off the adhesive cover on the new battery ready for it to be stuck into position.

 

Peeling the tape off the adhesive pad.

 

I made sure to orient the battery with the cable nearest the socket but as it was quite a bit longer than the original I looped it around a section of the battery holder to keep it from getting into harms way when reassembling the mouse.

 

Razer Basilisk Ultimate Battery

New battery fitted.

 

Once the battery was fitted and the wire connector plugged back in I re-fitted the foam pad to the battery. It had enough residual stickiness left to just stick right back on. Not entirely sure it was necessary but it was on there before so I put it back,

 

Old piece of foam re-fitted.

 

With the battery stuck in place, reconnected and foam replaced I put the case back together and turned my attention to the bottom of the case…

 

Fitting the New Gliders

To fit the new gliders I used a pair of precision tweezers to remove them from the backing sheet and position them on the base of the mouse before pressing them firmly into place. It’s far easier to see where they go when your view isn’t obscured by the end of a finger!

 

Holding one of the gliders with a pair of tweezers.

 

The gliders had a thin protective film on them that needed removing after application.

 

Peeling off the protective film.

 

I also carefully replaced the barcode sticker and also the square glider around the laser in the middle. I hadn’t removed this but since all the new ones were now black and this was still white it had to go!

 

Razer Basilisk Ultimate

Ta-da! The finished article with all gliders and serial number sticker fitted.

 

Whilst I was at it I decided to give the charging contacts a quick clean too.

 

Razer Basilisk Ultimate

These are the charging contacts that need periodic cleaning.

 

A quick spin of an isopropyl alcohol soaked cotton bud was all it took to make sure they were nice and clean. I did the same thing with the prongs of the charging dock too for good measure.

 

Cleaning the contacts with some Isopropyl Alcohol on a cotton bud.

 

I then gave the whole mouse a quick wipe down to remove any dirty marks I’d made before taking the photo below and then putting it straight back into active service.

 

Razer Basilisk Ultimate Mouse

My Razer Basilisk Ultimate Mouse – Restored to its Former Glory!

 

At the time of writing it’s been three days since I fitted the new battery and my mouse is still going strong on the one and only charge I gave it that first day. The battery replacement has been a resounding success and my Razer Basilisk Ultimate is basically as good as new now. The total cost was £32 for the battery, gliders and postage whilst the repair probably took about 30 minutes. Given that the mouse cost me £150 when new I think that was money and time well spent for another three years of top class service (touch wood).

Retro 3 Port USB Cassette Hub Review

I spotted this little USB Cassette hub on social media over Christmas and thought it looked cool so had a look around to pick one up for myself. After some searching I found one on Amazon and for the price I couldn’t resist taking a punt.

 

Packaging

The Packaging

 

It arrived in a plain black box with no indication of what was inside at all. Inside the box there’s what at first glance appears to be a standard looking cassette in a transparent library case along with a micro-USB cable.

 

USB Cassette Package Contents

Package Contents

 

Opening up the case reveals a ‘C90 Cassette’ styled very much like a tape from the 1970’s or 80’s.

 

USB Cassette Hub

USB Cassette Hub in library case

 

Look a little closer though and you start to see that things are not as they first seem. For example, the centre view window where you would normally see the tape spools is merely a sticker. However the two spools are real and can actually be freely rotated. Perfect for reliving your youth by inserting a Bic pen and twirling it around like madman!

 

USB Cassette Hub

Looks can be deceiving!

 

If you flip the cassette over you also notice that both sides are labelled as ‘Side 1’. Perhaps with a little more effort that could have been remedied but that’s a minor niggle.

 

USB Cassette Hub

Side by side comparison with a regular cassette tape.

 

The shell itself is the exact same shape and size as a regular cassette with the main difference being that where the tape transport holes usually lives there are now three USB sockets. There are also no holes for the capstan spindles.

 

USB Cassette Hub

USB Cassette Hub placed on top of a real cassette tape. I thought the way the 3 ports are perfectly aligned with the tape transport holes of the original was a nice touch.

 

Along the top where you might expect to find a write-protect tab there is a micro-USB socket for connecting the hub to your computer using the supplied cable.

 

USB Cassette Hub

No plastic tabs to snap off (or tape over) here. Just a micro USB port.

 

The J card is completely blank – I think they missed a trick here and could have had a nice cover image for the hub and printed the instructions inside in the form of an album listing. That’s a little project I will probably do myself on a rainy Sunday afternoon…

 

Case

The case is just a regular old transparent library case with a blank J card.

 

Instead of a printed J-card there is a small fold-out guide that gives brief specs and some warnings.

 

USB Cassette Hub Instructions

Minimalist instructions.

 

Specifications

In terms of specs it’s positively ancient, supporting only USB 1.1. However, given it’s a retro styled hub it kind of makes sense that the hardware it houses also dates back to the late 1990’s!

 

USB Cassette Hub

Another comparison with an old tape.

 

Manufacturer specs:

  • 3 Port USB 1.1 Hub
  • Supports OHCI and UCHI
  • 1.5Mbps – 12Mbps
  • Includes mini USB cable
  • Rated 5V DC

Thankfully USB 1.1 is perfectly fine for the likes of keyboards and mice which makes it a terrific accessory to use with TheC64 Mini and Maxi machines when you need a few extra USB ports.

 

Putting it to good use

 

Cassette Hub working with TheC64 Mini, 2 joysticks and a USB drive.

 

In addition to USB keyboards and mice I found it also worked perfectly with both my TheC64 Mini and Maxi joysticks and my mini USB drive. Great news if I want to play any 2 player games that aren’t on the built in carousel.

 

Cassette Hub working with TheC64 Mini

 

I also tested it with my TheC64 Maxi and it worked just as well. However with 4 built-in USB ports on the Maxi it’s not really necessary. Still, it’s nice to know it’s an option in the future.

 

Cassette Hub working with TheC64 Maxi

 

Just for kicks I tested the hub out on my PC by transferring a few files across to a USB flash drive. It worked but was very slow – maxing out at a pretty measly 2.77MB/s. Of course this wouldn’t be much of an issue if I was just transferring a few games across to play on TheC64 Mini.

 

PC file transfer speed graph

Testing out the transfer speed on my PC.

 

Verdict

This is a super little device to use with a TheC64 Mini and gives you an extra 2 ports overall. (One of the built-in ports is taken up by the hub). It looks really cool and very nostalgic and compliments TheC64 mini perfectly. The extra ports allow you to hook up a USB keyboard and use a flash drive for extra games along with a joystick or two. This simply isn’t possible without the use of a hub. Sure you could get a modern USB 3 hub but where’s the fun in that!

I can’t recommend it for everyday PC use… it’s just far too slow as you’d expect from a USB1.1 device. But for less than a fiver I think it’s a great little device for retro gaming and sure to put a smile on your face when you use it. An added bonus is that it stores neatly away in a cassette rack when not in use!

 

My PC Setup

My PC Setup

As much as I love my retro computer systems I still enjoying tinkering with PC’s as well. I did try to make do with a pretty decent gaming laptop for a couple of years but it aged quickly and I couldn’t expand it so decided to build myself a new desktop PC. As well as being able to do the normal office-type stuff, photo and video editing etc., I really wanted one that would be capable of playing the new games that support ray tracing.

Here’s a rundown of my system, which I’ll keep updated whenever I change something: (last updated 2nd March 2024).

 

  • In-Win 101 Mid Tower High Air Flow Gaming Case
  • Asus Prime Z370-P II Motherboard
  • Cooler Master Masterwatt 750W Bronze Modular Power Supply
  • Intel i9 9900KF CPU
  • Cooler Master Liquid Lite 120 Liquid Cooling System
  • ASUS DUAL GeForce RTX 4070 GFX Card
  • 2x BEYIMEI PCIE 5 Port USB 3.0 Card
  • 2x Samsung 970 EVO 2TB M.2 SSD’s
  • 2x Samsung 870 QVO 8TB SSD’s
  • 2x Seagate IronWolf 10TB HD’s (Striped)
  • 32GB (4x 8GB) G-Skill Trident-Z DDR4 4000Mhz RAM
  • 5x Antec Prizm ARGB 120mm Fans
  • 2x Antec Prizm ARGB LED lighting strips
  • UGREEN Nano USB Bluetooth 4.0 Adapter
  • BenQ EW3270U 32″ Inch 4K HDR Computer Monitor
  • BenQ ScreenBar Halo LED Monitor Light
  • Invision Gas Powered Monitor Arm
  • Tobii Eye Tracker 5
  • Pioneer BDR-XD07TB Blu-Ray Writer
  • HP DS8A3L Lightscribe CD/DVD Writer
  • Kadlun CD/DVD Writer
  • Creative Labs Sound Blaster ZxR Sound Card
  • Edifier R1280DB Active Bookshelf Studio Bluetooth Speakers
  • ASUS ROG Strix Flare II Animate Mechanical Keyboard
  • Razer Basilisk Ultimate RGB Chroma Mouse
  • Razer Goliathus Extended RGB Chroma Mouse Mat
  • Edifier R1280DB Active Bookshelf Studio Speakers
  • Razer Kraken Ultimate RGB Chroma Headphones
  • Razer Base Station RGB Chroma Headset Stand
  • Razer Tartarus V2
  • Elgato Stream Deck MK.2
  • Epson ET-2710 Printer Scanner
  • Fujitsu ScanSnap iX500 Scanner
  • Dymo LabelWriter Duo Printer
  • Thrustmaster T.16000M FCS Joystick and TWCS Throttle
  • Xbox Elite 2 Controller
  • Logitech G29 Driving Force Racing Wheel, Pedals & Gear Stick
  • Logitech Brio Ultra 4K Webcam
  • Oculus Rift S VR Headset
  • Zoom H2n Microphone/PCM Recorder
  • Netgear Nighthawk RAX200 Router
  • Numerous TRENDnet 5-Port Unmanaged Gigabit Switches
  • CyberPower 1300VA UPS

 

NAS

  • Synology DS220+ NAS
    • 2x Seagate IronWolf Pro 12TB HDD’s
    • Crucial 8GB DDR4 2400MHz RAM
    • APC Back-UPS 700VA
    • Western Digital 8TB Elements External USB3.0 Hard Drive

 

3D Printing Machines

  • Bambu Labs P1s + AMS
  • Bambu Labs P1P + AMS + P1S Conversion

 

I have to say I’m really happy with this system and hope it will give me a good few years of top-end gaming. It boots in seconds and most benchmarks put it in the top 1 or 2% of PC’s around at the moment. Despite this it is also very quiet, even though it sits on my desk right next to me.

As I would have hoped given the specs it certainly plays every game out there with all settings on ultra with stupidly high frame-rates. It’s early days with ray-tracing though as only a handful of games support this feature at the moment.

One of the things I find somewhat ironic (and slightly saddening if I’m honest) is how good my PC is at emulating other systems. Back in the day I used to emulate both the Apple Mac (using ShapeShifter) and PC (using PCTask) on my Amiga 4000. It was an amazing feat at the time which never failed to impress, even if Windows 3.1 was pretty sluggish. PC’s at the time simply could not compete with this.

However, the tables have truly turned now. Now my PC can not only emulate the Amiga, but can actually become a far more powerful Amiga than I could ever have dreamed of back in the day. It can also emulate the Apple Mac, Sony PlayStation, Nintendo and Sega consoles and much more. It can run Virtual Machines running older versions of Windows, or completely different operating systems like Linux all without breaking a sweat. The sad thing is that the Amiga was well ahead of the PC when it launched… who knows how powerful it might have become today if Commodore hadn’t made such a mess of things.

It’s not perfect though and I do have a few niggles with it. For one, I wish I’d picked a case with a couple of 5.25″ drive bays so I could mount optical drives inside it. It seems drive bays are becoming a thing of the past now though as very few cases still include them. So instead I’ve got a couple of USB 3 external drives sat on top of the case to allow me burn discs, create lightscribe labels and play my original disc copies of Diablo and Starcraft etc.

My other niggle is closely related to this. Even though my PC has 8 USB ports (6 on the back, 2 on top) that’s nowhere near enough. I tried running with a 7 port USB hub perched on top of the case for a while but got fed up of the mess of wires that entailed. I’ve since added two 5 port PCIE expansion cards giving me an additional 10 USB ports on my PC. Combined with the 3 ports on the Razer Base Station and the single Port on the back of my I now have a grand total of 22 which I feel is just about enough for the time being…

As any PC enthusiast will know – your build is never complete. That ‘must-have’ upgrade is always just around the corner calling to you like a siren of the sea. But for now I am content…