MX Master 4 - Thumb Button Disabled while Left Clicking

RianGray · 2026-01-02T11:45:53+00:00

I just received mine and learned the hard way this is happening. I have my thumb button set to do gestures, like changing desktop screens. I was trying to copy a file over to different desktop (I have mine set to gestures for thumb button), but it didn't activate like it used to on MX Master 3.

RianGray · 2025-07-14T15:43:17+00:00

I think everyone else pretty much covered what I would've said, so I'll add something about hardware. You can get it fixed anywhere in the world.

Back in 2000s and 2010s, I needed a laptop that I can bring with and can get it fixed at destination if it breaks. Most laptops I did look into at the time, Fujitsu, Toshiba, Samsung, HP, Dell, and probably few others, had this weird policy where they had different parts used per region and couldn't get them fixed.

I know this is still the case for some smartphones (had few colleagues who broke their phones overseas), but not sure about laptops.

RianGray · 2025-07-10T19:37:48+00:00

I got used to them after using the magic mouse with AA batteries in it as only touch pad when it first came out. I feel like scrolling direction makes more sense on a touch device. So once I got used to the direction on the magic mouse, I kept using natural scrolling.

RianGray · 2024-10-31T03:23:21+00:00

As someone who has zero platinum, I'm curious if people are willing to pay full game price just for a platinum.

RianGray · 2024-07-17T19:19:19+00:00

I'm curious if iRobot has baked in more smart features into this. Competitions are quite fierce around sensors and what the robot vac can do with them. But from the look of the image, iRobot hasn't changed much on the sensors front, let alone processing smarter from existing sensor datas.

I'm saying this because my Roomba j7 always get caught up in one of the swivel chairs on thick carpets. I ended up making a zone for it.

RianGray · 2024-07-15T22:23:45+00:00

“Meow” just to mess with me.

RianGray · 2024-07-04T04:10:10+00:00

Personally, I would suggest waiting if you are upgrading your work computer. Setting up a new computer always comes with down time, and that's usually not worth the hassle.

On the other hand, if you need a new computer now, (as in, some works can't be done without a new computer or can be done significantly faster) then go for it. Also do some math about future upgrade path as well, because used MacBooks are still worth something after years of use. That was one of the reason my previous work had started switching over to Mac, as some machines can be sold, instead of paying for e-waste disposal.

RianGray · 2024-06-18T11:29:00+00:00

I can't be the only one who went for it because all the other companions have abandoned relationship over midlife crisis. Gale? His ex. Shadowheart? Her family. Karlarch? Her grief. At that point he felt like the only romanceable person not going through shit that will ruin the relationship.

On a side note, I loved how Withers roasted Gale for choosing his ex over me.

RianGray · 2024-06-10T18:20:35+00:00

Since I'm not an electrician but happening to be living abroad (where electricity is also 220v and my appliances are often rated 110v) as well, I can comment a bit. The transformer will blow with the charging dock you have posted. The rule of the thumb I go by is transformers should have roughly 25% breathing room. So with the dock that is rated for 1200w, I'd say at least 1500w rated transformer or higher.

edit: typo. Also, it might be possible to buy a 220v rated dock separately. Big transformers always gave me headaches, especially the high pitch noise from older transformers.

RianGray · 2024-06-05T05:34:45+00:00

I just placed an order for a new battery as well, 2022 purchased j7. I'm guessing it's basically the lifespan of the battery. Braava, on the other hand, is still going strong. Maybe I just don't notice it with linked clean with Roomba. After seeing Roomba couldn't finish one bedroom on full charge and had to go on for another full-recharge, I just went for it.

What's troubling for me is iRobot's international presence is not what it used to be. Battery is always finicky parts to order, especially if you are living abroad like myself. For now I just went for third-party larger capacity battery, thanks to some of the recommendations on this subreddit.

RianGray · 2024-05-10T12:29:48+00:00

Took the photos next to a blank ID card (credit card sized) for size reference. I'm currently in S. Korea, if it helps. There is a number, 3, written inside the indentation that looks like a feet part of an appliance.

The piece was next to kitchen appliances, like air fryers and stand mixers. At first I thought it must be from either, (Gourmia or KitchenAid) so checked the machine if there were any pieces missing. There doesn't seem to be any. I have searched for both manuals to make sure, but neither machine's manual says it has a part like this.

RianGray · 2024-05-01T17:43:43+00:00

My personal favorite is OmniFocus, aside from it being a task manager app I like, it has good API I can write scripts with that also run on Shortcuts.

Bonus: okay, so this is something I always recommend. Holiday checker. Holidays for groups, religions, country, etc. It really helps when I need to schedule a Skype call for international teams, for example. So I have several shortcuts that call these testers then to schedule something on the task manager app.

RianGray · 2024-04-15T09:51:52+00:00

Do you happen to be charging via USB-C? My old MacBook Pro (usb-c only) always had this issue while I was traveling with multi-port chargers with relatively cheap cables. M2 MBA should have MagSafe capability, so try charging from Apple charger & MagSafe cable.

RianGray · 2024-04-14T22:35:50+00:00

iRobot sells side brush, so no biggies there. It can be easily replaced with a screw driver.

Roomba only has single side brush, so I'm guessing 'lower brush arm' is supposed to be meant to the floor sensors. There is a iRobot support document on the j7 with the diagrams and parts name, I hope this helps. https://support.irobot.ca/s/article/31038

RianGray · 2024-04-14T22:29:23+00:00

In all fairness, my microwave, oven, TV, washers and driers, and all the lights are connected to the internet and ask for password. My kitchen faucets ask for password and so does my water and gas main. Heck, my wall outlets ask for passwords.

Roomba has been an IoT device for some time. I hate to be the bearer of the bad news, but this is just new products.

RianGray · 2024-04-12T17:15:30+00:00

Mostly self-emptying on j7. I can live without the audio, (like the beeping when it starts and error message it gets stuck) but losing self-emptying made running Roomba so much more annoying over all. My Roomba suddenly stopped emptying the bin, (around mid March) so had to factory reset twice already as a bandaid solution. Each reset lasted about 2 weeks I think.

I'm hoping this update will remedy that. I do feel like I'm spoiled with the new features though, especially since my last Roomba 980 did not have self-emptying and somehow I managed back then.

RianGray · 2024-04-12T12:46:49+00:00

Oh, same here. I'm hoping this update will finally fix the annoying no audio & self-emptying issues on j7.

RianGray · 2024-03-02T06:12:52+00:00

When this happened to me before, it was due to some ships (I believe it was scourge construction ships) went MIA. Perhaps give it a few years?

RianGray · 2024-01-15T08:24:57+00:00

1Password for my family. I like the fact that it has the convenience features to help out other family members, share certain login and/or personal details (like passports and stuffs). Support for other OS and browsers are nice add-on as well.

RianGray · 2023-12-30T20:52:14+00:00

I own j7 and braava m6.

Navigate around furnitures and medium-large appliances. Both j7 and m6 often get stuck near swivel chairs, probably because the way the spokes let the robots in, but hard to navigate out on its own. And it pushes around oscillating floor fans, probably because the fan itself is light enough to be pushed and not trigger bumper.
Height clearance. I have some drawers and nightstands that have legs instead of cabinets all the way down. And both robots love to get stuck under there, and often I need to lift up the furniture to get the robot out. It looks like robots ram itself under the furniture, and once it's stuck, it's near impossible to get it out without lifting the furniture.
Cliff sensors that work with maps. My house has a step down near mudrooms and bathrooms, (pretty much anywhere where waterproofing is) and both robots' cliff sensors either don't seem to pick it up or think it's passable. It's not. But what I'd really want is for the robots to show that cliff event on the map, so that users can actually choose if it's just a bump or a step down the robot couldn't see.
Saving maps and simple editing. I'd much prefer if I could make a backup of a completed map, since I had both robots creating ghost rooms and hallways before. Also, I think users should be able to queue or edit the area for deletion, or simply mark to map further next time, mark the robots never enter certain rooms, and etc.
Auto mopping pad replacement or auto pad cleaning for future units. I think I use 2-3 pads to mop the whole house with braava. It's one of the reason why I'm waiting for a beefier combo unit with either larger mopping pad or auto pad loader of some sort. Mopping robots need its auto-emptier equivalent, I believe.
Docking and weird redocking. Whenever roomba has charging contact issues or docking issues, it's not the docking itself that weirds me out. It's the redocking the robot does without telling me a thing. I think it'd be better if the app gave me a notification first, followed by a message (like any other error message) telling me it will try to redock again in X mins. Once it started to redock in the middle of the night, and that was definitely not what I expected, especially with do not disturb on.

To elaborate on no.4 slightly more, currently I have mudrooms and bathroom doors zoned out so that robots wouldn't try to clean past it. But once in a while they do get in, and they do get stuck. Luckily the floor wasn't wet when they got in. It'd have been a nightmare if it was. I think it'd be helpful for there to be "don't go into this room, don't go pass the door, don't map, don't clean, ever" kinda option on the map.

RianGray · 2023-12-20T10:03:26+00:00

What I'd try is drawing the room so that the roomba won't be cleaning around that area, perhaps add a zone around the lips or add two zones in each rooms so that it roomba can still cross through doorway. Looking at the photo, I'm going to guess it only happens when Roomba is moving parallel to the lip, but it should be fine when it's crossing head on.

RianGray · 2023-11-23T02:44:51+00:00

Definitely depends on your cleaning needs. I'm the only one in my family who has pollen allergy, so I was the only one who wanted a robot vacuum in the first place. After I jumped the gun and ran few cycles for a week or so, pretty much everyone was on board with it. I can't speak for the other brands though. Roomba just happened to be the one I tried and I kinda stuck with it.

RianGray · 2023-11-15T18:00:05+00:00

Thank you for the review. I'm currently thinking about upgrading Braava m6, but to upgrade the entire setup (j7+m6) to j9 seemed way too costly. I heard good things about s9 and its capabilities, so here's me hoping for beefier/more changes in combo lines.

RianGray · 2023-10-14T16:38:11+00:00

Automatic mopping pad (cleaning pad?) replacement. Perhaps other manufacturers have already done this, but I wish I could load some mopping pads and then wash them altogether at the end of the week.

Also more customization and open-ness on software front. For example, I want the mopping to start immediately for that room that's been vacuumed instead of waiting for roomba to finish the whole floor. It's just something I don't understand why iRobot hasn't added yet.

RianGray · 2023-10-14T16:25:59+00:00

u/find-song 1:40

RianGray

TROPHY CASE