Electric Ice Trackball 1/100" too Big - Suggestions?

[rytel]

I just got the 3" Electric Ice upgrade kit from Groovy Game Gear, for my 3" Happ trackball that I was planning on using in my next project. It looks extremely cool, but I couldn't get the trackball enclosure closed with out tightening it down so that the ball couldn't move in any direction. I took the Electric Ice ball out and compared it to the original ball with calipers, and the new ball was 1/100 of an inch bigger, which was apparently responsible for the jamming.

Has anyone had a similar problem? I think it could be solved with washers or laser-cut acrylic or delrin in the gap between halves of the case or possible by cutting the U-shaped channels the bearing ride in a little deeper. But I didn't want to go cutting plastic without seeing if someone had already solved the problem.

[huygens]

Did you make sure all your rollers are fully seated? On my Happ there's a slight gap between the lip and the ball. 1/100 souldn't be enough to keep the case from closing.

[RandyT]

Heh, yes, something must not be seated properly.  1/100th of an inch is nothing in the scheme of a 3" diameter ball.  It's literally the thickness of 4 sheets of paper, and you should have a heck of a lot more space than that between the original ball and the case.

RandyT

[rytel]

Did you make sure all your rollers are fully seated? On my Happ there's a slight gap between the lip and the ball. 1/100 souldn't be enough to keep the case from closing.

That was the first thing I checked. I can close the case, but the ball jams against the lip when I do. I tried removing the copper foil pieces, but that didn't really help.

Heh, yes, something must not be seated properly.  1/100th of an inch is nothing in the scheme of a 3" diameter ball.  It's literally the thickness of 4 sheets of paper, and you should have a heck of a lot more space than that between the original ball and the case.

I agree, 1/100" shouldn't be affecting anything, maybe my calipers aren't working properly, but that's what they read. 
I do know that the original ball has a little bit of play between the rollers and the lip. I can close the case and turn it upside down and the original ball will rattle around while the Electric Ice ball will stay stuck. By the way, it's really nice to see someone supporting their product like this.

I notice there's a seam in the plastic on the underside of the trackball lip. I think the Electric Ice ball seems to be snagging there. I'll try taking it down with a little sanding or a buffing wheel.

[RandyT]

I notice there's a seam in the plastic on the underside of the trackball lip. I think the Electric Ice ball seems to be snagging there. I'll try taking it down with a little sanding or a buffing wheel.

If that doesn't work, you can try shimming the case with something thin, like some thin metal washers between the two halves and on the screws that hold the case together.  This should give you the extra space, and won't hurt a thing.

It's possible the that HAPP trackball case is a little deformed and part of it is closer to the ball than usual.

RandyT

[Stobe]

Solution:  Microwave it on half power for 14-15 seconds.

No wait!!  That was my solution for re-flowing my xbox360.  Never mind!