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fixing up old trackball
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severdhed:

--- Quote from: Turnarcades on September 17, 2010, 09:44:28 pm ---I've heard of people supposedly using pool balls as trackballs - try this for a unique look.

--- End quote ---

interesting idea, but the trackball I have is 3", billiard balls are smaller than that.

i'll have to look around to see what cleaners i have around the house.  i'm just excited that this thing works, i thought for sure one of the optical boards were dead.
Mario:
I cleaned my trackball with auto polish and cleaner. I used the cleaner first, which got rid of the dirt, and then polished to a nice shine. I did this all by hand. The white trackball looked like new.

For the bearings, I used electronics cleaner that someone else mentioned. I used a drill to spin the bearings at a relatively high speed to break up any junk in the bearings. I did this by using a dart shaft that fit into the drill chuck and also into the center of the bearing. Simply pushing the dart shaft against the bearing with light pressure was enough for the drill to spin the bearing, and I felt this was safe for my fingers in case the drill slipped. After this, I soaked the bearings in the cleaner to finish cleaning them, and then used some light oil to lubricate them. It was a great improvement in the bearing movement and they work fine, but I couldn't get them to work like new.

Hope this helps.

Mario
Xiaou2:
FYI - If the bearings are not new, there is only so much restoration that can
occur.  Usually there has been some wear inside the bearing track, as well as
possibly the balls worn down a little.  Sometimes rust had developed, and after
removal, there are pits.  And any fragments of metal could get ground into the
race, creating bumps.

 A brand new "Stiff" bearing should have no problem with the method mentioned
however.   Personally, I do not recommend the drill spinning, because if the thing
spins too fast and off-center, it could result in wear.  Spinning them by hand is
really quite easy.  By spinning them 2x each side for 60 seconds, should allow the
complete removal of all the bearing grease.  It will dissolve and leak out the bottom
as you spin. (make sure bearing is horizontal)

 Also, I really do not think its necessary to oil them.  Trackball bearings dont really need it.
They do not go through and heavy pressure and high spin abuses.  Even the light
oil will probably slow them down too much due to the additional friction.  Though, Theres
probably an ultralight, "watery oil" made for things like tiny watch parts that might be
best suited for this application.  Even then, it would probably need a tiny drop at most.
(not easy to apply so little, without taking a bearing apart)

 White trackball recovery might have differing results depending on the age.  I think
the older balls might be made with material that damages with Ultraviolet light - causing
a yellowish look, that probably cant be removed unless you take off quite a lot of
material.  I could be mistaken though.

RandyT:

--- Quote from: Xiaou2 on September 18, 2010, 02:06:56 am --- A brand new "Stiff" bearing should have no problem with the method mentioned
however.   Personally, I do not recommend the drill spinning, because if the thing
spins too fast and off-center, it could result in wear.

--- End quote ---

Drill spinning is fine.  Bearings are designed to handle RPM's in the thousands, and your hand drill doesn't have a chance of doing this.  And if you are holding them in your hand while doing it, there's also no chance you'll put enough force on them to do them any harm whatsoever.


--- Quote --- Also, I really do not think its necessary to oil them.  Trackball bearings dont really need it.
They do not go through and heavy pressure and high spin abuses.  Even the light
oil will probably slow them down too much due to the additional friction.

--- End quote ---

It is absolutely necessary to oil them.  Direct metal on metal friction will kill a bearing 10X faster than if lubricated.  With no lubrication, you also get corrosion.  Be smart and oil the bearings.  The little bit of resistance that thin oil might cause is paltry compared to what metal dust, corrosion and abnormal wear to the races will cause.

RandyT
CheffoJeffo:
I haven't bought a new trackball in a long time. I grab up old ones from the local op (they just pull them from their GT machines periodically) and clean them up.


* Clean 'em
* Spin 'em
* 3-in-1
I've only had 1 unit ever fail to perform as good as new afterwards.
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