Trackball sluggish, almost like debris in bearings working against it

[bratwurst]

I bought a trackball brand new when I built my cabinet, but it has always seemed bad to me.  Like it didn't work properly.  There's just nothing smooth about it.  It's a happ trackball and it takes effort to move it.  The thing sounds like the bearings are a bit off, almost like they've got some sawdust in them possibly from when I built the thing.  I'm not sure.

I saw some threads here about re-oiling the bearings.  Do you think that's all I have to do?  And if so, how do I disassemble and go through that process?

I made a very short video so you can hear the sound of this thing and how it barely moves.  I'm not sure how great a video demo it is but I thought it might help.



Any thoughts or guidance appreciated.

[yaksplat]

See what happens if you losten the screws that hold the trackball together.  When mine were tight the ball barely moved.  I ended up putting spacers in the case and now it's smooth.

[bratwurst]

Loosen the trackball from the mounting bracket? Is that where you put the spacers?

[bratwurst]

Are there places I can buy new ball bearings if necessary?

[yaksplat]

the bracket and the screws holding the trackball together.  There are 6 of them.

[bratwurst]

Ok I will take the trackball out of the cab first and oil the bearings. I bought some 3-1 oil after reading a different thread. When putting back together I will see about not putting it back as tight

[TopJimmyCooks]

Dude, loosen the screws and try it before you take it apart.  Take good advice.  it happened to me as well.  the plastic case can flex when the fasteners are too tight and bind the ball. 

[bratwurst]

I opened it up and the rollers were full of gunk, and when I cleaned them off, they still had a worn in line that I could not remove.  So I cleaned it up, oiled the bearings with the 3-1 and put it back together.  I left the screws a little looser this time, and the thing is now quiet and works a LOT better.

I took some pics of the grime, but I don't have them here at work.  I'll try to remember to load them up tonight if anyone is interested.

[pinballjim]

I wrap a little sandpaper around the rollers and spin them around in my hands a little to smooth out that groove in the middle.

[paigeoliver]

And new rollers aren't that pricey, particularly if it is your only machine.

[surface tension]

I've spoken to a rep at Happ about this and they claim I'm the only person to have reported the issue. I now re-oil all the bearings on our systems before installing. It's time consuming and shouldn't be something I have to do, but it's better than an unhappy customer.