These rollers are shot, right?

[j123vt_99]

as subject says these are on my missile command cab. I assume they are original.. any one have recommendations for a good place to get new ones? the first 2 pics are the x axis and the 2nd two are the y axis

[Matt Berry]

Do they have any flat spots, or an area where it doesn't spin smoothly? If not they still may be usable, your ball will sit a little lower then it should. If it does have flat spots I'd replace them imeditely. Check the dimensions of the rollers, Happ's may fit, or you can always check with Bob Roberts or Betson. Good luck

[NoOne=NBA=]

The bearings not spinning smoothly will affect the trackball performance more than worn rollers.
Check the bearings, to see if they are spinning freely, before dissassembly.
If they DON'T spin freely, replace the rollers and bearings all at once.
There's no sense doing half the job.

If they DO spin freely, I'd take the rollers off, put the ends lightly into a drill chuck, and then polish them with some 150-220 grit sandpaper, to smooth out the dip in them a bit.

NOTE: the rollers will get REALLY hot while doing this, so don't touch them.
I usually rip the sandpaper into strips, and hold the ends of the strips, using the middle area to do the polishing.

I've had a few trackballs in worse condition than that one appears to be that worked fine.
If you want it to work like NEW, then go ahead and buy the roller/bearing assemblies from Bob Roberts.

[vader]

Rollers are probably worn to hell, but the bearing are most likely shot totally and are the culprit.  I got mine at arcadeshop.com   20 bucks for the roller and 20 bucks for bearings.....worked great....


Tim

[j123vt_99]

it actually doesn't play that bad.. i'll try the test of the rollers v. the bearings tonight..

[NoOne=NBA=]

If it's not playing too bad, it may play pretty good if you lube the bearings, and clean off the rollers.

It doesn't take much gunk in the bearings to keep them from performing well.

[RayB]

In my opinion, they are shot. That's alot of wear (24 years worth!)

See the reason that is my opinion is this: I have a Crystal Castles (1983). It has a 3". It was rolling rough, so I replaced the 6 bearings with brand new ones. Now it rolls smoother except when i roll the ball quickly. When I roll quickly, the ball jumps. There's too much clearance, allowing the ball to jump off the rollers.

So therefore I'm getting new rollers. You should too.