trackball repair kits

[Wade]

I just bought a clapped out imperial trackball from ebay.  I'm considering getting new rollers and bearings, maybe even a new ball.  At the moment, Happ's prices aren't working.

My real question is if their Happ ball rebuild kits will work with imperial trackballs.

Also, my rollers have a groove in the center of each roller.  Is this from wear or are the imperials different from the happs in this way? (I'm betting its just wear)

Thanks,
Wade

[dhansen]

Yes, it's wear.  Have you checked out Bob Roberts?  Better prices but you have to do the snail mail thing.


http://www.dameon.net/BBBB/parts.html#tbs

Doug

[Mike]

I just bought a clapped out imperial trackball from ebay.  I'm considering getting new rollers and bearings, maybe even a new ball.  At the moment, Happ's prices aren't working.

My real question is if their Happ ball rebuild kits will work with imperial trackballs.

Also, my rollers have a groove in the center of each roller.  Is this from wear or are the imperials different from the happs in this way? (I'm betting its just wear)

Thanks,
Wade

The grove may not be from wear my wico ball which i think is very similar to the imperial has a groove in the rollers. Anyways my wico ball was nasty as can be when I got it. I used a little wd-40 and steel wool to clean the bearings good then put some rollerblade oil in them and they are fast as can be now. Might want to try that before ordering the kit.

[Kane]

I did the same with my used ball I got from ebay. I took it apart and soaked the rollers/bearing in wd40. The ball itself is in excellent condition so I didn't have to worry about that.

[Wade]

I don't mind snailmail.  I forgot about Bob Roberts, I will check him out if I decide to get a kit.

My rollers were rough and rusty in the grooves, but I put the rollers in a drill to spin them quickly and used some fine sandpaper to clean them up.  They really feel smooth now.  I bet I can get a lot of performance out of the bearings with a little work too but if I can get a kit for a good price I'd probably rather do that and be sure it works properly.

I noticed the ball will kind of lift up off the rollers sometimes.  I wasn't sure if this was normal or maybe if it was caused by slack from the grooves worn in the rollers.  It's been a long time since I've spun a trackball in an arcade.

Thanks,
Wade

[u_rebelscum]

I noticed the ball will kind of lift up off the rollers sometimes.  I wasn't sure if this was normal or maybe if it was caused by slack from the grooves worn in the rollers.  It's been a long time since I've spun a trackball in an arcade.

Arcade trackballs sometimes lift off, but it'll lift off more often if the rollers have grooves.

The grove may not be from wear my wico ball which i think is very similar to the imperial has a groove in the rollers.

New Wico rollers don't come with grooves (mine didn't).  If you don't have problems with the grooves, don't worry about them.  If they're deep or uneven, however, you will get better performance if you replaced them.  Bob Roberts has some good information on trackballs, rollers, & grooves. (http://www.dameon.net/BBBB/tracks.html is one good page; he has others, too.)

[Wade]

Wow, thanks for all the good info.  My grooves are very small compared to those in Bob's picture.  I might just go with a new ball and bearings.

Thanks,
Wade

[MameFan]

Here's a tip if your ball is physically in good shape, but just is yellowed from age:

Buy a gallon of the "Deck Wash" stuff at Home Depot/Lowes/Menards or similar places. It's HIGHLY concentrated bleach.   Get an old pickle jar, slide the ball in, then fill the jar over the ball with the deck wash bleach.

Let it sit 12-24 hours, swill it, let it sit another 12-24 hours, swirl again.  Perhaps wait one more day. Swirl as often as you like (to prevent a single spot from not geting as much bleach).

A few days later, the ball should be NOTICEABLY lighter (more ivory not yellow, depending on type).

I've brought many a ball back to a nicer condition by doing this.

[Wade]

I was thinking about getting a translucent blue ball but I might just try that.  My ball seems to be smooth enough but it just looks bad.  It has lots of marks on it too.  Thanks for the suggestion, if I try it I'll post my result here.

Wade