Main Restorations Software Audio/Jukebox/MP3 Everything Else Buy/Sell/Trade
Project Announcements Monitor/Video GroovyMAME Merit/JVL Touchscreen Meet Up Retail Vendors
Driving & Racing Woodworking Software Support Forums Consoles Project Arcade Reviews
Automated Projects Artwork Frontend Support Forums Pinball Forum Discussion Old Boards
Raspberry Pi & Dev Board controls.dat Linux Miscellaneous Arcade Wiki Discussion Old Archives
Lightguns Arcade1Up Try the site in https mode Site News

Unread posts | New Replies | Recent posts | Rules | Chatroom | Wiki | File Repository | RSS | Submit news

  

Author Topic: Trackball "ZZZZzzzzzzz'ing" Sound...?  (Read 1406 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

RoninEditor

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 218
  • Last login:April 14, 2009, 02:46:58 am
Trackball "ZZZZzzzzzzz'ing" Sound...?
« on: May 08, 2008, 02:40:58 am »
So I just noticed this today as I was putting together my CP.  I installed my top/flush-mounted Happ 3" trackball, everything fit together great.  So I was messing around with it, spinning it from bottom to top - perfect.  Top to bottom, perfect.  Left to right, pretty decent but not a perfect spin.  But going from right to left, it does this buzzing sound and doesn't spin well... like something slowing it down.

Does anyone know what's causing this?  There's nothing from the outside touching the 'inners' of the horizontal spinning disc thing, from what I can see.  I'm curious if anyone else had this.  I really would love to not have to take this trackball apart, afraid of not being able to put the pieces back together again.

Thanks!

nuka1195

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 148
  • Last login:April 18, 2020, 08:47:25 pm
Re: Trackball "ZZZZzzzzzzz'ing" Sound...?
« Reply #1 on: May 08, 2008, 08:44:49 am »
we had a similar issue with a happs highball. it only had issues with spinning in a certain direction, only whne the mounting plate was attached.

if you can open it up, check to make sure the bearings and rollershafts are seated properly.

Minwah

  • Trade Count: (+3)
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 7662
  • Last login:January 18, 2019, 05:03:20 am
    • MAMEWAH
Re: Trackball "ZZZZzzzzzzz'ing" Sound...?
« Reply #2 on: May 08, 2008, 08:48:04 am »
Mine makes a noise too...almost a clicking/whirring sound, again worst in certain directions.  I replaced the rollers/bearings and it made bugger all difference  :-\

Fozzy The Bear

  • Handbags at dawn in here!!!
  • Trade Count: (+1)
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1831
  • Last login:September 18, 2011, 11:29:59 am
  • It's Been One Of Those Days... Don't Ask!
Re: Trackball "ZZZZzzzzzzz'ing" Sound...?
« Reply #3 on: May 08, 2008, 08:49:09 am »
So I just noticed this today as I was putting together my CP.  I installed my top/flush-mounted Happ 3" trackball, everything fit together great.  So I was messing around with it, spinning it from bottom to top - perfect.  Top to bottom, perfect.  Left to right, pretty decent but not a perfect spin.  But going from right to left, it does this buzzing sound and doesn't spin well... like something slowing it down.

Does anyone know what's causing this?  There's nothing from the outside touching the 'inners' of the horizontal spinning disc thing, from what I can see.  I'm curious if anyone else had this.  I really would love to not have to take this trackball apart, afraid of not being able to put the pieces back together again.

Thanks!

Yeah.... Sounds like vibration in the bearings that the rollers run on. Mine does it a bit too. It'll be in one of the bearings that are on the shaft that is running front edge to back edge inside the case.  

One little engineering trick you can try to stop it is to open it up remove "one" of the bearings on that shaft rotate it 180 degrees... (turn it round the other way) and put it back on.  This will usually take up the slack by the fact that the alignment is now different (in a very small way)....

Bearings in trackballs and spinners are not high precision ones... and they do quite often do this.

Best Regards,
Julian (Fozzy The Bear)
Most bottles and jars contain at least twenty-five percent recycled Pacman.
And research indicates that Space Invaders are strongly attracted to people who have recently eaten meat pies.

RoninEditor

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 218
  • Last login:April 14, 2009, 02:46:58 am
Re: Trackball "ZZZZzzzzzzz'ing" Sound...?
« Reply #4 on: May 09, 2008, 02:35:45 pm »
Alright fellas... so I went against my 'fear' and opened it up... we was going on was that one of the 'wheels', ya know, one of the two, the horizontal one was hitting the green circuit cards, making that rubbing sound and slowing the spin down.  Apparently it was off of its slot and hitting the wheel... which I'm glad I caught now!!

Now it works great... if I can just get these last these button nuts on, I'll be golden, three days of trying now!! haha

RoninEditor

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 218
  • Last login:April 14, 2009, 02:46:58 am
Re: Trackball "ZZZZzzzzzzz'ing" Sound...?
« Reply #5 on: May 09, 2008, 02:48:20 pm »
we had a similar issue with a happs highball. it only had issues with spinning in a certain direction, only whne the mounting plate was attached.

if you can open it up, check to make sure the bearings and rollershafts are seated properly.

Bingo.

fjl

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1152
  • Last login:March 04, 2017, 10:14:04 pm
  • Pixels Rule!
Re: Trackball "ZZZZzzzzzzz'ing" Sound...?
« Reply #6 on: May 09, 2008, 07:42:51 pm »
After reading this thread I got curious and tested my trackball out and wouldn't you know it, it also has the same problem.  :angry:

Seems that when I spin it in a certain direction, it spins freely. Spin it the opposite way and it stops abruptly. Something inside is getting in the way. I'm surprised I never noticed this before. After having spent over a hundred bucks over at GGG for the Electric ice trackball, you'd think I would have gotten something of quality or at least put together in quality form. Now I'm gonna have to open it up and re-adjust it. If that's even possible.

:(

For shame, on whoever put these together...

Hoopz

  • Don't brand me a troublemaker!
  • Trade Count: (+8)
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 5285
  • Last login:June 13, 2025, 09:18:32 pm
  • Intellivision Rocks!
Re: Trackball "ZZZZzzzzzzz'ing" Sound...?
« Reply #7 on: May 09, 2008, 07:56:06 pm »
After reading this thread I got curious and tested my trackball out and wouldn't you know it, it also has the same problem.  :angry:

Seems that when I spin it in a certain direction, it spins freely. Spin it the opposite way and it stops abruptly. Something inside is getting in the way. I'm surprised I never noticed this before. After having spent over a hundred bucks over at GGG for the Electric ice trackball, you'd think I would have gotten something of quality or at least put together in quality form. Now I'm gonna have to open it up and re-adjust it. If that's even possible.

:(

For shame, on whoever put these together...
For somebody who doesn't take any responsibility for what he does, you sure are quick to make judgments and blame others without gathering any facts first.

Fozzy The Bear

  • Handbags at dawn in here!!!
  • Trade Count: (+1)
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1831
  • Last login:September 18, 2011, 11:29:59 am
  • It's Been One Of Those Days... Don't Ask!
Re: Trackball "ZZZZzzzzzzz'ing" Sound...?
« Reply #8 on: May 09, 2008, 08:39:33 pm »
For shame, on whoever put these together...

Isn't it amazing that the size of your mouth is in an inverse square proportion to the number of brain cells you exhibit.

Like I said yesterday..... It's better that people think you're an idiot than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.

and you're still a total div.

Regards,
Julian (Fozzy The Bear)
Most bottles and jars contain at least twenty-five percent recycled Pacman.
And research indicates that Space Invaders are strongly attracted to people who have recently eaten meat pies.

fjl

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1152
  • Last login:March 04, 2017, 10:14:04 pm
  • Pixels Rule!
Re: Trackball "ZZZZzzzzzzz'ing" Sound...?
« Reply #9 on: May 09, 2008, 10:39:39 pm »
You know, I would understand being insulted if I did something wrong to you yet I haven't and yet you choose to insult me anyways. Either you're troll or simply like the attention or both. Please refrain from talking to me in the future.

Seriously...