Cleaning a Trackball?

[paulscade]

I was looking at the new Ultimarc trackball.   Based on the photos (posted in another thread), the base looks like it's sealed.  I went over to the GGG site and check theirs... it was difficult to tell but I'm assuming that it's sealed too.

Is there ever a need to clean these things?  How?

They are basically an upsidedown ball mouse... don't they get "fuzz" on the rollers?

[severdhed]

i have only worked with 2 trackballs, a happ 3" and a wico 3", both of which come apart easily by removing a few screws.  they should all come apart like that, so that you can replace the rollers and bearings.

[RandyT]

While arcade trackballs can and do get dirt inside them eventually, it is nowhere near the problem the old mice used to be.  The rollers on a mouse are small and thin, so even the shortest fibers are able to wrap around them.  The mouse ball was usually rubber coated for traction, so everything tended to stick to it.  The rollers were also much closer to the exterior of the unit,so the gunk didn't have very far to travel.

On the other hand, arcade trackballs are large, hard and heavy.  Just the action of the hard ball against the steel roller would probably wear down fibers enough for them to break.  If you use the ground wire, it should keep the ball discharged so that it doesn't collect dust and hair.  But nothing, other than clean hands, will prevent eventual crud buildup and wear on the rollers is inevitable.  So every once in a while, you might need to drop the ball and open it up for maintenance.  Unless it's used for hours a day, I wouldn't expect this to be necessary more than once a year.  I have an old Imperial on a "daily use" test rig that I installed 3 years ago and have never cracked it open since.  Still works fine .

RandyT

[TOK]

I just cleaned up a real nasty example in a Golden Tee. This is a Betson, 4 screws in the bottom hold it together.
Full of beer and crud, and barely rolling.


Oil bath for the bearings and cleaned the rollers with metal polish.


Scrubbed all the funk out of the housing with hot water and dish detergent


Scrubbed the ball up too.


Putting it back together.


Ready to go back in, worked like new.


They sell bearing and roller kits for these as well, if you run into one thats really worn. If they're that bad, chances are it's worth just buying a whole new unit.

[Timstuff]

I found that the best way to get an old white trackball looking good is to actually scrub it up with a toothbrush and whitening toothpaste. It did wonders for my old Betson Imperial ball. Ironically, I'm still going to have to replace it because now it's too big for the cabinet I'm working with.

[TOK]

I used a little bit of bleach and then some other regular household cleaner. I didn't take a before pic of the ball, but it was a brownish yellow. I actually didn't think there was any saving it when I first popped it open. 

[Breaker]

Hi all,

Just out of curiousity, to what would I connect the ground wire from the trackball for proper operation?

Breaker.

[Jdurg]

I put mine over one of the bolts that attach the joysticks to the CP I have.  I then wrapped some bare wire from my ground loop around the bolt and put another nut on the top to keep it from moving.  I then used liquid electrical tape to completely encase the metal and avoid accidental shorts.