Trackball Opto question

[creatine28]

I have an old track ball opto and it seems to of conked out!  I guess my questions is, what usually goes wrong with these?  Resistor, sensors etc.  Just trying to determine if there's any way to salvage what I have. I don't wanna have to fork over $15 for a new opto.

Thanks!

[OSCAR]

Check your wiring first and make sure a wire isn't grounded out on something.  Next check to see if any debris (sawdust) may be blocking a sensor; believe me, this happens!  Try swapping the x- & y-axis optic boards to verify that it is indeed the optic board that is the problem and not wiring.

If it is the optic board giving you trouble, most likely the problem is with one of, or possibly both, the phototransistor/led pairs.  I've had "dead" optic boards before and just reflowing the solder joints can sometimes bring them back to life, but that is only on rare occasions.  The next step would be to look into replacement phototransistor/led pairs and change them out, but even that isn't a guarantee to fix your problem.  By the time you are done, it may have been simpler and less headache to just buy a new optic board.