U-Trak Noise

[u_rebelscum]

Well I couldn't wait so I pulled it here before work, turns out I was right. 

I cleaned them off when they where out but the mark remains so ideas are welcome.

That is pretty minor wear, and wear is expected to occur over use.  You should see how rollers look after a couple years in an arcade (& before they were stainless).  Check out these two links for pics of worn rollers: Bob Roberts, TB repair.

FWIW, the roller wears the fastest brand new, when the ball is resting on only one point.  Once the rollers have a little wear, though, the ball is resting on a curved line, spreading the force over more area, and the speed of the wear drops very quickly.

The thing that's getting me is the idle roller (the diagonal one without a encoder wheel) looks to have more wear than the other two.  If it is getting more wear, the ball might be loose and moving so it rubs on more than once spot on the roller.  (This might be supported by the sound only when to the right and not to the left.)  Or possibly you got a mismatched set of rollers, with the idle roller from a more used set.  Is that just the pictures, or do it actually have more wear?

[Visitor Q]

I think that is just the pictures. When I looked at them this morning and snapped the photos they all appeared to be worn evenly. More or less all surface wear, none are cut into the roller from what I recall, just surface wear. To be the noise only occurs when rolling the ball to the right side but maybe it was happening from other directions as well. Guess I will need to take a video to show you guys.

[AndyWarne]

Are you sure this is actually wear?
If you place a ruler along the shaft, is there any depression? I would suspect there isnt, but can you confirm this.

Assuming there isnt, the mark is just that, a mark. It is caused by the ball rubbing even for a short time on the shiny machined surface of the stainless steel roller. This dulling of the surface happens after a few minutes of use.

I have noticed on some rollers the first few minutes of use seems to bring out the "grain" in the surface of the machined roller so the contact point appears slightly rough. This soon wears completely smooth (although only a microscopic action, not a groove).
The best advice would be to simply use it. Of course I could be wrong and if the rollers are genuinely worn we will replace them, but I cant see Scott even having a U-Trak which has been used for hundreds of hours let alone shipping a used one out. 
Andy

[Visitor Q]

Are you sure this is actually wear?
If you place a ruler along the shaft, is there any depression? I would suspect there isnt, but can you confirm this.

Assuming there isnt, the mark is just that, a mark. It is caused by the ball rubbing even for a short time on the shiny machined surface of the stainless steel roller. This dulling of the surface happens after a few minutes of use.

I have noticed on some rollers the first few minutes of use seems to bring out the "grain" in the surface of the machined roller so the contact point appears slightly rough. This soon wears completely smooth (although only a microscopic action, not a groove).
The best advice would be to simply use it. Of course I could be wrong and if the rollers are genuinely worn we will replace them, but I cant see Scott even having a U-Trak which has been used for hundreds of hours let alone shipping a used one out. 
Andy

It is wear only in the sense that the shininess is worn off; it is not cut or indented, not at this point.

I mean other than the noise it was making when rolling it to the one side, I would have never even took it a part. The only reason I even opened it was to try and eliminate that noise.

At think at this point I should just keep and eye on it. When it is time to clean it in another 6 months or so will see where I stand. If there is considerably more wear then we will know something is wrong and can address it at that time. I just wanted to make you aware of what I am seeing because other than the slight noise that I am getting when the track ball is rolled to the one side, the thing is works GREAT!

I want to thank you publicly for addressing all my issues on your products and not shying away from them. It is very refreshing to speak with someone who truly stands behind there products.

[Visitor Q]

Back from the dead I just want to update some people on this, my track ball has since broke...











































…. itself in and it is quite as can be now! I guess it just needed a little time to settle itself in there, pre cabinet jitters or something. LOL! 

Anyone great product from Ultimarc! 

Top notch support too!