The world's best trackball was built to break

Kensington's Turbo Mouse and Expert Mouse trackballs have been around for decades. I picked one up, expecting an easy fix -- but its design rendered it e-waste instead.
Sources:
Expert Mouse 8-ball photo: / 1370496347363667971
Expert Mouse Pro photo: imgur.com/LiceKS6
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[@MikeDS49]

Even sealed bearings can be serviced. I've done it numerous times on bikes. They have metal caps on the sides with rubber grommets to seal against each bearing race. It looks like there's enough room to open the cap on the non-sensor side with a dental pick poked between the grommet and the race. Don't worry if there's a tiny bit of damage. The bearing will not be exposed to high RPMs or the elements. The bearings guts can cleaned out with brake cleaner (best, but unsure if it would affect the PCB), WD-40, or citrus degreaser. Spin them until the cleaner runs clear. Examine the balls and races for pitting and feel how they turn. Add some regular bicycle hub grease in the bearing. squeeze the lid back on the bearing to close it up.

[@kaitlyn__L]

Thank you!! I’ve got similar experience. But you saved me the trouble writing it all out :) This trackball is not a goner, just needs more patience and care. At first I was happy he tried lubing the “sealed, non serviceable, just buy a new one” bearing… it’s a shame he didn’t go quite far enough.

[@getinkt338]

They make a "contact cleaner" now - basically weak brake cleaner that is 100% safe of plastics and is meant to be used on electronics, works like a champ on motor windings

[@OriginalPatrickWilliams]

I was about to post the same. As long as flat spots have not been worn into the bearings, I have had lots of success rebuilding “sealed” bearings by soaking them in a solvent, drying and relubricating them. I’ve had plenty of success with sealed skate bearings, and I wouldn’t think that these would be much different. The only tricky part of course would be to find a solvent that is tough enough to break through the grime, but is also safe for the board/plastics.

[@fhunter1test]

@@getinkt338 I actually think I have seen screw that holds the axle-bearing assembly separately (at 4:38). but may be I am mistaken. so it can be taken out separately from the PCB.

[@yns000]

yeah seems like he really didnt even try lol

[@SwitchAndLever]

Oh that's definitely fixable! The heat stakes can be removed, you just need to heat them up gently (a lighter should suffice if you're careful) and kind of mold them with a small knife back to a shape that will slip back out of the hole. Finding the right size bearing should be a simple feat, and it's quite possible that the pattern on the shield is either a separate piece which you can attach to the new bearing, or can be reproduced and replaced with something like a printed sticker. 🙂 Don't give up, you got this!

[@jackgerberuae]

Depends on the type of plastic. Not all are malleable

[@SwitchAndLever]

@@jackgerberuae Since it's been heat staked it definitely is malleable, that's kind of the whole point of heat staking 😄

[@StarkRG]

It definitely looks like the reflective pattern is glued on. There's some yellow goop visible at the edges which could be grease but I doubt it. The pattern also doesn't look centered.

[@davidcameron648]

Absolutely fixable. The heat stakes can just be carved off and replaced with a screw and fender washer of the proper size (this is the standard fix for old IBM Model M keyboards with broken heat rivets). The bearings look to be off the shelf with encoder wheels glued to them. They should be easy to replace as you just need to match the physical dimensions (shaft diameter, outer diameter, and width). For the encoder wheel, it should be possible to remove it with the use of heat, solvent, or mechanical means (depending on the adhesive used), or you could just print a new one up on a laser printer (bonus points for doing a thermal transfer of the print to aluminum).

[@ImnotgoingSideways]

I inspected mine just now and while the bearing holder looks to be the exact same design, at some point they decided to stop heat staking them. The parts on mine just slip out clean and free but could have been staked if deemed necessary. The next problem is that the bearing-to-shaft appears to be an extremely strong press-fit. The bearing ID is 6mm and I measured the axle to be 6.2mm. The part has features to permit a fixture to cleanly install the bearing, but I can't imagine sliding it back off without some degree of irreversible damage.

[@racecar_spelled_backwards868]

This is the 2nd Generation TurboMouse. I had the 1st generation back in the day. The 1st generation had 3 (IIRC) replaceable bearings and used encoder wheels on shafts with teflon spindles instead of the patterns on the side of the actual bearings. This is a cost-reduced (and physically smaller) version of the 1st Generation. The bearings accumulated all sorts of oil and hand goop on the outside and needed to be cleaned (just like a regular mouse but upside down). The bearings were rather pricey IIRC so even on the 1st gen a new set was close to $50 back in the day (late 1980's or early 1990's). The 1st generation was a lot more serviceable, but had some quirks of its own.

[@blackhavocjim]

That encoder pattern is an applique glued to the bearing not a part of it. Read the code on the bearing, its probably a standard bearing. There are most likely ceramic replacements available now. And you can always convert heat staked posts into screw attachments very easily.

[@the_beefy1986]

I still use the modern descendant of this device to this day. I was impressed by Kensington's customer service a year or so ago when I talked to their online chat (presumably an actual person) to ask how I could order a new wrist rest as mine had cracked. Even though the device wasn't in warranty, they asked for my serial number and then sent me a new one free of charge.

[@viktorakhmedov3442]

Will definitely remember that when looking for peripherals. Good, human-based service is impossible to find anymore.

[@wscgdev]

I had a similar experience- called to get a replacement ball for my wired Expert Mouse, two days later I had an entire replacement unit in my mailbox!

[@thomashenden71]

I would have tried different solvents, like isopropyl alcohol, to clean the ball bearings, before giving up, because it seems unlikely that regular use would wear out these ball bearings, there is almost no load on them and the amount of rotation they were subjected too, is easy to imagine, would be far lese when used as a trackball mouse, than in some motor assembly. It is very, very likely, that what got the ball bearings stuck, is grease from the hands of the user, and probably the previous owner have cleaned up the mouse, which seemed to be in very good condition, and also unsuccessfully used regular machine oil, without attempting to clean out the grease inside the ball bearings. Meaning - it is not too late to save the trackball mouse. If the previous user even was a smoker, a nice combination of nicotine, grease from the hands, possibly fram any food the user ate etc. would be the culprit, you cannot just use sewing machine oil and smooth that out! If isopropanol didn’t work, I would have moved over to acetone, though this may ruin the plastic, so should be dripped on, very carefully. Am sure other viewers here, would have even better suggestions than me, what to use, but surely isopropanol could be tried first, maybe regular alcohol, again - being careful not to ruin the plastics.

[@Nyootimus]

My problem with the modern one, which isn't saying much as it's sitting on my desk as I type this.... the scroll ring is scratchy and bad and feels cheap.... but the rest, perfectly fine, I've had it for a while now

[@organfairy]

They made non-serviceable parts already in the 70's. I have an old Yamaha SY-1 synthesizer from 1974, and most of the circuitboards inside are potted with epoxy making them completely inaccesible for repair. The service manual just states that you have to order a complete replacement board in case of failure - which was impossible a few years after production stopped. I ended up making a new board from modern parts and a strip-board for my SY-1. It works but inside it looks like Doc Brown's 1955 repair of the time machine in Back to the Future III.

[@bshoke]

Try using some heat on the bearing to soften the grease and expand the metal before trying the smallest needle you can get hold of.

[@JamesHalfHorse]

Beat me to it. Heat them with a very tight nozzle or soldering iron tip touched around the outside let the metal components soak in the heat slow and they will potentially suck in oil or cleaner to get them going. My only worry would be the internals might be plastic but what are you out at this point? I have to use a torch to remove/reinstall bolts on some farm equipment. Heat frees them and cooling them down locks them in place something you want on spinning blades of death but often lots of penetrating oil is used on red hot bolts that have soaked in rust as they get very hot in operation too. I have touched an iron to a stuck hard drives spindles and got it to spin just like putting them in the freezer can get them going again. Big bolt or small bearing usually once warm it will soak in the also hot oil. May not last but it will as they say make the harvest. Avoiding fire hazards by not suggesting them there are solvents and oils you can try mechanics and machinists swear to brands like religions which is another reason I won't suggest one, do all this in a well ventilated area with a fire extinguisher and the usual generic warnings. I also keep medical syringes on my bench just for shooting high pressure jets of cleaners and oils into very small spaces mostly cleaning pots and old flux from under components things like that. You only get one or two uses out of them running straight alcohol as it eats the plunger but I buy them by the box from farm supply. If you ever wanted a mini bench top pressure washer to just blast something clean there you go. Just happen to be the same size needed to vaccinate horses so double business purchase win for me.

[@bshoke]

@@JamesHalfHorse we were farming when I was growing up, and now I’ve got a 1acre garden and a little garden tractor with a cat0 3point and tool bar, shanks sweeps and little offset disk that had all sat parked for over 20 years before it was given to me, the old torch with penetrating oil smoke show has become one of my early go to practices. The number of twisted off bolt heads and cracked sockets has gone way down even with cheater pipes on breaker bars.

[@1kreature]

I would have started with a degreaser. No point letting that old nasty grease be in there.

[@claudiobizama5603]

"This will be an easy fix" Every freaking time I buy for repairs/parts electronics

[@tyberzann9713]

Ah the classical term, wich took an eternity to perform. I know the struggle… :D

[@RetroPCUser]

Same when I bought some 68K Macs. But, with patience, I was able to get all 3 of them operational. I have keyboards for all of them, minus the cable for the one keyboard (gotta get one) and a mouse for one of the systems. The others have their own mouse and keyboard.

[@mattlang8603]

I have two of these. Both had the same issues as yours. I disassembled it, used a shop air tank to blow out the debris, and hit the rollers with Deoxit. Now both of them roll smoothly.

[@LonSeidman]

I have an older one of these that I bought back around 88/89 and it's still hanging on!

[@johncate9541]

Neat. And I thought my Logitech TrackMan Marble still working great since 1999 was impressive.

[@olsmokey]

Ditto. I modded it to ADB and it worked a treat.

[@John.Fielding]

I've been using the modern wired USB Kensington Expert Mouse for a bit over a year now, and I previously had a Kensington Slimblade trackball for a good 6 years before the button switches started acting up on me and I started looking at replacement options. After a few less than stellar years messing with cheaper alternatives I finally decided to just spend the money on a new Kensington which I should have done from the get-go. I actually wound up digging out the old red ball from my Slimblade and swapping it with the black ball that came with the Expert, it just feels smoother to use and IMO looks nicer 🙂

[@gcolombelli]

Couldn't you just replace the worn switches? After a decade of use, the left button microswitch on my old trackball started acting up, I opened it, searched for an identical switch, bought a new one and replaced it, it's been six years since and it's still working fine.

[@John-pr2gw]

You could try using a Dremmel to bore a couple of holes in the non segmented side of the bearing housing and blast the old grease out with WD40 or similar..

[@Toonrick12]

A dremmel? This isn't the 8-Bit Guy!

[@thaddeusmcgrath]

I was thinking that or on the outer housing with a 1/32 ".01325" or in that range drill bit at 12 and 6 o'clock positions. Blast the old grease out with WD and replace with new. Blend the edges back flush with a small file so the ball with not get nicked up.

[@rbrucewilliams2924]

I’ve successfully done this exact fix on the ADB version. I first drilled 3 needle holes in the side of each bearing. Then ultrasonic cleaning was successful for free spin. I chose to use Moebius oil (watchmakers) and sealed the holes by press-fit inserting tiny copper wire. Not positive, but I’ll estimate the repair was 15 years ago. Still smooth today.

[@trombonista92]

@@thaddeusmcgrath this is exactly what I just wrote too, and I am glad so many people are writing the same thing, now I want to see him try it lol , he actually might

[@thaddeusmcgrath]

@@trombonista92 Cool, also when I see those sealed bearings in reminds me of my youth with skateboarding and similar bearing used we called German speed bearings. The Chinese made skateboard bearings are crap. I still spin the wheels in Wal-Mart and all have those crap Chinese bearings. I remember getting a set of German bearings, man it was like night and day!

[@AveragePootis]

You could try to apply some heat to them, that could melt/loosen the grease. The bearings are gone anyway so it might be worth a try

[@Toonrick12]

But that would melt the plastic standoffs.

[@AveragePootis]

@@Toonrick12 they could be re-melted afterward, or epoxied

[@tarstarkusz]

What he needs is brake cleaner or even WD40. It needs a solvent to break down the grease. As far as the bearing being gone, I seriously doubt it. You could run these bearings bone dry for 100 years and never put a micron of wear on them. It's low speed with very little loading on them.

[@EnigPartyhaus]

@@tarstarkusz WD40 and working the wheels a lot will get them loose again, I had the same exact problem with a serial mouse for the Apple II where the vertical control was locking up and WD40 got it back to spinning

[@raycreveling1583]

Old grease like this is a common problem on the old knitting machines I refurbish. I found a few hours in a car on a sunny day will provide enough heat to get the grease moving and test the machine before going digging in for a repair.

[@robertgaines-tulsa]

You could heat the bearing up with a soldering iron, apply the oil, and as it cools the vacuum should suck the oil into it. It's done with some antique clocks.

[@kylek6922]

I worked at a skate rink for 10+ years and those look very similar to bearings used in skates or inlines or skateboards. Mineral spirits used to be our go-to that we'd soak gunked up bearings in. I'd be curious to see some better close-ups of the bearings showing the markings because it wasn't really possible to tell from the video what specific kind they are. Workign there, we encountered many people bringing things in for help thinking it couldn't be serviced but lots of times we were able to find a little retaining ring hidden on one side that most people would just miss somehow if they didn't know what to look for and have really good vision.

[@MrZorbatron]

I had one of these. My middle school assistant principal gave me a IIci back in about 1995. It had a video out problem, which turned into my first computer motherboard repair (at age 13) that wasn't a radio or television. The machine still works today, though I did have to do something about the trackball. My solution 12 years ago was a couple drops of a decent machine oil, and then heating the bearing with a hot air soldering unit at low temperature. Just put some cardboard or something to keep from cooking the plastic. What you will be doing will be a combination between melting the old oil, and facilitating the mixing of that with the new stuff that you added. It sounds more complicated than it was, it probably took a total of about an hour of work before the crunchy trackball was a thing of the past.

[@Nicoya]

I used to use TurboMouse trackballs back in the day and never had issues with them during their regular service life. The ADB one I had lasted long enough for me to upgrade to USB, and the USB one lasted long enough for me to eventually replace it with a trackpad. I think this is probably repairable by 3d printing to replace the plastic supports, and laser etching some new off-the-shelf shielded bearings. If you don't have access to a suitable printer and laser engraver then it obviously wouldn't make sense to buy them just for this, but there's certainly people out there with the equipment on hand.

[@chepossofare]

You can punch a hole on the bearings and try to fill them with oil. Usagi Electric did something like that.

[@finren4308]

“TURBO MOUSE” sounds like the next instalment in the marvel universe

[@ozzie_goat]

Makes a gorillion dollars and has no plot or substance whatsoever

[@donnierussellii4659]

@@ozzie_goat Which describes most movies from the past 25 years.

[@stephanemignot100]

"Giga Crap" would be more accurate

[@ernstoud]

Which will be a flop, like all Marvel movies nowadays 😢.

[@Charlesb88]

No, I believe Turbo Mouse is Mighty Mouse’s brother.😊

[@ipaschke]

I still have a working Turbo Mouse ADB with the ball bearings which I just cleaned out with some brake cleaner. I guess the seals on mine didn't seal that well then. Lovely trackball. The Kensington SlimBlade Pro I use on my modern machine that feels very similar but much smoother because it's of course all optical these days. I think the Turbo Mouse was very well made and not at all intentionally made to fail. That's just like decrying that everything that uses a rubber belt was "built to break". Nobody thought that we would want to use all that stuff 30 years later. It's telling that almost no service manual talks about replacing belts...

[@olsmokey]

Hah! Of course it's repairable. The bearings are standard but without the encoder ring. These can be easily removed with a razor blade or artline knife. Then you'll be able to read the type of bearing on the side. Take it to a bearing supplier and buy two more. A couple of spots of glue and stick the encoder rings onto the new bearings. Reassemble and away you go. I have TWO of the version used on the venerable MacPlus using 9pin D connectors. Many years ago I modified one to run on ADB and used it in my business for ages. The other I have plans to modify to USB. They are the bees knees of trackballs, solid, positive action, BIG balls, and don't move around the desk. Well worth repairing.

[@Tall_Order]

I think the "built to be disposed" age came about somewhere in the 80s, sadly, because I loved the 80s for a lot of things. But everything we love has blemishes if you look hard enough. My 1970s GE Alarm clock with a built in tape deck still works. I've only had to replace the belts.

[@johnwayne2103]

I remember lusting after one of those early Kensington Mice when they first hit the market, but have used their expert mouse for well over 20+ years now. I remember they made one with the ball that was backlit in blue but they stopped making that model.

[@ronk9830]

Mine lasted 20+ years also, before I had to retire it...☹️

[@johnwayne2103]

@@ronk9830 Oh no. I bought another one. I love my trackball.

[@ronk9830]

@@johnwayne2103 I can't remember if I couldn't find another, or they were more expensive than I wanted. So I just switched what I had, a standard mouse.

[@SteveAaron]

I've had very good results with soaking old bearings in WD40 for an hour or so to loosen up the grease inside first, then with an ultrasonic cleaner to remove the residue. You can apply new oil afterwards.

[@SianaGearz]

Soak in lighter fluid (benzene) to dissolve the old grease. Bag it in solvent and drop that into your ultrasonic. If there are rubber seals, they will unfortunate absorb some benzene and will need to air out for a few days until the bearings operate as normal.

[@B24Fox]

FOR THOSE BEARINGS, USE THE FOLLOWING: Potentiometer cleaning fluid (to loosen them up) Silicone oil (to re-lube them afterwords) The stuff you're using is way to thick. P.S. DO NOT open the bearings. And at the end you can clean all the grease from the outside of the bearings with a paper napkin doused in brake cleaner... so the ball doesn't slip.

[@RetroPCUser]

Very interesting.

[@RustyTheGeek]

I've had several of these for 20+ years and stopped using the last one 2-3 years ago. They all still worked when I put them away. They have excellent durability and I only changed away from them because I needed better resolution. I'm using the current optical variation of them. Trackballs are great when you need to control several different things with dedicated controllers. Trackballs don't use as much space on the desk and don't move around. You can fix those bearings for sure. It wouldn't be that hard to glue the plastic mounts back afterward. Hope you give it another shot. These also have very long lasting switches inside and the feel of them is very tactile. Same with the ball roll, it is very tactile and has the perfect about of resistance.

[@spinnwebe_]

Man I loved the turbo mouse. But yeah those rollers needed constant attention

[@ronk9830]

They did. But it wasn't a big deal. The big deal was when it didn't help anymore. Had to retire mine, which I had for many, many years.

[@ImnotgoingSideways]

Odds are the bearings are stiff because someone already tried to 'oil' them and caused the seals to swell. The ball-to-bearing contact can be a bit noisy, so I can imagine someone looking to lube it up to deaden the sound. If you do attempt to add oil to sealed bearings, be sure to pick something compatible with the seal. I just took a peek at mine (1995 4-button PC version) and it uses KYK bearings. Hardly a knockoff 'built-to-break' brand. The bearing itself is a standard 626-size sealed with an encoder wheel bonded to one side. Honestly, if it had a scroll wheel function, I'd still be using it. Instead, I'm currently using a Kensington Slimblade trackball. It's been just as solid a performer as anything else I've ever had. Edit: 2:14 Indeed, they were still using the KYK bearings.

[@shmehfleh3115]

It's funny, I was JUST looking at that specific trackball for my vintage Macs on eBay. I ended up buying a different model that was a bit smaller, and now I'm glad I did. Thank you Google, for sniffing out everything I do on the Internet, monetizing it, and selling it back to me. You just saved me 35 bucks.

[@smallberries]

I worked with one of these for years back in my desktop publishing days. Even had the cool colored balls. Loved that thing.

[@Otakunopodcast]

Back in the day I used to have one of these and loved it. Used it with my Mac Classic (and later IIsi) during college. I'm not really a mouse person, and I have limited space on my desk (dorm desks are tiny) so a mouse is a bit impractical, so a trackball is my pointing device of choice. I do remember having to clean out the rollers when they got gummed up tho. These days, my daily driver pointing device is still a Kensington, except nowadays it's a USB Expert Mouse. I was pleasantly surprised to see that they still make them. Well I'm not sure if Kensington itself still exists, or if another company just bought the name and is making trackballs under the Kensington name. Either way, I'm actually quite happy with it. It's pretty rugged and has survived years of abuse and several liquid-involved mishaps. Fortunately they've changed the design. The new ones are completely optical, so they no longer have any rollers or other mechanical parts to get gummed up. They still need to be cleaned periodically, as dust bunnies tend to get trapped down there and block the optical scanner, which causes erratic mouse response. Fortunately cleaning them out is a simple procedure; just remove the ball and either vacuum up the inside cavity or hit it with a blast of compressed air.

[@trombonista92]

you can drill a tiny hole into one side of the bearing (the bearing seal) (the side with no segmented pattern obviously) , being super careful to not go too deep, then use a syringe to inject solvent in it, you will be able to slowly wash way all the grease inside, they dont need grease with such little load they carry, perhaps you can drill 2 holes, at opposites sides of the bearing seal, inject solvent in one side (WD40 works great) , and let it flow out the other side

[@litz13]

I have used Expert Mouse trackballs for years. I just put some 3-in-1 oil on the bearing and spin it with a drill. Once the oil works in they spin smooth as silk.

[@robsquared2]

I'm using a RF/Bluetooth kensington mouse on my brand new computer and I love it.

[@fmphotooffice5513]

Thouest knoweth the secret of the trackball! To convince people to use one instead of a mouse ~80% of the time, open a spreadsheet and make the cells very small. Now compare using a mouse vs. a good trackball. No brainer. A good glassy trackpad might be better because of gesture patterns you can use, but a mouse is definitely worse than either of those.

[@Evgenii_Fedorovskii]

I like that you post videos of unsuccessful repairs. That's also interesting!

[@slembcke]

Ah, those are so good! I used their USB laser version for 15 years (at both work and home) until upgrading them to the "slimblade" ones. Such great devices that my wrists have been very happy about for decades now.

[@paulsavio6846]

I had an adb kensington turbo mouse for over 10 years, it was rock solid. When it died I got the newer usb version I had one break within one month, and the next one after one year. That thing was a tank!

[@kennixox262]

It was a great trackball AND if I recall, had an accessory ball one in a bluish and one in a reddish color. Not sure if those were aftermarket or what. Can't wait to see a video on one of the ancient Global Village modems. Your videos bring back some memories.

[@drgti16v]

Nice find. I had one of those back in the day that I used with my Mac Plus and then a Centris 650. Such a nice accessory.

[@shadowj5639]

I thought I still had one of these floating around in a storage bin, but when I went to look it was a MicroSpeed MacTrac 2.0. Similar size and shape but different button layout. It still rolls around fine though!

[@FokkerBoombass]

This style of trackball is a nightmare, honestly it's only viable as a space-saving measure for things that aren't used all that often, but require a more convenient input device rather than messing with a keyboard. Logitech Marble Mouse was always the go-to office use trackball since its introduction thanks to much better ergonomics. This was the default style of mouse in my family for over 20 years, I only switched to regular mouse well into my late teens. I still remember playing Team Fortress 2 on one of those - it was just this good, you could actually game with those. You were still at a disadvantage mind you, but it was entirely viable.

[@ronlevon4294]

I would wash the old oil with THF (Tetrahydrofuran) solvent and then apply a new oil. This is the best solvent to dissolve all organic stuff.

[@FlyboyHelosim]

"This is the best solvent to dissolve all organic stuff." Noted for when I need to get rid of a body.

[@ronlevon4294]

@@FlyboyHelosim not for purpose,

[@SatoshiMatrix1]

I bought a rare Atari 5200 trakball controller (Atari did indeed spell it "trak") that has a very similar issue - the bearings are nearly impossible to move. Whatever grease was originally there has long long long since dried up. I added new grease, but it only seems to help _slightly_. In comparison, my Colecovision Roller controller from around the same time period works flawlessly. I thought I might swap the bearings, but the Atari one uses different sized and shaped bearings. Likewise, I had considered replacement of the bearings, but I don't know where to get them and I don't want to blindly buy new parts just hoping they will fit because if they don't, I won't have any use for them.

[@zpawn1]

The segmented disc seems to be glued on, if the bearings cant be cleaned with isopropanol i would take them out , then put them on a hot plate to receive heat from the opossite side to melt the glue to pry the disc off more easily and then stick them onto a new set of bearings, obviously you have to cut the standoffs that are melted in place but later you can add melted plastic from some scraps idk...

[@m.k.8158]

Rather than adding plastic, just use some small self-tapping screws.

[@bartonlynch]

I had the four button model during the entire 90s through multiple Macs and it worked flawlessly. Had to replace to with a Logitech USB model starting with my PowerMac G4. A great mouse/trackball! Stopped using trackballs when the Magic Trackpad was introduced. Good times.

[@yadabub]

Heatstaking can often be replaced by small screws. I'd replace the bearings with ceramic ones, lubricated with just a tiny bit of 'sewing machine oil,' if anything. Surely those spline wheels are just glued on to standard bearings?

[@Merinov]

The special side of the bearing might just be glued on even. And you could remove the bottom of the plastic stakes and possibly replace them with a small enough screw on the bottom and possibly washer, to act as a new foot to the plastic part.

[@motomike71]

I loved playing Quake on my B&W G3 with the Kensington Track ball. So easy to do a quick Crazy Ivan maneuver to see if anyone was following me. The only problem with the trackball in general use was that it wasn't easy to click and drag.

[@ScottSavageTechnoScavenger]

I have one of those. Purchased it new back when it was a new thing. Same problem over time. Still have it in my Get-Around-to-it pile of projects.

[@bzuidgeest]

Drill a needle sized hole in the bearing with a very sharp drill, from the side, taking care to get as little debris as possible in the bearing. Then you can actually get the oil in. Putting it on top won't do much as that is the meaning of sealed 😂. You can watch recent usagi electric or curious Marc videos for how, though it isn't rocket science, you just need a little patience.

[@thejackofclubs]

its likely some sort of 608 variant bearing with a washer with some lines printed on it that can be removed with some alcohol. yeah youll have to cut the plastic welds with some flush cutters but you can probably hot glue it back in place.

[@thcoura]

I would suggest using a Dremel with a rubber tip to spin the bearing. The friction will warm up opening spaces to you add lub fluid and free the bearing.

[@gieselats]

The bearings look similar to the inside of wheels of rrollerskates. Trackballs, so awesome. I owned one for my commodore 64 back in the 80s. Keep up the good work.

[@parkds]

This was one of my favorite computer peripherals ever. Probably used it for a decade. Just looking at it brings back the muscle memory! Now where’s my LCIII?

[@lemagreengreen]

Drill small holes (very small) through the bearing shield, inject some solvent to dissolve grease, flush out as much as possible. Inject new grease, seal hole with something.

[@mattelder1971]

The newer versions are optical, so completely immune to the issue here. I have one that I found at a thrift store several years ago, model K64325, that works great. It was still sealed in the original box when I found it, but was nearly 15 years old at the time, going by the copyright date on the box.

[@jnharton]

Optics can still be fouled up by dust, grease, and other gunk. And the lens can become scratched or damaged. It's a lot less common and doesn't happen as quickly, but they're not immune to other kinds of issues.

[@mattelder1971]

@@jnharton Yes, and I clearly said "immune to the issue here", meaning the seized bearings. Dust, finger oils, etc can and do build up in the model I have, but all it takes is a quick wipe with a paper towel and the sensor is recessed a bit, so very difficult for anything to get to it to scratch it, and can be cleaned with a cotton swab dipped in IPA. MUCH more robust design than the older models.

[@NotAFanMan88]

Most trackballs nowadays have the sensor reflect off the ball itself, which is why you have the red glitter paint on them. The bearings are usually a lot simpler too (like ceramic 2.5mm bearings in plastic). Only thing you're only going to have fail on you (like most modern mice) is the switches, which if the typical omicron style, don't change much at all.

[@eformance]

I suggest heat applied to the bearing to loosen the grease, then use a Dremel to spin the bearings fast to heat up and distribute the grease.

[@Flick339]

Tha ball bearings in the mouse are of the model 7R4A with that ring glued to one side of the bearing. You can find and buy them online. I would have cut the plastic holding pins of the bracket with a razor blade and change them with a small screws. In my opinion that is a small sacrifice for saving such interesting piece of tech. Be sure to mark the exact position of the bearing on the shaft with a marker when replacing them.

[@woodengamer]

I have a few of these that I need to go through and test/service. I know that these are also prone to the outside of the roller rusting from wear and then oils getting on them.

[@DienhartDotCom]

I’ve used the turbo mouse since the 90’s and still have one on my desk which I prefer when doing CAD work.

[@erichtisnado1536]

I've owned 4 of 5 of these over the years. Only one of them actually broke to the point where it was more than cleaning out a bit of gunk or tangled hair. I still have a PS2/USB four button turbo mouse on my desk right now. Where Kensinton went off the rails for me is, they stopped using roller bearings and just went to plastic sliders. The sliders get crudded up, and stop being smooth. Actually, they were never smooth. If Kensington ever came out with a reissue of this thing, along with software to properly support it, I'd totally get two right now.

[@virtuserable]

I never liked trackballs in the past but I recently tried out the new Kensington TB450 wireless trackball and it's super comfy. Also you need to occasionally pop the ball out and clean it and the rollers, something that 90s kids will appreciate.

[@GeekmanCA]

Bless you Colin for putting even just a toe on the soapbox to dispel the myth of "back when things were easy to repair". Things have always been built as cheaply as they needed to last as long as they reasonably needed. Those of us who were around in the days before (truly) optical pointing devices also know that the majority of computer mice were thrown away the moment the rollers got gummy, by users who likely didn't know they could open the bottom and clean them rather than throwing the mouse out and buying a new one. It truly was a heyday of disposable tech.

[@jnharton]

The thing is that there was a point in time when people expected things to last a long time (5-10+ years at the least) and those things generally were made to last. Lots of cities and towns have had to do urgent plumbing repairs because the original cast iron pipes were designed to last ~100 years. Consequently people got used to things being low maintenance and, collectively, forgot why that was possible. So while most of the era of "personal computing" likely occurred much later, after things changed, there was a time when things were substantially different. Nothing lasts forever, anyway.

[@DJHannu]

I used one of these many years ago. I still have the custom blue trackball around here somewhere.

[@AmazedStoner]

I used one of these for a few times back in 2002 it was nice but I struggled attempting to use it left handed where my teacher had it located above his keyboard and left of the computers keyboard. Definitely a novel design but ironically unable to be repaired as shown here. Still though it probably has lasted longer than my echo dot that quit working yesterday. Can’t believe they only come with a 90 day warranty.

[@CF542]

I always look forward to your videos.

[@chrislamerican2989]

Greetings, i have been using a Kensington wired orbit for years now, just love trackballs I bought a second hand one from my local CEX store here in the UK, I also bought a DEFT PRO with Bluetooth and wireless built-in woop woop anywho great video

[@spinphoto]

So many suggestions on last chance repair, I hope for a follow up video!

[@boblangill6209]

Logitech trackball mice design USED to include a removable collar that you could twist to remove the ball and clean the rollers without opening the case. Companies now actively work at making it more difficult for users to maintain devices and keep them functioning .

[@adeptpeasant6161]

I wonder if putting some heat into the bearings by spinning them on some motorized wheel, tell it would free up?

[@dd07871]

You could try WD-40 on bearings to loosen, but I'm not sure about effect on glue/plastic; better to replace. Heat-staked mounting posts could be replaced with screws. A PCB could be designed to replace the patterned rings.

[@RandyRydberg]

I've been using these Kensington Trackballs since the four-button model that came after this one... they are essential, I can't go back to a mouse! I'm currently using the Slimblade, (I have two of every model, one for work and one for home) which may last longer as it doesn't rely on rollers? My older ones work fine, but the really old ones, I haven't tried in years and now I wonder if they are going to have this same problem. Also, the eight-ball was something I purchased that was specifically for the four-button unit, I'm not sure if actual pool balls can be used but then again I never had the two-button unit.

[@vanhoteen]

normal bearings with a plate with lines attached to the plastic support you can recreate it in 3D but I don't know if all that effort is worth it.

[@xephael3485]

@This Does Not Compute are you sure the bearings are actually sealed? Most sealed bearings just have cover plates on them that can be pushed/pulled off. Maybe use one of those super strong neodymium magnets to pull the shield off.

[@joemac8474]

I had one in 94 for my Quadra 840AV and it worked great for the 5 years I used it. Replaced the ball with different pool balls too.👌👌

[@texmex9721]

When I was young, I worked in a law firm, and all the ladies had this trackball. All the men had a mouse. It was very odd how it was split up. The ladies said they could not use a mouse because what did you do when you go tot he edge of your desk? I did demo the lift the mouse move it back to he center of the mousepad...

[@elitecol69]

Soak the bearings in cup with degreaser for a few days so it can work its way in and break down the grease. And you can actually pry off the bearings side covers with a sharp pick, they jist pop off.

[@75slaine]

I wonder if using a Dremel or a drill with some sort of rubberised bit could be used while pressed against the bearings to turn them at high speed to loosen up the old grease.

[@romxladislav8561]

Maybe a thin layer of silicon gel(like those for caulking)on the rollers could add some adherence between them and the track ball, so less effort and more precision to move them

[@thedopplereffect00]

I used one of their optical trackballs for years. You do have to clean them more often than a mouse. Still, it helped relieve wrist strain for me.

[@kyoudaiken]

You could try heat on those bearings, it might make the oil mix with the solidified grease, making it normal again. Also I have seen in the video that the ring with the pattern is actually a small metal plate that most likely has been epoxied onto the bearing. It can most likely be removed with some heat and put onto an new bearing using super glue.

[@exPOnEntial7]

Ah, the Turbo Mouse - their ads were a staple of the MacUser/MacWorld and MacAddict issues I bought when I was a student. Everyone who bought them seemed to absolutely swear by them. I tried using one with my university library's Blue & White G3 workstation, and it was just so awkward for me.

[@fakingagoodlife]

You could try cutting off the plastic rivets, clean the bearings separately with heat and solvent, drill small holes in the plastic part and attach it back with screws or bolts like the bolt mod on the model m.

[@aurthorthing7403]

Drill a very small hole on the non-marked side of the bearing with a pin vise and small drill bit... I do it all the time.

[@christopherdecorte1599]

I doubt the bearings are worn since they are turned by hand at very little rpm just heat the outer race of the bearings make sure you wear cotton gloves to prevent oils from fingers to contact the ball bearings they will pit overtime if touched. Clean out the old grease once the side case is opened they usually pretty easy to open.

[@moofree]

Might be able to upgrade the tracking with optical sensors and a microcontroller. And perhaps a fancy textured pool ball.

[@LQ-C]

You could try to work in some oil like you were doing and spinning the bearing with a drill and some kind of rubber in the chuck ( like the rubber feet on the bottom of a computer case on a bolt and nut held in the drill chuck, or whatever you have laying around you could somehow get in the drill and has enough friction to turn the bearing). I would also recommend trying KERO AROW penetrating oil, that stuff works wonders.

[@pb7379-j2k]

I think if you mounted a small rubber roller to a drill you could exercise those bearings a lot more than possible with your fingers, and have a good chance of freeing them up

[@Noone-of-your-Business]

Which cleaning liquid did you use in the ultrasonic bath? I guess you need something that can solve the _oil_ gunk in the bearings, so I would try benzine or something similar. That, of course, might attack the PCB or other components, but since the thing is broken anyway, ...

[@flowrednow]

try penetrating oil/CLP to break up and dissolve the old lubricant, not machine oil. the only thing you gotta be careful about is the plastics, try to keep it away from the plastic but only a few drops should get in. i use this on old sealed fan bearings when repairing anything with a proprietary fan (old xbox fans specifically) with a syringe for application under the plastic into the bearing itself.

[@falecore8585]

Your video made me go back to my sort of working Turbo Mouse (same version as yours), although you didn't have luck lubricating the bearing, I cleaned them and let them sit in rem oil for a few minutes and what do you know!? It works! Thank you!

[@ecash00]

If the bearings are metal balls internally, NOT PLASTIC.. you can use Cleaner, then relube it. There are Shops that have parts for machine work, and they can answer LOTS of questions about Bearings..

[@Lilithe]

Yeah a good long soak in some kind of surfactant will probably loosen them up and be low efffort

[@LuxorVan]

You could probably get away with laser or acid etching some new bearings with the markings, they still use similar tech in steering wheels and even in rc cars.

[@Couchflyer-NY]

Win some, lose some. I have an ADB version trackball on a beige G3. Precise control and programmable buttons. The Kensington software works great. I’ve got a Wacom tablet on that machine too.

[@VladoT]

You can use contact cleaner and spray between the metal shield and bearing body while turning the bearing by hand. This usually works. Another solution is to use medical gasoline and submerge the bearings overnight.

[@transcendtient]

I think conflating a seized sealed bearing with designed to fail is a losing argument.

[@simpleton_dc2149]

Love trackball mice! Ever see the track ball attachment for a DatadDesk Switchboard?