this post was submitted on 30 Jul 2024
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PC Master Race

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Does this unicorn trackball mouse exist? (lemmy.ca)
submitted 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) by Showroom7561@lemmy.ca to c/pcmasterrace@lemmy.world
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My current trackball has lost its smoothness and feels "sticky" no matter how well, or often I clean it.

So, I'm looking for a trackball (thumb controlled) with the following features:

  • Bluetooth wireless with support for at least two connections (for laptop and PC media station).
  • Uses AA or AAA batteries.
  • Uses bearings.
  • Set at a tilt/ergo angle.
  • Repairability is also important, but not a total dealbreaker if the mouse is high-enough quality.

So far, most that I've found will lack one of those features, but I'd really like to have all of them, if possible.

UPDATE: Thanks to everyone who offered tips on getting my current trackball working better. Today, trying to roll the ball left became very difficult, like it didn't want to move. I took it out, looked at the little white ball (bearing?) supports that the ball should be rolling on, and noticed that the left-most one was almost pushed in, and flush with the cup that the ball sits in. The other two are higher up, so the ball can "float" on those, but not this other one. The manufacturer is already sending a replacement mouse, so it should work better, but I'd still like to find my unicorn 😄

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[–] Boozilla@lemmy.world 3 points 3 months ago (1 children)

When you clean it, are you just cleaning the ball? Depending on the type of trackball, there may be some small plastic rollers inside that have gunk built up on them. If you can safely take it apart and clean those well, it can make a world of difference. Back in the days of mechanical mice, this was a pretty common issue.

If your trackball uses some kind of optical sensor(s) and isn't mechanical, my apologies for wasting your time.

[–] Showroom7561@lemmy.ca 2 points 3 months ago (2 children)

It looks like it has a sensor and three white "balls" that the trackball sits on.

I do clean those, and they never have gunk built up on them (maybe I clean them too often?), but I only wipe them clean without using isopropyl alcohol or anything like that. Maybe I should try that?

[–] gruvn@sh.itjust.works 2 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Absolutely use isopropyl alcohol!

[–] Showroom7561@lemmy.ca 2 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Tried with isopropyl alcohol, and it feels worse :( Like rolling a wooden ball on more wood.

Kensington says to use Vaseline to lube the ball. I can only imagine that would gum things up, no?

[–] Hamartiogonic@sopuli.xyz 1 points 3 months ago (1 children)

When reading your post, I started thinking of silicone lubricants. Have you tried anything like that? Ideally, you would only lubricate the parts that come into contact with the ball.

[–] Showroom7561@lemmy.ca 2 points 3 months ago (1 children)

That might be an idea! I'll see if that's safe to do. 👍

[–] Boozilla@lemmy.world 1 points 3 months ago

I would try PTFE. Some people report using the grease from your nose / face works well, but that's a bit icky for me. You don't want to use a lubricant that will make the ball too slippery or you won't be able to manipulate it with your fingers. And you don't something thick that will gunk up. PTFE is safe for electronics, very thin, and safe to touch at room temperatures. It gets toxic at a very high temp (like 500F or something). I would put it on a cloth and rub all moving parts with it. Add it in small amounts gradually and see if the scratchy "woody" feeling improves.

[–] Boozilla@lemmy.world 1 points 3 months ago (1 children)

What make and model is it?

[–] Showroom7561@lemmy.ca 1 points 3 months ago (1 children)

I've got a Protoarc EM01 as my daily driver. An EM04 as a spare, but it's not as good :(

[–] Boozilla@lemmy.world 1 points 3 months ago (1 children)

I would search YouTube for a video where someone completely disassembles one that's similar to yours and see if you can learn more about it. I'm not suggesting you take yours apart. But it might show you if there's a potential fix for it.

My boss uses a trackball mouse, but it's a Logitech. I am not a fan of Logitech, personally. Their stuff always breaks on me after about 12-18 months.

[–] Showroom7561@lemmy.ca 1 points 3 months ago

So, it looks like this may be a hardware issue with this particular model.

I'm hoping to find an alternative trackball mouse with all of my feature requests, as I don't want to be trying to fix something that wasn't designed to work well.