HOW TO: Clean the Trackball on your Pearl 8100
 

So I was doing some digging on why my trackball performance had started to degrade over the last few months and how I could fix it; I assumed it had gotten pretty grimy under there. After searching for information on the best way to clean it I found several forum threads on numerous sites all of which had pictures either missing, or too small to see any real detail.

I followed the instructions on a thread I had found here and took pictures along the way as a way of "giving back" something. So here they are as well as with more detailed instructions.

The images below are thumbnails which link to images that have been resized to 800x533. If you follow the link you can then click on them again for images that are 3456x2304. I have also watermarked them with the BlackBerry Forums image so no other sites rip them off.

Step 1:

http://www.rootcompromise.org/galler...ckball_001.jpg

Take a small screwdriver, your thumbnail, or any instrument small enough to pry off the trackball faux chrome plastic cover. Do this gently and carefully, it's lightweight plastic so you don't want to break it.

Step 2:

http://www.rootcompromise.org/galler...ckball_002.jpg

Look at all of the pocket lint and other nasty bits hanging around the outer edge of your trackball assembly.

Step 3:

http://www.rootcompromise.org/galler...ckball_003.jpg

Carefully pry up the small metallic retaining clip that sits over, and holds tightly in place, the trackball assembly. Be very careful with this ring, it's very small and you wouldn't want to misplace it. Also, this clip bends pretty easily, make sure you don't pinch it oddly and fold it in half, I don't think it would survive being bent straight again.

Step 4:

http://www.rootcompromise.org/galler...ckball_004.jpg

Remove the trackball assembly. If you have a magnetic tip screwdriver you can place the tip on the assembly and it will attract the magnetic rollers. The assembly is actually stuck to the screwdriver in this pic.

Step 5:

http://www.rootcompromise.org/galler...ckball_005.jpg

Carefully set your trackball assembly aside. Note the metal tab appears to be pointing down, this is the side that should be towards the keypad, or lower half of the phone when putting it back in.

Step 6:

http://www.rootcompromise.org/galler...ckball_006.jpg

Get some alcohol and a Q-tip and some canned air if you've got it. Use the canned air on the phone and then swab the internals with your Q-tip. You should have a small amount of alcohol on the Q-tip, do not soak it. Then hit the internals with the canned air one more time to get rid anything that was dislodged by the swabbing, and dry any residual alcohol. Also swab the trackball assembly itself, and hit it with the air to dry.

Step 7:

http://www.rootcompromise.org/galler...ckball_007.jpg

Note the grime on the Q-tip and think "What the hell is in my pockets?"

Step 8:

http://www.rootcompromise.org/galler...ckball_008.jpg

Make sure your internals are dry and just check them out in general. LEDs are laid out as follows: Upper Left = Green, Upper Right = Red, Lower Left = Blue, Lower Right = White. The copper pad in the center is the select pad when you depress the trackball.

Step 9:

http://www.rootcompromise.org/galler...ckball_009.jpg

Reassemble the trackball. Place the assembly itself in with the two side tabs on the left and right, also you want the bottom of the assembly to have the aforementioned "tab" pointing down. Then place the small metal retaining clip into place with the tabs to the top and bottom. Gently press this into place with your screwdriver tip and you will feel it click.

Step 10:

http://www.rootcompromise.org/galler...ckball_010.jpg

Place the faux chrome plastic trackball housing over the assembly with the tabs facing left, right, and down. Gently press this into place with your thumbnail. I recommend putting the bottom tab into place first and then pressing. I do not recommend using the screwdriver to push this into place as you may scratch the plastic. You're Done!


I wouldn't do this too often or you may accidentally break the assembly or one of the retaining clips, though it doesn't hurt if your trackball is already broken, or functioning erratically. If you do happen to break something or are too timid to try the above, you can always buy replacement parts at bbrepairshop.com. I haven't used them personally, but they do have the parts.

Anyway, I hope this is helpful and good luck to you.

Mods. This is a GREAT right up! Worth of it's own place! (of course you can buy a new one for $9.99 but still!)

E-

Agreed! This will work on any trackball model BB. The other models are short the small metal retaining ring but all is the same.

Stuck thread.

One of the best first posts I've seen. Thank you!

Are the pictures gone already, or is it just me?

It's not just you. My web host is moving my site to another server today. Of course the site uptime has been several years and a few days after I post these pics they decide to shift me to another server. They'll be back in a few hours.

addition to trackball cleaning thread
 

I'm sure you have all figured this out already but.....the above mentioned cleaning method will only work for most dirty trackball issues. I recently had to disassemble mine completely in order to clean it. there are four tiny rollers with magnets under the trackball. you can remove the bottom plastic retainer to expose and clean them. just be careful to remember how the rollers and magnets are positioned when you reassemble them otherwise the ball will track in the wrong direction. example: when you scroll up the result will be a scroll to the right :smile: btw there was a bit of lint in the rollers that would not have been removed by the standard cleaning method.

Additional information on cleaning, and pictures:
http://www.blackberryforums.com/gene...pic-guide.html

i cant get the plastic thing back on
 

im having trouble completing step 10. please help!:oops

Replacing Track Ball
 

Hi guys,

I have a white blackberry pearl 8100 and the track ball has turned dark exactly like the pictures of the ball above from "Grifter801" (btw, your thread was awesome =) ) Anyways, i want to order a new ball but some do not come with the retaining clip. Will i still be able to replace it without one or can i use the one i have from the original ball? Also, as the above pictures/thread shows, can i replace the ball just like that or do i have to take the whole phone apart? After seeing this thread, i didn't realize you could take the ball out without taking the phone apart.

Awaiting anyones reply!

thanks!:

The trackball assembly comes out without any other disassembly.

If you are careful you should be able to use the same old retaining clip.

Thanks for this post! I'm away from home for several weeks and last night my trackball stopped moving right. I followed you guide (I'm lucky and have the newer style "chrome" ring) and now it's working great! The only tools I used was my fingernail and a tiny swiss army knife (it has a small set of tweezers).

i've been forced to do this cleaning procedure every few weeks since getting my pearl. it stops rolling in one of the directions quite frequently

recently, i've had to take the trackball assembly apart to actually clean the little magnetic rollers

apparently RIM didn't remember the horrors of old 'ball' mice, and the grime that would collect within them during regular use

usually locking the device, pressing down and rolling firly in the direction that the ball gets stuck will work for this. that or blowing air into the assembly.

It should be noted that even after soaking the trackball itself in alcohol overnight, it still will never become perfectly clear again. It's like the dirt has gotten deep into the core of the ball.

Can I adjust the microphone volume?
 

I just got my Blackberry Pearl from Verizon and am pleased with the coverage, clarity, etc. but several people I have talked to say it seems loud when I talk. Is it me, or can it be adjusted on the phone?

Wrong section

Check to see if the enhanced volume is turned on.

oh and welcome to the forums.

thats why I colored my led so it doesnt look as dirty lol

Thanks!
 

Great Post, easy to understand and follow.8-)

I wish someone would make a crystal clear trackball.

another excellent post (y)

how would i get around dissasembling the whole keypad? I want to see what the problem is (See my thread called Keypad problem)

Thanks for the screen prints
 

This is great! I was looking for the best way to do this I was trying the old Q-tip and Alcohol trick... alot of props to this post thanks



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Great tutorial but I would like to add a few comments to it if I may.

- Before attempting to clean your trackball shut the phone off and remove the battery so you donxxx8217;t risk shorting out anything on the exposed sensors located under the trackball when you remove it.

EDIT: Just realized that there is indeed a metal clip on the older style Pearls but not on the newer ones.- After removing the plastic chrome ring from around the trackball, you do not need to remove the metal retaining ring located around the trackball. The whole assembly should just pop out by turning the phone around. The metal ring only holds the trackball in the white xxx8220;cagexxx8221; that also holds the rollers in place. If you need to remove the retaining ring to clean the rollers and ball, take out the assembly first and then remove the metal clip from the sides of the cage assembly. Youxxx8217;ll see the clips that hold the ring on, just gently pry them away front the plastic cage.

- Yes, the little black rollers are magnets which interact with the small magnetic proximity sensors inside the phone. Unfortunately after cleaning them with Alcohol you remove the very small amount of lubrication that is on them. Since the magnets come into close contact with the sensors, it will sometimes prevent the magnets from rotating hence the reason why some people have to keep repeating this cleaning procedure almost on a weekly basis or the cleaning just doesnxxx8217;t work for them.

After cleaning the track ball by using this guide, before popping the track ball back into your phone, get a clean Q-Tip and a can of Dry Silicone lubricating spray. Do not use WD-40 or any other type of spray lube, use only dry Silicone spray as this stuff will dry (so it wonxxx8217;t drip) and leaving a lubricated surface. Spray some of it onto the Q-Tip, shake the Q-Tip out to remove any excess then gently and lightly apply the lubricant directly to the 4 magnetic rollers ONLY. Do not apply it to the actual trackball, only the black magnets. Also, don't use to much of it just enough to "dampen" the black magnets.

Once done re-assemble and rotate the track ball around to dispers the lubricant, you may find that you will have to apply another coating of lubricant after this step, just repeat (don't clean it) the lubrication step.

I've done this to my blackberry and afterwards, it works better then new. (y)

helped A LOT THANKS!

Posts: 4
Join Date: May 2008
Model: 8100
PIN: N/A
Carrier: ATT Pearl vs. Curve Trackball - Today, 05:39 PM

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I have a Pearl and recently purchased a Curve on ebay to see if I would like the QWERTY better. The trackball on the Pearl has "travel" and clicks when you press down on it(like pressing a button. The Curve trackball has no downward play and no click or any response tactully when you push it, it does work and execute the choice, but you don't know you did anything till you see the screen.
I thought it was defective and bought an OEM replacement which is supposed to be for the Curve or Pearl, it functions in the same way however.
Is this normal for the Curve!
Thanks for Your help.
Rolech

*SO* not necessary!! Just get a lint-free cloth with some rubbing alcohol! Work the ball around, esp in the direction it's not wanting to go -- you will find the alcohol will eliminate whatever goo may have clogged the ball. **NO** disassembly reqd and I swear i've done this several times and it works 10000 billion percent.

Your ball will be as good as new :D

Well, if the ball has no "click" when pressing down on it then the actual contact on the circuit board has lost it's "snap." You have a defective device.

Edit: just noticed the post above is almost a month old.

@mulberry, sometimes removing the trackball is necessary for cleaning or replacing and this is a good tutorial.

Thanks for the tutorial, worked great for me

doesnt explain how to clean the sensors tho ? :(

Sooo funny to read this post!! Us crackberry users are all the same! I have tried everything noted above to clean the actual ball. It will never look good again so I did the same... Piece of coloured plastic right over the led.

thanks this was helpful

i clean the damn trackball about once a week hahaha

grubby bastard.. lol

Great tutorial, thanks for your dedication on uploading screenies also :)

I Have Done This

nice. great writeup!

did anyone reload their software to get the trackball functioning again?

this was the first thing i had to do to my pearl when i got it after breaking my last phone.

felt like the previous owner had dropped the thing in a box of sand when moving the trackball. some alcohol swabs and a can of air later, feels great.

just note how things came out, will make reassembly much easier.

Brilliant, thanks.

hi
 

i have black trackball too..... i hate it lol

Good instructions. I have just cleaned mine with no problems.

When I purchased my Pearl, I had some problems with the trackball. I was told to give it about a month to "break it in." Well, it's been much longer than a month and I still the same problems. I followed these directions and I'm still having the problems. The ball doesn't respond well but moves around perfectly fine. I have also done a hard reset a few times and I've also reinstalled the software. Should I just purchase a completely new trackball piece including the rollers and such? Is it worth contacting RIM to see if they will mail me one since it's still under warranty?

I took my track ball apart for the first time about 30 minutes ago and didn't think to read this thread before I did it! Guess what? Everything worked out fine and my ball now roll downwards with no problem. The only thing I didn't do was the qtip alcohol thing. I'm too afraid to add anything wet to the inside of my phone. It never crossed my mind to do so. It seems too risky.

There was a huge pile of lint stuck on one of the lil screws and it looked spooky. I had my pearl for a few years and boy did the lint in my pockets and purse accumulate. Lol the next time I take it apart (cause I know I'm gonna have to do it again) I'm going to follow these directions.

I don't know what ill do without my pearl (until I get the bold) if my phone died on me.

xxx20462;xxx22909;xxx20102;,thanks!

Thanks I need it :-)

Does anyone know if buying a new trackball will fix select when push. When I press the trackball to select, it does not respond. It does move around the screen and I have tried cleaning it twice.

If buying a new one helps, where do I get it?

thanks

I tried cleaning mine and it was still very hesitent going up... I ended up purchasing a replacement on eBay for like $10 or something.. Replaced it, working great!!

Great post, I wish I didn't screw this up completely though. Now I have to deal with Sprint to get a new one. (I bent the metal frame up and the whole thing with the track ball in it came apart.....)

No, you don't! I already posted in another thread for you....just order a new trackball from HorizonWirelessOnline.com - Horizon Wireless, The World’s Cellular Repair Center ß They're not expensive. Sprint will do nothing for you anyway, except make you buy a new BB.

Thanks for posting this, it looks very informative. I plan on trying this out soon. My question is: will this help with trackball clicking problems? I've read this whole thread and everyone else seems to have problems with scrolling performance. My problem is that the trackball seems to "stick" at times when I click on it. This means I might click on an email message to read it, and it opens the message, decides to reply and then sends the reply before I can do anything to stop it. Or, if I go to some menu it will click two or three selections through before I can get it under control. Is the cleaning procedure going to solve this issue? It all started after I rode my bike around with the thing in my pocket. I think it got moist from sweat. the problem comes and goes.

Just as an FYI, I am currently living in India, which means no access to Horizon Wireless, no easy trackball replacement or any spare parts for the device without a long and frustratingly painfulful search. If I break anything I'm pretty much screwed until I go back home to the US. That's why I'd like to know if taking the thing apart will actually work, before I risk it.

how did you color
 

okay...how did you color the ball pink???? I want to do that...

I had the same problems and i cleaned up ant now everything is o.k.
It's very easy to do

Thanks again great help and great post...becarefull of the little metal clip

This is great!!

I purchased my new trackball from blackberrytrackballs.com for $13 USD.
Came in about 3-4 days. New ball went in well and provided a nice feedback that it was moving around. The original ball was smooth and was redish looking in comparison to a new one.

Any recommendations as to where a new trackball can be purchases?

^
|
|

Look above your original post :smile:

Wirelessly posted (BB 11020)

www.horizonwirelessonline.com

A BB Forums sponsor and all-around good guy.

Soo COOL!!

Rip off
 

bbrepairshop.com is not where to buy a new trackball. Total burn there. $49. Anyone got a link to the trackballs priced at $9.99? Thanx

Edit: Doh! Nevermind, eBay of course.

Shipping is outrageous from this vendor! They did ship it really fast though.

is there any way to get the feel of the old trackball back? as in, when you first get it there's some resistance to the scrolling. now that my pearl is about a year old, the trackball doesn't have that "clicking" feel to it. would cleaning or replacing the ball/pads underneath do anything to restore that "clicking" feeling when scrolling the ball?

thanks

I broke both rings when following these instructions but was able to purchase a new outer ring with a trackball for $9 at Cellular National Network (cnn.cn). It didn't include the inner ring but it works fine without it. This place is in Hong Kong, so it take a while to arrive but it is very cheap and the trackball seems like it is brand new.

Track ball
 

I tried cleaning my track ball on my Blackberry and when i took everything off, the white plastic piece came apart from the piece with the rollers. How do I fix this?

and what about if the trackball does snap but does not select nothing when pressing directly on the metal tab on the motherboard under the trackball??

thank you.

Ok, here is the final fix! I already made it on my device while waiting for some replies, and it worked good! ;)

The problem is the copper push plate underneath the trackball that is placed directly onto the motherboard of the device.

The problem is that underneath this plate there must be some corrosion or some kind of dust or some glue slipped due to the heat of the device (you'll understand why the presence of glue by reading ahead in the post).

In my device there was some glue and some corrosion! :?

The part we are talking about is a little black plastic square with a round metal plate in the centre.
This square is placed at the centre of the 4 leds and 4 trackball sensors.
The round plate we need to clean is placed up on the plastic base and is keeped still with a light brown square tape that is glued on to of all (there goes the glue!).


Here is what you need to do:

1. turn off the device and remove the battery, the sim card and the memory card (if used).
2. disassemble the 8100 so to reach the motherboard easly (8100 Disassembly photos and instructions).
3. from just one corner of the base and with a sharp knife CAREFULLY pry the tape up so to reach the plate and pry up that too -- as you could see the plate is only touching the black square base and is keeped still by been glued at the tape on top of the base.
4. remove the plate from the tape WITHOUT removing complitely the tape from the square plastic base -- just slip the plate away from underneath the tape.
5. now act on the plate with a small metal object and scrap off everything you have underneath it -- you must act unlit you see the plate as clear as possible -- it does not matter if you scratch the metal of the plate because it will work anyway -- JUST DON'T BEND IT!!!
6. when finished, just clean the base contacts with a really clean piece of paper and finally blow air on it with your mouth just to remove the dust -- there sould be no dust between the plate and the base!!
7. replace the plate underneath the tape and up on the black square base in the same position as it was before -- just centre the base!!!
8. replace down the light brown tape and check if it glues back on the base corner from wich you lift it up -- instead NOT just use a little piece of black tape on the corner and on any other corner that does not glue any more.

That's it!! now it should work. It took me about 15 minutes to do everything (same time as writing this post!) :)

Hope this could help.
Thank you all.

1qeqeqeqe
 

can anyone help with my trackball problem
i press the trackball and it doesnt go into a sms but shows 1 on the dial screen and after that when i press it again it show 1qe and for every click on the trackball it show more qe letters and i have no idea why did that start
sorry for bad english i hope u know what i talk about

open your blackberry and clean it.
it might be sole dust or water.

Thanks for the great tutorial! I just cleaned my trackball and things are working grand. I had one tip to share with other BB owners- to clean in between keys and around tiny parts- I use a wooden cuticle/manicure stick (aka "orange" stick). Dip the pointed tip in a tiny bit of alcohol and use it to remove bits of dirt and grime. Works super for cleaning in grooves, corners and between keys. :)

Here is my fix for putting the snap back in the click. I wouldn't do this on a phone under warranty.

On my phone (8100) the trackball worked perfectly, the problem was the contact underneath the trackball on the main board (see picture step 8 above). Part of the copper colored tape had peeled away from the switch and let dirt and lint in not allowing the trackball to do its job.

I figured it doesn't work now so I couldn't make it worse. Take the battery out or you wont be able to see what you are doing with the LED blasting holes in your eyeballs. I took forceps and peeled it the rest of the way off. What I ended up with was a small square piece of tape with a smaller round slightly dish shaped piece of metal.

I cleaned the switch contact point on the main board. I then peeled the tape from the small round metal disk. I took some electrical tape (hoping to find something better later) and cut it into a small square. Placed the small metal disk on the tape and trimmed it a little more so it wouldn't cover the LEDs. Then I positioned it over the switch, pressed it down (you could use a pencil eraser) to the switch base. Put the battery and trackball back in.

Guess what happened then. No....it worked just like new.

Even if it came loose the magnets would catch it and keep it from falling out. I am hoping to find some other kind of tape that is thinner but will stay put for the long haul. If you have an idea for something better please post it.

An extra step that worked for me...
 

....i took apart and cleaned the tracker ball like everyone recommended. it got 3 of my 4 directions working. i found i had lint rapped around the arm of one of the black directional wheels. i got to that by very carefully taking a needle under the silver metal tab right above that arm. i got a ton of lint from that arm and now it works. hope this helps!

Worked perfectly for me after losing the ability to scroll down.

Perfect now, cheers!

Cleaning sometimes helps, unless it doesn't!
 

I cleaned my trackball a few times (didn't break it!(y)) But finally it just stopped scrolling too much. I tried cleaning it again and no go. Anyone else have same problem? Am I the only Klutz?

Good stuff!! Excellent additional comments too! Glad I didn't get rid of the alcohol and Qtips after getting rid of all the cassette players (!)

My wife has a Pearl (which is what this applied to) and I have a Curve. My battery overheated in the Curve and took out the trackball circuit, so sometimes you do have to replace the phone.

Thanks so much!

Z

Thanks very much for putting this together. It was very helfpul and great to get better results after cleaning the track ball.

Cheers,

abd

Nice
 

Nice Tutorial It Is The Best One That I Have Seen!!!

;-)

my trackball was scrolling but not "selecting" when i clicked it. thank you for this tutorial! all works fantastic now.

Am I the only one who can't see the pics? I need to do this but would prefer to see the pics. *fret*

hey thanks for sharing your ideas it will helpful for me for cleaning my 8100 trackball.

haha if you take a sharpie and color it green or blue it looks really cool. and you could always clean it off if needed

I am unable to watch images!!!!

I recently purchased a new Pearl 8100 for my sister. In the beginning there was nothing wrong with the trackball of the phone but in few weeks, it started to jam abruptly and could not work properly when needed.

So I tried several forums online to search for the simple solution and I reached here. I must say your step by step detailed instructions helped me a lot in minimizing my trackball issue. Now it is working fine and going good. Thanks again for your invaluable tips.

These insturctions are a hell of a lot clearer than the one I came across on one of those Wikihow sites. There wasn't a lot of stuff beneath the trackball, but enough to annoy me when I used it. Hopefully I won't have to do it again anytime soon. :)

Re: HOW TO: Clean the Trackball on your Pearl 8100
 

Thank you. All above mentioned did and helped