8 replies to this topic

[Sonic R]

a few weeks ago, I cleaned up my trak-ball and lubed all the bearings… it was working pretty good but on occasion, the y axis would not work or it would only move in one direction, just up or just down… I would spin the ball fast, or just give it a shake and it would work pretty good for hours of play - until the next day and it would start to do it again…

now it will not work at all - I have taken it apart, cleaned every bit of it and it only wants to move up… I've wasted the last hour and a half of my evening fooling with this and I do not know what to do now… I have Millipede on the way and I have been enjoying Centipede and it's because of this trak-ball…

of note, the x-axis works perfect, so I am able to play Space Invaders or Galaxian - but I'm not really in the mood for those right now…

I will greatly appreciate any help in with what direction to go in getting this thing working proper, every time! I hate to have to purchase another controller… there was one in a local shop but they want $50 for it I got two consoles, 15 games, and the trak-ball for the same price a few months ago…

Thanks for any help and assistance!

[0078265317]

Open it up and let let it dry overnight. Maybe some residue still left. And a can of compressed air for the dust and leftovers. And also open it and while its open make sure all the rollers work. Plug it in and see if the games work. If it does then you did not reassemble it right.

[bohoki]

check the cable wire for wire check the port on the 5200 those pins are very fragile

[WERY]

Also had this problem. My trakball worked as good as flawlessly. Then one day i got weird. I can move to the right very quickly but when I move to the left I only go a small distance before I stop. I have to roll the ball several times to get to the left while one roll to the right is enough to move across the whole screen.

I have managed to move quickly to the left if I roll downwards but that should'nt be... I have cleaned it but it still worked like that last time I used the trakball. Perhaps a more intensive cleaning is required?

[stringfellow]

I picked up a trak-ball recently and it isn't working at all. So Hopefully all it really needs is a cleaning.

[Sonic R]

stringfellow, on Sun Nov 13, 2011 5:42 AM, said:

I picked up a trak-ball recently and it isn't working at all. So Hopefully all it really needs is a cleaning.

is just the trak-ball not working or the whole thing? buttons, keypads, S,P,R...

I ended up having to switch out the y-axis opti-coupler (the black 'sensor' which the wheel spins in to detect movement)

Missile Command is a great game to use for testing the trak-ball

[stringfellow]

it seems like it is just the ball part. I did try missile command and the fire buttons and start buttons worked.

[stringfellow]

Well I tried it again without my extension cable and vertical sort of works and that is it. Time to clean I guess.

[CRTGAMER]

Test the Trakball rollers directly
Remove the ball and give each roller inside a spin while its hooked up. This will confirm if its electrical or just the ball "slipping". In addition to dust, maybe there is gum buildup on the steel rollers, use your fingernail or a PLASTIC putty knife to clean.