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Boo Hoo my Trackball's Dead!

38 REPLIES 38
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Message 1 of 39
AllenJessup
1669 Views, 38 Replies

Boo Hoo my Trackball's Dead!

I knocked my Trackball Explorer of my desk this morning and broke an internal plastic part. Krazy glue fixed that. But then I broke of a pin trying to reseat the ribbon cable. All our IT will supply is the cheap mouse that comes with the computers. So I guess I'll try to solder the pin back in this weekend.

 

I just needed someone to complain to.



Allen Jessup
Engineering Specialist / CAD Manager

38 REPLIES 38
Message 21 of 39
AllenJessup
in reply to: AllenJessup

So I brought in my backup trackball today and ordered a new one from Amazon. I hadn't remembered that my backup was a version 1.0. It's fine but the pick button needs a precise movement that isn't as forgiving a the V 2.0.

 

As I mentioned. I also have an old Microsoft PS2 mouse hooked up. So I got the funny idea of using the mouse just for hitting the pick button. It actually works quite well. If it weren't for the need to keep my left hand on the keyboard to type all my left hand based Aliased. I might be tempted to adopt the 2 handed style permanently.Smiley Surprised



Allen Jessup
Engineering Specialist / CAD Manager

Message 22 of 39


@AllenJessup wrote:

I knocked my Trackball Explorer of my desk this morning and broke an internal plastic part. Krazy glue fixed that. But then I broke of a pin trying to reseat the ribbon cable. All our IT will supply is the cheap mouse that comes with the computers. So I guess I'll try to solder the pin back in this weekend.

 

I just needed someone to complain to.


I hear you.  I am still using a couple of original logitech Trackman Marble FX's:

Capture.PNG

These have been rotated through daily use since about 1997.  I think they stopped making them because they were too good/durable.  In 1999 or 200, I decided I wanted a scroll wheel, so I switched to the Microsoft Trackball Explorer.  Not quite as ergonomic, but the extra buttons plus the scroll wheel made up for it (nice in AutoCAD).  Unfortunately, in 2 years, I went through 3 of them- the main button always stopped working.  Seems the contacts MS used were not quite as durable.

 

I now also have one of the wireless Trackman as well:

Capture.PNG

Still not quite as ergonomic as the original Marble FX, but the drivers play well with Win7/Revit.  The "Wireless" part of it is kind of a joke- though they are still selling this (it's the newest trackball model, if you don't count the "marble mouse") it  uses the early-2000s wireless connector of a 2-foot cord with a puck on the end of it.  I wish they would rerelease it with the micro-usb receiver that sits flush with the computer.

 

This doesn't get daily use, but I've had it for about 5 years and it still works well.

 

I could never use a mouse full time.  My hand goes numb.

Message 23 of 39


Wanderer-MOTD wrote:

"The majority of people on the Engineering staff here are actually left-handed..."


 Well, they say that the smartest and most creative people are left-handed.

 

btw - did I mention I'm primarily left-handed? Actually, I'm basically ambidextrous except for writing.

Corey D.                                                                                                                  ADSK_Logo_EE_2013.png    AutoCAD 2014 User  Revit 2014 User
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Message 24 of 39


@Anonymous wrote:

@Mistress0fTheDorkness wrote:

"The majority of people on the Engineering staff here are actually left-handed..."


 Well, they say that the smartest and most creative people are left-handed.

 

btw - did I mention I'm primarily left-handed? Actually, I'm basically ambidextrous except for writing.


I have heard that. Smiley Wink

 

lol, no, I don't believe you'd mentioned. I'm the same way. Smiley Very Happy



Melanie Stone
Facilities Data Management
IWMS / CAFM / CMMS / AutoCAD / Archibus / Tririga / Planon / MRI Manhattan CenterStone / Revit / data normalization, data mapping, reporting and process documentation
mistressofthedorkness.blogspot.com/
Message 25 of 39
GilesPhillips
in reply to: CoreyDaun


CADastrophe wrote
:

 Well, they say that the smartest and most creative people are left-handed.

 

 



Da-vinci, Hendrix.. yup.

 

I play the guitar right-handed, as lefty guitars are uncommon secondhand, and thus expensive. I think Hendrix had this problem too, though he ended up playing the guitar upside down.

ACad, MEP, Revit, 3DS Max
Message 26 of 39

Interesting. I started with a Marble FX. What OS are you using it on. I broke out my old one yesterday and figured I'd use that for the rest of the day. It's not Plug n Play and I couldn't find any 64 bit drivers for it. Everything I read said that it wouldn't work on Vista or above.

 

I liked the Marble FX very much. But my boss at my second job (now defunct) happened to pick up a TBE. I found that I liked having a scroll wheel and (at least for me) it's ergonomic. I also have the wireless trackman as well. But I find it difficult to use. I have to bear-paw too much to make it comfortable.



Allen Jessup
Engineering Specialist / CAD Manager

Message 27 of 39
CoreyDaun
in reply to: GilesPhillips


GilesPhillips wrote

"Da-vinci, Hendrix.. yup.

I play the guitar right-handed, as lefty guitars are uncommon secondhand, and thus expensive. I think Hendrix had this problem too, though he ended up playing the guitar upside down."


 

Yep. I play (not well) guitar right-handed, though I can flip it over and play a little like that. I stopped doing that because it's a pain to remember two separate sets of chords! I also play piano right-handed. (kidding, of course..)

Corey D.                                                                                                                  ADSK_Logo_EE_2013.png    AutoCAD 2014 User  Revit 2014 User
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
⁞|⁞ Please use Mark Solutions!.Accept as Solution and Give Kudos!Give Kudos as appropriate to further enhance these forums. Thank you!
Message 28 of 39
GilesPhillips
in reply to: CoreyDaun


@Anonymous wrote:
I also play piano right-handed. (kidding, of course..)

That would really mess up some heads - restringing a piano so the low notes were on the right... hehe

ACad, MEP, Revit, 3DS Max
Message 29 of 39
bgingerich
in reply to: GilesPhillips


@GilesPhillips wrote:
I play the guitar right-handed, as lefty guitars are uncommon secondhand, and thus expensive. I think Hendrix had this problem too, though he ended up playing the guitar upside down.

I knew one guy that did that, but he had to take off the knobs 'cause he kept scaring the daylights out of himself when he hit 'Vol' !  Smiley Happy

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Brandon Gingerich
Message 30 of 39


@AllenJessup wrote:

Interesting. I started with a Marble FX. What OS are you using it on. I broke out my old one yesterday and figured I'd use that for the rest of the day. It's not Plug n Play and I couldn't find any 64 bit drivers for it. Everything I read said that it wouldn't work on Vista or above.

 

I liked the Marble FX very much. But my boss at my second job (now defunct) happened to pick up a TBE. I found that I liked having a scroll wheel and (at least for me) it's ergonomic. I also have the wireless trackman as well. But I find it difficult to use. I have to bear-paw too much to make it comfortable.


I'm in Revit now, which doesn't allow for as much button customization as AutoCAD.  Basically, I only use 3 buttons for Revit: Left-click, Ricght-click and the larger "Middle Button" is used for navigation in Revit.

Standard Middle button+mouse move is pan, Ctrl+Middle button+mouse move  is zoom, Shift+Middle button+mouse move  is rotate/orbit.

Since I only need this, the windows default PS2 mouse driver works for me.

 

In AutoCAD, I used one button plus combinations of modifier keys for X/Y/Z offset snaps (thank you, partial menus!)  I'm pretty sure they added something like that in an early 2000-era release to the standard snapping.

I think I also had a button for frequently-used lisp routines. (It's been a while)

Message 31 of 39
CADiva
in reply to: asommer


@asommer wrote:

Realize the dream...  convince the boss to upgrade, and celebrate by taking the old stuff to the roof and the office make bets on which one will have a bigger parts spread.  It makes a great half-day party.


That would be great fun!

Message 32 of 39
AllenJessup
in reply to: AllenJessup

Update. My replacement Model 2 I bought on Amazon arrived that day before yesterday. It's hooked up and working fine. In good shape for a used one too. Smiley Happy

 

Last night while watching a program where they were digitizing death masks. I nearly jumped out of my chair while pointing out a Trackball Explorer being used in the process.



Allen Jessup
Engineering Specialist / CAD Manager

Message 33 of 39
coopdetat
in reply to: Joe.Charpentier

I use the same trackball and I upgraded from the same Logitech Trackball Marble. I have gone through several of them. I discovered a way to get a little more life out of it by refurbishing the pic button. Find a piece of stiff plastic (the clear formed plastic on a piece of cardboard that hangs on a peg in your neighborhood store works well). Open up your trackball and find the contact point for the pick button microswitch. Cut a strip of the plastic that will fit snugly between the reinforcing gussets and bend it in a narrow, sharply formed, U shape that will hug the contact rib that pushes on the micro switch. Reassemble the mouse and you're good for another few hundred thousand clicks.

If you inspect it closely you'll see that the cylindrical surface of the microswitch button has worn a notch into the contact rib so that it cannot depress the switch fully. The piece of stiff plastic you just installed makes up for that. It can't fall out because the button will hold it in place.

As long as nothing else breaks you can repeat this process as many times as necessary.

---------------------------------------------Signature--------------------------------------------
Civil Design Professional Since 1983 (Intergraph), AutoCAD since 1989

Windows 10 Pro 64-bit Intel﴾R﴿ Core﴾TM﴿ i9-12900KF CPU 3.19GHz; 32 GB DDR4 4266 Dual Channel RAM
nVidia Quadro RTX 4000; AutoCAD Civil 3D 2023.2.1 Update
Message 34 of 39
Charles_Shade
in reply to: coopdetat

So THAT'S why all the product is laying on the floor at the Home Depot!

Message 35 of 39
Joe.Charpentier
in reply to: coopdetat

I'm having trouble picturing this- I'd love to see a picture if you had one.
BTW, I couldn't tell from your comment which model/brand of trackball you are using.

coopdetat wrote:

Open up your trackball and find the contact point for the pick button microswitch. Cut a strip of the plastic that will fit snugly between the reinforcing gussets and bend it in a narrow, sharply formed, U shape that will hug the contact rib that pushes on the micro switch. 


 

Message 36 of 39
pendean
in reply to: AllenJessup

My very first Trackball ever, and about a year later, my second Trackball: see attachements.

Who else had one of these?

Message 37 of 39
Charles_Shade
in reply to: pendean

Second one or something similar.

Message 38 of 39
coopdetat
in reply to: CADiva

My initial reply was to the post that had embedded pictures of this mouse:

CordlessTrackmanMarble.png

This is how I refurbished several of mine to get more mileage out of them.

Remove the PCB to access the switch contact for repair.

002.jpg

Notice the dent in the switch contact below.  (this one is not as pronounced as I've seen)

003.jpg

The piece of plastic that will cover the dent in the contact.

004.jpg

The plastic is in place... reassemble the mouse and get back to work!

005.jpg

---------------------------------------------Signature--------------------------------------------
Civil Design Professional Since 1983 (Intergraph), AutoCAD since 1989

Windows 10 Pro 64-bit Intel﴾R﴿ Core﴾TM﴿ i9-12900KF CPU 3.19GHz; 32 GB DDR4 4266 Dual Channel RAM
nVidia Quadro RTX 4000; AutoCAD Civil 3D 2023.2.1 Update
Message 39 of 39
Joe.Charpentier
in reply to: coopdetat

Cool- I appreciate the how-to!

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