[Dreamco]

Originally Posted by organic_matter

just want to reiterate the fact on HOW IMPORTANT THIS IS........

and with that note any one know where i can buy a new assembly...

Following is a link for the Pearl Trackball assembly. They list it for $11.99 plus s/h. Hope this helps.

http://cnn.cn/shop/index.php

Cheers

[BBluis]

Originally Posted by Eddie_gauge

It has been suggested to do so with a q-tip and alcohol, soapy water, regular water, etc. but the most important part is once done blow dry the trackball till the cows come home. You need to make sure that no liquid is left inside. Hope it helps.

thank you men

[mralabama334]

~via BB (wap.pinstack.com)~you just saved me $100. Thank ya!

[grapemist]

I really like this thread. Im a newbie here and learning so much. Keep the info coming

[2kewlgypsy]

I did this on the Curve - and at the same time used a red pen and colored the top of the led - using at night the white ball was very bright, and as most with the curve know we can't change the color like the pearl - it is permanent red now, but better than the blinding white.

[ArtSmart]

I've had to do this procedure half a dozen times now. Gotten better and better at it. Down to about 10 minutes now, start to finish. The keys for me are:

1. Do it on a clean, carpeted the floor -- not on a desk, table or other surface where parts can roll off and be lost forever.
2. During disassembly, pay very close attention to the orientation of the parts. Otherwise, you'll waste lots of time during reassembly guessing at the correct orientation. Not just for the four magnetic rollers, but also the entire unit, the metal clip, etc.
3. I use magnifying visors, because at age 54, my vision ain't what it used to be. Those parts are tiny.
4. I find a toothpick useful as a positioning tool. The four cylindrical magnets can make metal tweezers problematic.

Good luck.

[bbpearl4life]

Originally Posted by reddog187

~via BB (wap.pinstack.com)~

I've only had to actually take apart the assembly once. Second time was for these pictures. The problem that the pearl is frequent to is the trackball will sometimes stop working. If you keep it in your pocket lint will get into the mechanism and eventually cause this. Unless you have a lint free pocket. so basically try to keep it out of you pocket and get a holster.

hey reddog. i'de follow your instructions. pretty simple to follow. ok, after i assemble it back together, i was still having the same problem. the trackball wasn't rolling back. so, i took it apart again and found that 1 roller was kind off wear off. the other were ok. so, what i did. i just simply change the positition of it. it took me a couple of tryies. but i finally out it right. i was my first time doing this, and i found extra simple. thanks for the pics. it did help me alot too. thumbs upp??

[sugardad]

I always wanted to say a big THANK YOU!!!!
your pict guide made many BB friends of mine happy as I performed a routine service and cleaning
to their Pearls!
Cheers!!!

[thakkenc]

I used this guide and was able to get the pearl working as smooth as new.

Thanks a lot!!!

[bmwcsl]

thanks great write-up!

[Byzantio99]

First off, great write up on the procedure to clean your trackball. Thank you for the detailed photos and step by step instructions. UNfortunately it just didn't work for me. (I'm pissed). I consider myself pretty handy and often look for challanges like this, but this time I got stumped. Disassembly and cleaning were a breeze, getting that metal clip to fasten over the plastic tabs has proven to be a nightmare for me. I made every effort not to break, snap or bend the metal clip, but it seems I can't compress the reassembled parts to allow the metal snap back into place. How do they do it???

Time for me to find a reputable place to buy a new assembly. I've seen prices range from $11.99 to in excess of $50. Can anyone vouch for a reputable dealer?

I've been a user of a Logitech Trackman mouse for my home pc for nearly 10 years. Logitech nailed down the trackball design by removing all the moving parts in the mouse assembly by adopting an infared beam that tracks the movement of the ball. No need for rollers, magnets and any other parts to collect and retain dust. RIM should talk to Logitech about the building of trackballs.

To those who want to venture into cleaning their trackball, I recommend you:

a)order a replacment trackball assembly prior to disassembly, have it on standy juuust incase.
b)attempt to dislodge any dust or lint using compressed air.
c)make sure you have atleast 30-60 minutes of undisturbed time to yourself.

Back to my BB Curve until I get a new assembly.

Good luck to those who venture into this repair.

Tom

[txhotboy]

will this work wit da 8320 Curve? cuz i dont wanna mess my phone up

[dvst8ion]

good job good into thanx

[lindycu]

Are there any differences in the 8100 assembly and the 8130 assembly? With the $11.99 price tag on a replacement trackball from cnn.cn, it indicates that the retainer clip for the 8100 is not included, does that mean the 8120/8130 do not have the retainer clip?

The reason I ask is that I'm replacing my 8703e with a 8130 next week (shipping from Verizon).

Thanks!

[ir_dizzle]

Hello everyone,

I previously had a problem w/ my buttons not working and the trackball button not working. After following the directions on this sticky, it works, but sometimes it still glitches... (when I disassembled the trackball, there was no sign of lint and very little dirt).

I did notice, however, that the circuit board underneath the trackball seems to have some white-looking powdery substance on it (it kind of looks like a battery that exploded for those who have seen that in a battery-operated device).

Does it normally look like this for those of you who have disassembled their trackball or am I the unlucky one??


Thanks.