[uncleman]

Wow that was scary!!! LOL!!! Seriously, I didn't think I'd get it back together again!

Very helpful. My trackball moves nearly like new, but is unfortunately still ugly and faded.

[Evo666]

Thanks, this helped a lot. Even better with the picture, which made me confidant in cleaning my pearl.

[ArtSmart]

Don't just clean the point where the white rollers contact the trackball. I've found that sometimes I also have to clean the slot right next to the black cylindrical magnet at the end of each roller. I've found lint jammed into the crevice where the black magnet attaches to the white roller. A toothpick can get it out, but you have be aggressive. That jammed lint can inhibit smooth rolling of the rollers against the slots that hold them. And those holding slots can sometimes have lint, too.
--- Art

[ArtSmart]

I fervently hope God strikes me dead if I ever even think about buying another smartphone with moving parts. This trackball has been the biggest pain I've ever had to deal with. They don't even sell them in T-Mobile stores.

My next phone: Probably an iPhone. No BB.

[zakz]

So I woke up this morning and I basically couldn't use ma track ball. Would go up or down. Just sideways. Tried to browse the stack but it was such a biig hustle. Finally decided to rip it apart n clean it.. What the hell right? And OMG!! All the gunk I found in there.. Eww!!!
Now ma curve works like its new I'm all smiles baby

[zakz]

So I woke up this morning and I basically couldn't use ma track ball. Wouldnt go up or down. Just sideways. Tried to browse the stacks for help but it was such a biig hustle. Finally decided to rip it apart n clean it.. What the hell right? What's the worse that could happen, not being able to use ma trackball X2 ..And OMG!! All the gunk I found in there.. Eww!!!
I cleaned it n now ma curve works like a charm I'm all smiles baby

[shanemcmn]

Going into this i spend upwards of 6-8 hours using my pearl for work/school/fun.. Saying that i clean my pearl everynight, religiously. I use a microfiber clothe, followed by a screen cleaner and i follow it up by using a fine haired brush to get out dust! I also use a qtip and rubbing alcohol to clean the trackball and camera lens! This past weekend i was amazed to find that my cursor wouldnt move up or down, i did a battery pull at least 10 times and used rubbing alcohol and the qtip but to no avail. I was never that daring when it came to the dismemberment of my phones.. but i pressed on ahead. I read through the entire thing and didnt pay much attention to the north south section. Needless to say i wish i would have. I have since bent the metal clips and lost, found, and then lost the magnetic rollers I kept getting stuck on the part where you have to gently reunite the top and bottom half of the trackball assembly, i couldnt get it to connect.. I looked around and found a replacement from within the us (bbtrackball.com), and ordered. Fingeres crossed to the blackberry gods, im already going into withdrawl...Ive had to downgrade to the 7290 for now. Im currently thinking about bashing my breains in with the 7290 due to its shear bulk and lack of speed!

say a prayer for me i need it

[raton]

So let me ask you something guys/gals.... I've been wondering if there would be a problem if I soak my trackball and leave it overnight in detergent/bleach then clean it with rubbing alcohol. Has anyone tried this? I really wanna clean the heck outta that thing. Well, it's from my old pearl i used to own and has collected so much dust i was wondering if i could do something to salvage it. I know i could buy one from cnn really cheap but i wanna see if i can salvage this thing .

[reddog187]

Originally Posted by raton

So let me ask you something guys/gals.... I've been wondering if there would be a problem if I soak my trackball and leave it overnight in detergent/bleach then clean it with rubbing alcohol. Has anyone tried this? I really wanna clean the heck outta that thing. Well, it's from my old pearl i used to own and has collected so much dust i was wondering if i could do something to salvage it. I know i could buy one from cnn really cheap but i wanna see if i can salvage this thing .

What are you doing to soak over night? The whole assembly? If you do, don't use anything corrosive.
If you're trying to just get the ball white you're better off just buying a new assembly.

Good luck

[raton]

Ok, I left the trackball overnight dipped in alcohol and it worked. It came out nice and clean

[Jeffgoonzales]

man this whole thing works. i took my ball apart and it was nasty! hairs everywhere and dirt. thanks bro

[animalpop]

my assembly does not have the metal retaining clips that are referred to in the original post, i took it apart just to see if i could, still fairly clean...

[galavanter]

This is not worth the trouble, at least not for me. After trying for 2 hours to get it back together last night, I finally bent the retainer ring out of shape to the point where it was never going to work.

I didn't have proper tools, and I sure could have used a magnifying light. Plastic tweezers would have helped, as to not attract the magnets. I should have taken my own photos and marked the parts to assist in reassembly.

After my experience last night, I think I could do it next time. Maybe. But after panicking about having no gps tonight at work, where I rely on it as a trucker, I started searching for a replacement.

What I found is that these things are ten bucks including shipping on ebay, if you can wait. I paid $30.00 locally today because I needed it now. I have a nice white ball too, instead of a brown one that vinegar, lighter fluid, and bleach would not clean up. Maybe if I soaked it overnight.

My hat is off to you reddog, and you did provide a large warning and disclaimer.

If you go the replacement route, simply pry off the ring surrounding the trackball on your BB, working your way around gently. Use a suitably small tool with a small, thin blade. It has three sets of posts underneath it, at 3,6,and 9 o'clock. It must be snapped back in the same way after replacement.

Turn over your blackberry and tap the trackball assembly into your hand. It is held in by a magnet.

Drop in the replacement, making sure the silver contact on the bottom, sort of resembling the shape of a light bulb, is in the position of the globe (of a light bulb) facing down toward the keyboard and the shaft (the part of the lightbulb you would screw in, which is connected to the white plastic bottom piece) is facing up toward the LCD.

You will know when it is centered correctly as the magnet will grab hold. Snap the ring back on, again remembering to have the posts underneath at 3,6,and 9 o'clock when your BB is facing you.

Then go to mobile.http://www.blackberry.com on your BB browser > Fun & Games > Themes, and download the Scribble theme.

I just discovered that when in the home page of that theme, with the five icons lined up vertically on the left, you can scroll, with your clean trackball, over to the far top right and then select the profiles icon.

[steelwillie5]

I did this and My Pearl worked like new. Thanks for the in site.

[metro350]

Can this thread possibly handle another THANK-YOU post??
I sure hope so.......
Thank you reddog for your clear instructions, and mostly the great pics you posted!!!
I now have a new pearl again! And I'm loving it!!!! (i've spent the last month or so, not being able to scroll down)

I read a previous post about a missing metal ring under the plastic retaining ring. My pearl was missing that ring too...... hmmm

Anyways, I agree with you.... You CANNOT STRESS ENOUGH THE IMPORTANCE OF MARKING THE ASSEMBLY BEFORE TAKING IT APART!

except for the "chubby finger" factor, my pearl went back together nicely!!

Thanks!!
metro350