Kensington Expert Mouse Trackball Maintenance
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- Опубліковано 30 лип 2024
- How to take apart and clean an older Kensington Expert Mouse Trackball. These are fantastic and my personal favorite type of input device. They do get worn but can be serviced pretty easily. Thanks for watching my vids. I hope you enjoy them.
Thanks for posting. I couldn't find the hidden screws and was failing to crowbar the thing apart!
Thank you for the video. Manufacturers really should include teardown information like this in the user manual, like they do for computers...
Yes! Thank you! This is video I was looking for!
Thank you! you just saved me shed load of shoulder / arm pain and another £120 to replace the one that now works perfectly! :D
I swear by these. I did upgrade a few of them to the newer version which is nice, but I still use this exact trackball to this day. I'm so glad this video was helpful!
Great video! Thanks! To clean the scroll wheel, try using a toothbrush with a little Armor All while it's disassembled. I use it on vintageamplifier potentiometer knobs that have thin grooves on them. They clean up great.
I do the same thing on knobs but never thought to try it on the scroll wheel. Great idea! Thank you!
Your video just saved me $75! I was ready to buy a new Kensington Expert Mouse Trackball! I took it apart as you showed (there were some differences, as my trackball is much older, it uses two C-cell batteries) and used a can of compressed air to remove the dog hair and grime that were preventing the scroll ring from working. Again, many thanks!
I freaking love my expert mouse. I have one of the newer ones, but I still use that exact one (in the video) when I am typing these comments. What model used 2 C batteries? That sounds neat.
@@FixitFrank Model #64329
Thanks for the teardown video. My office K64325 purchased at least 8 years ago years ago finally started having intermittent left clicks. I'll bookmark this video and take it home to see if I can correct that behavior. If not, I'll buy the current revision. I've used a variant of this design since the Kensington Turbo Mouse with the ADB connection that I used with my then brand new Apple //GS. Bean counters gripe about the replacement cost, though.
I had that happen on one and resoldered the microswitch contacts. I also worked a little deoxit R5 contact cleaner into the switch and it is still running to this day. The switches are replaceable too and available. I use both this model and the most current and while I do like the newest quite a bit, the old one still holds up to this day. Im actually using the one from the video right now.
Thanks for the video and tips. Love these trackballs. :)
Happy to help!
I've got three of these! I lost one of the "rubies" (gem? plastic?} that the ball sits on and set that one aside for parts. Which I've never needed, these are bullet proof IF you are very careful to NOT dislodge any of the three "rubies" the ball rides and glides on.
OH! A 2 mm ball bearing?? What a concept! I'm on it, I will bring my third trackball out of retirement and try the ball bearing idea. These are indeed the very best input device I've even used. Oldy but goody.
I still swear by them! I did upgrade my daily drivers to the newest version but I still regularly use the one in the video as well as a few others. They are the best input devices indeed.
One thing I will add is that any 2mm bearing is good. Next time I will try plastic/delrin 2mm bearing if I can find them. The steel does wear down eventually but it took a few years. I have a bag of these bearings so I just swap them out when they get worn.
@@FixitFrank did you ever make a video on how to change/add the 2mm bearings? I tried to find and was not able to.
Thanks, man! Regards from Brazil!
You're welcome!
Thank you for this video. I can't believe how much cat hair I pulled out of my trackball mouse.
My right-click stopped clicking after several years of use, so I opened up the mouse and unscrewed and pulled out the little tan circuit board and found that the malfunctioning part was an Omron D2F-01 Ultra Subminiature Basic Switch. It's a very common inexpensive part, readily available on Ebay and elsewhere. All it takes is very minimal soldering skills to unsolder the three pins to remove the bad switch, then solder on the new one. Screw the mouse back together and you're done! My wife and I currently use SlimBlade trackballs on our primary PCs, but I still have four K64325s on our other machines. I've been using Kensington Expert Mice since the 2.0 serial port version, then really got into them when the 5.0 64215 model came around, and had several of 'em around the house, then got pissed at Kensington when I switched from XP to Windows 7 and Mouseworks didn't work. Updating to K64325s fixed that, but now I'm pissed at them because they don't sell replacement wrist rests. It's always something, right?
I had a similar issue. The tiny trace has cracked right at the switch. I ended up soldering in a jumper. What great devices. I swear they keep my hands from going numb.
@@FixitFrank Back when I was still using the 5.0 64215 version, I had one at the office that I was working at, and one morning when I sat down at my desk I noticed that the ball was missing out of my mouse. I called Kensington to see if I could get a replacement, and the thickly accented support rep kept telling me: "Kensington has no balls!" So I wrote a snail-mail letter to Kensington relating to them my experience with their customer service and inquiring whether or not it was indeed true that Kensington had no balls. Apparently my letter cracked up everyone in their office to the point that they sent me a brand new K64325, my very first one! The enclosed note told me how funny that they all thought my letter was, and that their gift was their way of dragging me into the present, updating me from my old 5.0. By the way, I eventually found the missing ball, the cleaning staff must have knocked my 5.0 over, and the ball had rolled behind a filing cabinet. By then I was so happy with my new K64325 that I started unloading my old 5.0s on eBay and replacing them with new K64325s!
Have you tried one of those mouse pad or pillow for your wrist? They feel much than the original.
Excellent video Frank. Thank you for posting. Did you run it through a Multimeter and if so was there anything of note or comment on if you did?
I don't recall doing so in this instance. I have checked the buttons in the past using my meter set to ohms(resistance check), or using continuity.
Hi , does the scroll wheel move freely as the one i have does not seem to scroll down smoothly , more like it jumps on the screen and the wheel itself feels as if its got grit in it or is that the normal ? Thanks . Great video :-)
Thank you!!!
Dear , thanks for the video it shows almost all there is need to know to keep the trackball working in good order. But .......... yeah sorry for this , how can the bearings be removed without damaging the plastic of the trackball bearing holders and what will be the best way to insert these little bearings back? Thank you for sharing your thoughts and video's.
I will actually have a video on the bearings in a week or 2. What I usually to is put my finger on it so when it pops loose, it stays under my finger. Trust me when I say they will take off and you will never see it again. Treat it like it is made from unobtanium. To push it loose, I use a very small flat head screwdriver or even a meter probe tip. You want to push at the space where the bearing meets the plastic. The bearing will pop up slightly. Then I tip the whole track ball over and dump the bearing into my hand and then quickly into a little container separate from the screws. You'll want to clean them off and its easier in the bag to put some alcohol and squish it around to clean off the bearings from crud. I use tweezers to put them back. You set the bearing on the holder, then gently yet firmly push down on it with your finger. It will pop down and then you are good. I'll demonstrate this in the video.
Great video - I love this trackball, and have had it for year! Question though - you mentioned "little rollers" at about 45 seconds into the video, and said you had replaced yours. Do these tiny balls actually roll? My trackball still has the 3 original tiny balls, but I can't recall that they ever rolled (but never really thought to try rolling them). I thought they just provided a hard surface and the main roller ball just glides across the tops of these 3 points, but that might not be how it really works. My main problem with sticky roller ball is these tiny balls get all gunked up - and after I rub the gunk off, it works better - but is still a bit sticky (too much friction to be completely smooth). If these tiny balls are supposed to roll, then my question is - how do you clean these tiny balls? I'm trying to reduce the friction so I get finer control when I am working on graphics.
I don't know for sure. I don't think they roll. I think they might move a little but more I think they are bearings that let the large ball slide across them easily. I am going to try Delrin replacement balls next. I ordered some last week to try out. The metal starts to wear down after 3 years and gets sticky.
However if you use this daily, buy the newer expert mouse. It moves a bit nicer. I still use the old ones too but on my 2 main machines I use the newer model.
@@FixitFrank did those delrin balls work for you? I'm missing one of my balls and would love to find a replacement, wondering if you have a suggestion?
Very useful video, grettings
Thank you!
Thanks for the video. I can't believe how long and small the shaft is for the top screws. None of my screwdrivers even fit. you need some sort of stiletto
if you get into small things like this more often than not, I'd suggest a small set of Wiha or Wira brand screwdrivers. the multibit tip types are always just a little too wide for some reason.
@@FixitFrank thank you!
Sorry I am very clueless. What screw driver do I need to open this up and clean around/under a button. Just want to be sure as I will be ordering online. Thanks in advance.
A late reply, as I'm sure you found out. A #1 x 75mm phillips head is ideal.
The sort you'd use on most electronics or computer assembly.
(Internals screws: 2 @ ~5mm dia; case screws: 4 @ 3mm dia.)
I'd suggest a small bristled paint-brush to clean under the buttons.
(It might help someone else.)
Mine does not roll as well anymore. Any lube recommendation? My work is greatly facilitated by fast zooming across the screen, so the drag is an actual drag.Thanks!
Yes! see if you lost any of hte little ruby bearings. There should be 3. If so, you can buy 2mm ball bearings and use those.
have you cleaned the bearings of the scroll ring? when I use the scroll ring it gets some resistance and it feels in different points of the ring but at different times. the resistance feels in one spot at a time, so is like changes, might be dust or may need lube, it is fairly new though, it has 2 months at most.
I found that plastic flashing from the mold process was the main cause of that in mind. I'd check for an out of round shape for the scroll encoder(metal part under the scroll) and also for plastic bits sticking out of the scroll wheel (inside).
Thanks for the teardown. I'm looking into mine. For some reason the red LED is about 1/10th the brightness it should be and that is causing the optics to not "see" the movement, I think. The buttons and scroll ring still work and the computer sees it.
Interesting. I know these are susceptible to corrosion from our hands sweating(stuff being spilled). You may have some bad corrosion near the LED(since its at the bottom). these also can have bad solder. There is a chance the LED is failing too. They do go bad sometimes. I'd pull the LED board out and check it carefully for corrosion or bad solder. I need to get my parts listed soon. I have parts from other track balls that I scrapped down and I know I have an LED board. If you get stuck, post here again and I'll get back to you.
@@FixitFrank Thanks for taking an interest in helping me! Unfortunately, no luck. I pulled both boards and touched up a couple of questionable joints but nothing really jumped out at me. I may troll eBay to find a beat up one for cheap for doner parts.
I have the same kengsinton as you, I recently purchased it (couple weeks ago) and since the first day, when I spin the ball really fast, the mouse on the screen stops until the ball slows down then the mouse continues to move. I assume this is due to a low-grade laser, do you have this problem?
Anyway, do you happen to know a higher quality laser board I could just buy and replace? Or if I can just buy a laser board and somehow swap them? For example, I have an elecom huge which has a nice laser (only jitters, but that's at really high speeds), but it uses ribbons as connectors instead of the wire connectors that hte kensington uses; is there a way to change it?
I am not sure that is an option, but I'm not super familiar with other laser options. I think the stall happens because of the sample rate versus the ball size. The turbo mouse ball is pretty large. I think the elecom huge is smaller diameter but I'm not sure.
To my knowledge there are no other options but maybe ask Kensington support. I've never had the stall happen when I didn't expect it but I only use mine for general computer use. I never have to move it very fast so it's never been an issue. I'm curious to hear if what Kensington says if you decide to ask them. I'll keep my ears open as well.
@@FixitFrank The sample rate of the elecom huge is 125hz, same as all other mice if that's what you meant. The ball size is indeed smaller (3mm smaller), but only slightly, at any rate, I plopped the ball into the kensinton, and whilst it did not sit well, it could still kinda roll, so after trying it out, it still stalled, same as with the regular ball. I'll see if I can message kensington I guess.
You know more about these than I do. I had no idea that was the sample rate. I thought it would be higher! If you think of it, let me know what you find out. Thanks!
@FixitFrank I just opened mine up using this video because the upper right button sticks sometimes. I found that some of the screws (The two that hold the scroll wheel in place and the screw that holds down the board for the right side buttons.) are corroded. Do you know what kind of screws I would need to get to replace these?
Good question. I would think you can get away with any screw that is close enough. I would err on the side of slightly shorter than slightly longer so you don't punch through the case. I tend to get mine out of old devices and have a huge pile of old screws but if you need to buy new ones. I would look at 2mm(I think, measure the diameter of the screw) coarse thread. Another thought is just use what you have that will work. I would think you can get away with wood screws since they have a coarse thread. I'd be glad to check in mine if you want to get you more specific sizes if its helpful. Just let me know.
@@FixitFrank I would appreciate that. Thank you.
Hi Frank! I have a trackball just like yours, the ball feels very stuck, do you think that changing the 2mm bearings works well? In fact one of the bearings goes out of place by itself.
Are the bearings 2mm or 2.5mm? This trackball has red colored bearings, but I saw in other videos that certain trackballs that have those red colored bearings are changed for white ceramic "ZrO2 zirconium oxide bearings"
Thanks in advance! I would really appreciate your help to solve this.
They are definitely 2mm. I actually bought a bunch of silicone nitride (si3n4) bearings and replaced the bearings in my worn trackballs. So far they have been great. I sent some to a friend but I don't think he got them yet. the red bearings are supposed to be ruby(lab made). If it is popping out, check the plastic to make sure there isn't dirt stuck underneath. Are you in the states? I have a LOT of the silicone nitride bearings if you want to try some.
@@FixitFrank Thank you very much Frank! I already bought several "uxcell 2mm Ceramic Bearing Balls ZrO2" on Aliexpress, let's see how it works when changing them.
Your video is very illustrative, it was very helpful!
those should work well. I love these trackballs so much.
Thanks! Took me longer to find my screwdrivers and locate all the dropped screws! My mouse is as good as new with a good clean and adding some lube to the scroll wheel.
I picked the mouse up at the local Goodwill a year ago, or so. The previous owner must have owned a cat because the mouse was absolutely filthy inside. 🤢🤮
Thats awesome to hear!! I love these still. I bought 2 of the newer models, but I still use more of these, including the one from the video. I'm actually using that one right now. So glad to hear you were successful! Congratulations!
Hi, Frank. My trackball is missing a little red ball bearing and I've ordered a pack of 2 mm replacements. However, on a closer look, I see that the little grips for the missing ball seem to be broken off. I assume I need to get a replacement of the round "dish" where the balls are located. I can't find one anywhere online; do you have any idea where I could get one? It is for the Kenshington Expert Mouse wired trackball, Model K64325. Thanks for any advice! Kathy
oh boy. Thats going to be tough. You would have to find a used/scrap trackball. They do exist but I do not see any on ebay at the moment. Kensington wont have them unfortunately. However you may want to clean the area in case dust packed so tight that it looks like its part of the plastic and the grips might still be there but encased in the dirt. I have seen that. But if they truly are snapped off, a scrap trackball would be your best option.
My Expert Mouse's USB cable seems to going bad. Any idea where I can find a replacement cable with the proper end on it that will plug into the existing motherboard slot for the USB cable?
I don't unfortunately. However you can put a dupont connector set on a wire and then replace the pins inside with a 1mm pitch. You could also directly solder it to the board. Sadly knowing modern manufacturing they probably never sold them as spare parts.
@@FixitFrank Ok. Man, I was SO hoping that would be some sort of univeral/standard-style and easy-to-find "end" on that cable that I could simply plug into the board, since I know nothing about soldering yet :( But thanks for the info and prompt reply!
@@Ryan-nz3ok I'll tell you. This is probably one of the best places to practice. Soldering is not hard. My dad showed me when I was 8. There are some great tutorials on UA-cam.
Another option (slightly more expensive) is to buy a crimper set and crimp a new connector to a wire. I think they are either jst or hirose brand pins. But you'd have to buy the tools and crimps. Soldering is way easier and cheaper. Don't be put off.smile.amazon.com/Soldering-Iron-Kit-Temperature-Desoldering/dp/B073VDX4B7/ref=mp_s_a_1_2_sspa? For $26 you can get everything you need. Then practice on some scrap wire. I bet you could be proficient enough to fix it in a weekend. Good luck and let me know if you have any questions.
What about the micro switches ? The switches are intermittently not responding ? Takes multiple or several hard clicks to left or right click ???
I actually have dealt with this! In my case it was bad solder around the microswitches. I resoldered them and it was fine. It also can't hurt to get some deoxit cleaner down into the switches while the trackball is open. you can drip it in where the button goes into the switch.
The best way to clean the scroll is to use toothbrush and compressed air. Just like new after a short session!
good idea. I will try that.
Thanks a lot! Can you make a video to change the LED? My Trackball not working, only the buttons and the led is not On anymore, Do you use Win 11? Because I worked in Win 10 pro, I'd upgrade de OS to Win 11 Pro and then I'd install the new Kensington Framework and my trackball Stop working, they said "We don't have support to that product anymore, we sorry".
Hello, you're welcome! I run windows 7, XP, 10 and 11 and I used my Turbomouse on all of them. I had no issues with updating as they are just seen as HID. I never use the kensington aps myself. Just the native windows driver. I don't ever recall needing it.
I doubt the LED is bad. They rarely if ever fail. It more sounds like you have a wire or connector issue maybe? If buttons and LED are not lit, then it wont make any movement. I'd check the cable and try it on another computer to see if its something with the software.
Hello Frank, great video! I have two issues with this trackball: 1. the friction of the scroll wheel and 2. the LOUD clicking of the buttons ( I really don't know why they do not put silent switches in this type of expensive hardware). Any way these problems can be fixed?
Thank you!
in the wheel itself there are some small translucent plastic things. i assume they are for tracking. in my kensington a couple of them are missing so it tracks but not smoothly. do you know if you can get replacements?
If you look at 7:06 you will see those square openings in that metal "cage' that wraps around? That is the encoder and those square cutouts are how the scrolling works. They interrupt the sensor to sell the mouse which way you are scrolling. I don't see any translucent bits and as far as I know the scrolling is only done by that encoder. Is it the scrolling that is not smooth or is is the actual mouse movement. I am not 100% sure what you mean by tracking.
@@FixitFrank i took one apart because it had been dropped on the floor and was somewhat buckled. i remember i had to dismantle the scroll wheel the holes had tin plastic translucent things in the. becasue htey fell out when i dimantled the wcroll wheel mechanism. i managed to reinsert them but two were missing. they likely ended up on the flor and got butried. they probably since ended up in a hoover bag as i've never found them.
@@FixitFrank if you dismantle the scrollwheeel mehanism, the plastic things in question are literally on theunderside of the wheel. be careful if having a look. they drop out easy
I need to replace my usb cable on my expert trackball, is there any where I can get one? Thank you
I would use any usb cable and cut the end off. It will be hard or impossible to get the same cable but any usb wire that is long enough could be used. Once you cut the end off, you can strip and solder the wires to the board.
any video on how to replace the 2mm ball bearing?
Not yet but I will make one. Good idea! Give me a few days.
When I removed the top cover of my Expert Mouse K64325 I noticed that there is something called LED2 at the front of the wheel but it doesn't light up. Does anyone know if it should light up? The red LED lights up just when I touch the ball but the wheel and buttons doesn't activate it. I would think that when someone moved either the ball or the scrolling wheel both would light up but on mine I can't activate the red LED if I turn the wheel. I tried shining a bright LED flashlight on to the wheel but it didn't make any difference.
I'm not actually sure but I do have one that I can look at. I'll get back to you tomorrow. It might be an IR LED. Point your cell phone camera at it with the USB plugged in and you will see the IR on the camera if that is indeed what it is.
@@FixitFrank I don't have a cell phone at the moment. Could I use an older Canon DSLR Camera? How do I know its IR?
@@swilhelm3180 The diode with 3 legs market D2 is a dual IR emitter. I took one of mine apart today(good thing, it had too much cat hair inside). Here is a link to some pictures with more info. Adjusting the angle of that LED2 can affect the scroll reliability. imgur.com/a/kkupGCu
@@FixitFrank Wow man. You nailed it. I'll play with this every so slightly. Thank you so much. Hopefully that detailed explanation on imgur will help others as well. What probably happened was that the top cover wasn't anchored on with screws and I knocked it and the wheel moved moving the LED.
tanks bro, your video is awsome, i need kwno how to replace scroll, i don´t know how to write correctly, i speak spanish.
Sé un poco de español. Lo intentaré lo mejor que pueda. Creo que si doblas los chips del sensor de desplazamiento para que se mantengan erguidos, tal vez funcione.
hi, the wheel scrool of my mouse is not working, spins correctly but not working, help pls
check the angle of the photo sensors if it never worked. If it stopped it might be bad solder or corrosions around the sensors.
Thank you for the video! I just successfully disassembled, cleaned, and reassembled mine and, what do ya know, the buttons actually work when they're not obstructed by my own filth... D:
It's a shame this is kind of a hassle to clean. But it's still easily my favorite Mouse...
I know.... Im still using this one believe it or not. and a few more. Thankfully I only bother with this every 3-4 years or when it acts up.
Did it work?
Sure did. using it right now.
I'd love to correct my jumpy scrolling on this device on Win7. I gave up with the Kensington useless drivers. They should be called Trackball UnWorks.
I've never actually used their drivers. I always use the default windows drivers without issue. Might want to give that shot. I still use one on a win7 box and its not jumpy at all(win7 on an old asus with a dual core).
@@FixitFrank I think something is wrong with my device. Its the only explanation. I've vacuumed it but I wish I could dismantle the scrolling ring but I see no way of taking it apart without breaking it. No screws, no clasp. Do you think its OK to lubricate with grease? I don't want to use oil because it might drip down.
Oohhh just the scroll is jumpy? I had that happen. The wheel encoder is staked to the ring with melted plastic blobs. If you gently pry on the encoder(metal ring with holes) the plastic 'rivets' will break loose. They tend to leave enough plastic to remelt the nubs to reattach the ring.
I found on mine the alignment between the photo interrupters and the encoder ring was not flat. I ended up sanding rough plastic from everything and after I re attached the ring all was well.
Check the run-out on the encoder. If it's flat and not wobbling it's the angle it interacts with the photo interrupters.
The rollers fall off ? Well, that's a bad design... None of either my 90's or newer logitech ones (like the m570) loses their rollers...
It's pretty silly. Granted it's not until they get older and the plastic is more worn around them. I would be far from shocked to learn that this 'feature' is part of planned obsolescence. As long as you are careful it's not too hard to do it right. If you lose one, you can use a 2mm ball bearing.
@@FixitFrank I bought my one more than 10 years ago. Exactly the same. No problems since.
CAN CHANGE OMRON F-F-3-7 SWITCH?
you can! I have done it. I do not have a video but the switch cam be replaced
wireless version same?
I am not sure. I only worked on Wired. I suspect they are the same though. I do not see a reason for Kensington to use other switches. Omron is good.
@@FixitFrank thx
I really like the device. The only cons for me is noisy and clunky ring. I do not like it
I also have the newer version M01026 that is quite nice. The new version has a much smoother ring. I still like the old version but I do agree that the ring is clunky. Most of mine are pretty quite but one the ball always makes a drop noise when I roll a direction. Always has and I could never figure out why so it is on my least used computer.
Spilled some coffee on mine. Took it apart, cleaned it up but it’s not working.
Are you getting the red LED? I'd suggest soaking the pcb(remove it) in alcohol to dissolve any sugar or other coffee bits that solidified in the switches/buttons or under them.
@@FixitFrank Yes, I am getting the red LED. I’ll try soaking the pcb. Thank you for responding!
Well, I soaked it, let it dry overnight, put it back together and still not working. I thnk it may be dead.
Oh no. That's a shame. I don't know if you want to, but I'd be happy to look at it and see what I can find. My guess is there is a leg on a component that probably corroded off but isn't obvious. It would sure make a cool video.
@@FixitFrank that would be great! What would te fee be? I ended up ordering a new one that is arriving today but it would be great to have a spare on hand if needed. I can't believe how much I've missed having it!
If it's unplugged no worries with it putting out light dangers etc right no capacitors or laser sorry paranoid
Nah nothing like that. Even plugged in. It runs on 5v via usb so no more than 500ma, 2.5w of power. The red is just an led, no laser radiation. It's a pretty safe platform. Always worth being cautious though. That's how you don't get hurt.
@@FixitFrank Thanks I ope one sapona time thought about repairing a 21" CRT later to find out that I could have killed myself
@@terrablader I replaced the fuse on CRTs multiple times in the past, you just let the monitor sit unplugged for some 24H to let the cap drain and to be on the safe side you short the pins before you open it so if there's some charge left it goes out in a controlled spark.
Fun fact: if you lose the ball, it is the same size as a billiard ball.
I had an 8 ball in my old Mac version
I had an 8 ball in my old Mac version
I had an 8 ball in my old Mac version
did that mouse have weed in it?
did it or does it? Most likely yes to both.