Key cluster trackball response intermittent

General
1

I’ve had my UHK key cluster for a while (1y) now. And since a few months it sometimes stops responding in one axis. From my quick search and look around in the key cluster the ball should move rollers on the sides to make the “pulses” happen.

I wonder what causes my intermittent lack of response in one axis, and how to solve this.
One axis means either X or Y. But not both at the same time.

Setup: MacBook Pro M2 + UHK v2 + Riser + key cluster & trackball

2

Have you tried cleaning it? Some users say it can be opened and cleaned. Also you can order a replacement either from UHK shop, or from other sellers too (search for blackberry trackball).

Here is a replacement guide: Key cluster mini trackball replacement - Ultimate Hacking Keyboard

@mlac, the above guide does not pop up in the knowledgebase on neither of the following keywords: “key cluster” “mini” “trackball”. This generally applies to all repair guides - they are very poorly indexed and in practice are hard to impossible to find.

Furthermore, I think that maintenance / opening / cleaning the blackberry trackball would deserve a new knowledgebase page, as these problems pop up again and again.

1 Like
3

I tried cleaning it and tried searching this document you shared. Now I have more detailed information I’ll give it a try to see if it resolves the issue.

Thanks for sharing!

ps: how’d you find this gem?

4

Typed “maintenance” into the knowledgebase search field. (I have the advantage that I know that the repair guides exist :smiley:.)

5

Interesting. Thanks for sharing! And in my humble opinion the knowledge base should have a list and full text search (title only?). Makes things easier to find. Even when you do not know the exact terms.

6

So the guide it self does not show “what to clean”. Only the replacement.

BUT!
If you’re confident you could clip off the shield that hold the ball in place + the 4 little rollers (that are magnetic, so be aware of that)
The rollers are having 2 parts. 1 magnetic part (black) and the grey ribbed roller part that is actuated by the ball.
That ribbed part i cleaned of all 4 with a microfiber cloth. And one of them (cant remember which of the 4) was really stuffed with gunk (dust and other stuff)

And I learned the hardway that the position of rollers matter… So potentially you can accidentally flip X and Y axis.

Edit: Found This reply that did the same thing.

1 Like
7

Even after cleaning it’s still not optimal. It feels as if the ball is not gripping / gripped by the rollers.
The ball is rotating but feels more smooth than usual.

8

I’ve just extended the repair guide to include all known repair methods of the mini trackball and made it easier to discover it via the knowledgebase. I’ll improve the knowledgebase later by including an “all articles” page.

2 Likes