Comments on: Help me fix my ailing BlackBerry Pearl trackball.

Question: Help me fix my ailing BlackBerry Pearl trackball.

Pontius Pilate — Sun, 04 May 2008 19:58:18 -0800

Blackberry Pearl trackball acting funky. Help.

My BlackBerry Pearl is about 2 months out of warranty, and the trackball seems to be breaking down. The vertical up-down function works (mostly) fine, with only occasional hick-ups. However, the horizontal scrolling abruptly stopped working a few days ago. It definitely seems like a mechanical rather than a software problem, because when I try to scroll horizontally, it doesn't feel like the trackball is getting any traction.

Is there anything I can attempt to fix this? Or do I need to break down and get a new phone?

By: senseigmg

senseigmg — Sun, 04 May 2008 20:14:04 -0800

I had this happen a few times on a fairly new pearl, kept in a case. Resetting it fixed it for me.

By: deadmessenger

deadmessenger — Sun, 04 May 2008 20:17:18 -0800

Yeah, I've had that problem with mine. If you roll it in the "broken" direction while putting a little bit of pressure downward (like you're clicking the trackbutton) I've found that after a while it starts to dislodge whatever's causing it not to work.

Oh, and here's a thread with lots of suggested fixes for this issue.

By: caddis

caddis — Sun, 04 May 2008 20:25:41 -0800

I don't know about this trackball, but on an old Blackberry, very old, the trackwheel went foggy and I was able to revive it with a shot of tuner cleaner, specifically DeoxIT D5, which now is available at Radio Shack. Those early Blackberries were simple, but their batteries lasted a couple of weeks on a charge and I wanted to preserve that. The DeoxIT fixed if for another year or so until I was forced to upgrade to a two day battery life. A spray can of the stuff is cheap and frankly will last you a lifetime. It is specifically designed for stuff like this, well tuners in old TVs, but it removes oxidation and crud and it is nonconductive so no worry spraying it into electronics. It will fix the scratchy volume knob on your old stereo or radio too.

By: jeffmik

jeffmik — Sun, 04 May 2008 22:14:26 -0800

HOW TO: Clean the Trackball on your Pearl 8100
If its just a hair or a bit of grime, its pretty easy to do - no tools required.

By: jeffmik

jeffmik — Sun, 04 May 2008 22:37:32 -0800

You'll see it at the top of the page but that link should go to http://www.blackberryforums.com/general-8100-series-discussion-pearl/113889-how-clean-trackball-your-pearl-8100-a.html

By: quiet

quiet — Mon, 05 May 2008 04:53:42 -0800

I fixed a friend's errant Blackberry ball with some acetone and a cotton bud. Put a little acetone on the bud and hold it against the ball lightly. Spin the ball in all directions and you should soon feel the traction return.

By: jeffmik

jeffmik — Mon, 05 May 2008 08:17:50 -0800

If you use liquid to clean a part thats still on the phone make sure to remove the battery first and allow everything to fully evaporate before turning it back on.

By: Pontius Pilate

Pontius Pilate — Mon, 05 May 2008 09:22:37 -0800

Worked like a charm. Thanks, all!