Centipede trackball wont go down

TheDrewster

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I have a trackball on my cabaret that can go in every direction effortlessly....except down, in which I need to roll side to side in a downwards motion in order to move down. Is this showing the need for a rebuild or is there something I can do to it to make it work without having to buy more parts than I have already put into the machine? The bearings roll cleanly and theres no dirt.
 
Do the bearings roll cleanly in both directions? I'd say rebuild it but you may just need to reflow the solder on the optic boards...
 
Sav's was doing a similar thing. The encoder wheel may be rubbing slightly in the opto reader whatcha-ma-call-it slot:D Took it out and tweaked the opto slightly to one side and carefully reassembled, tested and remounted the assembly. Works fine now. Happens with MCs too. Good luck:)
 
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Swap the H and V Molex connectors at the trackball and then see if it will only go left or right. If so, you probably have a problem on the board. If not, then problem with the TB and/or optos.
 
Check the voltage at the trackball. When the voltage drops under +5v the trackballs can give funky movements like you describe.

I had to replace the original edge connector on the wiring harness on my Centipede cocktail. The original wasn't making good contact and I was getting voltage drop at the trackballs.
 
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