I seem to be having an issue with the track ball.... it wont scroll down anymore

it will scroll left, right, and up, but it won't go down

I didn't drop it or anything... is there anything I can do at home to fix it up, or will I have to go back to Rogers and get them to fix it (and in the mean time, use one of their crappy loaner phones)

Thanks!

Push the mute key on the top for 1 second to put the device in standby. Then push down on the trackball and roll in all directions (paying particular attention to the direction that isn't working) until whatever piece of dirt/lint is forced out. This is the RIM endorsed method for fixing this problem.

Good luck.

I had this same exact problem last week.

You can try what JC suggested, but that actually didn't work for me. Pressing down on the trackball and spraying canned air made a lot of sense to me, but I didn't have a can at home.

Before running out to get a can of compressed air, I tried cleaning the trackball with a Q-Tip and alcohol. That picked up the debris and it's been perfect since.

Hmmm....it always works for me:


BlackBerry Search Results 0 67384478

BlackBerry smartphone trackball fails to roll in a particular direction

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Doc ID : KB14168
Last Modified : 2007-08-28
Document Type : Support



Print this page

Environment
BlackBerry® smartphone


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Problem
The BlackBerry smartphone trackball fails to roll in a particular direction.



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Cause
Debris is lodged in the trackball.



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Resolution
To clear the trackball of debris, press down firmly on the trackball and roll the trackball in the troubled direction.



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Products & Services:
BlackBerry Devices
BlackBerry 8100 Series
BlackBerry 8300 Series
BlackBerry 8800 Series

And another bit of advice, don't carry the BB in your pocket. That is how it picks up most of the dirt and lint.

I always recommend cleaning the track ball with a Q-tip and alcohol (vodka works too --- don't ask) just to make sure all the oils are off as well as the lint out of the way.

Thanks guys! It worked like a charm!

Trust me. I tried it. I don't know what it was, but in this particular case, it didn't work. The alcohol and Q-Tip did. Why? I don't know. I just know it fixed it.

Interesting tidbit, you can pop out the trackball very easily to clean it if you want. I did that and actually swapped it with my 8800 trackball because I liked the smoothness of it better than the 8310 (though I suspect many like the "feel" of the 8310 roll, I just happen to prefer how my 8800 rolled...if that makes any sense. Just swapped em and it works great.

Yes, they can be swapped. However, the dirt gets trapped between the ball and the rollers and popping the assembly out may not necessarily remove whatever is stuck inside the assembly. You'd have to disassemble the trackball assembly (which I've done but don't recommend to just anyone) to remove the dirt that way.

How do you pop it out?

search for trackball disassembly. There are several links and one has pictures and a step by step. It's not that hard, some just use their fingernail but I would not personally recommend that method. You need to take care and not bend the prongs on the outer ring and make sure that you reassemble exactly as you took it out. You only have to remove the outter retaining rind and the internal retaining clip. Don't lose any parts! good luck!

Easiest/fastest way I've found is to take a credit card and lever it just above the Y key. The cover pops up and you can pull it right off.

The trackball ring on my 8300 isn't staying in place because the little plastic teeth have broken off. Therefore I am in danger of losing my trackball which would render my Blackberry nearly useless.
AT&T is telling me that I need to buy a new phone b/c they can't/won't fix it and I can't find a replacement ring anywhere. Called Blackberry directly and was sent to a 3rd party site - they don't carry it.
Would hate to spend $375 to replace a $0.20 plastic ring.
Any thoughts?

this should fix you up.

8100 - Microsoft, Alcatel, 3G, Sony, Tools, Accessories Store, Panasonic, HTC, Motorola

Welcome to the forums.

Worked great for me...Had a panick attack this morning cause trackball did not want to scroll down..used the method below and it worked.

I had that problem too, but I just shut down, took out the battery, put it back in and restarted. No issues

I alredady tried all the tips above and also I cleaned up the trackball assemble, but my trackball still does not work. Althoug I can see how the rollers are moving, I can not move the cursor any way.
Is there any other reason beside the trackball why the cursor does not move?

I am waiting in the mail for a new trackball, but I was thinking that maybe this is not the problem.

Any comments?

Thanks

hey guys !

so we could get the track ball fixed by getting a pearl trackball if that has a better feel to it and just replace it with the one we have now !

Am i right here?

not a bad idea i think.

this just happened to me tonite. scrolling down wouldnt do anything. it was silent (without clicky rolly sounds) too. i tried pushing down and rolling down and all around BEFORE consulting this board. it worked.