How To: Remove And Clean A BlackBerry Trackball Without Destroying/Dismantling Your BlackBerry

Some common issues of Trackball BlackBerrys are that the trackball at times may become “unresponsive”. This is generally caused by debris underneath the trackball.

The first recommended fix for repair is to turn the device off, press down on the trackball and move the trackball in all different directions to attempt to remove the debris.

In the event that does not work, we have put together a step-by-step tutorial on how to remove and clean the trackball.

VIDEO OVERVIEW LOCATED AT BOTTOM OF PAGE

CLICK HERE FOR 8900 JAVELIN/CURVE 2 INSTRUCTIONS

LIST OF ITEMS:

Small flathead screw driver and/or “cell phone repair tool”
A can of compressed air
Rubbing alcohol
Q-Tip

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REMOVE THE CHROME RING

To do this, use your screwdriver or tool GENTLY pry the chrome ring towards you FROM THE TOP as illustrated below.

REMOVE THE TRACKBALL

Once the chrome ring has been removed, pick up the BlackBerry and gently slap it against your hand.

The trackball will fall out into your hand.

CLEAN THE TRACKBALL

First, put the trackball in a cup of rubbing alcohol for approximately 5 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes. This will losen a majority of the debris. While this is being done, continue cleaning the device.

CLEAN THE SENSORS

You will now want to clean the sensors on the device itself to ensure that there is no debris on them as well. In the picture below, the BLUE squares represent the “movement sensors” while the GREEN square represents the “clicking sensor”. Use a q-tip and rubbing alcohol to clean these sensors.

Once completed, use the compressed air to dry any additional liquid from the area.

(Note: Keep the compressed air at a safe distance to avoid freezing/damaging the sensors).

FINISH CLEANING THE TRACKBALL

Before reinserting the trackball, check the “movement sensors” on the bottom of the trackball to confirm that there is no additional debris which may be “caked on”. The sensors can be moved by scrolling the trackball in a matter similar to a computer mouse. Once they are cleaned, again, use the compressed air to dry the sensors AND the trackball itself so that there is no liquid present.

RE-INSERT THE TRACKBALL

You will notice two sides of the trackball assembly have white “tabs”. These tabs must be horizontally to the screen as you drop the trackball in (YELLOW ).

REPLACE THE CHROME RING

You will notice when looking at the bottom of the chrome ring, there are 3 prongs (BLUE ). The space which does NOT have a prong (RED ) MUST be towards the top/screen.

Start by putting the bottom of the chrome ring in until you feel it snap into place.

NOTE: Do NOT force the chrome ring down with extra pressure. You will be able to feel if it is not in place. If it is not in place, remove it, and attempt again until correct.

Once the bottom has snapped into place, it will look like this:

Press down on the top of the chrome ring and ensure that the sides have clasped correctly.

FAILURE TO USE CAUTION AND PATIENCE WHEN CLEANING YOUR TRACKBALL

MAY CAUSE UNDESIRED RESULTS.

If you do not have the patience to perform these activities or wish to have professional assistance, please contact us at info@blackberryguy.com or 877-MY-BERRY