{"id":2718,"date":"2020-05-20T09:47:04","date_gmt":"2020-05-20T15:47:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tekhedd.com\/?page_id=2718"},"modified":"2025-01-27T12:30:41","modified_gmt":"2025-01-27T19:30:41","slug":"cst-trackball-ball-bearing-upgrade-kit","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/tekhedd.com\/?page_id=2718","title":{"rendered":"CST Trackball Ball Bearing Upgrade Kit"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_2936\" style=\"width: 261px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"http:\/\/tekhedd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/s-l1600-2.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2936\" class=\"wp-image-2936\" src=\"http:\/\/tekhedd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/s-l1600-2.jpg\" alt=\"CST roller bearing kit\" width=\"251\" height=\"200\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-2936\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">So cute!<\/p><\/div>\n<p>I&#8217;m currently making and selling a ball bearing upgrade\/repair kit that fits many CST (Clearly Superior Technologies) trackballs. If you love having a high resolution opto-sensor trackball but wish it had ball bearings, or if the factory bearings simply stopped working, these replacements are for you.<\/p>\n<p>If they&#8217;re sold out and you want one, contact me via email or twitter or whatever and I&#8217;ll try to hurry things up!<\/p>\n<p>Links:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ebay.com\/itm\/134669073097\">CST Trackball Ball Bearing Roller Replacement and Upgrade Kit for LTrac CST2545<\/a> (ebay)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/byteheaven.square.site\/product\/cst-pi-trackball-ball-bearing-roller-replacement-upgrade-kit-for-ltrac-cst2545-and-compatible\/5\">CST Trackball Ball Bearing Roller Replacement and Upgrade Kit for LTrac CST2545<\/a> (byteheaven.com)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Description<\/h3>\n<p>This is a ball bearing upgrade \/ repair kit for CST and X-Keys opto trackballs. The kit includes a set of 3 roller bearings for the CST2545 and compatible models. It fits opto-mechanical models that use the newer style &#8220;brown plastic sleeve&#8221; bearing and either the flat or double-flanged roller. This includes most CST2xxx models. These are a drop-in replacement for the factory bearings.<\/p>\n<p>I built this because the bearing in my L-Trac CST2545 stuck and wore a flat spot in the double-flanged roller. Here is a picture of the flat spot (OK, so it is the blurry one in the foreground, sorry!):<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_2938\" style=\"width: 329px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/tekhedd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/s-l1600-3.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2938\" class=\"wp-image-2938\" src=\"http:\/\/tekhedd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/s-l1600-3.jpg\" alt=\"P.I. trackball's factory flange bearings with flat spot\" width=\"319\" height=\"350\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-2938\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">I really will take a better picture someday.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>This is apparently a common failing in the factory sleeve-style bearing. Ball bearings roll much easier, resist clogging much better than stock, and last a very long time. Since the parts come in bags of 10, I made 3 sets and sold the spares&#8211;and people bought those, so I kept making them!<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_2939\" style=\"width: 491px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/tekhedd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/s-l1600-4.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2939\" class=\"wp-image-2939\" src=\"http:\/\/tekhedd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/s-l1600-4.jpg\" alt=\"CST trackball with the cover off, showing off the ball sitting on some smooth and shiny ball bearings.\" width=\"481\" height=\"400\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-2939\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Putting it all together<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"attachment_2932\" style=\"width: 438px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/tekhedd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/s-l1600.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2932\" class=\"wp-image-2932\" src=\"http:\/\/tekhedd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/s-l1600.jpg\" alt=\"Trackball bearings attractively displayed on a wood surface.\" width=\"428\" height=\"400\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-2932\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">What&#8217;s in the kit<\/p><\/div>\n<p>They are built with quality deep-groove steel bearings, a steel shaft, and custom printed fittings for a factory fit. Each kit is tested for feel and fit in a CST trackball. The adapter bushings are printed in high quality PET. (Color may vary!)<\/p>\n<h3>Performance<\/h3>\n<p>Even with ball bearings, the CST trackball does not throw like a DT225. This is partly because of the wide bearing placement, and partly because of the small amount of ball that is exposed. There is some throw-catch, and with the higher resolution it is possible to throw the ball across a 1080 screen at 400CPI resolution with the default (middle notch) mouse settings, delivering performance similar to an itac mouse-trak ball but without the need for acceleration.<\/p>\n<p>The factory lubrication on the bearings is a bit stiff at first. After a month or two of break-in they loosen up, at which point the trackball performs like it should have from the factory. I find the feel looser and smoother than the flanged factory bearings. I have not tried the old school flat bearings, so I can not offer a comparison to those.<\/p>\n<h3>Advantages<\/h3>\n<p>This kit uses ball bearings instead of the sleeved plastic bearing.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Delivers a smooth rolling, ball bearing feel<\/li>\n<li>Is more resistant to clogging by pet hair\/fuzz, which means less frequent disassembly and cleaning<\/li>\n<li>Durable<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Disadvantages<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Ball bearings are slightly louder than the stock shaft bearings.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Compatibility<\/h3>\n<p>This kit should be compatible with most CST opto-mechanical trackballs. They fit the new P.I. Engineering &#8220;X-Keys&#8221; trackballs. The CST2545 is an &#8220;L-Trac&#8221; trackball, but not all trackballs sold under the L-Trac brand name use the same bearings. Your best bet is to simply look at the bearings when you open the trackball to clean it&#8211;if it looks like this\u00a0 picture, you are probably OK.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_2934\" style=\"width: 680px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/tekhedd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/s-l1600-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2934\" class=\"wp-image-2934\" src=\"http:\/\/tekhedd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/s-l1600-1.jpg\" alt=\"Inside a CST trackball, showing replacement ball-bearing rollers.\" width=\"670\" height=\"400\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-2934\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Inside the CST<\/p><\/div>\n<div>Note: This is a drop-in replacement for the factory bearings, and should *fit* like the factory bearing. There is a very gentle &#8220;click&#8221; and they&#8217;re in. If you buy one and it seems like you need to force it, or it is loose, something is wrong! Message me and send it back!<\/div>\n<h3>Editorial<\/h3>\n<p>I absolutely love mine!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I&#8217;m currently making and selling a ball bearing upgrade\/repair kit that fits many CST (Clearly Superior Technologies) trackballs. If you love having a high resolution opto-sensor trackball but wish it had ball bearings, or if the factory bearings simply stopped working, these replacements are for you. If they&#8217;re sold out and you want one, contact [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2718","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tekhedd.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2718","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tekhedd.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tekhedd.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tekhedd.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tekhedd.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2718"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/tekhedd.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2718\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2942,"href":"https:\/\/tekhedd.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2718\/revisions\/2942"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tekhedd.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2718"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}