Other BlackBerry® Smartphones

[jlewis7]

I've had an 8830 for about a year now. Recently the trackball has stopped working. I can scroll up/down/left/right but when I click in nothing happens. I've tried cleaning it to remove dust but that didn't help. I also tried resetting by removing the battery but it still doesn't work. Has anyone else experienced this problem? I'd hate to think I have to completely wipe the unit and I don't know what good that would do either.

Thanks.

[Dubdub]

Most likely there is dirt or lint around the track ball. Do you carry it in your pocket?

Step 1: Turn off the device. Press and hold the trackball and roll it in all directions for a minute or so.

Step 2: While pressing the ball down, blow some canned/compressed air all around the track ball.

Step 3: Dip a q-tip in alcohol and clean the ball.

Step 4: Turn the BB back on and it should work.

Step 5: Buy a holster and don't carry it in your pocket.

If this doesn't work, you might need to take it apart to clean it. A quick search on "clean track ball" resulted in this: http://www.blackberryforums.com/gene...pic-guide.html

[ianw]

Curious to know how this turned out. I have the same problem - it rolls fine but clicking does nothing.

I have disassembled and cleaned my 8830 more or less as described in the link, but there must be some contact point that is fouled and preventing a click from being registered. Where is it?

(And yes, I have been carrying it in my pocket after my holster broke. But I will change my ways.)

[jlewis7]

Actually I ended up replacing it with a Pearl (8130) then that unit had trouble with the trackball about 4 months later. So I replaced it with another which also had the same problem a few months after that although the last time may have been my fault because I dropped it a couple of times. I'm now using the Curve. I always use the holster or sleeve that comes with the unit. I never put just the phone in my pocket. i talked with our Sprint rep and he said the trackballs are becoming something of a problem. There's an outfit nearby that actually has ordered a supply of replacement trackballs and will charge $30/unit to fix them. I fear that design is going to become a problem with the units. I've also had a couple other users that had similar problems.

[ericlaplante]

Surprisingly enough, i think it might actually be a nasty little virus causing this problem.  I had the exact same problem on 2 of my blackberry curve's, one an 8300 running vs 4.2.0 and an 8310 running 4.2.2.   both developed the problem after months of useage and god knows how many websites.  both units also began suffering from keyboard failures as well.   some letters would just quit working randomly then start again.   the 8300 lost keys permanantly.   my solution was to perform a handheld wipe.  it worked.  lol.  thats why i think it was a virus of some kind.  the 8300 was water damaged and never did regain 5 keys, but the trackball and all the other keys started working again.  the 8310 works perfectly now.  weird but it really did work. 

TO PERFORM HANDHELD WIPE:  note: you will lose all service books, address book info, and personal settings.  you do not need to remove the SD card or SIM card to perform this.  it will not effect them in any way.  To prevent the permanent loss of your address books and whatnot, do a full backup on your computer using desktop manager.   INSTRUCTIONS FOR WIPE:  options/security options/general settings/menu key.  then hit "wipe handheld"  follow the instructions.    the procedure will take between 5 and 15 mins depending on the amount of stuff it has to go through.   

hope this helps someone else too.  

[LukeDiMarco]

I would like to do a wipe, however, I cant click into the settings because the trackball wont work! How can I wipe it otherwise?

[keithritt]

My blackberry 8830 will scroll perfectly but the clicking of it is very intermitten. You can use the Enter/Return key located on the bottom-left of the keyboard to simulate the clicking. Its kind of annoying and doesnt seems to work for clicking links - but its better than nothing.

[ygrum]

Thanks this worked perfect - took a couple times but now it is better than ever.

[cap60552]

Cleaning the contact worked for my 8900 Curve as well. 

I found replacement trackball button domes at:

http://cnn.cn/shop/10pcs-blackberry-trackball-dome-p-6831.html

I haven't tried them, but suspect they would work.

[bruceharned]

My 3-year old 8830 World Edition began breaking down bit-by-bit yesterday.  Started with trackball still moving, but responding to clicking.  Then various keys stopped working one-by-one, mostly on the right side of the keyboard.  Decided to start with the trackball problem and popped it out in the manner described in a bunch of postings (no big deal).  Found the contact was filthy and cleaned it with denatured alcohol on a Q-tip.  Re-inserted the ball and not only does it work perfectly, all my keys are back to normal.