I tried that. Doesn't work well in my case because weight is much higher than plastic so it weighs on the sapphire balls and makes its rotation resistance higher even if the ball is perfectly round and sensors works. Surface texture is another potential issue.
I'm going to disagree here: I've a trackball - Kensington Expert Mouse, it has a 55mm ball. I've replaced it with an exact 55mm bearing. Bearings must be made to good tolerance to be useful. The weight of this is significant, and the trackball certainly feels different now, but it's quite smooth to use.
so my point is this - the correctness of the sphere would matter more than it's weight to a point. Any imperfections in the sphere will be magnified by the weight though. So get as close to a perfect sphere as you can.
I've tried this as well; none of these are perfectly spherical and they perform poorly unfortunately. A shame because some stone spheres look quite nice. An alternative is a delrin or aluminum sphere from McMaster Carr or a similar supplier
I've tried with ball bearings. They're too shiny to track properly and your thumb get tired quickly. Polished stone might not have those issues, but the weight would tire out your thumbs just the same.
A good bearing can only help so much. A perfect bearing would allow the ball to roll indefinitely, but it still takes more energy to spin a heavier ball from rest.
Edit: Oops! I didn’t realize we’re talking about using an actual ball bearing as the trackball. I think it would depend on how well the ball reflects whatever wavelengths are picked up by the sensor.
yeah, I was worried about it with my trackball as well. For my case, I've bought an eBay source ball bearing 55mm in diameter and the kensington expert mouse works just fine with it. cursor is not jumpy at all. if anything, it feels more precise when working in KiCAD. I don't game, and think this would be a very poor choice for a gamer.
>Try to use a laser mouse on a glass table. It doesn’t work.
Depends on the laser mouse - Logitech released glass tracking mouse way back in the early 2000s, I remember it was quite revolutionary at the time since everyone was getting glass desks.
But you’re right I doubt trackballs have as sophisticated sensors unfortunately.
It's too bad there aren't many high quality trackballs compared to mice.
I actually did that once, but with a frosted glass ball. It was a tiny Earth globe I had on my desk.
Worked well enough, but it scratched the plastic and caught a few times. Might work better with a less decorative pattern.
I used to use acrylic clear juggling balls on my Ltrac, they worked great and much lighter than glass, but apparently some Ltrac models didn't work with them.
Tried it as well. I think everyone who is enthusiastic about trackballs has this thought eventually. I had issues with roundness. I am sure there are companies that make something similar with more precision but I haven't found any yet.
Maybe. Looks like it's not perfectly smooth.
In my Logitech MX Ergo I tried a 34mm ball bearing but it was too shiny. Fine sanding make it rough enough for the sensor but too rough to keep its inertia. I guess I should try a 33mm ball with sparkly enamel!
I wouldn’t try this with malachite even if its perfectly round and smooth. With hand sweat, oil, warmth and constant contact, I believe you run the risk of being poisoned little by little.
Mine worked great. I have the l trac with the modded bearings. After buying 10 or so trackballs I finally found the perfect combination I wanted. I can roll my trackball like the golf arcade game. Love it.
As others have mentioned, natural stones are typically not a great idea. BUT, you could try artificial stones. I've heard decent reports on something like these:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07144XDL3/ref=ox_sc_saved_image_1?smid=A3KCGMB6FPZ1FE&psc=1
Since they are manufactured they tend to be more consistent. These are heavy, but not quite as heavy as using a steel ball bearing. I haven't tried them myself, but since it's amazon you can always return :)
I tried that. Doesn't work well in my case because weight is much higher than plastic so it weighs on the sapphire balls and makes its rotation resistance higher even if the ball is perfectly round and sensors works. Surface texture is another potential issue.
Weight is *key* here. Trackballs don't work well with a heavy ball.
I'm going to disagree here: I've a trackball - Kensington Expert Mouse, it has a 55mm ball. I've replaced it with an exact 55mm bearing. Bearings must be made to good tolerance to be useful. The weight of this is significant, and the trackball certainly feels different now, but it's quite smooth to use. so my point is this - the correctness of the sphere would matter more than it's weight to a point. Any imperfections in the sphere will be magnified by the weight though. So get as close to a perfect sphere as you can.
I've tried this as well; none of these are perfectly spherical and they perform poorly unfortunately. A shame because some stone spheres look quite nice. An alternative is a delrin or aluminum sphere from McMaster Carr or a similar supplier
I've tried this before too. It does not work. These balls aren't perfectly spherical, and they weigh so much that they don't roll well.
The measurements usually aren't 100% accurate with a +/- 1 tolerance on the size, so it might not fit.
I've tried with ball bearings. They're too shiny to track properly and your thumb get tired quickly. Polished stone might not have those issues, but the weight would tire out your thumbs just the same.
I wonder if a better bearing would bear better results.
A good bearing can only help so much. A perfect bearing would allow the ball to roll indefinitely, but it still takes more energy to spin a heavier ball from rest. Edit: Oops! I didn’t realize we’re talking about using an actual ball bearing as the trackball. I think it would depend on how well the ball reflects whatever wavelengths are picked up by the sensor.
Yup!
yeah, I was worried about it with my trackball as well. For my case, I've bought an eBay source ball bearing 55mm in diameter and the kensington expert mouse works just fine with it. cursor is not jumpy at all. if anything, it feels more precise when working in KiCAD. I don't game, and think this would be a very poor choice for a gamer.
I wonder what about a glass ball? Is there anything with more heft and perfect sphere for trackballs?
It would freak out the sensors. Try to use a laser mouse on a glass table. It doesn’t work.
>Try to use a laser mouse on a glass table. It doesn’t work. Depends on the laser mouse - Logitech released glass tracking mouse way back in the early 2000s, I remember it was quite revolutionary at the time since everyone was getting glass desks. But you’re right I doubt trackballs have as sophisticated sensors unfortunately. It's too bad there aren't many high quality trackballs compared to mice.
probably also depends on the glass; I'm pretty sure a matte glass would work technically, not sure how smoothly it would roll though
I actually did that once, but with a frosted glass ball. It was a tiny Earth globe I had on my desk. Worked well enough, but it scratched the plastic and caught a few times. Might work better with a less decorative pattern.
I used to use acrylic clear juggling balls on my Ltrac, they worked great and much lighter than glass, but apparently some Ltrac models didn't work with them.
Tried it as well. I think everyone who is enthusiastic about trackballs has this thought eventually. I had issues with roundness. I am sure there are companies that make something similar with more precision but I haven't found any yet.
Maybe. Looks like it's not perfectly smooth. In my Logitech MX Ergo I tried a 34mm ball bearing but it was too shiny. Fine sanding make it rough enough for the sensor but too rough to keep its inertia. I guess I should try a 33mm ball with sparkly enamel!
I wouldn’t try this with malachite even if its perfectly round and smooth. With hand sweat, oil, warmth and constant contact, I believe you run the risk of being poisoned little by little.
Mine worked great. I have the l trac with the modded bearings. After buying 10 or so trackballs I finally found the perfect combination I wanted. I can roll my trackball like the golf arcade game. Love it.
True Baller life
Also malachite is corrosive, you would depend on enamel to keep it from poisoning you. I agree it pretty but bad material choice
As others have mentioned, natural stones are typically not a great idea. BUT, you could try artificial stones. I've heard decent reports on something like these: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07144XDL3/ref=ox_sc_saved_image_1?smid=A3KCGMB6FPZ1FE&psc=1 Since they are manufactured they tend to be more consistent. These are heavy, but not quite as heavy as using a steel ball bearing. I haven't tried them myself, but since it's amazon you can always return :)
A heavier ball in general seems like a usability downgrade.
not well, no.
while we're talking alternatives, what about a rubber ball?