Microsoft Trackball Optical 1.0 Repair Part 1 - The 20-Year Problem & Teardown + pro tips

My favorite mouse of all time is the Microsoft Trackball Optical 1.0, but after 20 years of daily use, it started sticking. The culprit? The tiny 2mm metal support bearings wore completely flat! Instead of buying a used replacement on eBay with the exact same issue, I’m taking it apart to fix it myself.

https://reddit.com/link/1we01rt/video/gl1yhs8o10ph1/player

In Part 1 of this 3-part repair series, I’ll show you how to properly disassemble this classic piece of hardware. We'll use a heat gun to safely remove and preserve the rubber adhesive pads, take out the screws, and crack open the shell to get to those worn-out support balls.

Subscribe so you don't miss Part 2 and 3, where we install the new 2mm bearings!