Kensington Slimblade Trackball Disassembly

Introduction

This trackball is of a very robust construction; I have been using it for my work since 2009.

I appreciate the ball's inertia; crossing the screen only takes a flick. The large buttons allow a great deal of freedom of positioning your fingers. The four buttons are programmable and accept 6 commands.

In normal usage the trackball can get dirty, but the ball and optical sensors are easy to clean with a microfiber cloth. However, as with all mice, the interior cannot be cleaned without disassembly. I recently lost the use of the right click.

What you need

Step 1 Uncover and Remove the Screws

Kensington Slimblade Trackball Disassembly, Uncover and Remove the Screws: step 1, image 1 of 3

Kensington Slimblade Trackball Disassembly, Uncover and Remove the Screws: step 1, image 2 of 3

Kensington Slimblade Trackball Disassembly, Uncover and Remove the Screws: step 1, image 3 of 3

Remove the ball and flip the base over.
Take off the rubber feet hiding 4 Phillips (PH1) screws using a spudger.
Remove the rubber crown hiding 3 small Phillips (PH0) screws.
Remove the seven screws.

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Step 2 Opening the Case

Kensington Slimblade Trackball Disassembly, Opening the Case: step 2, image 1 of 3

Kensington Slimblade Trackball Disassembly, Opening the Case: step 2, image 2 of 3

Kensington Slimblade Trackball Disassembly, Opening the Case: step 2, image 3 of 3

Using an opening pick, pry up the lower case from the bottom.
Tilt the lower case to the left to access the USB cable that is routed through a channel in the lower case.
Loosen the cable retainer to free the lower housing.

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Step 3 Remove the Circuit Board

Kensington Slimblade Trackball Disassembly, Remove the Circuit Board: step 3, image 1 of 3

Kensington Slimblade Trackball Disassembly, Remove the Circuit Board: step 3, image 2 of 3

Kensington Slimblade Trackball Disassembly, Remove the Circuit Board: step 3, image 3 of 3

Flip up the retaining lever of the ZIF connector on the horizontal optical sensor.
Remove the cable from the connector.
Flip up the retaining lever of the ZIF connector on the vertical optical sensor.
Remove the cable from the connector.
Remove the 3 Phillips PH0 screws securing the circuit board. They are marked with white circles.
Remove the circuit board by carefully lifting with a spudger. Place it on a stable support to dust off the micro contacts.

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Step 4 Dust the Circuit Board

Kensington Slimblade Trackball Disassembly, Dust the Circuit Board: step 4, image 1 of 3

Kensington Slimblade Trackball Disassembly, Dust the Circuit Board: step 4, image 2 of 3

Kensington Slimblade Trackball Disassembly, Dust the Circuit Board: step 4, image 3 of 3

Dust the button contacts by pressing on them with a spudger and blowing into them with a hand blower. Repeat ten to twenty times for each of the four contacts.
Remove the screws from the horizontal displacement sensor.
Dust the sensor as needed. (This one is surprisingly clean.)
Do the same for the vertical displacement sensor.