TrackMan Marble Fix

thingiverse

You've been using your Logitech TrackMan Marble for years, but drag and drop has suddenly stopped working reliably. When you press the mouse button for longer than a normal click, it will sporadically abort the drop as if you released the mouse button too early. You might blame the micro switches, but replacing them would only be a temporary fix. The root cause appears to be the plastic support structure for the circuit board that hosts the microswitches. On a brand new TrackMan, the board sits tight and firm, but over time the support structure weakens and wears out. This wear is causing problems when doing a drag and drop operation. In one of my TrackMans, the clip was completely broken apart, while in another, it had a large crack. The fix is simply to reinforce the structure with a 3D printed support. You should always repair both sides at once, as it feels strange when you need different force for a left and right click. Due to the reinforced support structure, clicking will feel a bit harder compared to a new TrackMan. Older TrackMans have two buttons, while newer ones have four buttons. You can find STL files for both variants attached as "Thing File". The assembly sections describe how to fix a four-button model. Fixing a two-button model is almost identical; just follow the instructions.