So I received my devterm yesterday. pretty cool device and after almost destroying the cm4 module I got it put together. However any attempt to get the dev term to recognize the trackball moving left is impossible. I took the keyboard apart and checked everything out. all 4 hall sensors (I assume that’s what the chips are) are on the board. i put it back together and tried it on my linux pc. worked but same issue. no left movement. then tried it on windows. same issue. when I received the keyboard the little switch on the back of the keyboard had broken off so I carefully resoldered it back on. other then that one issue the keyboard works good. anybody have any ideas on what I could do to fix it?
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I had this trouble after some wear on the trackball (have been using the DevTerm somewhat heavily) and eventually had to replace the trackball (see The Cheapest Keyboard Hardware Mod - #9 by omgmog for information). Basically, the ball spins and there are some tiny gears and sometimes it doesn’t generate enough friction. You might be able to fix it by cleaning if you’re very careful.
hmm. I came here looking for an easy solution. I figure just cleaning like the old skool mouseballs. Not good if it has to be replaced already with casual use and no damage.
General consensus is that the original trackball is kind of terrible. Mine required firm pressure in order to register movement in any direction but down.
You don’t want to hear this but the best fix is to buy a pack of replacements from AliExpress for ~$10 (most likely less) and install the new one yourself. It’s not great that this is your best option, but it’s really, really easy.
Cleaning works. I just rub it with clean cloth for few seconds and it works for a while. Sweaty finger is a major culprit in my view
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you saying I have sweaty fingers!? 
I will give it a try. i did rub it around and it seems happier, apparently that skill transfers to other areas.
thanks
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