# Trackball Issues - CM4 **URL:** \ **Category:** uConsole\ **Created:** [July 14, 2025, 6:53pm UTC](https://forum.clockworkpi.com/t/trackball-issues-cm4/18611 "2025-07-14T18:53:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mr\_tired\_owl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b38774/32.png) [@mr\_tired\_owl](https://forum.clockworkpi.com/u/mr_tired_owl)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2025, 6:53pm UTC](https://forum.clockworkpi.com/t/trackball-issues-cm4/18611/1 "2025-07-14T18:53:44Z")
Hi, I have just received and put together my uConsole with CM4. All together its working pretty well! However, the trackball is very finicky. It jumps around, randomly won’t detect scroll motions, and generally is fairly unreliable. I’m wondering if one of these is an issue: 1. I have installed the trackball improperly (such as not being full seated). I did take it apart and checked it, looked correct to me. 2. If there is a firmware update I need (I did re-flash the image with the latest one) 3. That’s just how the trackball is, and not much I can besides using an external mouse Anyone else have this issue and is there anything I can do to remedy? Thank you! mr\_tired\_owl ---
**Author:** ![snipeytje](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@snipeytje](https://forum.clockworkpi.com/u/snipeytje)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2025, 7:01pm UTC](https://forum.clockworkpi.com/t/trackball-issues-cm4/18611/2 "2025-07-14T19:01:02Z")
the two nubs on the trackball should be on the sides and in the dents on the keyboard you can buy slightly better blackberry trackballs on aliexpress and use those, and there is community qmk firmware for the keyboard that also helps a bit ---
**Author:** ![white-round-square](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/forum.clockworkpi.com/white-round-square/32/10385_2.png) [@white-round-square](https://forum.clockworkpi.com/u/white-round-square)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2025, 7:02pm UTC](https://forum.clockworkpi.com/t/trackball-issues-cm4/18611/3 "2025-07-14T19:02:07Z")
1. you can try to clean it with alcohol 2. you can buy a replacement 3. you can try QMK firmware for keyboard 4. you can search forum for ‘trackball’, there is plenty ---
**Author:** ![mr\_tired\_owl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b38774/32.png) [@mr\_tired\_owl](https://forum.clockworkpi.com/u/mr_tired_owl)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2025, 7:04pm UTC](https://forum.clockworkpi.com/t/trackball-issues-cm4/18611/4 "2025-07-14T19:04:41Z")
Thank you! Do you have a link to the keyboard firmware? I found the link to the aliexpress in another post ---
**Author:** ![white-round-square](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/forum.clockworkpi.com/white-round-square/32/10385_2.png) [@white-round-square](https://forum.clockworkpi.com/u/white-round-square)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2025, 8:26pm UTC](https://forum.clockworkpi.com/t/trackball-issues-cm4/18611/5 "2025-07-14T20:26:32Z")
> [@QMK firmware for uConsole keyboard](https://forum.clockworkpi.com/t/qmk-firmware-for-uconsole-keyboard/14410): > > First release: 20240909 Download: [https://files.olly.xyz/qmk/clockworkpi\_uconsole\_default.20240909.bin](https://files.olly.xyz/qmk/clockworkpi_uconsole_default.20240909.bin) Initial working release Adds horizontal and vertical scrolling to the trackball (enabled by holding the “Select” key) Adds Fn+Esc key binding to enter bootloader This is beta firmware - please send feedback if you try it out! About This is a port of the original uConsole keyboard firmware to the [QMK](https://qmk.fm) open-source firmware ecosystem. QMK (Quantum Mechanical Keyboard) is an open source community… ---
**Author:** ![white-round-square](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/forum.clockworkpi.com/white-round-square/32/10385_2.png) [@white-round-square](https://forum.clockworkpi.com/u/white-round-square)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2025, 8:27pm UTC](https://forum.clockworkpi.com/t/trackball-issues-cm4/18611/6 "2025-07-14T20:27:55Z")
> [@mr\_tired\_owl](#): > > That’s just how the trackball is, and not much I can besides using an external mouse btw, mine works fine, I did nothing with it and see no reason to replace it. not the smoothest experience, but fine. ---
**Author:** ![YoelFievelBenAvram](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/forum.clockworkpi.com/yoelfievelbenavram/32/10088_2.png) [@YoelFievelBenAvram](https://forum.clockworkpi.com/u/YoelFievelBenAvram)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2025, 3:14am UTC](https://forum.clockworkpi.com/t/trackball-issues-cm4/18611/7 "2025-07-15T03:14:44Z")
Mine was fine but I didn’t really have a point of reference so I got the one off AliExpress everybody gets and it was noticably worse. I don’t know if I have to break it in or anything but I switched right back to stock. ---
**Author:** ![bgav](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/forum.clockworkpi.com/bgav/32/12416_2.png) [@bgav](https://forum.clockworkpi.com/u/bgav)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2025, 10:30am UTC](https://forum.clockworkpi.com/t/trackball-issues-cm4/18611/8 "2025-07-15T10:30:47Z")
I had the opposite experience. My stock trackball was gritty with poor tracking. Ordered one from Aliexpress and it arrived broken in a thin bag with no padding/protection. Ordered a 5 pack, figuring I’d get at least one that was usable. The difference is night and day, glass smooth and perfect tracking now. I’m running a CM5 Lite with 16GB RAM, a Hackergadgets AIO Board, and Rex’s Bookworm image. ---
**Author:** ![pinkstraws](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e9a140/32.png) [@pinkstraws](https://forum.clockworkpi.com/u/pinkstraws)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2026, 11:24pm UTC](https://forum.clockworkpi.com/t/trackball-issues-cm4/18611/9 "2026-06-01T23:24:52Z")
What exact set of trackballs did you order? ---
**Author:** ![DigitalDreams](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/forum.clockworkpi.com/digitaldreams/32/16007_2.png) [@DigitalDreams](https://forum.clockworkpi.com/u/DigitalDreams)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2026, 11:56am UTC](https://forum.clockworkpi.com/t/trackball-issues-cm4/18611/10 "2026-06-02T11:56:20Z")
Replace it with one easily removed from this, certainly better than what is supllied but will still need a wee wipe with IPA every few weeks. Note the two tiny plastic pins on all these modules which must line up with the tiny holes in the keyboard PCB… > **[Search - Pimoroni](https://shop.pimoroni.com/search?q=trackball)** > > A curated range of the best of breed Maker products from Raspberry Pi to breakouts and components. Worldwide delivery, huge product range, great customer reviews, and personal support. > **[Trackball Breakout](https://shop.pimoroni.com/products/trackball-breakout?variant=27672765038675)** > > A tiny, RGBW-illuminated, clickable Trackball Breakout that's perfect for adding navigation or control to your Raspberry Pi or Raspberry Pi Pico projects.