1" Mac Mouse Ball Replacement

[alxlab]

I ran into the problem where I had an early Macintosh SE ADB mouse with no mouse ball. Ends up it uses the hard to find 1" mouse ball that 128, 512, Plus and early ADB mice used. So instead of paying the ridiculous price of $30 CAD to get a replacement off Ebay I look for alternatives and came up with an acceptable solution using a 1" bearing that I'd like to share.

Step 1: Get some 1" bearings. I got these https://www.amazon.ca/Chrome-Bearing-Paracord-Monkey-Center/dp/B08KVVMX1B

Step 2: Clean and sand the bearing to prepare it for painting. Washing it with dish soap removes any grease from the factory and sanding helps with paint adhesion.

Step 3: Coat all sides with rubber spray paint. The most well known rubber sprays are probably Flex Seal and Plasti Dip. The ball bellow is coated with white Rust-Oleum LeakSeal. You want full coverage with no drips so spray from a distance of 30cm / 1' or more. For each coat rotate the ball and repeat until you're satisfied with the coverage. Don't put too many coats or the ball won't fit in the mouse anymore.

Here's a black Plasti Dip coated version. It's smoother than the LeakSeal and closer to the orginal mouse ball texture.

Step 4: Put the mouse ball in your mouse and enjoy

Final thoughts and notes:

1. This does work but it will not be exactly the same as a real mouse ball. Using a 1" bearing requires only a thin coat of rubber spray but also results in a heavier mouse ball.
2. The spray also results in a rougher finish that the original mouse ball. As a result you can feel more the actual rolling of the mouse ball. The droplet size of the rubber spray is larger than normal spray paint. Normal acrylic spray paint will probably work and give a closer texture to the original mouse ball but will require more coats. Maybe different brands of rubber spray paint will give different results as well but haven't tested yet.
3. Durability is still to be seen but so far looks alright.
4. A 15/16" or smaller ball bearing can probably be used if you want to apply a thicker coat of rubber and make it closer to the weight of the original mouse ball.
5. A 3/4" ball bearing can probably be used, then cover it with a 3D printed shell and then spray paint it. This would probably give the closest weight to the orginal without having to to put a really thick coat of rubber.

 

[trag]

Nice. I hunted down a company in China that sell rubber coated balls, but ultimately they told me the didn't produce a 1" outer diameter rubber coated ball. I suspect 100 quantity was just too low to interest them. They say they do custom jobs.

BTW, I've had fairly good luck replacing worn out slides on mice with adhesive teflon tape. It's often used for slides on drawers and in other carpentry applications. The trick is finding the right thickness and cutting it to just hte right shape is a pain.

Unfortunately it's been several years, so I don't remember which thickness ended up working well. I need to remember to write this stuff down in my notebook.

 

[fehervaria]

I used exactly the same idea few years ago, but I used red silicone paint. Usually designed for motorbikes or work tool's handles.

 

[alxlab]

Nice. I hunted down a company in China that sell rubber coated balls, but ultimately they told me the didn't produce a 1" outer diameter rubber coated ball. I suspect 100 quantity was just too low to interest them. They say they do custom jobs.

BTW, I've had fairly good luck replacing worn out slides on mice with adhesive teflon tape. It's often used for slides on drawers and in other carpentry applications. The trick is finding the right thickness and cutting it to just hte right shape is a pain.

Unfortunately it's been several years, so I don't remember which thickness ended up working well. I need to remember to write this stuff down in my notebook.

Yeah sure there's a lot of stuff people figure out then get lost in the annals of time. Then they get rediscovered.

 

[alxlab]

I used exactly the same idea few years ago, but I used red silicone paint. Usually designed for motorbikes or work tool's handles.
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You wouldn't happen to exact name of the product would you?

I got some Plasti Dip and Flex Seal yesterday I'll try out. Gonna try out today to see what kind of finish they give.

 

[alxlab]

Just tried Plasti Dip and it looks like it will give a lot smoother finish than LeakSeal. Sorta expected that since LeakSeal isn't really meant as a coating.

 

[fehervaria]

@alxlab
I used this liquid silicone in bright red color. Nothing special, it is planned to cover metal surfaces.

 

[alxlab]

Can never have too many options

Tried Flex Seal and it seems to provide a similar surface to Plasti Dip as well but the recommended dry time between coats is brutal at 24 - 48 hours! Plasti Dip is 10-30 minutes.

 

[fehervaria]

My liquid rubber is also quick, it takes till dust resist around 10-15 minutes, but that moment still will come off or memorize fingerprints easily. I let it try for the whole night, lets say 12 hours. (I did the procedure at the evening, it was no problem to wait till the next day.)
After that it was ready to roll...