Ok, here’s the set up: I like my Logitech M570 trackball—not as much as my money, but it’s close. It’s got a smooth feel, solid drivers, and the action is just right. I’ve tried other trackballs, even the newer M575, but none overall like my M570. The issue? The right button lost its clickity-clack. I rely on that button for drag-and-drop, and when it stopped dragging, I hit my limit. During a cleaning session I figured it was time to do something. I ordered four 55-cent replacement switches (I have more than one, two switches each), paid $10 in shipping (fucking typical), and decided to launch The Me Do Institute: Fix It, Build It, Learn It—DIY For Grown-Ass Adults. Talk about a project snowball!
What started as a simple fix exploded into registering a DNS name, setting up Raspberry Pi web hosting, RPi WebCam, PiCam, and Audio servers, and diving into WordPress. How do I get myself into these things? Honestly, I’d been planning this for years, but my Aspie brain’s nagging voice yelled, “You might as well start it now!” Yeah, it yells most of the time: loud, ignores boundaries, and loves derailing me. Curious about the website part of the story? Stay tuned for the story (Coming Soon…..).
The repair was simple: pop out the ball (trackball, easy fellow pervs), remove 8 screws (4 for the case, 4 inside), pull the battery, and with some heat (soldering iron) and prying (tiny screwdriver, crowbar optional), the old switch was out, and the new one was in. It took a bit of finesse and additional heat, but it worked.
Now, I have better tools that could have made it easier, and I do show them. For occasional repairs, grab a basic desoldering pump ($7) or a much better one ($29). If electronics fixes are your thing, get a self-heating desoldering pump ($40)—less hassle for a small price jump. You’ll also need a soldering iron and solder. Best to buy one step above what you think you need; you’ll curse yourself otherwise when you’re stuck mid-project and driving to the store to buy what you should have bought in the first place. Cry once, not twice.
My repair video? A bit rough—first-time content creator here. But the info’s solid, and I’ll improve. I need to keep my big hands out of the shot, plan better, add camera angles, and tighten or loosen the script. Welcome to The Me Do Institute, where we fix, build, and learn—”DIY for Grown-Ass Adults” style.