Tankstick trackball works but joysticks and buttons do not

Useful Answer

If the trackball still works but the joysticks, push buttons, and red LED do not respond, start by checking for a broken or pinched cable. This failure pattern can happen after the unit has been moved.

Recommended sequence:

• Test the unit on more than one computer.
• Confirm the host computer detects that something was plugged in.
• Verify the trackball still moves the cursor.
• Replace the cable set first, especially if the unit was recently moved or the cable may have been pinched.
• If replacement cables do not change the symptom, replace the control board / PCB.
• If a partial PCB or cable swap does not resolve USB detection, replace the PCB and cable kit together before concluding the host PC is the problem. One stubborn case had the trackball working but joystick/buttons ignored or shown as an unrecognized USB device; trying old/new PCB and cable combinations did not help until the customer replaced everything at once.
• On newer replacement PCBs, leave ports empty when the controller has no matching cable for them. Do not invent connections for unused headers.

In the resolved case, replacement cables did not fix the problem, but replacing the control board restored normal operation.

If the main symptom is no red light and no response, replacement cabling can still be the right first repair after the normal USB-port, direct-connection, firmware, Molex, and hard-reset checks have failed. One later case recovered the red light after the customer changed the cable. Another case confirmed that, after a full PCB plus cable replacement, the Tankstick even worked through the same USB hub that had been used before the failure.

Source Context

The customer reported that the Tankstick trackball worked, but the joysticks and buttons did not, the red light did not come on, and two computers detected a device without usable controls. Support recommended trying replacement cables first because cable damage is common after moving the unit. The customer later confirmed the cables did not help, then reported that the replacement control board fixed the problem. A separate no-light/no-response case confirmed the cable-first branch: after replacement cabling, the red light came back. A third long-running case confirmed the full-kit branch: piecemeal PCB and cable swaps kept failing, but replacing the PCB and cables together restored joystick/button operation.