Nulea scroll wheel repair
26 May 2025The Nulea M501 is to me a clear knock-off of the Logitech M570/M575 but that aside I have generally been happy with the M501 but after six months of use I came across a problem: The scroll wheel slipping. As I suspected this was due to the Nulea having a rubber ring around a plastic wheel that relies entirely on friction and it had started to slip, a suspicion that was confirmed by opening up the trackball to see what was inside. Something to be expected from a cheaper part but one that looked like it would be an easy repair.
Opening the case
As I suspected there was more than just the exposed screw hole and these were under three of the four rubber grip pads — looking at the underside the top, left, and bottom pads; the small right-hand pad nearesr the ball well not having a screw underneath. These screws were very stiff and I had to use a pair of long-nose pliers to help turn the screwdriver to get them out.
There is some sort of snap catch near where the ball is and I basically took a risk with a bit of brute force to get the case separated. Having seen what is in there once getting it open there does not seem to be any alternative approach that does not risk breaking it and why on earth this was used rather than another screw is a mystery to me.
The repair
The repair was simple: Add a bit of glue then put the ring back in place. This was nothing-special clear stationary glue rather than superglue as it was simply what was at hand and it got the job done. A small strip of double-sided adhesive tape was my preferred options but I could not find any in my stationary box. Just a small amout of extra grip was evrything needed soa bit of pritt-stick or even a bit of blue-tak may have also worked.
