Trackball breakout (ICSH044A): specs and pinout
Original a hosted copy design; the listing board is assumed to match. A breakout for a trackball: four Hall effect sensors give up, down, left and right movement outputs, a switch under the ball gives a click output, and four LEDs light the ball.
Specs
| Spec | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Supply voltage | 2.5 V to 5.25 V, regulated | source Hardware Overview section |
| Movement outputs | 4 outputs: LFT, RHT, UP, DWN (from paired SMD Hall effect sensors) | source Hardware Overview section |
| Click output | 1 output: BTN (momentary switch under the ball) | source Hardware Overview section |
| LED inputs | 4 LEDs, one header pin each: WHT, GRN, RED, BLU | source Hardware Overview section |
| Digital pins needed | 9 (5 inputs, 4 outputs) | source Pin Connections section |
Power
| Value | Source | |
|---|---|---|
| Supply | 2.5-5.25 V, regulated, on VCC and GND | source Hardware Overview section |
Pinout
Labels and supply range are from the original maker's BlackBerry Trackballer Breakout hookup guide (a retired tutorial by the maker of the original breakout). It is a guide, not a schematic. The listing is an ICSH044A board that is assumed to follow the same design; check the labels on your board.
| Pin | Function | Voltage | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VCC | Power, 2.5-5.25 V | source Hardware Overview and Pin Connections | ||
| GND | Ground | source Hardware Overview and Pin Connections | ||
| BTN | Click switch output | source Hardware Overview and Pin Connections | ||
| LFT | Left movement output | source Hardware Overview and Pin Connections | ||
| RHT | Right movement output | source Hardware Overview and Pin Connections | ||
| UP | Up movement output | source Hardware Overview and Pin Connections | ||
| DWN | Down movement output | source Hardware Overview and Pin Connections | ||
| WHT | White LED | source Hardware Overview and Pin Connections | ||
| GRN | Green LED | source Hardware Overview and Pin Connections | ||
| RED | Red LED | source Hardware Overview and Pin Connections | ||
| BLU | Blue LED | source Hardware Overview and Pin Connections |
Build with it
Project ideas for the Trackball breakout (ICSH044A). Each link opens Soldr with the prompt filled in; Soldr assigns the pins, checks power and shows how to wire every part.
- Trackball cursor on OLED: Power the board from 3.3 V (inside 2.5-5.25 V) so its outputs match ESP32 logic. Count pulses on the four direction pins to move the cursor.
- Menu knob for LCD: The maker's example wires the board to an Uno on 5 V with BTN as select; use the click as enter.
- Trackball drawing pad: Power the breakout from the Pico 3.3 V pin (inside the guide's 2.5-5.25 V range) and count pulses on the four direction pins; the click output clears the screen. The LED pins are left unconnected because their current limits are undocumented for this clone.
Common mistakes
- Using an unregulated supply: the maker says power should be regulated, 2.5-5.25 V (source: link, Hardware Overview)
- Over-tightening the mounting screws and standoffs: this may cause some Hall sensors to malfunction (source: link, Hardware Overview, Mounting PCB)
Not covered by the official source
- No datasheet for the ICSH044A listing board itself; labels come from the original a hosted copy design.
- LED current limits and logic output levels are not stated.
- The Hall sensor part number is not named in the guide.
- the original maker's schematic and design files are not covered here.
- On-board resistors and LED current for the clone are undocumented, so no idea drives the LEDs.
Sources
- link (a hosted copy BlackBerry Trackballer Breakout Hookup Guide, retired tutorial)