U16, labeled on the chip 14G1, is probably a voltage regulator. I'd start there since this would be the first component to see bad voltage coming in. It may have commited suicide in order to protect the other components. Well... so to speak.

I think the problem is even sourcing compatible replacement ICs. I couldn't find anything associated with that number with 5 legs. I wonder if asking Topre directly would even help.

I guess if you want to fix the sound of the stabs you can lube them with krytox, never heard of permatex before.
Don't sand the caps, just buy some cheap ones off of aliexpress, you can get some sets in the single digits, it's not worth the effort to sand them.
My best advice would be to tough it out and save up some cash to afford a good budget custom. You made a thread about it earlier.

By Permatex, I think they mean dielectric grease. Pretty common thing people use for stabilizers. They're actually one of the major manufacturers of all kinds of products from automotive gasket makers to windshield repair kits to anti-seize, so just saying Permatex doesn't really say much.

Don't care about rattly stabilizers myself, but it worked well for a squeaky spacebar stab wire on an F77 of mine, and having used it for other purposes in the past I could see why people would recommend it for stabilizers since it is cheap and available basically everywhere.

As much as I hate Razer as a company in general, the Huntsman V2's analogue optical switches actually make it a product that still fits a surprisingly small niche of extremely smooth contactless analogue switches. If I cared about getting the best possible modern linears, especially for games ... it would be on my short list.

I'm not sure why the emphasis is on replacing it outright for objectively inferior options in all regards besides maybe sound.

GMK Pink on navy with subs and cute novelties. I'm in.

fml 

Hi everybody,

I have aquired a model B-MPIND which is the Industrial type, PS/2, and dated 2002 inside. It has a completely different board to the 2007 USB version (thanks to user Tactile posting on another thread here to a link to a photo) so I guess it needs at least an active adapter to work on USB.

I've tried a random dual mouse & keyboard PS/2 to USB cable, no details whatsoever on it but it's active. It didn't work.

XibariS on r/Trackballs has ingeniously managed to convert a very similar 2005 Professional PS/2 mouse-trak (B-5XXMP A0002) by adding a converter board based on a CSC0101A "dual PS/2 to USB Data Converter Controller. I might be up for that, but the ebayer selling the board in Germany won't ship to the UK, I expect because of Brexit.

I'm resigned to using a cable adapter - anything to get the mouse-trak working! I am dimly aware that the board's controller is the basis of some of the external cables and is seen as good and it tends to work. Before I go buying a slew of cable adapters, I wonder if anyone here has any experience of using these PS/2 mouse-traks with USB and if so, any steer on cables (or boards to fit internally) would be really good to hear about.

Many thanks.