Trackball mini guide
Preface
The trackball itself, although it performs the same function of cursor control as a mouse, but the experience of using these two devices is completely different, and they are suitable for completely different tasks
Ergohaven Trackball Mini
The main advantages of a trackball over a mouse
- compactness - it will take up much less space on the table than a mouse, and even more so, such a small one, which was developed by the Ergohaven team;
- ergonomics - the position of the hand while spinning the ball, there is less strain on the wrist, and in general the control itself with the fingers seems more natural than the way we work with the mouse;
The only downside I can note is that it is more difficult to accurately move the trackball over a long distance; in this case, I most often spin the ball with force, sending it floating freely, and here the predictability of where the cursor will stop is poor, so I have to move the cursor further.
Mouse and trackball
The trackball works great when most of the PC actions are performed from the keyboard. It is worth noting that when controlling the cursor using the trackball, other mechanisms in the hand are activated, so you will need to slowly get used to the new mechanisms. At first, the movements may seem completely awkward, but with each session of use, the movements become more and more accurate and understandable.
If you decide to try this device, then I’ll share with you some thoughts that, it seems to me, can make integrating a trackball into your workflow a little easier.
How to position the trackball
The Ergohaven trackball is very convenient to place anywhere relative to the keyboard; it is suitable for both right- and left-handed use. I will list several successful, in my opinion, options for the location of the trackball:
- To the left of the right half of the keyboard, close. The advantage of this arrangement is that the trackball is very close to the keyboard and moving your hand from the keyboard to the trackball and back is very easy;
Trackball to the left of the right half of the keyboard
It’s also worth adding here that if the keyboard has a tenting, then the grip when working with the trackball will be more comfortable if you raise it by placing something under the bottom.
- Centered between the keyboard halves
Trackball in the center between the halves of the keyboards
- To the right of the right half of the keyboard. This use case seemed to me the most convenient because… and widening the shoulders seems more convenient than narrowing them, as in option 1. Perhaps habit influences this, because usually I stretched from the keyboard to the mouse also to the right of the keyboard.
Trackball to the right of the right half of the keyboard
Position is a rather subjective thing, I recommend trying to sit with different positions of the trackball and see how it is more comfortable.
Layout
I managed to organically fit the trackball into my workflow in the following way - I allocated a separate layer in the layout for all mouse actions such as clicks and scrolls.
Mouse keys are located in the “App, Media and Mouse” tab of the vial
Let’s start with how to get to this layer, and since I use this layer very often, I tried to make switching to the layer as accessible as possible, I tried several options:
By holding down the A key - I noticed this method on the Charybdis keyboard, in them, by default, this is assigned to Z, but I didn’t see any particular reason to reach the bottom row and moved it to the home row;
By switching to the layer using the toggle key on the thumbnail cluster. The amount of time I spent on the mouse layer turned out to be greatly underestimated, and the fact that I was regularly holding down the layer modifier quickly tired the finger holding the modifier. I tried switching to a layer via toggle, and it’s a shame that I didn’t do this before - this is what the doctor ordered. Press the layer switch key once and click or scroll as much as you want. The only caveat that arose with this approach is that I don’t have any free keys on the Thumb cluster and I don’t want to transfer anything, so I tried the approach from the next point;
Toggle with a two-key combo on the home row. This solves the problem with the number of keys, while leaving the button as accessible as possible.
Combo keys to activate mouse layer
Let’s move on to the layout itself
I placed the main mouse keys on the home row, as shown in the screenshot, for maximum accessibility. I tried to place the keys on the thumb cluster, but I didn’t like this approach because, firstly, on all my layers the thumb cluster keys are identical, and on this layer I would like to stick to this tactic, and secondly, when I finally forced sacrifice the spacebar on the mouse layer in favor of the “Mouse 1” key; after testing this option, I discovered that my thumb was overexerting and starting to ache. It’s strange, because on the same button I press the space bar, which is the most common symbol, and it doesn’t cause pain…
Mouse Layer
How to scroll
Also, as you may have noticed from the screenshot, I did not add scrolling keys to the layout, and did not add them because Badger implemented a wonderful feature, thanks to which, when Num Lock is active, the trackball goes into scrolling mode, and all movements with the ball are converted not to cursor movement, and emulate the rotation of the mouse wheel, both horizontally and vertically. This kind of scrolling feels great, in my subjective opinion.
Before implementing the namlock scrolling feature, my mouse layer looked like this:
Mouse layer without Num Lock
Layout additions
Something else I would like to note about my mouse layer:
I also added the LShift and LCtrl keys to the layer in places convenient for me, so that I could click while holding Shift or Control, respectively. It would be even cooler if you add OSM Shift and OSM Ctrl, but for some reason they don’t work for me as intended, a normal click occurs, without a clamped modifier, it looks like a vial bug;
I use the TO(0) key to return from any layer to the default layer, this way it’s much easier for me to switch through toggles since I only remember where my layer activation key is, and the deactivation key is identical on all layers;
OSL(5) switches me to the application layer with one click, with the help of it I switch to almost any application I use with two clicks;
The bottom row of tapdances, by tapping on a key, writes the letter located on the QWERTY layout in this place (in the case of TD(0) it will be the letter Z), and if you hold this key, then the version of this key is pressed with Ctrl held down (in the case of TD(0) will be Ctrl(Z)). I have the same tapdances on the main layer, very convenient for using common combinations like Ctrl(C) and Ctrl(V).
All other keys are identical to those located on the main layer.
Recommendations for rest
Holding your hand suspended for a long time when using a trackball can be quite difficult, especially if your hands are not yet used to it. To make the process of working with the trackball easier, you can use it with a pad under your arm - this is noticeably more convenient if you use the ball for a long time. We are waiting for the “Increased comfort system for trackball” :D
The hand rests perfectly on the pad when working with the trackball
Also, the design of the trackball allows you to rest your little and ring fingers directly on it; the steps on the body seem to be made specifically for this.
Fingers rest on the steps of the body
If the trackball is located to the left of the right half, then you can rest your fingers directly on the keyboard.
Fingers rest on the right half of the keyboard
A short conclusion
As a result, I can only say that the trackball is an excellent device that, if used correctly, will make cursor manipulation extremely easy. This device will take some getting used to, similar to switching from a standard keyboard to a split one, but getting past that adjustment period will reward you well. I wish you good luck in mastering this wonderful device! :)
Author: Ivan Seleznev
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