Why is the mechanical trackball not suitable for vertical installation?

The mechanical trackball is a kind of pointing device consisting mainly of a ball, free to rotate in a cavity where sensors detect its movement, rollers, and castors. When the trackball moves up and down, the ball drives the top roller moving the cursor on the screen in that direction. The same principle applies to left-right movements, which drive the roller positioned to the side of the ball.

When the keyboard is placed vertically, however, gravity comes into play. Indeed, it causes the ball to lose contact with the top roller, with the result that vertical pointing in the screen is no longer accurate. Thus, using a keyboard with a mechanical trackball for a vertical installation would not be a correct application for this kind of pointing system.

Solution 

At this point, two options are available: use a touchpad or opt for another type of trackball. Our customer necessarily needed a trackball pointing system, as the user who had to interface with the product daily used thick gloves, for which the touchpad is not suitable.

Therefore, we suggested the use of the optical trackball. This particular pointing system does not work with a roller mechanism – like its mechanical counterpart – but with a laser, perceiving the ball movement in all directions even when installed vertically. In this way, the problem of vertical application of the keyboard is completely solved, guaranteeing full functionality of the pointing system, attractive design, and saving space in the application context.

Note:This article is reproduced from KM Soltec (https://www.tastiereindustriali.com)