Difference between revisions of "TrackPoint"

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=== IBM TrackPoint ===
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===TrackPoint===
The TrackPoint is IBMs name for the stick that sits between the g, h and b keys of the keyboard. It is used as a pointing device and hence as an alternative to an external mouse or a touchpad. What sets it apart from devices found in notebooks of other manufacturers is that it has no moving parts. It works using a solid state strain gauge. Its tap-to-click feature, which means that you can tap the stick to do a left click instead of using the left mouse button, is also handy.
+
The TrackPoint was IBM's name, now Lenovo's, for the stick that sits between the g, h and b keys of the keyboard. It is used as a PS/2 pointing device and hence as an alternative to an external mouse or a touchpad. What sets it apart from devices found in notebooks of other manufacturers is that it has no moving parts. It works by using a solid state strain gauge. Its tap-to-click feature, which means that you can tap the stick to do a left click instead of using the left mouse button, is also handy.
 
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===Overview===
 +
The TrackPoint has gone through four known minor revisions: TrackPoint, TrackPoint II, TrackPoint III, and TrackPoint IV.
  
==Linux Support==
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The original TrackPoint was not actually a pointing stick as it is supposedly named. Instead, it was just an average trackball painted in red. The second revision of the TrackPoint 'fixes' this minor oversight, and is now finally a pointing stick with a red cap.
The TrackPoint uses the PS/2 interface so it is supported by the standard psaux mouse input driver included in the Linux kernel.
 
  
Note that the "IMPS/2" driver of the X server is incompatible with most TrackPoints. You'll have to use "PS/2" in the protocol option of your input section if your mouse pointer always jumps to the lower left corner of the screen. This seems to be solved with the T4x generation of ThinkPads.
+
The third revision of the TrackPoint was notable for adding a feature called '[http://web.archive.org/web/20111002095204/http://www.almaden.ibm.com/cs/user/tp/ninertia.html negative inertia]', which essentially counter-acts against the 'positive inertia' caused by the force applied onto the solid-state strain gauge. This was to increase the accuracy of the previous TrackPoint as it was occasionally over-exaggerating the amount of force applied to it, making it inaccurate/too fast or difficult to use.
  
However, to make use of advanced features like configuring sensitivity or enabling "tap-to-click" there are different solutions available depending on the kernel you are using.
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The fourth revision of the TrackPoint adds a feature called 'press-to-select', which is implemented by using a virtual Z-axis. This feature allows the TrackPoint to emulate a mouse's left button.
* For 2.4 type kernels it is recommended to use the [http://www.slac.stanford.edu/~strauman/pers/tp4utils/ Linux Trackpoint utilities].
 
* 2.6.14rc1 and newer has TrackPoint support as part of the regular PS/2 Mouse support
 
* For older 2.6 kernels, you can get the [[Patch to enable advanced trackpoint configuration]].
 
  
If you are using GNOME with the 2.6 kernel TrackPoint support, you might want to use [http://tpctl.sourceforge.net/configure-trackpoint.html configure-trackpoint] as a graphical frontend to it.
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===Configuration and Customization===
 +
See [[How to configure the TrackPoint]] for more information.
  
*Have a look at [[How to configure the TrackPoint]].
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Hardware-wise, the TrackPoint (II, III, and IV) has only one form of customization, which is the red-colored cap that sits on top of the TrackPoint. There are four types of caps that can be fitted on: Eraser Head, Classic Dome, Soft Dome, and Soft Rim. As of today, only the Soft Dome cap can be brought from Lenovo. Note that it comes in three profiles: standard (no longer produced), low profile, and super-low profile. Also, please note that the Soft Dome is the only cap with a low profile and a super-low profile variant, the other caps do not have such profile variants. Unofficial bootlegs may exist, though.
  
==Models featuring this Technology==
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The TrackPoint II and TrackPoint III revisions did not come with the Soft Dome or with the Soft Rim cap pre-installed. However, the said caps can be fitted onto these TrackPoint revisions, as long as they are not a low-profile or a super-low profile variant. Only the TrackPoint IV revision accepts low-profile or super-low profile caps, but it also depends on your ThinkPad's keyboard, as not all keyboards implementing the TrackPoint IV uses low-profile or super-low profile caps. Some models use standard profile caps, at least on most of the older pre-2013 models with the TrackPoint IV.
'''TrackPoint'''
 
*ThinkPad {{220}} <tt>(if that's what the original trackpoint is)</tt>
 
  
'''TrackPoint II'''
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===External Sources===
 +
*[http://web.archive.org/web/20061010223935/http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=MIGR-51536 IBM's page on configuring the third TrackPoint button under Linux]  (Note -- link was dead on 2 Dec 2007, replaced with Wayback link)
 +
*[http://freshmeat.net/projects/tp-scroll/?topic_id=146 Thinkpad Scroll Daemon] Use the middle mouse button on a Trackpoint keyboard for scrolling in Linux.
 +
*[http://web.archive.org/web/20110606135334/http://www.almaden.ibm.com/cs/new_paradigms/tpscienc.html TrackPoint Science] Gets raw force data from the TrackPoint.
 +
 
 +
==Models featuring this technology==
 +
===TrackPoint===
 +
*{{220}}
 +
 
 +
===TrackPoint II===
 
*{{350}}, {{350C}}, {{355}}, {{355Cs}}, {{355C}}
 
*{{350}}, {{350C}}, {{355}}, {{355Cs}}, {{355C}}
 
*{{360}}, {{360Cs}}, {{360C}}, {{360P}}, {{360CSE}}, {{360CE}}, {{360PE}}
 
*{{360}}, {{360Cs}}, {{360C}}, {{360P}}, {{360CSE}}, {{360CE}}, {{360PE}}
 
*{{370C}}
 
*{{370C}}
 
*{{500}}, {{510Cs}}
 
*{{500}}, {{510Cs}}
 +
*{{555BJ}}
 
*{{720}}, {{720C}}
 
*{{720}}, {{720C}}
 
*{{700}}, {{700C}}
 
*{{700}}, {{700C}}
 
*{{750}}, {{750Cs}}, {{750C}}, {{750P}}
 
*{{750}}, {{750Cs}}, {{750C}}, {{750P}}
 
*{{755Cs}}, {{755C}}
 
*{{755Cs}}, {{755C}}
'''TrackPoint III'''
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 +
===TrackPoint III===
 
*{{310}}, {{310D}}, {{310E}}, {{310ED}}
 
*{{310}}, {{310D}}, {{310E}}, {{310ED}}
 
*{{345CS}}, {{345C}}
 
*{{345CS}}, {{345C}}
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*{{760L}}, {{760LD}}, {{760C}}, {{760CD}}, {{760EL}}, {{760ELD}}, {{760E}}, {{760ED}}, {{760XL}}, {{760XD}}, {{765L}}, {{765D}}
 
*{{760L}}, {{760LD}}, {{760C}}, {{760CD}}, {{760EL}}, {{760ELD}}, {{760E}}, {{760ED}}, {{760XL}}, {{760XD}}, {{765L}}, {{765D}}
 
*{{820}}, {{850}}, {{860}}
 
*{{820}}, {{850}}, {{860}}
'''TrackPoint IV'''
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*{{PC110}}
*{{240}}, {{240X}}
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 +
===TrackPoint IV===
 +
*{{I Series}}
 +
*{{130}}
 +
*{{240}}, {{240X}}, {{240Z}}
 
*{{380Z}}, {{390}}, {{390E}}, {{390X}}
 
*{{380Z}}, {{390}}, {{390E}}, {{390X}}
 
*{{560Z}}, {{570}}, {{570E}}
 
*{{560Z}}, {{570}}, {{570E}}
*{{600}}, {{600E}}, {{600X}}
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*{{6 Series}}
 
*{{770}}, {{770E}}, {{770ED}}, {{770X}}, {{770Z}}
 
*{{770}}, {{770E}}, {{770ED}}, {{770X}}, {{770Z}}
*{{I Series}}
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*{{P Series}}
 +
*{{W Series}}
 
*{{A Series}}
 
*{{A Series}}
*{{G Series}}
 
*{{R Series}}
 
*{{S30}}, {{S31}}
 
 
*{{T Series}}
 
*{{T Series}}
 
*{{X Series}}
 
*{{X Series}}
 +
*{{L Series}}
 +
*{{R Series}}
 +
*{{G Series}}
 +
*{{E Series}}
 +
*{{S Series}}
 +
*{{SL Series}}
 
*{{Z Series}}
 
*{{Z Series}}
 +
*{{13 Series}}
 +
*{{Helix Series}}
 
*{{TransNote}}
 
*{{TransNote}}
 +
*{{Twist}}
  
==External Sources==
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[[Category:Glossary]] [[Category:ThinkPad Technologies]]
*[http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=MIGR-51536 IBMs page on configuring the third TrackPoint button under Linux]
 
 
 
[[Category:Glossary]] [[Category:Components]]
 

Latest revision as of 16:01, 22 January 2021

IBM TrackPoint

TrackPoint

The TrackPoint was IBM's name, now Lenovo's, for the stick that sits between the g, h and b keys of the keyboard. It is used as a PS/2 pointing device and hence as an alternative to an external mouse or a touchpad. What sets it apart from devices found in notebooks of other manufacturers is that it has no moving parts. It works by using a solid state strain gauge. Its tap-to-click feature, which means that you can tap the stick to do a left click instead of using the left mouse button, is also handy.

Overview

The TrackPoint has gone through four known minor revisions: TrackPoint, TrackPoint II, TrackPoint III, and TrackPoint IV.

The original TrackPoint was not actually a pointing stick as it is supposedly named. Instead, it was just an average trackball painted in red. The second revision of the TrackPoint 'fixes' this minor oversight, and is now finally a pointing stick with a red cap.

The third revision of the TrackPoint was notable for adding a feature called 'negative inertia', which essentially counter-acts against the 'positive inertia' caused by the force applied onto the solid-state strain gauge. This was to increase the accuracy of the previous TrackPoint as it was occasionally over-exaggerating the amount of force applied to it, making it inaccurate/too fast or difficult to use.

The fourth revision of the TrackPoint adds a feature called 'press-to-select', which is implemented by using a virtual Z-axis. This feature allows the TrackPoint to emulate a mouse's left button.

Configuration and Customization

See How to configure the TrackPoint for more information.

Hardware-wise, the TrackPoint (II, III, and IV) has only one form of customization, which is the red-colored cap that sits on top of the TrackPoint. There are four types of caps that can be fitted on: Eraser Head, Classic Dome, Soft Dome, and Soft Rim. As of today, only the Soft Dome cap can be brought from Lenovo. Note that it comes in three profiles: standard (no longer produced), low profile, and super-low profile. Also, please note that the Soft Dome is the only cap with a low profile and a super-low profile variant, the other caps do not have such profile variants. Unofficial bootlegs may exist, though.

The TrackPoint II and TrackPoint III revisions did not come with the Soft Dome or with the Soft Rim cap pre-installed. However, the said caps can be fitted onto these TrackPoint revisions, as long as they are not a low-profile or a super-low profile variant. Only the TrackPoint IV revision accepts low-profile or super-low profile caps, but it also depends on your ThinkPad's keyboard, as not all keyboards implementing the TrackPoint IV uses low-profile or super-low profile caps. Some models use standard profile caps, at least on most of the older pre-2013 models with the TrackPoint IV.

External Sources

Models featuring this technology

TrackPoint

TrackPoint II

TrackPoint III

TrackPoint IV