An ode to my trackball

Logitech Trackman Marble Trackball

Background

In the ‘90s the huge trend in peripherals was ergonomics. Early trackballs back then were pretty horrible. It was a mechanical ball mouse, just upside down. On a whim I bought a Logitech Marble Trackball way back in 2002 (Trackman ver in 2013).

It has some really advanced features (even by today’s standards):

The ball is bigger and had a pattern the led sensors could interpret accurately.
PS/2 & USB capatible. Remember this was released when Windows XP was current.
Ambidextrous design (Though I am a right-handed guy)
It was cheap when it came out. $22.69!
The later trackman version added 2 extra small buttons (worth it!)

Fast forward more than 20 years later, I am still using them (sadly they were discontinued a few years ago). The trackball is absolutly rock solid. I clean the sensors about once a year and have never had a mechanical breakdown. I’ve never had any fatigue or strain while using it countless hours a day.

Linux Use

Configuring for linux was not very intuitive but I managed to come up with a button mapping with Xorg that has served me well over the years. Ubuntu has an absolutely amazing page outlining all the functions.

Left/Right big buttons work as usual.
Middle click is pressing both left & right at the same time.
Left grey button is scroll mode. Hold down to engage scrolling with ball (both horizontal & vertical)
Right grey button is ‘Back’ button in a browser.

/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/marble-mouse.conf

Section "InputClass"
    Identifier     "Marble Mouse"
    Option         "ButtonMapping" "1 2 3 4 5 6 7 9 8"
    Option         "Emulate3Buttons" "true"
    Option         "EmulateWheel" "true"
    Option         "EmulateWheelButton" "8"
    Option         "HorizontalScrolling" "true"
    Option         "MatchIsPointer" "on"
    Option         "MiddleEmulation" "true"
    Option         "ScrollButton" "8"
    Option         "ScrollMethod" "button"
    Option         "XAxisMapping" "6 7"
EndSection

Tech Specs

Model:  T-BC21
USB:    v1.x ID 046d:c408 Logitech, Inc. Marble Mouse (4-button)
DPI:    300
Cord:   6ft/1.83m
Width:  3.43in/87mm
Length: 6.5in/165mm
Height: 1.5in/42mm
Weight: 6.98oz/198g

Created: 2024-04-14

Modified: 2024-04-13