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Add pointing stick (TrackPoint, UltraNav) physical buttons?
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- Posts: 14
- Joined: Wed Aug 01, 2012 11:53 pm
- Location: Toronto, Canada
Add pointing stick (TrackPoint, UltraNav) physical buttons?
Can the physical pointing stick buttons be retrofitted on any of the newer ThinkPad models with the single-button set-up?
(Background:
I am looking high and low for a laptop with:
- a 2560*1440- or 2560*1600-pixel display
- a pointing stick with proper 3-button cluster
...and since I can't find one anywhere, now I'm desperate enough to consider making one.
I am hoping a 2014 X1 Carbon with pointing stick buttons from a 2013 X1 Carbon (or other older ThinkPad), or a W540 with pointing stick buttons from a W530 (or other older ThinkPad) would work.)
(Background:
I am looking high and low for a laptop with:
- a 2560*1440- or 2560*1600-pixel display
- a pointing stick with proper 3-button cluster
...and since I can't find one anywhere, now I'm desperate enough to consider making one.
I am hoping a 2014 X1 Carbon with pointing stick buttons from a 2013 X1 Carbon (or other older ThinkPad), or a W540 with pointing stick buttons from a W530 (or other older ThinkPad) would work.)
Re: Add pointing stick (TrackPoint, UltraNav) physical butto
Not by any stretch of imagination.
Keyboards used on *40 series and the latest Carbon are entirely different - including the motherboard connector - from anything seen on previous ThinkPads, and the same applies to the touchpad.
Keyboards used on *40 series and the latest Carbon are entirely different - including the motherboard connector - from anything seen on previous ThinkPads, and the same applies to the touchpad.
...Knowledge is a deadly friend when no one sets the rules...(King Crimson)
Cheers,
George (your grouchy retired FlexView farmer)
One FlexView to rule them all: A31p
Abused daily: T520, X200s
PMs requesting personal tech support will be ignored.
Cheers,
George (your grouchy retired FlexView farmer)
One FlexView to rule them all: A31p
Abused daily: T520, X200s
PMs requesting personal tech support will be ignored.
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- Contact:
Re: Add pointing stick (TrackPoint, UltraNav) physical butto
How much effort and money are you talking about?
If you're willing to:
Make your own keyboard controller, find space inside the chassis for it, and wire it to (e.g.) USB pins somewhere OR
reverse engineer the embedded controller, modify its keyboard scanning procedures, and solder the keyboard ribbon cable to the motherboard OR
rip out the touchpad, make your own mouse buttons and put them there, somehow wire it to the motherboard as another mouse, and use software wizardry to make the buttons work with the existing trackpoint
AND
Spend months debugging the entire thing
Then sure, it's possible.
If you're willing to:
Make your own keyboard controller, find space inside the chassis for it, and wire it to (e.g.) USB pins somewhere OR
reverse engineer the embedded controller, modify its keyboard scanning procedures, and solder the keyboard ribbon cable to the motherboard OR
rip out the touchpad, make your own mouse buttons and put them there, somehow wire it to the motherboard as another mouse, and use software wizardry to make the buttons work with the existing trackpoint
AND
Spend months debugging the entire thing
Then sure, it's possible.
X60 tablet 6363-P3U, 3GB ram, 128GB SanDisk Extreme SSD, SXGA+ screen, Intel 6300
T61 Frankenpad in 15 inch T60 body, UXGA LED-lit AFFS LCD, T9300, 6GB RAM, NVidia NVS140m, Intel 6205, 128GB Crucial M4 SSD, 1TB HGST HDD + eBay caddy in Ultrabay
701c butterfly, 75MHz 486DX4, 40MB ram, 1GB CF card
T61 Frankenpad in 15 inch T60 body, UXGA LED-lit AFFS LCD, T9300, 6GB RAM, NVidia NVS140m, Intel 6205, 128GB Crucial M4 SSD, 1TB HGST HDD + eBay caddy in Ultrabay
701c butterfly, 75MHz 486DX4, 40MB ram, 1GB CF card
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- Posts: 14
- Joined: Wed Aug 01, 2012 11:53 pm
- Location: Toronto, Canada
Re: Add pointing stick (TrackPoint, UltraNav) physical butto
That's a shame, but thanks to both of you for your replies.
I'm not quite willing to dive in that far (yet?), so I'm down to:
1. hoping Lenovo comes to its senses and brings back the physical pointing stick buttons. (Does anyone know if that will happen?)
2. identifying the highest-resolution (highest-PPI) ThinkPad with physical pointing stick buttons. (Can anyone tell me, offhand, what that would be?)
3. sticking with the Dell Precision M4800 I am trying out right now. (It's very good, and the only real drawback is that 3200*1800 pixels on a 15.4-inch display is a little too high-resolution.
I'm not quite willing to dive in that far (yet?), so I'm down to:
1. hoping Lenovo comes to its senses and brings back the physical pointing stick buttons. (Does anyone know if that will happen?)
2. identifying the highest-resolution (highest-PPI) ThinkPad with physical pointing stick buttons. (Can anyone tell me, offhand, what that would be?)
3. sticking with the Dell Precision M4800 I am trying out right now. (It's very good, and the only real drawback is that 3200*1800 pixels on a 15.4-inch display is a little too high-resolution.
Re: Add pointing stick (TrackPoint, UltraNav) physical butto
Good luck with that one.RedNubAddict wrote:
1. hoping Lenovo comes to its senses and brings back the physical pointing stick buttons. (Does anyone know if that will happen?)
There are rumours that they will with the *50 generation, but I'll believe it when I see it...
A FrankenPad with a QXGA (2048x1536) LCD such as one I have listed here:2. identifying the highest-resolution (highest-PPI) ThinkPad with physical pointing stick buttons. (Can anyone tell me, offhand, what that would be?)
http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=114951
Apart from that, it's WUXGA (1920x1200) on 15.4" T61p, Z61p, T/W 500.
These are fine machines...with that said, Dell's implementation of TrackPoint just outright sucks IMO...3. sticking with the Dell Precision M4800 I am trying out right now. (It's very good, and the only real drawback is that 3200*1800 pixels on a 15.4-inch display is a little too high-resolution.
...Knowledge is a deadly friend when no one sets the rules...(King Crimson)
Cheers,
George (your grouchy retired FlexView farmer)
One FlexView to rule them all: A31p
Abused daily: T520, X200s
PMs requesting personal tech support will be ignored.
Cheers,
George (your grouchy retired FlexView farmer)
One FlexView to rule them all: A31p
Abused daily: T520, X200s
PMs requesting personal tech support will be ignored.
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- Junior Member
- Posts: 445
- Joined: Wed May 16, 2012 3:36 pm
- Location: Salinas, CA
Re: Add pointing stick (TrackPoint, UltraNav) physical butto
You might take a look at the HP 840G1 which is available with a FHD IPS screen.
It only has 2 mouse buttons, but there are ways to map keys to mouse buttons,
at least on linux.
I've heard that HP Elitebooks have good pointing sticks, but no direct experience.
It only has 2 mouse buttons, but there are ways to map keys to mouse buttons,
at least on linux.
I've heard that HP Elitebooks have good pointing sticks, but no direct experience.
Daily Drivers: W520 i7-2760QM | W520 i7-2860QM | T420 FHD IPS i7-2640m | W701
Others: W510 | 701C (on its shrine)
Non-TP: Dell m7510
Currently Experimenting With: T420s
Others: W510 | 701C (on its shrine)
Non-TP: Dell m7510
Currently Experimenting With: T420s
Re: Add pointing stick (TrackPoint, UltraNav) physical butto
They do, especially when one puts the real TrackPoint cap on.bit_twiddler wrote: I've heard that HP Elitebooks have good pointing sticks, but no direct experience.
The problem with HPs is that the keyboards - at least when compared to conventional ThinkPad ones - leave a lot to be desired.
...Knowledge is a deadly friend when no one sets the rules...(King Crimson)
Cheers,
George (your grouchy retired FlexView farmer)
One FlexView to rule them all: A31p
Abused daily: T520, X200s
PMs requesting personal tech support will be ignored.
Cheers,
George (your grouchy retired FlexView farmer)
One FlexView to rule them all: A31p
Abused daily: T520, X200s
PMs requesting personal tech support will be ignored.
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