Touchpad Module - great and terrible

General
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80 with cluster and trackpad modules.
I am loving and hating the trackpad module.
I have twin 43" monitors and thought the trackpad module would be far too small and I would have to swipe several times to get across my monitors. Wrong. I am very pleased with moving the mouse around quickly. I thought it would be difficult to do precision selection, especially rubber-banding of areas in screenshots. Wrong. I can accurately select small and medium areas. Having changed the “Hold continuation timeout” to 750 ms, I can select large areas with ease.

There’s the love part. Here’s the other part.

Using the trackpad I am constantly selecting objects when I don’t want to. As I was moving about this forum’s pages, I was constantly selecting text - when all I was trying to do was move the cursor up to the menu. More importantly, when I am processing email, I keep selecting folders and dragging them when all I am trying to do is move the cursor to a different folder. Or, when I am trying to move the cursor to a different tab in the browser, I drag the current tab to a different location or even into a new window.
Clearly, I am inadvertently “tapping” and holding the trackpad when all I think I am doing is resting my finger on it. I’ve used lots of trackpads in the past and never had this problem.

Any ideas? Are there settings (in UHK Agent or Win 11) that would reduce or eliminate a resting finger causing object selection? How can I retrain my fingers? (When I focus on tapping and lifting my finger, I can avoid the problem. However, when I forget about the keyboard and focus on my work I start to select objects again. It is destroying my productivity.)
Would a trackpint or trackball module be worth trying? (I’ve never liked trackballs with small balls or trackpoints and I like the tap/double tap/pinch/hold functions of trapads and rollermice much more than the separate buuttons of trackballs and trackpoints).

I have tried reprogramming the trackpad module to remove the mouse click. This eliminates the problem - but also destroys the functions of the trackpad module that I love.

I could use my Elecom Huge between the keyboard halves or implement a bigger “floating” trackpad between the keyboard halves. But the thing that attracted me to UHK was the prospect of a single device for keying and mousing.

I have used split keyboards with rollermice or middle trackball/tracpads for 15 years. The UHK 80 costs four times compared to the split keyboards I have used for years. If I only use it for keying, it isn’t worth any more than the keyboards I used before.

I want to love UHK80 and am hoping you can help me to do so.

If you can’t help, perhaps you can tell me what their return policy is like because a UHK for keying only is not worth more than my older keyboards.
TIA, Keith

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What about mapping left click to the two-finger tap? (This has to be done via macros)

Also there are many more ways to use the keyboard than using the touchpad as a standalone touchpad. See Usecase: Thumb Trackball for inspiration.

What about the trackball module?

If touchpad module was the only reason for buying this keyboard, then I am am not sure I can help you. One strength of uhk modules is the ability to integrate them with the rest of the keyboard - such as the thumb trackball topic illustrates. If you are going to use the modules just as you would use standalone devices, then there indeed is not much benefit in owning uhk because of modules :person_shrugging:. I mean, you will get better experience with any split keyboard and either an external touchpad or a ploopy nano trackball inbetween.

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Only you can answer that I’m afraid. Trackpoint seems to be like a marmite - you either love or hate it. I’m coming from Thinkpads and loved it, and UHK’s module (and its placement - under a thumb what the hell?!) turned out to be fantastic. I’d say cluster module is a must-have with it for the extra mouse buttons, but you’ve that already covered. In fact I don’t even have any use for the extra 3 keys from the module, but it’s needed for the mouse buttons alone.

If you have no affinity to trackpoints but are willing to give it a fair go, I’d say 100% worth it; it’s what makes my UHK (v2) a mouse-free experience for me. But I’m biased.

As for the trackpad issues you’re having I’m afraid I don’t have any useful input. I’ve always had the same issue on laptops and have disabled the click/tap functionality for that reason. Again - Thinkpads and their physical mouse buttons ftw.

Bit surprised however why or how are you accidentally hitting it. On laptops it’s usually the side of the palm that tends to cause the taps, but the UHK module is only accessible by the thumb that naturally wants to rest on the space/mod key IMHO. Then again, never experienced the trackpad module firsthand.

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I’d unmap touchpad tapping and use the right low-profile key of the left half for left-clicking.

I use this mapping with my trackpoint module, and it’s a joy, especially now that high-res scrolling is implemented.

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