I love my Atreus... it is the perfect ergo keyboard for typing in my lap! But after using it for a month or so, I started longing for some kind of pointing device that could fit it that small gap between the right and left halves. I wanted something simple and removable, and i didn't particularly want to completely rebuild the keyboard.
After exploring trackpoint and handheld trackball options, I began to think that I woulldn’t find a hack to fit in the Atreus ‘wedge’ space without totally rebuilding the keyboard. I really wanted the pointing device to be easily be removable and use its own USB connection, without modifying the keyboard.
I found eventually found a reference showing the Logitech Trackman Marble, which has a small format CCB under the ball and a separate CCB for the controller. This looked promising.. the ball is larger than I would have liked, but the base is very small.
Here it how it turned out:
I call it “Aerope”, after the wife of Atreus. She was a very bad girl…