CST L-Trac laser trackball

[RPro]

Ok, cleaning and adding thing paper washers over the screw mounts inside the case seems to have helped - I guess the top molding was just a tad too close on one side of the ball. (I bet it was 90% cleaning that did it though - even though the bearings spun easily by finger before cleaning, the ball weight would magnify the McDirt effect).

With that said, the tilting trick still works great! In fact, when it's tilted, it has the smoothest action I've ever felt in a ball, ever. And it is probably a little more ergonomic too! Suddenly, the CST is the best trackball on the planet...

[dj christian]

Is this the trackball there is? Are there any alternatives. I've read about the Kengsington SlimBlade but i read in the customer reviews on Amazon that it has one of the worst software around, especially for Win x64.

[RPro]

Hey, anyone know if lithium grease would work well for the CST trackball bearings? Or is this redundant?

[RPro]

Ok! I may give Jig-A-Loo Super Grease a try:

http://www.jigaloo.com/ca/e_products_supergrease.php

According to the MSDS it has NAPTHA and PERCHLOROETHYLENE - which I think is safe on plastics.

The regular Jig-A-Loo (in the orange can) looks like it is very bad for plastics though - Methyl somethingsomethingchloride. I saw horrifying mutilation of a rubik's cube that had regular Jig-A-Loo on it.

[gilgam]

Hi :-)

I want to buy one of these CST L track but is there a dealer in France, or at least in €uro countries?
there is a reseller in the UK but VAT will kill the deal...

Have you ever tried it on linux with the added buttons ?
Is ths easy to customize ?

Thanks

[TheProfosist]

The added button are just default mouse buttons unless you use the windows driver to customize what they are end evn then I believe there is only a limited choice.

[gilgam]

Good luck with Linux.

Yes Linux has always been lucky ;-)
I think i could customize it via some dirty trick.
By the way CST has a very nice commercial service. It's the american way i love : customer support. The exact opposite of french one :-)

Soon a review...

[Kerosene]

Hi :-)

I want to buy one of these CST L track but is there a dealer in France, or at least in €uro countries?
there is a reseller in the UK but VAT will kill the deal...

Sounds like you already bought one from somewhere, but for the benefit of others I want to point out that el-fi.dk in Denmark had the best deal for the L-TracX when I was buying. Service via e-mail in english was okay.

[oneproduct]

Is this the trackball there is? Are there any alternatives. I've read about the Kengsington SlimBlade but i read in the customer reviews on Amazon that it has one of the worst software around, especially for Win x64.

I just got a L-Trac and it has some pros and cons compared to the slimblade:
1. Scrolling by twisting the slimblade's trackball is incredibly fun and you don't have to reach past the ball like you do on the Ltrac
2. The Ltrac's scroll wheel isn't notched (do they call this a flywheel?) which is really good and quite fun unless you need to scroll an exact number of times (like weapon changing in a game maybe)
3. Ltrac has higher DPI, but the slimblade has more exposed trackball so it kind of makes up for it because you have more surface you can scan over in one swipe before you have to reposition your hand
4. Slimblade's trackball seems to move more smoothly because the contact area is smaller, but perhaps some lube on the Ltrac will fix that
5. Slimblade's bearings collect dust super fast, but it's real easy to clean because you just have to lift up the trackball, no unscrewing required
6. Slimblade has 4 buttons by default, Ltrac only has 3 but you can add more
7. Ltrac's third button is somewhat awkwardly positioned behind the ball
8. Ltrac's casing is like a built in hand rest
9. Ltrac's trackball is further recessed into the casing so you don't have to twist your wrist up as high
10. Ltrac uses a bigger trackball, which allows for greater precision
11. Slimblade's software is fine, but the newest version doesn't even work for a lot of people. I had to use an old version. You can rebind buttons 2-4 (but not 1) to other types of button presses or to keyboard shortcuts or things like media buttons. I haven't toyed much with the Ltrac's software's but it does look better.
12. Physical size comparison: Ltrac is super tall, slimblade is pretty wide
13. Ltrac's buttons 1 and 2 are better placed and feel more sturdy

The Ltrac is great, but I'm really bothered by how hard it is to reach button 3 and the scroll wheel, you have to reposition your hand each time to get to them. Everything else about it is better than the Slimblade, except maybe the different way the two perform scrolling, but that's a personal preference: flywheel vs trackball twist.

[TheProfosist]

I feel the same way about the Ltrack its the best out there but there are tons of improvements that could be done. What I really want is a 5 button laser DT225 with a scroll wheel.

[oneproduct]

Did a little comparison of the L-trac vs the Kensington Slimblade, which is my current favorite (I don't need the DPI too bad, otherwise it may be a different story). I haven't had a chance to try the DT225 yet.

http://geekhack.org/showwiki.php?title=Island:25064

[Kerosene]

Ironically, I'm in Finland, but didn't even bother to get an exact L-TracX quote from our local vendor (assistive devices store) after seeing the prices on the listed models. Even with negotiation it would have been over 200e for sure. El-Fi, being a computer HW store, sold me the trackball for 135e including international shipping. :smile:

[gilgam]

there must be some problem because on their site
http://www.el-fi.dk/index.asp?page=86&vpath=86|&prtype=2&prgroup=13
 this is 1937 DKR which is roughly 260 €
i paid 192€ include shipping from computerware...
it still has to come ...

CST 2545

[TheProfosist]

I have the L-Track X and have modded all 5 buttons to be external its a great trackball that I sadly vdont use as much since I got my G700.

[OVerLoRDI]

Well I got my L-Trac today.  After doing some configuration started using it.

Obviously there is an adjustment period, but I figured the best way to get used to it was some good old UT2004 instagib.  Thoughts:
1)  I have no muscle memory at all related to using a trackball, so the result is I feel like I'm very aware of my fingers and their placements.
2)  Not sure where my fingers go, so I'm still searching for the right position as I'm using it.
3)  Despite the lack of muscle memory, it feels quite natural.  I'm not really having to think about how to use the device, mostly just my fingers.
4)  Precision is very possible with this device, however there seems to be a strange transition in the rollers, going from high speed to slow speed and back.  It takes additional effort to get them rolling again.  There is also a small rocking noise every time I change directions.  hopefully this will change as they break in.
5)  My natural tendency to autocorrect my shot (in game) the second before I shoot is more natural and effective with this.  
6)  The scroll wheel is USELESS.  I'm surprised they didn't just make a thumb scroll wheel on the side of the mouse.  Looking for keyboard + "mouse motion" scroll options currently.

I will report back in a few more days with how I'm feeling about it.

Also every time I reach from my keyboard to my mouse, my hand is just confused.

[RPro]

I hope this shows up properly.

[ Attachment Invalid Or Does Not Exist ] 35646[/ATTACH]

[RPro]

Anyhow - it is slightly overdesigned for drop accidents.

[timofonic]

I bought one to Computerware UK, as it seems the only serious distributor in Europe with at least an English site.

Let's see if the "royal" mail sends it to home...

[fim]

I hope this shows up properly.

(Attachment Link) 35646[/ATTACH]

Is there something like this that can be purchased (and preferably not assembled with lego pieces ) ?

[timofonic]

Is there something like this that can be purchased (and preferably not assembled with lego pieces ) ?

Any true GEEK warrior learns basic DIY skillz.

So...

If you want the elite of hardware for your comforability instead of computer mediocrity of this ****ty bad quality/design consumer industry, learn and get used to being less lazy

[RPro]

That's harsh tim!

If you have a Lego store in your area, go to the back wall, find the colors you want, and try to fill up the $20 lego cup with as many long 2x8 and 2x4 blocks as you can find. That may barely be enough to make your own platform, but should be doable if you make a skeleton frame. You'll probably have to make do with extra pieces you have laying around to build the sidecar button platform though!

I may adjust the angle a bit - it's a little too steep right now - the ball sometimes "jumps" off the rollers, although luckily it doesn't affect the laser tracking!

My kill count in co-op left4dead has gone up 20% because of this mod...

[fim]

Thanks for the info rpro. I just asked because I was kind of hoping that you got the idea from an existing stand or something (one with an embedded wrist rest for example would be really nice ).

[RPro]

I actually use a small gel wristpad on the stand just "above" the trackball - works well. Although it is also a good idea to have a pad for your elbow!

[timofonic]

That's harsh tim!

Hey! Reality is even worse. Real geeks must get used to extreme difficulties and a specially severely hostile environment for them (bad quality hardware in most shops, expensive prices for proper hardware, lots of time waster people that try you to avoid doing geek stuff, computer haters that at same time waste time on social networks, people that hate learning, females unattracted to geeks because different negative stereotypes that unfortunately sometimes are true...).

Do not be like sissies! Real geeks are stubborn, efficient, smart, strong, defensive and optimists! Scientific minds to the path of success. Be like Gordon Freeman, not like Bernard Bernoulli.

I'm waiting for my L-TrackX to come from ComputerWare UK. I'll ask them about it and a tracking number if no news soon.

[tomten_alle]

At their website they claim scroll wheel is optional. I have never seen a L-track without it, is their website wrong?
What model number would an 3200 dpi L-track without scroll wheel have? Is it even possible?

[Toasty]

Just bought an L-TracX from computerware thanks to this thread, and it's a great mouse.

Coming from a Logitech marble mouse to this, I had a hard time adjusting to the very flat nature of the L-Trac. As a temporary fix, I stuck a cut down section of a pringles tube to it, which actually works quite well.

Also, I had a few problems with holding down the left mouse button, occasionally it would act as though the button had been let go for a split second, making scrolling pretty tough.  This was probably due to the way I held the mouse, as the buttons have a slight bit of movement when depressed due to their size. Adding a small piece of thick tape to the bottom of the key seems to have fixed it, and also shortens the travel distance slightly.

The scroll wheel seems fairly useless for actual browsing, so instead I set it to volume up and down, which works well as it's free spinning.

Overall, the problems I personally have with the mouse are fairly minor, it excels in movement and I love the larger ball, and DPI adjusting is solid, although the light is hard to see.

Does anyone have any recommendations for US size pool balls in the UK, as ours are a little smaller and don't fit correctly? Also I figure some sort of soft wrist rest would be best for further modification, any ideas on how to non-permanantly secure it to the mouse?

[timofonic]

Just bought an L-TracX from computerware thanks to this thread, and it's a great mouse.

Coming from a Logitech marble mouse to this, I had a hard time adjusting to the very flat nature of the L-Trac. As a temporary fix, I stuck a cut down section of a pringles tube to it, which actually works quite well.

Also, I had a few problems with holding down the left mouse button, occasionally it would act as though the button had been let go for a split second, making scrolling pretty tough.  This was probably due to the way I held the mouse, as the buttons have a slight bit of movement when depressed due to their size. Adding a small piece of thick tape to the bottom of the key seems to have fixed it, and also shortens the travel distance slightly.

The scroll wheel seems fairly useless for actual browsing, so instead I set it to volume up and down, which works well as it's free spinning.

Overall, the problems I personally have with the mouse are fairly minor, it excels in movement and I love the larger ball, and DPI adjusting is solid, although the light is hard to see.

Does anyone have any recommendations for US size pool balls in the UK, as ours are a little smaller and don't fit correctly? Also I figure some sort of soft wrist rest would be best for further modification, any ideas on how to non-permanantly secure it to the mouse?

Hahahaha. I didn't figure balls and tits from UK had same issues about being smaller than US ones

Jokings aside...

I want to some nice pool ball near my country (Spain) or if there's a standard for pool balls I can specify it.

Are they easy to exchange?

[TheProfosist]

This is the ball that I use and recommended it smoother than any other ball ive come across and the dots are rather nice.

[timofonic]

Just bought an L-TracX from computerware thanks to this thread, and it's a great mouse.

Coming from a Logitech marble mouse to this, I had a hard time adjusting to the very flat nature of the L-Trac. As a temporary fix, I stuck a cut down section of a pringles tube to it, which actually works quite well.

Also, I had a few problems with holding down the left mouse button, occasionally it would act as though the button had been let go for a split second, making scrolling pretty tough.  This was probably due to the way I held the mouse, as the buttons have a slight bit of movement when depressed due to their size. Adding a small piece of thick tape to the bottom of the key seems to have fixed it, and also shortens the travel distance slightly.

The scroll wheel seems fairly useless for actual browsing, so instead I set it to volume up and down, which works well as it's free spinning.

Overall, the problems I personally have with the mouse are fairly minor, it excels in movement and I love the larger ball, and DPI adjusting is solid, although the light is hard to see.

Does anyone have any recommendations for US size pool balls in the UK, as ours are a little smaller and don't fit correctly? Also I figure some sort of soft wrist rest would be best for further modification, any ideas on how to non-permanantly secure it to the mouse?

I want to some nice pool ball near my country (Spain) or if there's a standard for pool balls I can specify it.

I would like ones in materials like steel, some kind of stones, crystal and such.

Are they easy to exchange?

[Toasty]

After using the mouse a little more, I've found that the left click problem is just an inherent problem with all the microswitches on the mouse. Instead of the click signifying when contact is broken, the switches actually lose contact slightly before. If you have a habit of easing off the buttons after depressing them, you'll occasionally hit the threshold and the mouse decides it's not clicking anymore.

To fix this, I took apart a cheap mouse and soldered in a different switch. I love how simple this mouse is to take apart and replace parts.

[timofonic]

Mine works flawlessly, no problems at all

I find the scroll wheel quite comfortable to use, better than those from mices that have a scratchy feel.

It's too ****ing precise, I'm still getting used to moving the cursor so fast.

I would like to change the ball, it works nice as it is but I want to touch something better. I think the plastic ball is too lightweight to my needs, I need something heavier.

Are there some ways to configure it in Linux? I mean stuff like dpi and such, not sure about the extra buttons. Maybe there's some info in the wiki, I'll check it soon.

I don't agree with many critics to this nice trackball. It might lack the style of Apple, but this piece of true industrial design works like a charm.

Thanks CST!

[TheProfosist]

Mine works flawlessly, no problems at all

I find the scroll wheel quite comfortable to use, better than those from mices that have a scratchy feel.

It's too ****ing precise, I'm still getting used to moving the cursor so fast.

I would like to change the ball, it works nice as it is but I want to touch something better. I think the plastic ball is too lightweight to my needs, I need something heavier.

Are there some ways to configure it in Linux? I mean stuff like dpi and such, not sure about the extra buttons. Maybe there's some info in the wiki, I'll check it soon.

I don't agree with many critics to this nice trackball. It might lack the style of Apple, but this piece of true industrial design works like a charm.

Thanks CST!

Here how i see it the schrool wheel is good as it exsist but its out of the way, you have to extend you had for ward to use it as you would the middle button. Which is a pain and takes away from the ergonomics. If it too precise tur down the dpi i thing 800 isnt low enough for tiles when u need low dpi whish it went a notch lower. The original ball isnt plastic itis the sale as any modern pool ball. I replaced mine with aramiths highest grade cue ball. Dpi and the extra buttont will work in linux without software. Dpi is harware controlled so linux wont even know it happenning. And the buttons will just be the default im sure u can use some other program to remap those.

[timofonic]

Here how i see it the schrool wheel is good as it exsist but its out of the way, you have to extend you had for ward to use it as you would the middle button. Which is a pain and takes away from the ergonomics. If it too precise tur down the dpi i thing 800 isnt low enough for tiles when u need low dpi whish it went a notch lower. The original ball isnt plastic itis the sale as any modern pool ball. I replaced mine with aramiths highest grade cue ball. Dpi and the extra buttont will work in linux without software. Dpi is harware controlled so linux wont even know it happenning. And the buttons will just be the default im sure u can use some other program to remap those.

My hands are big and strong, so I reach perfectly to those parts of the trackball. Maybe that's the reason why I prefer Model M keyboards too. My ergonomics are quite weird and adapt quite well to this device, I don't have standard hands

My only downside with L-TracX is that the button switches are too soft for my tastes and I accidentally push them sometimes, I would prefer something more harder and clickier

I'm discovering the trackball with this nice niche product, it makes computing funnier and more comfortable.

DPI? How to change to the highest DPI mode? I'm not sure about it, there's no instructions on the box about it.

So the ball is the same material as a pool ball, I see. I would prefer something like wood or stone.

[RPro]

tim, hold down the middle button then press the right button. It'll change the DPI. 800->1600->2400->3200 and back to 800 again. If you look closely at an angle you can just barely see the LED light up inside the casing - look towards the middle button.

I am getting used to the scroll wheel - but I still don't use it in games because I need the tactile feedback to know when I've switched weapon/inventory item/whatever. Maybe I should do a mod for that one day, using a cheap mouse with the tactile scroll  wheel (take the spring and add a notch or something somewhere).

[timofonic]

tim, hold down the middle button then press the right button. It'll change the DPI. 800->1600->2400->3200 and back to 800 again. If you look closely at an angle you can just barely see the LED light up inside the casing - look towards the middle button.

I am getting used to the scroll wheel - but I still don't use it in games because I need the tactile feedback to know when I've switched weapon/inventory item/whatever. Maybe I should do a mod for that one day, using a cheap mouse with the tactile scroll  wheel (take the spring and add a notch or something somewhere).

What's the color code for each one? I see there's orange, red and green colours. I find the LED placement one of the most stupid design decisions EVER.

I *HATE* with too much passion FPS games and I read a lot, so not problems with that lack of tactile feedback that I dislike (I find the feel quite annoying). I also find this scroll wheel quite comfortable to use for my computer reading needs.

[demik]

my CST L-Trac X is in the mail

[timofonic]

my CST L-Trac X is in the mail

You lucky american bastard

[timofonic]

Lot of CST Info in my CST Review in my sig.

Hard to miss.

Ripster, how can I join your sect?

[demik]

You lucky american bastard

funny enough, it's coming from canada lol

but i can't wait i already made 2 switches for it, and they have been sitting in my closet for like a month.

[timofonic]

funny enough, it's coming from canada lol

but i can't wait i already made 2 switches for it, and they have been sitting in my closet for like a month.

Isn't Canada like USA with european flavour? At least they have public social security

For over a month? You seem a dangerous, obsesive person. I'm sure you have secret murdering plans to forum members too...

[demik]

lol. Nope, I just had nothing to do one weekend and wanted to learn how to solder.

[Glukos]

Which one should I choose: L-trac or L-trackX?

[Glukos]

Didn't I? Sorry, Dude, my fault.

[Glukos]

I'm going to use it at 800dpi with 19" 4:3 monitor for now =)

[misiu_mp]

Hallo there. I'm new to this forum and I can't understand how was it possible for me not to even know about the crazy world of keyboard fanatics until a few weeks ago.
I recently bought the CST L-TracX (but was inspired by this guy, so no commission to ripster).
My first impression was that it's huge. The scroll wheel works well - I keep my hand a little bit more forward to reach it. This way the ball is normally controlled by my proximal phalanges (3rd bones from the tip of the fingers). This works fine so far, but Ill its to early to judge.
I can see one major problem with it - and it's something others have reported too. The ball does not roll smoothly at slow, precision movements. It often gets stuck a little when I try to fine-control the cursor ( mark the last character of a sentence), and then jumps suddenly after it unblocks itself. I've been using it for a few hours now and the problem is persisting.
Now, I would open it up to clear/readjust the bearings, but it has that "unplug before service" sticker.
I might not be able to return it if I remove it and if it doesn't improve, I don't want it.
I really expected it to be silky smooth for the money it costs. Do you guys think I should return it?

[woebtz]

@misiu_mp: My CST L-Trac got slightly smoother over a few months of use, but it's not and I don't think it'll ever be silky smooth (like a worn-in, greasy, Kensington Expert).

I just compensate by adjusting my mouse acceleration--low sensitivity with little/initial movement, higher sensitivity with more.

[misiu_mp]

@ripster: yeah, I actually read all there was about it here, and it wasn't an easy task. There is no conclusive solution to my problem.
@woebtz: months is not a timescale I paid for, so its not good. I'm not sure what that Kensington Expert silky smooth is like, but its not necessarily needed. All I want is to be able to consistently select single words or even characters of text, without this thing jerking around. I like to use high dpi setting to minimize the needed move of the ball, but even at a lower setting, the accuracy is not good. Did you have the problem with jerkiness at really slow rolling speeds yourself?

[woebtz]

Oh, I don't have an LTrac...

Anywho, this is what's possible with my settings:

• CST2545W-RC
• Expert Mouse
• Roller Mouse Pro (v1)
• MX500

[ Attachment Invalid Or Does Not Exist ] 40815[/ATTACH]
* For the trackballs, I used my left hand to hold down the mouse button and right hand to draw the shapes.

The CST is definitely jerky at slow speeds (and when trying to move the cursor diagonally), but no trackballs can really compare to a mouse's accuracy (finger/palm rolling vs. finger/wrist/shoulder control).

[misiu_mp]

Are you left handed or right handed?

[RTbar]

So is scrolling a problem with the l-track, or is it a non-issue? I am considering selling my Slimblade and purchasing a CST because I find that the ball on the Slimblade sticks out too far out of the casing for my smaller hands to effectively control... and my thumb is starting to hurt from twisting the ball so much to scroll.