Author Topic: IBM Model M13 - TrackPoint Tuning  (Read 30935 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline linac88

  • Thread Starter
  • Posts: 1
  • Location: Toronto, Canada
IBM Model M13 - TrackPoint Tuning
« on: Sun, 26 July 2020, 21:51:43 »
(This is my first post on geekhack and my first post on mechanical keyboards!) 

I have been using IBM/Lenovo notebooks for the past 20 or so years and have grown attached to TrackPoint.  I recently bought my first mechanical keyboard, an IBM Model M13, which I absolutely love!  I had no idea that typing on a mechanical keyboard would feel so sublime.

However, I had read online that the M13's TrackPoint nub was very stiff and hard to push as it was not originally designed for high-resolution screens that we use today.  I learned with my keyboard that those comments were true – the TrackPoint nub is indeed stiff/slow.  Also, these old M13s only have two buttons, not three like modern TrackPoint systems.  There didn’t seem to be any solutions or workarounds offered online and I thought I was relegated to just a great keyboard with an antiquated and mostly unusable, first-generation TrackPoint.

After experimenting for hours with many different programs, I believe I have come close to emulating the feel and function of a modern TrackPoint system on the M13.  I just wanted to share my findings with the M13 community.

I set my computer to startup with the following programs:
-   Intercept Mouse Accel:  to decrease the stiffness and increase responsiveness
-   MouseImp Pro:  to emulate modern middle-button scrolling using the right button on the M13
-   EitherMouse:  increasing the sensitivity of the M13 Trackpoint nub using Intercept Mouse Accel meant that the sensitivity of my regular mouse would also be increased.  EitherMouse helps to independently control the sensitivities of the M13 Trackpoint and the mouse.

Here are my settings (that startup automatically with my computer):

Intercept Mouse
- Sensitivity:  0.03
-   Acceleration:  0.1
-   Sensitivity Cap:  4
-   Speed Cap:  0
-   Offset:  0.2
-   Power:  2.5
-   Pre-Scale X:  0.1
-   [Pre-Scale Y:  0.1, default]
-   Post-Scale X:  50
-   [Post-Scale Y:  50, default]
-   AngleSnapping:  0
-   Angle:  0
-   Driver Enabled: checked

EitherMouse

-   Mouse:  Mouse Speed:  3
-   M13 TrackPoint:  Mouse Speed:  20

MouseImp Pro
-   Under DirectScroll tab:
-   Enabled:  checked
-   Control type:  Classic control
-   Activate on:  Right mouse button
-   Scrolling speed (%):  29
-   Slow down margin (%):  90
-   MSIE scrolling sensitivity:  100
-   Inverted:  checked
-   Bidirectional:  checked

Note:  This is not a perfect solution (e.g., cursor movement a little bit blocky, there is no inertia with movement (but it’s not bad), and right button scrolling doesn’t work for all programs), but the system works very well for me.  If any M13 TrackPoint user has any other suggestions for programs or settings, I would be very interested in learning of them.  Thank you!

248048-0248050-1248052-2248054-3

Offline sharktastica

  • Posts: 175
  • Location: Wales, UK
  • CompSci research student, IBMer, r/ModelM mod
    • Admiral Shark's Keyboards
Re: IBM Model M13 - TrackPoint Tuning
« Reply #1 on: Sun, 26 July 2020, 22:05:00 »
Whilst not directly a suggestion (at least not yet), I am working on my own software to mitigate these issues with TrackPoint II (M4-1, M6-1, M13) and Unicomp pointing stick (Unicomp M13s, EnduraPros) devices. Speaking as a user of all of those devices listed, I'm quite vested in this too! I'm still dealing with performance/teething issues since I'm taking a different and less 'invasive' approach compared InterAccel (to make it much more simple to install and not trigger anti-cheat engines (hopefully)). Things are looking promising though, so I'll let you know once I'm reaching stable in case you'd like to try it out. It will be open-source and only validated for Windows at first, but it will reach Linux and macOS as well.

Offline funkmon

  • Posts: 451
Re: IBM Model M13 - TrackPoint Tuning
« Reply #2 on: Sun, 26 July 2020, 22:55:17 »
That's a game changer! I've been waiting for Shark, but now I can use this method! Very exciting! :D

Offline metalkeyboards

  • Posts: 30
  • Location: Norway
  • CNC Milled Aluminum KeyCaps from Tønsberg, NORWAY
    • MetalKeyboards SHOP
Re: IBM Model M13 - TrackPoint Tuning
« Reply #3 on: Wed, 07 July 2021, 13:45:07 »
What laptop brands are still offering model with  trackpoints?
All METAL All DAY!