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geekhack Community => Input Devices => Topic started by: jacethesaltsculptor on Mon, 30 December 2019, 13:23:12
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Hello,
I was curious if anyone owns, or regularly uses an ITAC systems MOUSE-TRAK trackball.
Link here: http://shop.itacsystems.com/products/usb-mouse-trak-professional-b5xusbxrohs.html
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I've been eyeing one that would go alongside my F122 keyboard due to it's color scheme, but there seems to be very little written about it online.
My questions would be: How ergonomic is it? It looks tough as nails, but not particularly comfortable.
Can you reach the right and left clicks easily?
Is the large mouse button near the palmrest a middle click, or a hold and scroll up and down a page button?
Thank you for the help and opinions.
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I currently have a Professional and two Industrial Mousetracks and been using Itac trackballs for years. The ball bearings are noisy compared to, say, a Kensington Expert. These are professional quality - the company even offers a refurb/rebuild service. You can see inside one here (https://deskthority.net/viewtopic.php?t=7391).
They are a three button pointing device & that's it - no scrolling. The small button near the pad is a speed toggle. Basically it shifts the DPI to much lower to enable fine movement. I find the Professional & Industrial very comfortable to use but trackballs are a very personal choice - you might not like them at all. The buttons on the sides are the expected left & right buttons and the long crossways button is the middle button. I just curl my thumb under to hit that button but I have a friend who just hates the placement of that button and won't use one of these.
If you're shopping on Ebay be careful: Itac have made many models over the years and some won't work on a modern computer or are programmed especially for one company or other with special functions - no middle button, for example. Some are for Sun computers and won't work at all for you. If you pick one out on Ebay, first just ask me here about it before you buy.
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I appreciate you,
this tells me everything I wanted to know quite well.
You even compared it to the trackball I currently own! I have a kensington expert humming over these posts right now.
I'd figure that the USB ones would be standard USB, or are even those proprietary through some strange means?
Regardless, I'll happily take you up on asking if one is good or not, Thank you for doing that. :)
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You're correct that the USB are standard. My Professional is PS/2 and my two Industrial are both USB.
You say the color is the attraction for you, If that's the case you might also want to check out the DT225 trackball. The beige DT225 is, well, beige where the Mousetrak Professional is more white.
http://xahlee.info/kbd/dt225_trackball.html
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Oooh! I swear I couldn't have gotten a better guy to ask, thank you!
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