alphagrip suggestions

[JSH]

the alphagrip is the best input device i have used so far. here are my
suggestions so far:

print the key legends on the front of the device and drop the
stickers. using stickers to make up for a design flaw is silly.
use some other letter where the p key currently is for better
efficiency. i swapped p with h. i also remapped l into r and e to r
and r to l, so that the left thumb contributes more to the typing.
efficient automatic use should be prioritized over using the same
finger as qwerty.
make the caps lock and shift keys send keydown and up events like
regular keys so they can be remapped. i wanted to remap one of them to
CTRL but couldnt so i remapped tab instead. map CTRL and ALT to a
reasonable locations by default.
ship with a right angled USB cable. or move the connector to the top
or bottom of the device. the current location is the worst possible.
then the stand could be dropped. http://www.ntcdistributing.com/products/usbangled.htm
there only needs to be 1 green shift key. or add some mappings so that
that the extra key is used for something other than insert.

move the mouse buttons to the left. move the bottom thumb keys to the
top so they are easy to reach.

[Scott]

Good suggestions.

[Avram]

On May 20, 12:53 am, JSH <JosephSHu...@gmail.com> wrote:
> make the caps lock and shift keys send keydown and up events like
> regular keys so they can be remapped.

Agreed, same with num lock and fn lock. It would be nice to have red-
and green-shift keycodes sent by all the non-modifier thumb keys, and
not have two ways of producing the same comma and period codes. Not
sure how feasible that is, but it would allow more flexibility for
remapping; you can't change red-R without also changing the normal
period, and vice versa.

The indentations on the trackball retaining ring seem prone to
deformation and stripping, which could make it impossible to remove
over time. One solution would be making them deeper, perhaps all the
way through, and a little wider so a ball-point pen could be used.
Much more leverage than a bent paperclip.

As a Mac user, I need to make command-, option-, and control-clicks
fairly often, which is rather awkward with the current setup. Swapping
win/command with num lock and escape with fn lock would be more
comfortable.

[Doug Sims]

As far as option click on the Mac goes, doesn't it support middle and
right click buttons by default? Isn't that the same function as option
click and/or command click?
Not completely sure, but I know my brother uses a five button mouse on
his Mac Pro.

Additionally, the holes on this alphagrip around the trackball have a
good bit of scratching from it being opened so often, but it still
works fine. I have been worried about them stripping out, but no
performance has been lost by it yet. On a side note, another trackball
I use at work only has one hole about the same size as the one on the
AG, so it seems to be a pretty standard size. If you want something a
little stiffer than a paper clip, then use a 0.5mm pencil tip to turn
the ring, usually just one will get it twisted enough.

Doug

[Scott]

Tried using the Alphagrip with Controllermate?

I haven't. Just asking.

Scott

On May 19, 2008, at 10•53¤, JSH wrote:

[Daryl Stultz]

On May 21, 4:24 am, Scott <terratact...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Tried using the Alphagrip with Controllermate?

Yes, I have about 250 building blocks. ControlerMate is a great
product.

-D

[seabrook]

Another suggestion: Use a harder material for the trackball rollers.
Over time, the trackball will wear down the soft metal such that flat
spots develop. I've had this happen with two different 'grips on both
the y-axis roller, and the small free-spinning disc.