Trackball as a scroll wheel: xinput now, firmware later
SuperMarioSF's xinput middle-button emulation turned the ball into a scroll wheel; ClockworkPi then built Fn + ball scrolling into the stock firmware.
What it takes
- Config change
- Firmware flash
Difficulty 2 of 3 — moderate.
Details
The keyboard has no middle button or wheel. SuperMarioSF's 2023 workaround sets libinput properties with xinput in ~/.xsessionrc — middle-button emulation, so holding both buttons (or the ball's own click) while rolling scrolls — X11 only. PotatoMania suggested doing it in trackball.ino instead, Daniel_Segel built that, and cuu merged Fn + trackball scrolling into the official firmware with the flashing tool in November 2023; bsdelf's later pull request moved the modifier to Select so the cursor stops jumping when you let go.
Rex's answer to a 2025 request for silent page scrolling sums up the two current routes: stock firmware (Fn + ball) or QMK (Select + ball), both keyboard-side and independent of the OS.
Links
Open at Forum threadRelated mods
Open-source QMK port of the keyboard firmware: Select + ball scrolls, Fn + G game mode, precision mode, tap-hold keys and a web tester, flashed over USB.
A modified build of ClockworkPi's own Arduino firmware: QMK-like trackball smoothing and Select + ball scrolling without QMK's USB power quirks.
A clean rewrite of the stock keyboard firmware on STM32 HAL: ten switchable layers, a better trackball curve with inertia, Fn lock and auto-dimming backlight.
One xinput line remaps the ball's middle-button click to a left click on X11; firmware or libinput hwdb rules do the same job elsewhere.
Swap the stock ball for a white BlackBerry ball, the ball from a Pimoroni breakout or a fresh EVQWJN007 module — the usual first fix for a jumpy trackball.
beams' guide revives dead trackballs by roughing the ball on 120-grit paper or fitting a 5.5 mm glass ball, with a printed shim to stop the module rattling.