The trackball module is fully functional

Hi there, and welcome to the monthly UHK status update!

TL;DR: The trackball module is now fully functional. Modules will be more portable than expected. Some great UHK reviews have been published.

Trackball module demo

I really wanted to show up the trackball module in the previous UHK newsletter, but couldn’t because the pointer moved in a very erratic fashion. I’m happy to report that I’ve managed to fix the problem, so here comes the obligatory demo.

We’re very pleased with the usability of both the trackball and key cluster modules. They allow for fine-grained mouse control without leaving the home row, and work just as envisioned. The mini trackball of the key cluster is very handy for scrolling, and the trackball module is a great tool for moving the pointer.

Although the schematic of the trackball prototype contained minor errors, the fix mostly involved changing a couple of lines of the trackball module firmware. This was followed by the refactoring of the trackball module firmware, specifically, and then a massive refactoring of the module firmware codebase in general. As a result, the source code of the modules shrunk to merely 100-200 lines per module, allowing me to develop the firmwares of the remaining modules with minimum effort.

I’ve already started to develop the firmware of the trackpoint module, and the new touchpad PCB has just arrived, ready to be assembled. I’m looking forward to making these modules work, too. We’ll be keeping you updated.

Module portability

The modules make the UHK less portable in the sense that one can’t just merge the halves and pick them up with one hand, but as it turns out, even with the modules, portability is exceptionally good for a modular keyboard.

It spontaneously occurred to us when playing with the modules that the left and right modules merge, just as the keyboard halves. This isn’t surprising given that the keyboard halves merge, and the shape of the modules is the inverse of the keyboard halves.

Then it also occurred to us that, given that the back of the modules feature magnets and magnet counterparts just as the UHK does, the modules and the UHK can be stuck together.

This allows for great portability despite the modular nature of the UHK, and as a bonus, it’s quite a conversation piece.

UHK reviews

LearnCode.academy has made an outstanding video review of the UHK, which we were quite flattered by. Will has praised many facets of the UHK, including its build quality, feature set, and ease of configurability.

Another spectacular review has been made by TechPowerUp. This one is extremely in-depth, contains tons of high quality pictures, and doesn’t only explore the outside of the UHK but its inside, too.

Your tweets

You guys keep sending your awesome tweets, and we’re always eager to read and feature them! If you got your UHK, please share your love!

We’ll be keeping you updated on all things UHK, and are looking forward to talking to you on 2020-02-10.

The comments are closed, but our forum is available for public discussion.

19 Comments

  1. Number2 2020-01-11 at 04:24

    Hi guys,

    What would be the best way for me to change my order for the right module from the touchpad to the trackball?
    Also, could you guys make a comparison video of all the right modules when you're closer to finalizing them?

    Thanks!

    • László Monda 2020-01-11 at 09:35

      Hey there! You just have to ask the change via support at UltimateHackingKeyboard dot com and we'll arrange it. We'll make a comparison video of all modules. It's worth to wait with order changes until we show up every module.

  2. Sergei Tcvetkov 2020-01-11 at 04:54

    Is there any ETA of key cluster and trackball modules? Think I'm waiting for them for about a year! Extremely curious!

    PS. Typed via UHK.

    • László Monda 2020-01-11 at 09:36

      Hi there, and we're glad you're excited! We don't have a solid ETA yet. Let's keep in touch via our blog and newsletter!

  3. J 2020-01-25 at 01:21

    The module is what keeps me from buying this keyboard. There are already many split keyboard. The only reason I wanna buy UHK is that it supports modules, which solves posture problems by not extending my arm.

    WHEN is the release date? The modules announced a long time ago.

    "We don't have a solid ETA yet" sounds very weird. How do you guys not know it? it's been over a year. I'm losing my confident.

    • László Monda 2020-01-25 at 08:33

      We can make up a bullshit ETA that we cannot reach due to numerous factors, some outside of our control. Or we can be honest, genuinely say that we can't foresee an ETA yet, and keep you updated on a monthly basis. We prefer the latter. Nobody has ever created a modular keyboard like the UHK, hardware is notoriously hard, and we're a small company. We appreciate your support and patience.

  4. Michael 2020-02-12 at 20:46

    I'm excited for the next update! It looks like we might be getting close. As soon as those modules are released I'm going to get UHK's for the rest of my team.

    • László Monda 2020-02-12 at 22:56

      Thanks for rooting for us, and planning to support us further, Michael! We're excited about our upcoming update too as we have some great news to share.

  5. Maybe Future customer 2020-02-13 at 08:23

    Why isn't there a monthly blog post yet?

    Also I am hearing "We don't have a solid ETA yet" but guys at least give a tentative ETA. like a month,? a few months? 6 months? a year?

    I really wanna get this keyboard but only with the modules, I have taking my hands off my keyboard to use my mouse. Thats the only reason I am not getting an Ergodox, and also the Cherry Mx Green is pretty rare.

    I understand creating a new hardware product is a challenge because you are doing something new. I am a software engineer myself.

    • László Monda 2020-02-13 at 20:13

      I decided to postpone the upcoming post a bit as I've been working on the trackpoint module firmware. Now that I'm ready and able to show it off, I plan to publish the post tomorrow. We'll announce a tentative ETA as soon as all the modules are prototyped which is probably a month later.

  6. Maybe Future customer 2020-02-13 at 08:27

    I have a technical question. What makes a good keyboard?

    I am using a Das Keyboard 4 Ultimate currently with cherry mx blue switches. It is considered one of the best keyboards in the market but what makes it better than any other keyboard with cherry mx blue switches? Isn't the switches the only factor that counts?

    In other words my question is in standard keyboards, what's the different between two keyboards if they both use the same switches?

    I understand UHK is out of ordinary, and more like revolutionary keyboard. Lets leave the split design out for this question.

    • László Monda 2020-02-13 at 20:31

      Not considering all the bells and whistles, I'd say build quality is a very important trait of a keyboard. Das Keyboard is a strong brand, but I don't consider them to be great. I disassembled an earlier model of theirs, and the internal plastic hooks of the case easily broke off, even though I was very careful. I personally wouldn't recommend a piece of hardware that cannot be taken apart (for fixing it when needed) without breaking it even the slightest manner. We're unusually good in this department given the solid mechanical design of the UHK, and unlike Das, we provide repair manuals, spare parts, and our design is open.

      Another trait that comes to my mind is the lack of engineering failures that break products on the long term, and the attitude of the company regarding such failures.

      • Michael 2020-02-13 at 21:24

        I have a question about Agent. I notice that it works similar to QMK. Is there a reason you opted to create your own firmware rather than use QMK, and then create an app specific to the UHK's QMK?

        • László Monda 2020-02-13 at 21:32

          The UHK firmware and Agent are actually very different from QMK. I specifically designed them to be extremely intuitive and easy to configure without the need of a full-blown compiler upon reconfiguration.

    • Michael 2020-02-13 at 21:22

      If you think the Das Keyboard 4 Ultimate is one of the best on the market, you have only just now started down the rabbit hole of mechanical keyboards. :)

  7. Brian Hsu 2020-02-16 at 23:23

    Hi, when will we have monthly updated for Feb?
    It seems a little bit late, hope we can have an update soon.

    • László Monda 2020-02-17 at 19:01

      I'll publish it tomorrow, and it'll be awesome.

      • Harald 2020-02-17 at 22:30

        Ah! Setting high expectations, eh!? Can't wait til tomorrow!!

      • Anibal 2020-02-19 at 01:39

        Only a few hours left of Feb 18th! I'm excited for the update!

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