ThinkPad-style Keyboard with BlackBerry Optical Trackpad instead of TrackPoint

Framework Laptop 16
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Hi Framework community,

I’ve been a long-time admirer of the ThinkPad keyboard layout — the compact form, the dedicated Page Up/Page Down keys near the arrow keys, and especially the idea of controlling the cursor without ever leaving the home row. But one thing has always bothered me about the TrackPoint: the cursor drift. Over time, the nub wears and the cursor just wanders on its own. It’s a well-known frustration among ThinkPad users.

So here’s my idea for a Framework 16 Input Module:

A ThinkPad-style keyboard layout, but replacing the TrackPoint nub with a BlackBerry-style optical trackpad.

:blue_circle: What is the BlackBerry optical trackpad?

If you’ve ever used a BlackBerry Bold or Classic, you’ll remember the small, flat optical square between the screen and keyboard. It works like an upside-down optical mouse — it reads your finger movement using IR light and a sensor, and translates it into cursor movement. It’s smooth, precise, and requires zero pressure. Crucially, it has no moving parts that wear out, so there is no drift.

:white_check_mark: Why this makes sense for Framework:

• The BlackBerry optical trackpad sensor is tiny, thin, and already documented by the DIY community (people have already integrated it into custom keyboards using QMK firmware — the same firmware Framework’s Input Modules use)
• It fits naturally between the G, H, and B keys — exactly where the TrackPoint sits on a ThinkPad — without requiring much extra depth in the keyboard module
• No drift, no calibration issues — purely optical
• It can also function as a click button (press down to click), just like the TrackPoint nub
• The ThinkPad-style layout with dedicated Page Up/Page Down beside the arrow keys is loved by productivity users, coders, and writers — a real gap in the current market

:wrench: Technical feasibility:

Framework’s Input Module system runs QMK on a Raspberry Pi RP2040, and the BlackBerry trackpad sensor communicates over I2C or SPI — both of which the RP2040 supports natively. Community members have already proven this sensor works in DIY QMK keyboards. The design files and electrical specs for Input Modules are open source on GitHub, so this could even be a community-built module if Framework doesn’t want to make it officially.

:speech_balloon: Who is this for?

Anyone who:

  • Loves the ThinkPad keyboard feel and layout but wants a modern, repairable machine
  • Uses their keyboard for long writing, coding, or spreadsheet sessions and lives in the home row
  • Is tired of reaching for a mouse or trackpad constantly
  • Wants cursor control without the TrackPoint drift problem

I’d love to hear if others feel the same way — and whether any developers in the community think this is buildable as a third-party module. Framework has already published everything needed to get started.

Would you use a keyboard module like this?

2 Likes
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Sounds like a winner to me!

I love the TrackPoint, because in addition to not having to move your hand from the keyboard to move the mouse, you do not need to move the index finger at all from the pointing stick.

But your idea at least covers the main point (not pun intended) of not having to lift the hand. And the technical feasibility points you make are good - the height being the main problem for the TrackPoint.

Sign me up!

P.S. Add this to the Wireless Remote Keyboard, and you open up a whole new market, not tied to Framework laptops! (Ditto for the TrackPoint itself on the Remote Keyboard - no height problem there!)

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That sounds like a really cool idea! I’ve never used a blackberry (too young for that, haha), but I bet that’d be super useful. I do wonder if patent issues might get in the way, though.