Thumb Cluster Options
NEW! Wyld 3-key Trackball Cluster
3-key Trackball Thumb Cluster
Here’s the various options we offer for thumb clusters. You can mix and match thumb clusters as you like. Put a 3-key Arc cluster on the left half and a Carbonfet 6-key on the right. It’s your keyboard, why not?
Trackball Thumb Clusters
This is our original tried-and-true trackball cluster. The trackball is right under your thumb, with four keys easily accessible around the perimeter.
We recently introduced this 3-key trackball cluster with an eye for more minimal builds. The trackball is still fully available for the thumb, while the three keys around it have been shifted for easier thumb access.
This cluster is ideal for smaller three and four row builds.
4-key Trackball Cluster
This is our newest trackball model. The trackball is snugged down atop the 3-key arc cluster. It’s our most comfortable thumb cluster with a trackball yet.
Underneath the socket, there’s a plate and cutout for a PMW3360 mouse sensor.
Default 6-key Thumb Cluster
Carbonfet 6-key Thumb Cluster
“Mini” 5-key Thumb Cluster
Arc 4-key Thumb Cluster
Arc 3-key Thumb Cluster
“Minidox” 3-key Thumb Cluster
This is the granddaddy of Dactyl Manuform thumb clusters.
Its design was a response to the early Ergodox-family keyboards, which were awkward to use without twisting your wrist and hand into unhealthy positions.
This cluster is pulled into the matrix, with the top two keys effectively replacing the bottom keys of the index finger columns. It’s also more gently curved, so all the keys are easy for the thumb to reach.
The Carbonfet cluster keeps a full six keys, but arranges them almost like their own smaller 3x2 row and column matrix. It might not be as fully ergonomic as the default cluster, above, but the keys are much easier to find and use by touch.
It also has a more orderly and functional aesthetic.
The name “Mini” simply came about as it was the first real down-sizing of the Manuform cluster from 6 keys to 5.
The Mini is a really great and sensible compromise between the larger and smaller clusters. It’s ergonomic, comfortable, and sensibly laid out.
This is a newer cluster design we developed primarily for our lower-profile Polydactyl keyboard models. The goal was to provide an even, comfortable, and intuitive arc of keys, without going full minimal.
The thumb is mighty.
Along with the 4-key arc, we decided to work up a similarly low-profile 3-key version. It’s a good, lower fit for a minimal case or the Polydactyl.
The Minidox has been around for some time. Compared with the 3-key Arc, above, it sits taller and is angled more sharply downward. It pairs well with the larger matrix Manuforms.
