I once had a laptop whose trackpad acted erratic, scrolling left to right in a quick hyper-active fashion. The manufacturer determined the battery, around 4 years old at the time, was slightly expanding, and causing pressure upon the trackpad. The diagnostics included a screen with a grid-like box for analyzing trackpad depressions. Sure enough there was a straight left-to-right line that formed in the diagnostic tool, mimicking mouse swipes that weren’t happening; the battery was definitely to blame. But it never dawned on me what the trackpad circuit board itself looked like – and so when my friend Darius recently posted this picture it suddenly all made sense!
If I ever have to scrap another laptop (my current Lenovos are still chugging along after 5+ years in operation) I’ll be sure to salvage the trackpad circuit – that thing is a beauty!
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Python for Microcontrollers – Adafruit Daily — Python on Microcontrollers Newsletter: CircuitPython 2025 Wraps, Focus on Using Python, Open Source and More! #CircuitPython #Python #micropython @ThePSF @Raspberry_Pi
EYE on NPI – Adafruit Daily — EYE on NPI Maxim’s Himalaya uSLIC Step-Down Power Module #EyeOnNPI @maximintegrated @digikey
