Ergonomic pad for Magic Trackpad

The Magic Trackpad has great precision and gestures, but Apple's obsession with making things as thin as possible creates some ergonomic issues – particularly when using it with lifted keyboards.

This model raises the trackpad to a usable height when placed next to (or in my case, in between the two halves of) an ergonomic keyboard, including a padding area to rest your wrist on.

I modeled this against the Lightning version (MK2D3AM/A, linked above), but my understanding is that the USB-C version (MXK93AM/A) has the same dimensions.

Sources included, remixes encouraged

The fit was pretty exact when it came off of my MK3 and it filled the entire print bed. I have included the source Fusion 360 file so you can do the following:

• adjust the tolerances for your printer
• adjust for a newer model or even a third-party trackpad (though I highly recommend against this if you can afford it)
• reduce the size of the wrist pad area if you have a smaller printer (or vice versa)
• add a hole so you can charge the trackpad while using it
• see if you can figure out a way to use less filament or improve print time without sacrificing ergonomics or requiring significant supports

In the Fusion file, you'll also find a “fit test” body. While that model won't provide any ergonomic benefits, its relatively short print time will allow you to quickly determine if the tolerances are appropriate for your printer.

Printing tips

The pictured print was done with the following settings:

• PETG
• 0.2mm average layer height with variable layer height enabled
• 5% gyroid infill
• Ironing on

Supports are not required.

Since the top surface is a spheroid and not completely flat, the ironing did not help much. It may have actually made it worse since the PETG I used wasn't completely dry (even though I had just opened it for the first time for this print). The top was pretty rough, so I ended up having to sand the print down to make it acceptably smooth.

As a result, you may have better luck with:

• 0.2mm fixed layer height
• 10% or 15% infill
• Ironing off

You may also want to get some adhesive foam pads (like these, which are 12" x 8" x 1⁄8"), cut one down, and stick it on the wrist rest area. If it bunches up, a hair dryer on high or heat gun on low should get it to shrink and stick to the curved surface.

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