Trackball or touchpad — which built-in keyboard fits your operators?

The 6GF6710-3BE is the touchpad-equipped variant of the 19-inch built-in keyboard family. Where the 3BG uses a mechanical trackball, the 3BE uses a solid-state capacitive touchpad — no moving parts, nothing to clean or replace. This makes the touchpad the lower-maintenance choice for environments where operators are accustomed to laptop-style navigation and where contamination that could foul a trackball mechanism (metal swarf, sticky residues) is a concern. The trade-off is that touchpads are less precise with gloved hands and offer no tactile feedback. If your operators work bare-handed or with thin conductive gloves and prefer a familiar swipe-and-tap gesture, the 3BE is the better fit. If they wear heavy work gloves and need mechanical cursor control they can feel, choose the 3BG with trackball.

When does a built-in keyboard make more sense than a withdrawable one?

The 6GF6710-3BE mounts fixed to the front of a 19-inch rack or panel — it does not slide. This makes it the right choice when the operator station is always accessible and the keyboard needs to be instantly available without pulling out a tray. The fixed mounting also means fewer moving parts, a lighter weight (2.0 kg vs. 4.0 kg for the withdrawable), and a simpler installation. The 482.6 × 177.8 mm footprint fits a standard 19-inch bay and the 42.5 mm height — slightly taller than the trackball variant due to the touchpad module — still integrates cleanly into a cabinet front panel. The front face is sealed to IP65 for dust and washdown protection.

What connectivity does the 6GF6710-3BE offer?

Like the other built-in models, the 3BE uses a native PS/2 keyboard interface and is compatible with USB host systems via a standard passive PS/2-to-USB adapter. The touchpad also communicates over the same PS/2 channel — no separate USB cable is needed for the pointing device. This single-cable design simplifies cable management inside the cabinet and reduces the number of connections that can work loose in a high-vibration environment.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the touchpad sealed against liquids?

The front face of the 6GF6710-3BE, including the touchpad surface, carries an IP65 rating — it is dust-tight and protected against water jets. The capacitive touchpad works through the sealed membrane surface, so there are no gaps or moving parts at the front face where liquid could enter. The rear of the unit (IP20) must be installed inside a protected enclosure.

Can I swap between the trackball and touchpad models in the same cutout?

The 3BG (trackball) and 3BE (touchpad) share the same 482.6 × 177.8 mm panel footprint, so they are mechanically interchangeable in the same 19-inch rack bay. The height differs slightly — 38 mm for the 3BG, 42.5 mm for the 3BE — which may affect clearance behind the front panel in tightly packed cabinets.