I needed another corded mouse and this time around I thought of @PKL@mastodon.social and @pronk@mastodon.social instead of Logitech’s shareholders. These guys make open source mice among other open source hardware under the brand Ploopy. You can order one from them, assembled or as a kit, or you could print and build it entirely by yourself.

The mouse itself is pretty great. Coming from a long line of Logitech (MX518/G5/G500/G502), it’s a bit larger than what I’m used to but I think I’m getting accustomed to it.

Here’s another shot of it:

A picture of a computer mouse by Ploopy.

  • 18107@aussie.zone
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    33
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    edit-2
    20 hours ago

    I bought a Ploopy Thumb a few years ago. I assembled it myself, and was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was (when actually following the instructions).

    The small button on the right has broken twice, which wasn’t a problem because I just downloaded the stl file and reprinted the button assembly.

    I wanted horizontal scrolling, so I used QMK to make the trackball a scroll wheel when the right side button is pressed (that may explain the faster button wear). It was surprisingly easy, and there was even a comment in the source code pointing out which line I should modify for horizontal scrolling support. I guess they expected people to want this feature.

    The price is high, but I don’t expect to buy another mouse unless my needs change. The open source hardware and software is excellent, making repairability 10/10. The edges of the buttons are slightly rough, but I have the 3d printing files, so I get to choose what material it’s made of and what post processing / smoothing is used. It hasn’t bothered me enough to do anything about it.

    While I can’t recommend a trackball mouse to anyone, I can recommend Ploopy. It’s one of the few products that I feel like I actually own.

    Ploopy Thumb next to a keyboard

    • jaybone@lemmy.zip
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      4
      ·
      17 hours ago

      How do you use a trackball mouse? Does moving the mouse and moving the trackball both move the pointer? Or one moves the pointer and the other does something else?

      • 18107@aussie.zone
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        6
        ·
        17 hours ago

        The mouse stays in one location with grippy feet and the trackball moves the cursor. There is no sensor for mouse movement. It does take a while to get used to.

        The reason I chose it was that I didn’t have enough desk space to move a mouse. I barely even had enough space to put the mouse. Now that I’ve moved house, I just like the novelty. It’s not as accurate as a regular mouse.

        I would love a mouse that could do both regular movement and trackball movement so I could have 4 axis inputs. Sadly, I haven’t found any like that.

        • AtariDump@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          6 hours ago

          It’s not as accurate as a regular mouse.

          This is not true of all trackballs. Some can be more accurate than a mouse with the push of a button.

      • 18107@aussie.zone
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        17
        ·
        edit-2
        20 hours ago

        Overuse and poor lighting.

        I know some people have used an acetone vapor bath with ABS prints. I’ve never looked into what works with PLA.

      • 18107@aussie.zone
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        2
        ·
        edit-2
        17 hours ago

        They do have a trackpad, but not in this shape.

        I was surprised when I started using the Steamdeck. The Steamdeck’s trackpad felt almost identical to my trackball mouse, and it took effectively no time to get used to it.

        The advantage of a trackball over a trackpad is that you can spin the ball for high movement speed, then stop it after a set time for fairly accurate distance. A trackball (or trackpad) will never be as accurate as a regular moue, but it is surprisingly usable (after a few months or practice).

        • Default Username@lemmy.dbzer0.com
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          2
          ·
          edit-2
          17 hours ago

          I’ve used several trackballs, but they have all been seriously uncomfortable for me and my specific brand of RSI. My current “mouse” is a Steam Controller, but using it one-handed isn’t great due to the uneven weight distribution. I also have much better accuracy using a trackpad vs a trackball.

          Ideally, I just want a Steam Controller cut in half with a more confortable grip that doesn’t dig into my palm.