What Is a Ploopy Trackball? How Can You Make One Yourself?

Build a 3D printed trackball mouse from a kit or create your own custom version.

Ploopy began as a 3D printed trackball mouse kit that you could assemble at home, but has since grown bigger than that. Thanks to the Ploopy company releasing its designs and source code, a community has sprung up around building and modding your own Ploopy mouse in any number of ways imaginable.

If you're a lover of 3D printing, trackball accessories, and awesome open-source designs, then stop to take a look at this. Below we are going to explore the Ploopy mouse and what you need to know if you want to build and mod one yourself.

What Is the Ploopy Trackball?

Essentially, it's a trackball housed in 3D printed parts with flexible firmware, so you can program it however you like. The company sells Ploopy build kits, but for enthusiastic DIY makers it's just the first step in creating awesome customized designs. All the hardware and firmware files for the Ploopy designs are free to access via GitHub, which has already resulted in community research into useful mods.

The Ploopy mouse uses the firmware QMK to program its functionality, and because the shell is made from 3D printed parts it can be reprinted to whatever color or filament type you want to use. If you take a look inside, you will find a PCB and a few ball bearings, and to top it off you have the trackball—which is in fact a small (1.75 inch) billiard ball.

What You Need to Build a Ploopy

There are two routes that you can go to build a Ploopy trackball. The first is to buy the build kit from the Ploopy company website and assemble it at home. People have noted that the cost of the kits is reasonable, and it means you can skip the most difficult assembly steps and go straight to imagining how you will mod your trackball.

The second method is to build it from scratch, which is entirely possible because of the detailed guides that the Ploopy company has published.

Getting the PCBs printed shouldn't be too difficult because it just involves delivering the design files to the production company. The next step, however, involves a lot of intricate soldering to get all the right electronic components onto the board. This includes the ATmega microcontroller that you will have to program using an Arduino Nano and the Arduino IDE.

If you're not comfortable doing this it might be worth buying a build kit and skipping to the fun part of modding your Ploopy. But, for those who are bold enough to start from the ground up, we've included links to key resources where you can find the components list alongside build instructions.

• Wiki Build Documentation: The instructions you need to build a Ploopy from scratch.
• Printed Circuit Boards: Extra information on making your own PCBs.
• 3D Printing: Advice on printer settings and other tips for 3D printing your parts.
• Hardware Files: Design files for the hardware side of Ploopy.
• Firmware Files: Download files for the QMK software that Ploopy runs on.

Other Ploopy Designs

The Ploopy company hasn't just released one design, but five unique trackballs. The components talked about in the previous section are for the most popular design on the Ploopy GitHub page, which is the Classic.

You can also get the Nano, Thumb Trackball, Mouse, and Mini Trackball. Each one has its advantages depending on the style you like. The Nano, for example, goes for a minimalist approach with no buttons and just the trackball. The perfect place to use it is between a split keyboard with the buttons programmed on the keyboard instead. If you're considering getting a kit, the prices start out at around $35 for the Nano, and go up to $167 for the Classic.

Custom Ploopy Mods

Modding your Ploopy mouse is just as much fun and there are a few obvious places you can start with. Changing the color of your filament can immediately produce great results, such as this aesthetically pleasing rainbow Ploopy on Imgur.

Another maker printed their Ploopy trackball in a tan color to match their retro keyboard and headphone setup. Even if you decide to build the trackball from a kit, you can always custom-print a new shell for it later using the same internal components.

Another popular mod is to change the default roller bearings in the Ploopy to BTUs, or Ball Transfer Units. Many people believe that it increases the smoothness and lowers the friction of the trackball when you do this. They aren't exactly cheap to purchase, sometimes costing a minimum of $15 per unit (and you need three of them), which is why you might not see them used in commercial trackballs.

One of the original researchers behind this mod has a fantastic post on the topic, and you can head to the George Bryant website to get all the information you need. Aside from this, you could try to make your trackball feel smoother simply by polishing the billiard ball to reduce friction. You can even try replacing the billiard ball with a lighter trackball such as the one found in the Logitech Cordless Optical Trackman (LCOT).

Of course, with the design files free to study, you can choose to work on your own mod instead. We've come across mods for adding a lithium battery and LED lights, plus many more cool color combinations! There are several free CAD software packages out there that will get you started right away.

Ploopy Alternatives

The DIY trackball community is a surprisingly enthusiastic one and there are certainly other open-source competitors to the Ploopy design. One maker in particular has built up a number of beautiful, and sometimes crazy, DIY trackball designs. If you head over to Jacek Fedoryński's GitHub page, you will find a two-ball trackball mouse as well as a trackball with a ring for scrolling. Meanwhile, on Jacek's Printables page you can gaze upon a spherical trackball orb that can only be used by cradling it in your hand. If you want to try something else besides Ploopy, you won't be disappointed.

If you're looking for more design inspiration, you can of course take a look at the trackball mouse options for precision and ergonomics currently available on the market too.

DIY Trackballs to Keep You Rolling

Once you get started with building your own accessories, it's really difficult to stop. With all the design files available for free, you can either build your Ploopy trackball from scratch or start with a kit and get stuck into the mods. Print it in a new color, make the trackball smoother, or do something entirely different. With the Ploopy trackball, there's plenty of room for tinkering.