Open source computer mouse by Ploopy

I've got to say "Ploopy" is one of the absolute worst names I've ever seen. Before I even saw the picture, I thought "I bet it looks like shit."
- It's like an alien name out of Rick and Morty. 😂
  
  you mean you dont like my plumbus? what about glorp?
- Opensource projects often have terrible names.
  Gimp, libreoffice, lemmy, Apache... just the ones that come to mind.
  
  Gimp is a funny acronym that explains exactly what the software does. Libreoffice also tells you exactly what the product is. Lemmy is quick, catchy, easy to remember, and has a story behind it. Apache is... pretty bad.
  Ploopy is literally "poopy" with an extra letter.
  
  the fuck is wrong with LibreOffice?
  
  Yeah, as opposed to weird shit like Apple, Google, Facebook, or earphones like the Sony Model EA-JX1000JT
- Ploopy fills my hand really well
  
  “I like resting my hand on my Ploopy”
  It almost sounds like a vintage game sound, like “bleep bloop”, but worse, fecally worse.
- I'm sorry but that's such a ploopy take. You can't just judge something by it's name 🙄
- it gives me a general "its probably entirely shit". that's really a bad name.
  
  After reading up it sounds like a decent product but they should definitely consider rebranding.

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.
- 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?
  
  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.
  
  I helped a user who exclusively uses a trackball and started getting used to it within seconds. My thumb was definitely not used to the trackball but I very quickly adapted and could navigate the computer normally
- How'd you make the surface this smooth?
  
  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.
- What I really want is this, but with a trackpad instead of a trackball.
  
  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).

Those layer lines look like a perfect place for all sorts of shit to gather and stick to.
If one has sweaty hands - stay away from 3D-printed / soft plastic shell mice.
- I couldn't agree more. I also hate when mice or keyboards can not be easily disassembled to be properly cleaned. In this case I guess it's a matter of printing precision and/or material (don't have my own printing experience, so maybe somebody else can comment on it)
  
  Many people will say "just sand it down". But the extruder-printed plastic is still going to be porous as heck. A perfect place for germs.
  Personally, I'd use the 3D model to create a negative mold of sorts, and then cast it out of something more human-friendly. But I haven't looked at the complexity of this model, this would have to be designed accordingly.
  
  Maybe you could vapour-smooth it.

Is it comfortable in the hand? The surface looks super rough
- All Ploopy's stuff looks rough. I think they're 3D-printing them. Maybe one day they'll progress to something that gives a nicer result.
  I was looking at their trackballs but the ambidextrous ones look awkwardly tiny and have rattly bearings, in addition to the rough finish. I support what they're doing but I wish the products were a bit less prototypey.
  
  Yeah, definitely 3D printed.
  
  It looks rough, but it's actually fairly comfortable.The only bit that bothered me was the edge of one of the buttons, and a nail file fixed that in seconds.
  
  I think they're 3D-printing them. Maybe one day they'll progress to something that gives a nicer result
  Yes they are 3D printed
  Poorly 3D printed.
  The layering issue could be solved by orienting the object at a 45° angle
  
  The whole point is that it’s open source and they want people to be able to print them themselves.
- Theoretically, you can mold it to fit your hand but the tolerances and mountings make that a hassle.
  As for the print itself? Most people just do a quick print and have the telltale ridges from layers. But you can futz with settings to improve the smoothness or just finish the print itself. At which point it is not going to be as smooth as injection molding but it will be more "different" than "bad".
  
  Stupid question from someone who’s never 3d printed anything - can you just sand these things smoother?
- Looks like a removed to clean. Gonna get all sorts of grease collecting in those grooves…
- It feels good. I'm thinking of smoothing it with epoxy but it's not necessary.
- Only as good as your 3d printer and settings I'd say
- its 3d printed so it has layer lines. it can be improved or processed to be smoother though.

Now do printers.
- pretty stupid that we can print in 3 dimensions well, while 2-dimension remains locked behind capitalism.
  
  I have written a more detailed comment on it before, but 2d printing is much more technically complicated than 3D printing, and the resolution is literally an order of magnitude difference (0.2mm vs <42um) and the printer has to print full color on any surface with microdots in a very very short time. People would throw the printer out if it took 10 minutes for a single paper like a large first layer takes in 3D printing.
- I often wonder how difficult it would be to create an aftermarket control board for existing printers.
- Yes please!

Super cool and I totally see the appeal, but at nearly 3x the price of my Logitech g502 for a 3d printed mouse with a technically inferior sensor, it's a big ask.

What is your experience with the scroll wheel? Some time ago I was interessted in a Ploopy but the non clicky scrollwheel put me off.
- It's alright. It's not as nice as the flywheel/clickwheel on G502 but it's alright. It doesn't accidentally spin for me so far. I imagine one of the custom buttons could be used to enable/disable scrolling along with some script, if it becomes a problem.
- My scroll wheel was very stiff and irritating at first. It did loosen over time and is now completely useable. It doesn't free-spin, but it also doesn't take a lot of force to move.
  The lack of clicking is a little disconcerting, but not a deal-breaker for me. I guess you could add an extra part to make it click — like putting a playing card in the spokes of a bicycle wheel.
  Because I bought the trackball mouse, I changed the trackball to scroll when a button is held. I now have horizontal and vertical scrolling, and don't use the scroll wheel except for middle clicking.
- I have the same mouse, and that scroll wheel is unusable. It requires a ton of effort to just scroll tiny amounts because the sensitivity is waaay too low and it cannot be adjusted. The rest of the mouse is really nice because it runs QMK.
  I set up drag scrolling as a workaround for the shitty scroll wheel, which allows you to press a button (or a combination of buttons) and then use the mouse's optical sensor as an omnidirectional scrolling device until you release the button.
  I set that up on my Ploopy Adept hand trackball mouse as well. It's my favorite mouse I've ever used.

Layer lines, too expensive.
Looks less comfortable than one of those 10~15€ brandless mouses at MediaMarkt
- layer lines can be sanded down during making and/or improved upon massively if you are fine with it taking much longer to print. or own a better printer.
  the price is steep, but its pre-made and post processed. i think the real value of it is in making it yourself for the price of the components and raw plastic if you already own a printer.
- Layer lines
  You say "free hand grip for less strain" weird.

I've been using this mouse for almost a year now. No complaints.

I keep thinking I should give a ploopy a shot but I've increasingly grown to like/need vertical mice and, like most ploopy related efforts, it is mostly "you CAN do it" with nobody ever having even tried because it requires pretty hefty redesigns of almost every part to mount things correctly.

Isn't there severe issues with micro plastics doing this? Serious question. I've just heard in general on 3d prints that they're more prone to shedding.
- If you do the smoothing steps it can be OK, especially if you sand it in a sealed environment or with a HEPA vacuum handy to suck up all of the particulates. Once it is sanded you can do a short acetone treatment and the surface will be melted smooth. It can take some practice, but you can seal it up pretty well without sacrificing quality. Just be mindful of air quality and filtering at each step so you don't undermine your goal.
  Also, no matter what the microplastic impact on the environment is less than a mouse made in a factory thar doesn't pay attention to any of its air quality standards.
  
  Gotcha. Thanks for the type up!
- I would literally eat a spoon of microplastics if it meant I got a mouse that was comparable to my G602. Not saying this mouse does that but there certainly aren't any commercial options I could find.
- need to take it real old, print it in abs and do a vapor smoothing in acetone.
  You could also print this in a goo printer and not have the issue.
  
  Interesting. I always wondered if the same rule applied to the 'goo' type as my friend has one.

3D printed stuff looks so uncomfortable to hold.

I'm waiting for my MX to die to get one! I really like the idea of open hardware and this looks like a good mouse.

I want an open source mouse with electromagnetic resistance wheel like one in Logitech MX Master 3S.
- Might not be too difficult to achieve by connecting a small electric motor to the scroll wheel axle. Then you could vary the resistance by changing a pot hooked the motor's terminals.

This is pretty cool. I make and 3d print pieces for my G502 to make it fit better for my hand/nubs. This seems like it has a lot of potential to design something better for me. That price is steep though but being disabled that's nothing new to me.

You need plastic that is more resistant to contact so that you don't end up covering your hand in microplastics. That material looks like questionable recycled plastics.
I'm also not giving up on wireless. I'd rather have an only bluetooth (slow?) mouse than a wired one.
- All the 3d printed parts have files available online. You can 3d print new parts using any material you want.
  As far as I'm aware, PLA is mostly safe, but every company has different proprietary additives.
  Something plant based like cellulose would be nice. Longevity wouldn't be a concern with how easy it is to reprint and reassemble.
  Wireless would be nice.
  
  Or titanium? But that would probably require midifications of the bendy bits to keep them flexible. 😂
- I'm not sure what makes it seem recycled, seems like a reasonably fine print to me. I believe it's printed in PLA which personally I'd want to see PETG but that's more for long-term durability than microplastic concerns, which I can't speak to.
- I do agree with you. Except for the Bluetooth. Those mouses always need batteries and are empty and the mouse too heavy.

I am also a big fan of the MX518 lineage mice, so I hope someone make a version that has that shape. When Logitech released an updated MX518 several years back I bought a couple of them, so I will be good for years hopefully.

No left hand options 😪
- Just turn the printer upside down, dummy!
- Most slicers allow you to mirror parts very easily
  
  The PCB doesn't look ambidextrous. Maybe there's a way to mirror that too but it's probably not as easy. And you'd have to get it custom built.

This stuff is nice. Are there any plans for a vertical mouse for those of us with cranky old man wrists?

I hope someone makes something like this that looks just like IO1.1

How do you like the mouse? I got their trackpad and it's pretty good. I'm thinking about replacing my old Mx Master with their mouse.
- I like it. The surface finish is obviously not as nice as the Logitech, but I like it. I'd probably like it better if it were smooth, which I might try achieving with some epoxy paint. The button feel is great. Better than my G502. Tracking is stellar. The shape is comfortable. The infinite/togglable scroll wheel on the G502 is sonething I wish it had but I can live without it. There's also that special feeling, that someone decent made it, and that it can be infinitely repaired. If it's not a stretch money-wise for you - get one. In the worst case scebario your money would have gone supporting open source hardware.

Ah great! My hands are big and all the mouses I tried are all too small. And it's giving me rsi. Hopefully this will help me. I theory I can just potentially print my own mouse design that finally fit my hands?
- The PCB has electrical buttons permanently attached. The 3D printed parts have protrusions that touch the buttons.
  You could possibly redesign the 3D printed parts only, but at some size increase you may need to start looking into redesigning the PCB.
  The good news is that the mouse itself is bigger than the picture makes it seem. You might actually be OK without modifications.
  If you do want to give it a try, I highly recommend buying the kit and fully assembling it yourself. That way you know that it works, and you have a solid foundation to apply the modifications to.
  
  Good point. It measures at about 13x8.5cm.
- You probably can modify the existing one to fit your hand fairly easily.
- RSI is caused by repetitive motions. No mouse can help that. Look at exercise to combat RSI.
  I have carpel tunnel syndrome on my right hand after using mice for dozens of years. It became so painful I learned to use a computer mouse with my left hand.
  That worked for years until I squeezed a couple dozen lemons my neighbor gave me. Of course I used my right hand. Had pain I cannot describe, I could not function. The doctor had shoot cortisone into my wrist.
  PROTECT YOUR WRIST

I want one

Does anyone remember the Microsoft Sidewinder X8 mouse? It had vertical thumb buttons instead of horizontal, and I loved that layout, but it's literally the only mouse I've ever seen like it. But now that I know there's open source mice out there, I might have to mess around and learn CAD so I can alter one of these mice to have vertical thumb buttons
- I had the sidewinder keyboard with magnetic numpad that worked on either side. Loved that thing. Used the R.A.T. 7 Mouse
  though, fucking amazing. Best thing mad catz ever put out.

Ew

These jokers are charging $130CAD for a mouse, what in the fuck
- "These jokers" are giving the files and documentation away for free. They're charging for the cost of putting together a kit so you can build one without thinking or understanding anything. If you want it for cheap, self source and DIY, that's the whole point, that's why the files are free.
- You don't need to pay them anything.
  You can just download all the files they've made available and build one yourself. The electronics have full schematics so you can either make it yourself or send the schematics to a PCB company. The shell is entirely 3d printed. All extra hardware is readily available.
  If that sounds like a lot of work, maybe it's worth paying the person who created it and is offering to do all that work for you.
- How much should it be? It uses a great sensor, Omron main switches, it's built by two guys in Toronto, Canada where rent isn't cheap. There're definitely cheaper massproduced mice that don't share IP for free. This isn't that.
- It's hand crafted, they probably barely breakeven.
  Go ask Logitech if they will share blueprints or spend 0.10$ extra for a button that survives more than 100'000 clicks
  
  I have a Logitech from 2003 or so. The feet are gone. The plastic under the feet is rubbed rmooth. The Omron switches are still great, no failure symptoms. Meanwhile I replaced a G500 after couple of years of use due to a switch developing "double-click" from wear. The reason I needed another wired mouse now is that another Logitech developed double-clicking. So yeah, exactly.