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Open source computer mouse by Ploopy (lemmy.ml)

submitted 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) by lightrush@lemmy.ca to c/opensource@lemmy.ml

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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.

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[-] muusemuuse@sh.itjust.works 3 points 4 hours ago

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

[-] Coelacanthus@lemmy.kde.social 4 points 5 hours ago

I want an open source mouse with electromagnetic resistance wheel like one in Logitech MX Master 3S.

[-] lightrush@lemmy.ca 1 points 3 hours ago

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.

[-] zalgotext@sh.itjust.works 2 points 5 hours ago

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

[-] thermal_shock@lemmy.world 2 points 3 hours ago* (last edited 3 hours ago)

I had the sidewinder keyboard with magnetic numpad that worked on either side. Loved that thing. Used the R.A.T. 7 Mouse though though, fucking amazing. Best thing mad catz ever put out.

[-] PalmTreeIsBestTree@lemmy.world 5 points 6 hours ago

3D printed stuff looks so uncomfortable to hold.

[-] Bosht@lemmy.world 6 points 8 hours ago

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.

[-] lightnsfw@reddthat.com 2 points 5 hours ago* (last edited 5 hours ago)

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.

[-] Adalast@lemmy.world 4 points 7 hours ago

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.

[-] rumba@lemmy.zip 1 points 7 hours ago

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.

[-] Feathercrown@lemmy.world 18 points 12 hours ago

[-] termus@beehaw.org 3 points 8 hours ago

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.

[-] BastingChemina@slrpnk.net 4 points 9 hours ago

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.

[-] zod000@lemmy.ml 4 points 9 hours ago

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.

[-] MrSmith@lemmy.world 36 points 16 hours ago

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.

[-] justme@lemmy.dbzer0.com 6 points 14 hours ago

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)

[-] MrSmith@lemmy.world 19 points 14 hours ago

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.

[-] muusemuuse@sh.itjust.works 2 points 4 hours ago

Your mold idea makes me wonder if cast aluminum could be practical for a shell for this.

[-] ferric_carcinization@lemmy.ml 1 points 7 hours ago

How do you usually do that?

Do you create a negative of the model digitally or take a mold of the printed parts?

What kinds of human-friendly materials do you use? And do you need any special equipment for it?

[-] eletes@sh.itjust.works 1 points 5 hours ago

The adult toys community would have some guides. You print the object, cast the mold around it and then fill the void with silicone afaik.

[-] AndyMFK@lemmy.dbzer0.com 24 points 18 hours ago

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.

[-] jet@hackertalks.com 6 points 16 hours ago

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

[-] TheLowestStone@lemmy.world 77 points 1 day ago

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."

[-] null_dot@lemmy.dbzer0.com 20 points 15 hours ago

Opensource projects often have terrible names.

Gimp, libreoffice, lemmy, Apache... just the ones that come to mind.

[-] hanrahan@slrpnk.net 1 points 3 hours ago

Yeah, as opposed to weird shit like Apple, Google, Facebook, or earphones like the Sony Model EA-JX1000JT

[-] TheLowestStone@lemmy.world 4 points 6 hours ago* (last edited 5 hours ago)

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.

[-] null_dot@lemmy.dbzer0.com 0 points 5 hours ago

Gimp refers to sexual exploitation. Often the "exploited" is a willing participant but often not. Regardless it's "funny" the way a 12 year old finds drawing dicks on things funny.

Libreoffice only tells geeks exactly what the product is. My team, who uses Libreoffice, couldn't explain what Libre means, and no one can pronounce it.

Being quick and catchy is a pretty low bar. No one knows or cares about the story behind Lemmy. It sounds silly in conversation.

[-] hanrahan@slrpnk.net 1 points 3 hours ago

Gimp refers to sexual exploitation.

Like CBT and dozens of other terms, those damn psychologists and their Cock and Ball Torture.

Libreoffice only tells geeks exactly what the product is. My team, who uses Libreoffice, couldn't explain what Libre means, and no one can pronounce it.

Not sure if this is serious or not ?

If they're illiterate perhaps wider reading beyond Manga would help?

[-] TheLowestStone@lemmy.world 1 points 4 hours ago

Gimp refers to sexual exploitation.

No, it doesn't.

Libreoffice only tells geeks exactly what the product is.

The target market is primarily geeks.

no one can pronounce it.

Sounds like your coworkers should expand their horizons. Libre is a common word in (at least) 2 widely spoken languages.

Being quick and catchy is a pretty low bar.

Not when you're naming a product. You think its hard to get people to use Lemmy, imagine trying to sell them on "Federated Link Aggregater Website."

It sounds silly in conversation.

As does Google, Instagram, and Tiktok but they at least managed to pick silly sounding names that don't sound like a child trying to describe a loose bowel movement.

[-] sudo_halt@lemmygrad.ml 3 points 10 hours ago

the fuck is wrong with LibreOffice?

[-] tdawg@lemmy.world 7 points 13 hours ago

I'm sorry but that's such a ploopy take. You can't just judge something by it's name 🙄

[-] Teppichbrand@feddit.org 17 points 23 hours ago

Ploopy fills my hand really well

[-] anomnom@sh.itjust.works 12 points 14 hours ago

“I like resting my hand on my Ploopy”

It almost sounds like a vintage game sound, like “bleep bloop”, but worse, fecally worse.

[-] lightrush@lemmy.ca 29 points 1 day ago

It's like an alien name out of Rick and Morty. 😂

[-] umbrella@lemmy.ml 15 points 1 day ago

you mean you dont like my plumbus? what about glorp?

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[-] Vex_Detrause@lemmy.ca 25 points 1 day ago

Now do printers.

[-] Ensign_Crab@lemmy.world 4 points 9 hours ago

I often wonder how difficult it would be to create an aftermarket control board for existing printers.

[-] umbrella@lemmy.ml 29 points 1 day ago

pretty stupid that we can print in 3 dimensions well, while 2-dimension remains locked behind capitalism.

[-] JustEnoughDucks@feddit.nl 23 points 20 hours ago* (last edited 20 hours ago)

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.

[-] Vex_Detrause@lemmy.ca 12 points 14 hours ago

We were ok with dot matrix printers. We are and will be ok with black and white prints. Open Source community will be ok with a slow and ugly print. The company just need to allow their monopoly to be broken. I don't think they will.

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[-] FishFace@lemmy.world 0 points 10 hours ago

[-] 18107@aussie.zone 40 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day 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