Not everyone has access to a 3D-printer. That's why we sell kits with everything you need to build a Ploopy Adept Trackball. Here's why that's great for you:
+Consider it. You're a smartie. You'll get there.
+So, you have a printer and want to print your own parts? Great! We don't have specific instructions, since every printer setup is different. All of the STLs are available, and if you need to make tweaks, you can alter the design files.
+Here are the settings we use when we print parts. Note that these settings have only been tested on the Prusa i3 MK2.5S and MK3S. If you have another printer, you may need to tweak these settings.
+Getting all of the hardware on your own can be tricky because the parts you select may not fit perfectly. That's why we sell kits with everything you need to build a Ploopy Adept Trackball. Here's why that's great for you:
+Your call. You'll sort it out.
+This guide was a bit light on detail in the other sections, and that's because the hardware has to conform to many specifications. They'll all be listed here.
+First, a complete list of all the hardware you'll need:
+We'll be going over all of them in detail. There will be mentions of critical specifications; if you're going to be sourcing your own parts, you must get parts that conform to the critical specifications. If you go off-menu, the parts will not fit the way that we intended when we designed the trackball. That might mean that your trackball doesn't work.
+Let's get cracking.
+Here are the critical specifications:
+Here are the critical specifications:
+Here are the critical specifications:
+We use 1.75-inch diameter (44.45mm) miniature snooker balls. Any ball between 44.0mm and 44.6mm will work.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + +Getting the Ploopy boards made can be complex, and expensive, especially if you only need one set. That's why we sell kits with everything you need to build a Ploopy Adept Trackball. Here's why that's great for you:
+Just something to consider. You're smart. You'll figure it out.
+Want to make your own Ploopy Adept Trackball boards? Great! Less work for us. Seriously, though, only choose this option if you know what you're doing. You don't want to embarrass yourself, do you?
+Here are the most important configurations you'll need to communicate to the company:
+If something is missing from here, it's not really important.
+At some point, you'll have to upload design files to the production company. Use the electronics source files to generate manufacturing files (you'll have to convert them from their native Altium format if you're using some other platform). That should contain everything you need to get the boards made. If the production company rejects this package, however, you'll need to address the issue yourself.
+All of the components are described in the schematics of the PCBs. Ordering the components is left as an exercise for the reader.
+A complete list of all of the components can be found in the electrical design files.
+Once you've got the PCBs and all of the components, print out the schematics. Use the schematics to match the reference designators on the PCBs to the reference designators on the schematics, and then get to soldering.
+If you've never soldered surface mount components before, or want a refresher on how to solder, we recommend this video on using an iron to solder surface mount components, and this video on using a hot-air soldering station.
+Lastly, you'll need to follow a set of special instructions to assemble the PMW3360 sensor and the optic. Take a look at page 11 of the official PMW3360 datasheet to find out how to do this (page 8 has visuals, for those of you who like purdy pictures).
+MAKE SURE THAT THE PMW3360 IS ORIENTED CORRECTLY BEFORE YOU SOLDER IT! This is a really easy step to mess up, so DOUBLE-CHECK IT!
+Congrats, you finished assembling the electronics! Pat yourself on the back.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + +Ploopy devices are fairly easy to program and reprogram, thanks to the excellent work by all of the developers and maintainers of the QMK firmware suite.
+madromys is our internal codename for the Ploopy Adept. We don't always know what we're going to call the devices as we're designing them, so we assign codenames to them. This naming convention is also present in some public places, such as the QMK repository. If you see madromys while you're working with QMK, just know that the Adept and madromys are the same thing.
If you have never used QMK before, go through all of the steps in the QMK guide to set up your environment.
+QMK was built for keyboards, so you'll see lots of references to code that looks like the following:
+-kb <keyboard>
Whenever you see that, use the following syntax:
+-kb ploopyco/madromys/rev1_001
and you'll be fine.
+With your terminal window open and pointed at your QMK build environment, compile the firmware with the following command:
+qmk compile -kb ploopyco/madromys/rev1_001 -km via
Alternatively, you can invoke the Makefile directly with the following:
+make ploopyco/madromys/rev1_001:via
If you wish, you can use the default keymap (with qmk compile -kb ploopyco/madromys/rev1_001 -km default or make ploopyco/madromys/rev1_001:default). However, the VIA keymap is particularly interesting because it allows for customization of the trackball's functions without reflashing the firmware, through the use of the convenient VIA software package. It's incredibly handy, so definitely check it out.
For more details on building QMK firmware in general, see the QMK firmware guide.
+Putting the Ploopy device into bootloader mode is very easy.
+And that's it. While plugged in this way, the Ploopy device will accept new firmware.
+If you want to upload a new firmware file (a ".uf2" file, like "ploopy_adept_v42069" or something), just drag it into the folder, and it'll automatically install on the Ploopy device and restart itself.
+Whenever you want to put new firmware onto the Ploopy device, go through these steps again.
+TIP: If your firmware is in some kind of strange state and uploading new firmware isn't fixing it, try uploading a flash nuke to the Adept before flashing the new firmware. It wipes the memory of the Adept completely clean, which can help clear a few types of errors.
+Putting the Ploopy device into bootloader mode if it's bricked is a bit more involved, but still doable.
+And that's it. While plugged in this way, the Ploopy device will accept new firmware.
+Happy customizing!
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + +Do not flash new firmware until you've verified that the electronics are all working.
+That means, finish building the trackball, plug it in, use the stock firmware for about five minutes. Verify that the cursor is moving, and all the buttons are working.
+Once you've verified that it all works, you're good to go flashing new firmware.
+In this section, you'll go over how to build an Adept Trackball from the official Ploopy Adept Trackball kit.
+Note that some of these pictures were taken at different times, so they may show a bit of inconsistency in between steps.
+A pair of tweezers and needle-nose pliers may also be helpful during this process.
+Prepare the following components:
+The PMW-3360 chip will come in a small piece of foam. Go ahead and remove it now.
+Before soldering:
+Prepare the following components:
+This may require a surprising amount of force. Try your best not to bend the roller bearing dowel, but if you do, there should be spares with your kit parts.
+At the end, all of your bearings should look like this.
+Prepare the following components:
+This isn't strictly necessary, but we think it looks nice.
+Plug the trackball into your computer. If you move the ball, it should move the cursor.
+The bearings are a bit scratchy when they're new. To prevent them from jumping around during initial use, spin the ball with some Latin dance vigour for about three minutes. That should be enough to break them in.
+The bearings will take about a week to become fully broken-in.
+Congrats, you finished building the Ploopy Adept Trackball!
+It's done! Love it, use it, but don't you dare abuse it!
+Sometimes, the buttons on the Top need to be adjusted so that the distance between the button and the switch on the PCB are correct. You can do this either when the Top is installed or when it's removed.
+The buttons can be adjusted quite far without breaking, but still, do this slowly. Don't move the buttons too far at one time.
+A video of how to adjust the Top when the Top is removed is available here. This is the recommended route as it has the lowest possibility of damaging the Top.
+A video of how to adjust the Top when the Top is installed is available here. This is only recommended if you have the capability of reprinting your own Top in case you break this one.
+You have a bad cable.
+To expand: many USB-C cables only provide power, and their data wires aren't actually connected. If your computer seems to recognize that a device has been plugged in, but none of the buttons are working and the cursor isn't moving, the problem is almost certainly the cable.
+Try using the Adept with a cable that you've verified to work with another device. If that still doesn't solve the problem, send an email to contact@ploopy.co.
+Take a look at this photo:
+Circled in red, you should notice a small piece of plastic sticking up into the well where the roller bearing sits. This piece of plastic can interrupt the regular movement of the roller bearing, causing it to seize up.
+Remove the bearing that's not rolling correctly from the Top and look for this piece of plastic. You should be able to remove it with a pair of tweezers, though you may have to scrape quite hard to get it off.
+The sensor likely isn't soldered correctly. Double-check all of your solder connections, touch them up with some flux if you have it, and try again. If it still isn't working, send an email to contact@ploopy.co.
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