Ploopy upgraded its open-source trackball with better scrolling

Ploopy, a Canadian company known for its customizable open-source peripherals, has announced an upgraded version of its Classic trackball mouse. The Classic 2 has the exact same shape and ergonomics as the original but offers improved connectivity, a more accurate and reliable scroll wheel, and an upgraded design, making it easier to 3D print without the need for adding support materials.

The Ploopy Classic 2 is now available as a kit you’ll need to assemble and solder yourself for around $101 ($144.99 CAD), or you can get it already assembled for around $147 ($209.99 CAD). Due to the design of its PCBs, the original Classic can’t be upgraded to the Classic 2.

The most useful improvement on the Classic 2 is a switch from USB-B – that chunky USB port most often found on printers – to USB-C. The company originally went with USB-B because it found the connector to be “very mechanically strong,” but has since found USB-C to be just as reliable after using it on other products.

The Classic 2 also fixes an issue with the original’s scroll wheel. If spun too quickly, it would “act oddly” or “sometimes reverse direction unexpectedly.” The problem was caused by the microcontroller in the original Classic being too slow to keep up. The solution was to upgrade the Classic 2 with a Raspberry Pi RP2040 microcontroller, which “runs the scroll wheel algorithms fifteen times faster than the one in the original Classic.”

Ploopy still uses the same PMW-3360 optical sensor as the Classic, as well as D2LS-21 switches under its buttons for “fantastic clicks.” The Classic 2 also still runs on the open-source QMK firmware, so all the software stays on the trackball with nothing that needs to be installed on your computer. You can download all of the open-source plans for the Classic 2 on GitHub should you want to modify or alter the trackball’s design for your own needs.