The Ploopy A+ Trackball Is Here

bbig_toast about 3 hours ago 30 commentsRead Article on blog.ploopy.co

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Discussion Sentiment

67% Positive

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Discussion (30 Comments)Read Original on HackerNews

imglorp•about 2 hours ago

Hugged.

https://web.archive.org/web/20260814114201/https://blog.ploo...

big_toast•about 2 hours ago

That's too bad.

The github[0] for it is kinda cool. Uses the 'CERN Open Hardware Licence Version 2 - Strongly Reciprocal'. The assembly instructions[1] give a bit of a hands on feel.

They had some more details on a reddit post[2] it looks like.

[0]:https://github.com/ploopyco/aplus-trackball

[1]:https://github.com/ploopyco/aplus-trackball/blob/main/docs/a...

[2]:https://www.reddit.com/r/ploopy/comments/1vo4y4r/this_is_the...

branon•about 2 hours ago

I bought the regular mouse and had a fun time assembling it. It works fine.

However the "ergonomic" design is extremely uncomfortable for me and caused hand pain. I let it ride for a few weeks hoping I'd get accustomed, the pain got better but didn't go away. Also the far-left and far-right mouse buttons are superfluous and detract from the core experience.

Please do a symmetrical version and maybe throw in a scroll wheel with steps/clicks, I'd happily buy another.

malloryerik•about 1 hour ago

Instantly couldn't resist clicking on some unknown thing called "the Ploopy A+".

walrus01•about 2 hours ago

I see we've reinvented the slashdot effect.

big_toast•about 3 hours ago

They have a countdown for the pre-order here[0]. Seems like it's available as a kit Wednesday, August 19th, 2026 at 10am ET to pre-order.

I love all I/O devices..

I think the main difference from the Ploopy Adept is they added two knob buttons?

[0]:https://ploopy.co/aplus-launch-countdown/

mkl•about 2 hours ago

> preorder a kit for $99CAD

What is a kit here? A trackball? All the parts needed to assemble a trackball? A populated circuit board, where the rest needs 3D printing? A pile of electronic components that need to be soldered together and the rest needs 3D printing?

rogerrogerr•about 1 hour ago

Based on https://web.archive.org/web/20260727075248/https://blog.ploo..., it seems like some soldering is involved

arcanemachiner•about 1 hour ago

For comparison, the regular adept had a PCB and came with printed parts. Some light soldering was involved.

mkl•about 1 hour ago

Okay, so assembly and soldering required, but all parts included and I don't need a 3D printer. Can do. Weird that they don't mention any of that. The finished item looks like a good trackball.

deadcatfound•about 3 hours ago

The repairable, open hardware angle is the real sell for me. Nice to see a trackball designed to be kept instead of replaced.

rekabis•about 2 hours ago

Don’t know what you have been using, but my Kensington Expert Mouse is over 20 years old now, and is still going strong.

__s•about 1 hour ago

Took about a year for my Kensington slimblade to start double clicking. Many others reporting the same

twisteriffic•about 2 hours ago

I've found my Razer Deathadder 2013 and Logitech G5 v2 very easy to repair. I go through a set of switches every 4-5 years it seems, plus cables on the G5.

luckydata•about 1 hour ago

I'm really put off by the poor quality of the 3d printed body

clnhlzmn•21 minutes ago

fwiw I just received the adept trackball and I too was worried about the quality of the enclosure but upon seeing it in person I'm fine with it. As far as fdm prints go it's really well done.

wmf•31 minutes ago

They should really invest in an SLA printer. Everything on their site looks terrible.

smohare•43 minutes ago

I have a number of 3d printed peripherals, including two Ploopy devices. Nothing seems out of the ordinary to me quality wise.

__mharrison__•about 1 hour ago

What size is the ball?

atmanactive•about 2 hours ago

Can it detect rotation?

mkl•about 1 hour ago

Looks like it has just one mouse sensor, so no.

__s•about 1 hour ago

I have an adept, it does not. Hold button to scroll while turning

jauntywundrkind•about 2 hours ago

Not a trackball, but anyone else watch Engineer Bo, or tried their very nice Knob? https://youtu.be/ehd3Ue2fKKM

I dig that the Ploopy knob is QMK based, also high resolution. But watching how much effort E.B. has put into my favorite input device of all time, I can't help but want one of theirs.

The internal LED's are cool here. I like the indicator effect, especially with the partial transparency ball. I do wish this was bluetooh and ZMK based. Even though ZMK is lagging a decent bit behind QMK features. Zephyr is just so cool! Wireless is so great. In my opinion.

timothyb89•about 1 hour ago

I was able to buy one of the Full Scroll Dials, it’s fantastic! I even made a USB adapter for it using a Pi Pico W, which lets it work with a USB switch and fixes macOS compatibility by emulating a Magic Trackpad: https://github.com/timothyb89/bt2usb

dylan604•about 2 hours ago

I spent my early years in an online tape edit bay. The jog/shuttle wheel has always been something that just seemed like the perfect fit. Even in today's NLE, there are multiple devices trying to fill this need, yet none have the same feel as the old edit controllers

pudgywalsh•about 2 hours ago

Who the hell wants to solder their own trackball? Equivalent products exist at roughly the same price point, fully assembled and tested with a warranty.

vincent-manis•about 2 hours ago

I would never buy a kit that required soldering, because I'm terrible at it. But I like putting things together. I've assembled a couple of DIY keyboards, and I bought a Framework 12 laptop. It doesn't take too long (Framework estimated 15 minutes, but it was more like 45, because I am slow and methodical), and I like knowing what's inside it. The transition from “box of components” to “working system” always thrills me. And, though the repairability of a trackball is not a big issue, it's nice to know that what you put together can be taken apart, for example, to replace an SSD in a laptop.

Loudergood•about 1 hour ago

Same.

breckenedge•about 2 hours ago

I get it doesn’t appeal to you. Why do you think it shouldn’t appeal to anyone?

dotancohen•41 minutes ago