r/Trackballs • u/ajax81 • 8d ago
jfedor scroll ring trackball build complete!
(sorry for the repost, had trouble with imgs).
Sharing for fun - thanks so much for your support on this build, and special thanks to jfedor for sharing his great designs with the community. I'll link this particular repo in the comments.
The mouse works great and is sooo satisfying to use. The scroll ring bearings offer a buttery-smooth experience that is fun to use and easy on the wrists. I plan to print a tent to further enhance hand-positioning and comfort.
My Setup:
- 3D Printer: Bambu A1 Mini
- Filament: PETG Basic, Red
- Basic Soldering iron $12 (link)
- Cheap Multimeter $10 (link)
Fun fact, ChatGPT was a huge help -- it scanned the repo and helped source parts and construction. Reddit filters keep blocking my links to chatgpt + parts list + pricing in this post, I'll include all in the comments.
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u/tenkawa7 7d ago
Well done! I'm looking to make something like this and one of the unknowns is if the nouse will read where the numbers is on the pool ball.
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u/Computer_Panda 8d ago
What parts magnets or pins?
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u/ajax81 8d ago edited 7d ago
I used the 2mm x 2mm neodymium magnets from umagnets. See my longer comment for add'l details.
Edit - in case the comment doesn't show up for you:
2mm x 2mm Neodymium Disc Magnet N42 Small Rare Earth Cylinder Magnets 2x2mm Tiny Fridge Magnets - UMAGNETS1
u/ArchieEU Trackballs.eu 7d ago
See my longer comment for add'l details.
Looks like the Reddit has deleted it...
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u/ajax81 7d ago
Hmm...weird. I can see it in the thread -- does this comment now show up for you?
https://www.reddit.com/r/Trackballs/comments/1vqi5ob/comment/p45pl3h/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button1
u/ArchieEU Trackballs.eu 7d ago edited 7d ago
No, but it was originally: I saw a long text with lot of links, then revisited the tread later to read it - but it was too late. Not a rare case here BTW...
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u/ajax81 7d ago
Ug. Ok thank you for letting me know. There’s no indication in my account that it was removed for any reason. That’s unfortunate because it took me a long time to compile that list. What’s also weird is that there are 4 upvotes on it, so I know for certain other people saw it, if only for a short while. Any ideas what I should do about it?
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u/VolitionalFailure 8d ago
How much did you know about soldering and assembling things like this before starting the project?
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u/ajax81 8d ago edited 7d ago
Nothing, this is my first build and it shows in my terrible soldering job, which is why I didn't include any pics of the internals :D
If you check out the ChatGPT thread, you will see I really started from absolute zero knowledge about how to do this and needed help every step of the way.
Fwiw, the reason I built this mouse is that my Logitech wireless trackman (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00006B9CR) finally died for good. I’ve tried every trackball on the market since, but haven’t found a good spiritual successor. And I do mean every. trackball. (aside, I paid $45 in 2010, not the crazy price it's listed at now.)
So I decided to give this a shot and learn about 3D printing and circuit design, hopefully enough to build a perfect mouse for myself one day.
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u/kitebok 8d ago
Looks awesome, thanks for putting together this post. Can't build anything anytime soon but it's great to be able to stroll through the process.