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:
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.”
Opensource projects often have terrible names.
Gimp, libreoffice, lemmy, Apache… just the ones that come to mind.
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.
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.
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?
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.
the fuck is wrong with LibreOffice?
Yeah, as opposed to weird shit like Apple, Google, Facebook, or earphones like the Sony Model EA-JX1000JT
It’s like an alien name out of Rick and Morty. 😂
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I’m sorry but that’s such a ploopy take. You can’t just judge something by it’s name 🙄
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After reading up it sounds like a decent product but they should definitely consider rebranding.
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.
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)
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.
Your mold idea makes me wonder if cast aluminum could be practical for a shell for this.
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?
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.
Is silicone rigid enough? Adult toys have slightly different requirements from many other 3D printed things.
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.
Is it comfortable in the hand? The surface looks super rough
All Ploopy’s stuff looks rough. I think they’re 3D-printing them. Maybe one day they’ll progress to something that gives a nicer result.
I was looking at their trackballs but the ambidextrous ones look awkwardly tiny and have rattly bearings, in addition to the rough finish. I support what they’re doing but I wish the products were a bit less prototypey.
I think they’re 3D-printing them. Maybe one day they’ll progress to something that gives a nicer result
Yes they are 3D printed
Poorly 3D printed.
The layering issue could be solved by orienting the object at a 45° angle
I could reprint the housing one day, when I get a printer myself. 😂
Yeah, definitely 3D printed.
The whole point is that it’s open source and they want people to be able to print them themselves.
Only as good as your 3d printer and settings I’d say
It feels good. I’m thinking of smoothing it with epoxy but it’s not necessary.
Looks like a bitch to clean. Gonna get all sorts of grease collecting in those grooves…
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Now do printers.
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I often wonder how difficult it would be to create an aftermarket control board for existing printers.
Yes please!
Layer lines, too expensive.
Looks less comfortable than one of those 10~15€ brandless mouses at MediaMarkt
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Layer lines
You say “free hand grip for less strain” weird.
What is your experience with the scroll wheel? Some time ago I was interessted in a Ploopy but the non clicky scrollwheel put me off.
It’s allright. It’s not as nice as the flywheel/clickwheel on G502 but it’s alright. It doesn’t accidentally spin for me so far. I imagine one of the custom buttons could be used to enable/disable scrolling along with some script, if it becomes a problem.
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.
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.
Gotcha. Thanks for the type up!
3D printed stuff looks so uncomfortable to hold.
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.
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.
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.
This stuff is nice. Are there any plans for a vertical mouse for those of us with cranky old man wrists?
How do you like the mouse? I got their trackpad and it’s pretty good. I’m thinking about replacing my old Mx Master with their mouse.
I like it. The surface finish is obviously not as nice as the Logitech, but I like it. I’d probably like it better if it were smooth, which I might try achieving with some epoxy paint. The button feel is great. Better than my G502. Tracking is stellar. The shape is comfortable. The infinite/togglable scroll wheel on the G502 is sonething I wish it had but I can live without it. There’s also that special feeling, that someone decent made it, and that it can be infinitely repaired. If it’s not a stretch money-wise for you - get one. In the worst case scebario your money would have gone supporting open source hardware.
