Ploopy Classic 2 is an upgraded trackball mouse available as a DIY kit or fully assembled

Ploopy has made a name for itself over the past few years by offering a line of customizable trackball mice with open source designs that allow you 3D print or modify your own device.

Since launching its first trackball in 2019, Ploopy has followed up with several additional designs for different trackball styles. Last year the company even introduced a TrackPad. Now Ploopy is going back to basics with an upgraded version of its original trackball. The Ploopy Classic 2 is available now with prices starting at $145 CAD ($101 US) for a DIY kit or $210 CAD ($147 US) for a fully-assembled trackball mouse.

The new model is nearly identical to the original in terms of shape and design. There's a large hump that you can rest your palm on while you manipulate a big red ball with your fingers and a side-mounted scroll wheel with your thumbs.

But the Classic 2 brings a few key upgrades including:

It has a USB Type-C port rather than a USB Type-B connector.

The new model has a Raspberry Pi RP2040 microcontroller for improved scroll wheel performance.

The design has been updated to make it easier for users to 3D print their own cases.

The move to a USB-C connection should make it easier to use 3rd-party cables with the trackball mouse since practically everything uses USB-C these days, while USB Type-B use has been declining in recent years (or decades, really).

And the addition off an RP2040 microcontroller "runs the scroll wheel algorithms fifteen times faster than the one in the original Classic," which means that the new model shouldn't suffer from the same odd behavior as the original if you spin the scroll wheel too quickly (it would sometimes unexpectedly switch directions, for example).

Most other features remain the same, which means that like the original Ploopy trackball mouse, the new Classic 2 has the same PMW-3360 optical sensor and D2LS-21 switches for buttons.

Now that the Classic 2 is available, Ploopy plans to stop selling the original Classic and the company notes that there's no way to upgrade the original with new hardware because the printed circuit board was not designed to be removed and replaced. But if you're happy with the performance of the first-generation trackball mouse then there's no reason to upgrade – the company will continue to sell $20 maintenance kits with some spare parts for repairing the Ploopy Classic.

via The Verge

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