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Ploopy Nano 2 Trackball Assembly Instructions
Figure 1: Everything you'll need

Main Instructions

In this section, you'll go over how to build a Ploopy Nano 2 Trackball. This assumes you've sourced the parts yourself following the designs in this repository.

Here's how these instructions are structured*:

  • 💡 Comments with a lightbulb are good information to know.
  • ➡️ Comments with an arrow are commands. Execute them when you encounter them.
  • ✅ Comments with a checkmark are verification steps. Check what they tell you to check, and if it's all good, move on.
  • 📷 Comments with a camera are references to photos. Check the corresponding image for guidance.

Most steps have photos, so if you need some additional visual help, consult the images.

* Thanks to schneems for his great suggestions on how to write documentation.

Step 1

  • ➡️ Get the Bottom, the PCB, and the PCB Optic. 📷 See Figure 2.
Figure 2: The Bottom, PCB, and PCB Optic

Step 2

  • 💡 In order to fit correctly, the PCB must be oriented correctly in the Bottom. 📷 See Figure 3.
  • ➡️ Place the PCB into the Bottom.
Figure 3: PCB correctly oriented in Bottom

Step 3

  • 💡 In order to fit correctly, the PCB Optic must be oriented correctly in the PCB. 📷 See Figure 4 and Figure 5.
  • ➡️ Place the PCB into the Bottom.
Figure 4: Preparing to insert PCB Optic
Figure 5: PCB Optic correctly oriented in PCB

Step 4

  • ➡️ Get the Top. 📷 See Figure 6.
Figure 6: Top

Step 5

  • 💡 The Top has a flexible moving button mechanism. This mechanism must be oriented so that it is over the switch. 📷 See Figure 6 again.
  • ➡️ Place the Top onto the Bottom assembly. 📷 See Figure 7.
Figure 7: Top placed correctly on Bottom assembly

Step 6

  • ➡️ Get a #1 Phillips head screwdriver (or similar; you're looking for a small-ish screwdriver here).
  • ➡️ Get the two screws. 📷 See Figure 8.
  • ➡️ Screw in the two screws. 📷 See Figure 9.
Figure 8: Two screws
Figure 9: Screws being screwed down

Step 7

  • ➡️ Get the friction pads. 📷 See Figure 10.
  • ➡️ Place the friction pads on the Bottom. 📷 See Figure 11.
Figure 10: Four friction pads
Figure 11: Four friction pads installed

Step 8

  • ➡️ Get 3x Roller Bearings, 3x Roller Bearing Dowels, and the Bearing Press Jig. 📷 See Figure 12 for details.
  • ➡️ Insert a Roller Bearing and a Roller Bearing Dowel into the halves of the Bearing Press Jig. 📷 See Figure 13 for details.
  • 💡 Pressing the halves of the Bearing Press Jig together may require a surprising amount of force.
  • ➡️ Press the halves of the Bearing Press Jig together. 📷 See Figure 14 for details.
  • ➡️ Remove the bearing from the Bearing Press Jig and repeat two more times for the other Roller Bearings. 📷 See Figure 15 for details.
Figure 12: Roller Bearings, Roller Bearing Dowels, and the Bearing Press Jig
Figure 13: Roller Bearing and a Roller Bearing Dowel in the halves of the Bearing Press Jig
Figure 14: Halves of the Bearing Press Jig pressed together
Figure 15: Completed Roller

Step 9

  • ➡️ Get the Top and 3x Rollers.
  • 💡 Consider using needle nose pliers to press the Rollers into the Top as that will ensure that the Roller is fully seated.
  • ➡️ Insert Rollers into the Top. 📷 See Figure 16 for details.
  • 💡 If the Rollers aren't seated all the way, there's a good chance that tracking performance will be very bad.
  • ✅ Ensure that the Rollers are pressed all the way into the Top, which may require quite a bit of force.
Figure 16: Roller inserted into Top

Step 10

  • ➡️ Insert the Ball. 📷 See Figure 17 for details.
  • ➡️ Plug the Nano 2 into your computer.
  • ✅ Check that moving the Ball moves the cursor.
Figure 17: Ball inserted

Step 16

  • 💡 Congrats, you finished building the Ploopy Classic 2!
  • 💡 It's done! Love it, use it, but don't you dare abuse it!