r/ploopy

Three years ago, we released the Adept. It sat at a beautiful nexus of functionality, blending together the greatest features of QMK, 3D-printing, and open-source.

Today, I get to share with you the next version of the Adept. It's been improved in every way that we can think of, while retaining everything about it that you loved. We're calling it the A+.

I've written an in-depth blog post about the A+ that covers everything: new features, the great things that haven't changed from the Adept, links to design files that you can analyze right now, a keymap diagram illustrating functionality, everything.

We'll be opening up a preorder on Wednesday, August 19th, 2026 at 10:00AM ET (here's a countdown timer for you), for A+ Trackballs (DIY kits and fully-assembled units) starting at $99CAD. There will be two preorder tiers:

• Tier A preorders will ship out within 8 weeks of our launch date.
• Tier B preorders will ship out within 16 weeks of our launch date.

We also have a very limited Early Access Tier, which contains a small number of fully-assembled A+ Trackballs that are ready to ship immediately. If you manage to snag an Early Access preorder, it'll ship out within a few days.

Questions and comments are welcome!

Brb gonna edit video and PowerPoint slides in a classroom. I refuse to use Dell trackpad

I designed my own HHKB style keyboard a few months ago. The standard ploopy adept was a little uncomfortable to use when paired with the keyboard. So I spent some time designing something that paired a little better with it.

It’s a steel 34mm ball with custom static bearings. It’s technically Bluetooth but I think I need to check some connections on it.

The buttons need some refinement for sure but overall I’m very happy with how it turned out. I’ll share the STLs when it’s finished!

Im making this one for my bro, who is a big 40k nerd, but Ive never paid attention to the aesthetics, which are their own set of challenges

It’s been about a month since I received my Adept and here are a few observations from a corporate desk jockey:

- It took about 2 weeks from order date to delivery (Toronto to Washington State).

- I upgraded from a Logitech M570. After nearly a decade of thumb trackball usage, tendinitis has wrecked by thumb, ring, and pinky fingers. I think it may have been from having my hand tilted and pinched to the right for 8 hours a day, but who knows.

- I work on the admin side of real estate, so my job entails scrolling through legal documents in a PDF reader and copying and pasting like there is no tomorrow.

- The current set up is paired with the work laptop, Keychron Q0 and Q8 (which also use VIA). I was torn between the SlimBlade and Adept, and the two things that won me over were the ease of customization and ~ the cuteness factor ~.

- Buttons are set up as followed: LL - select, UL - delete, ML - rename file, MR - DPI config, UR - right click, LR - drag scroll.

- I’m fairly petite, so this fits in my hand quite comfortably. The first week was a little rough getting used to it since I was so used to the “handshake” hand position of the M570.

- After the second week, I trained myself just let my hand fall naturally with the trackball resting just under my middle and ring knuckles. Because it is boxier, I had to break the habit of making a claw hand and clicking buttons with too much conviction.

- I have clicky switches on my Keychron, and the Ploopy is much quieter. The buttons feel sensitive enough even if I’m barely pressing the far edge of it. You don’t notice the 3D printed grooves too much either.

- I use the middle finger trackball/pinky scroll when looking around on a website/program, and the pointer finger trackball/ring finger scroll when reading a document. Because the buttons are so large, it feels like each finger has a purpose (and a home!).

- There is an initial “scratchy” feeling to the ball just out of the box, but now it seems like the break in period has it running very smoothly. I have a camera lens pen with a microfiber nub at one end and a soft bristle brush on the other. I use it a couple times a week to get into the bearings. *DISCLAIMER* Unlike the M570 which you can pop out from beneath the mouse, there is NOTHING but gravity keeping the trackball in place. When you tilt the Adept to plug it in or move it, the ball WILL come flying out. It’s only happened a couple of times and it fortunately landed on a soft standing mat.

- The angle of the casing feels very steep. There is a noticeable difference with my Keychron, and it makes my hand want to match that angle (much to my wrists’ dismay). I started using a micro bead wrist rest (https://www.amazon.com/Computer-Mouse-Wrist-Cushion-Gray/dp/B00KZOWO28) and this seems help if I have it resting beneath the middle of my forearm.

- I have yet to try this out with photo editing or 3D rendering programs. I’ve poked around in Paint (for some silly workplace photos of course), and the pointer precision was….lacking? I haven’t had the patience to figure out macros in VIA yet, but there must be something out there for the non-computer coders to tinker with!

- That’s all for now. We will see how the white casing holds up over time. Other than that, this is an excellent trackball upgrade!