Ploopy Bean: a trackpoint for every computer (opens in new tab)

1. Plea to anyone doing TrackPoint projects: consider using a 6mm TrackPoint assembly that can accommodate an off-the-shelf 6mm Soft Rim cap.

See this comparison of the shortening and changing of the TrackPoint cap over time, and you can imagine how the current 3mm caps end up requiring more finger pressure than the 6mm soft rim cap, to get pressure to register:

https://saoto28.wixsite.com/trackpoint4life/comparison

I own a very nice ThinkPad P1, but my daily driver is currently a ThinkPad W520 battleship from 2012, entirely because its TrackPoint is more comfortable to use. (I acclimated to the P1's chiclet keyboard easily, but the slippery TrackPoint cap was definitely harder on my finger and hand.)

On the W520, I can type prolifically, all day and evening, 7 days a week, without discomfort. I don't want to break the TrackPoint soft rim magic that helps make that possible.

2. If someone in the US wants to try to make good soft rim 3mm caps that will fit modern ThinkPads, and save Lenovo from losing TrackPoint adherents, here is a starting point that Saoto kindly shared:

https://grabcad.com/library/softrim-trackpoint-cap-for-3-mm-...

If you can do soft rim with high-quality molding (not 3D printing, and determine the right materials and processes, and red top), some people are so desperate that they're paying $50+ for a single tiny 3D-printed cap to be mailed from Japan. If I was confident that high-quality caps gave a W520-like experience, I'd gladly pay $100 for 10 of them, just to start with.

Tempted to do a ZMK version of this. Wireless would be a lot more practical for me.

For such a niche area, it's astonishing how many of these projects miss some or indeed all of relevant features of the TrackPoint. In this particular case, it has already been mentioned that this doesn't make any sense outside of the keyboard. Additionally, it looks really awkward to use for someone used to the classic and there seems to be no button suitable for scrolling. It really looks like a "we heard geeks like trackpoints, let's do one" kind of project.

Ultimate hacking keyboard has modules that include a track point, touchpad or a trackball. I’ve been eyeing it for a while: https://uhk.io/

Kanata has mouse emulation so you can drive a mouse using arrow keys: https://github.com/jtroo/kanata/blob/main/docs/config.adoc#m...

Interestingly, this device uses a totally different mechanism than classic trackpoints. Where true trackpoints use a network of strain gauges on the PCB, this is a 3D hall effect sensor and a spring. A trackpoint has only an imperceptible amount of travel, and this is designed to physically move. I really wonder how it feels in practice. It might feel more like a thumb stick from a game controller than a trackpoint.

Isn't the point that it's integrated in the keyboard, so that you don't have to move your hands away to use it?

Nice idea but the keyboard around the trackpoint is missing. The concept behind the trackpoint is that you can control the mouse pointer while your fingers are resting on asd and ;lkj.

Checkout Tex Shinobi or Shura if you like Keyboards with Trackpoint.

the fdm prints in those demo photos have some real bad first layer extrusion multiplier/bed/meshing issues.

i'd rather there be an option to just buy the board from you for a few bucks less and get some STLs for the needed prints if you're offering prints like that.

The demo product on the 'site looks really shoddy. Untidied-up 3D printing for $65?

I'm a long time Thinkpad user and the integrated trackpoint allows my hands to stay on the keyboard and also move the mouse around and click on things.

I don't get benefit of having a trackpoint detached from the keyboard.

What's the advantage over having a mouse or a trackball?

I need a variation of this that can be strapped to hand and used with a couple fingers while still leaving the hand and fingers mostly free for normal natural fuction.

also integrate push-to-talk for voice inputs.

use case is to use it while standing up and moving about -- with a large display screen at a distance. Or my specific interest -- work for extended time on a treadmill.

Slashvertisement. Though, since it's 3d printed anyway, how about shaping it properly to clip to the edge of a raspberry pi 400/500. Not including a pointing device in those was silly of the rpi foundation.

> pointing stick mouse. It adds high-precision pointing stick functionality to any setup

I’ve never heard these terms before. What is a pointing stick on a computer?

I wonder what part are they using for that tiny joystick. The only sources I found for purchase online are salvaged parts from thinkpad keyboards.

I'm on the lookout for a wireless ball mouse. I want to relive the glory days of cleaning out the little cylinders on the inside of the mouse without being constrained by wires.

Might be possible to embed one of these blackberry cellphone OEM trackpad inside a keycap https://www.ebay.com/itm/132886140650

Is this your website OP?

Missed a bet by not calling it something like "Detachable Nipple".

This is made for me.

This gives me an idea, does anyone sell these?:

    HEU   N
    DIN    U
     ^      M
    <⌄>   0.,E

With all full-sized keys? i.e. Numpad, arrows and home-end-insert-delete-pgup-pgdn? i.e. all the keys that Apple's laptops fucked plus numpad.

Ploopy is killing it. The trackpad and knob are also both very very high quality. The open firmware is just so ace, makes these devices so so so much better than everything commercial. The future is open source. Why make life bad for your customers? Why spend so much effort to do so so so much worse than high feature + freedom? QMK or bust. https://ploopy.co/knob/ https://ploopy.co/trackpad/

Keychron and System76 are also on the QMK train with their recent keyboards too. (I'm not 100%, would love to know if each of these can be flashed by users.)

Framework is also on the QMK open-source firmware train, for their keyboard + trackpad combo. Also not a new trend for them: their newer laptops I believe all run Zephyr OS for the embedded controller (EC), & are themselves open source too. Before that, the open-source Chromebook EC. I believe it's possible to compile - flash your own. https://frame.work/blog/previewing-the-framework-wireless-to... https://github.com/FrameworkComputer/EmbeddedController/tree...

These companies are both loved, in ways very very few companies are. It's obvious why.

I am not sure whether I will order one yet (who am I kidding I probably will) but the products I have ordered, the ploopy knob and the trackball have both been great quality and very usable. The knob in particular is very handy size to use alongside a small computer like a Pocket Reform. As others have said, the track point is less useful off the keyboard although it still requires less hand gestures to move like a trackball so I believe for comfort, there is still value. Track points coming back into vogue would be fantastic though, so anything to support that. There is currently someone trying to install a track point into a Pocket Reform. I am surprised no one has tried similar in a framework laptop

These startup names are starting to get real fuckin' stupid.