Ploopy Bean: a trackpoint for every computer

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.

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...

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?

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.

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.

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.

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

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 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.

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

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

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.

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?

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

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.

> 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.

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

Is it possible to retrofit it into the existing open source keyboard ?

Is this your website OP?

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.

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

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

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

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.

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

That ought to be a relatively straightforward mod here, as long as the stalk is compatible. It's just clearance on the casing, right?

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?

This is made for me.

Is this your website OP?

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

Is it possible to retrofit it into the existing open source keyboard ?

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

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?

It fills the niche of "pointing device that uses a constant amount of deskspace" in the same way that a trackball does, but differently. Different strokes, different folks.

NGL I was always a fan of TrackPoints for how compact the pointing device was. Also liked the Logitech Trackman Marble for similar reasons. It's kind of cool, though unnecessary, to have a way to get a TrackPoint on a desktop now without being locked to one discontinued Lenovo keyboard.

I'm typing this on a Thinkpad Trackpoint II keyboard and have no idea why I'd want an off keyboard pointing stick. If you want to use a pointing stick why not have it right next to your index finger while you're on the home row? If you want your mouse cursor control to be off of the keyboard, why not use a regular mouse?

> 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?

The nub around the G-B-H keys that doesn't really move but responds to pressure and lets you fly the mouse cursor around the screen with various speeds. Lenovo, Dell, HP, Fujitsu and many others equipped their business laptops with such a pointing device.

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.

I have a Shinobi, and like it, but I recently got an HHKB Studio w, and really like it too.

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

The design files and firmware are open source, so you hypothetically produce your own: https://github.com/ploopyco/bean-pointing-stick

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.

3D printed spring, magnet, hall effect sensor by the looks of it.

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

They're doing just fine in the euphemism department

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.)

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

Yes my QMK Keychron can easily compile and flash modified firmware.

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.

I don't think it's bed adhesion or anything. Just looks like a little bit of under extrusion.

Came here for this. Never understood why someone would showcase a product printed in (sub)draft mode. Unless, of course, one is selling this 'rugged' look as a cover-up for cutting corners to speed up mass production times.

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.

Twiddler is probably the closest thing I can think of that meets those requirements off the shelf.

https://www.mytwiddler.com/

Consider a trackball. I got a Kensington Expert Wireless a while back and really recommend it if you prefer to keep your wrists somewhere static.

I think the strongest selling point of Ploopy products is their open design. You are free to build this variation yourself.

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.

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...

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

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.

They do make wireless (optical) trackballs. I don't think they attract grunge anywhere near as fast as a real ball mouse though.

My Logitech MX Ergo S is resting on my thigh.

Exactly. People love trackpoint because it's right there in the middle of the keyboard, and you don't have to move your hands.

Any variation of trackpoint where you have to move your hand away from the keyboard, is a failure IMHO

I’ll give you a use case. People with disabilities who can’t use the keyboard. Ploopy stuff has been absolutely amazing.

In X11 (and probably in Wayland, since this is a libinput thing) you can define a button as a scroll lock.

So, hold down the scroll lock button and the thumbstick becomes a scroller. That leaves three buttons for left, middle and right.

I have a tendency to tote around a trackball since I cannot stand using a trackpad for extended periods. I would imagine there are people who think similarly, but would want to use something more compact.

it feels like someone promoted ai on what to build and kept going with that same process. the other products sre just as odd lol. fun site though!

I originally bought the touchpad for my UHK. But, much to my surprise, I have gravitated towards the keyboard's built-in mouse layer over time! Now I scarcely plug in the touchpad (or even key cluster) modules at all.

As a sidenote, I love my UHK. Just a joy to use, and it's so easy to customize. I don't have any experience with competitors like the ZSA Voyager, but the UHK's configuration software and macro language do make it quite pleasant to bend to your will. For instance, I do some funky stuff with macros and lighting here: https://www.cgl.sh/blog/posts/wnl.html

There's an Israeli guy selling some sick mouse enabled splits too https://holykeebs.com/collections/keyboards. I have a crkbd with a trackpoint from him and love it. Beekeep has a version too that I'm waiting to take delivery of https://shop.beekeeb.com/products/toucan-wireless-piantor-wi...

It was however stuck in customs for quite a while, but I guess that's what I get for ordering custom electronics from Israel right after those pagers blew up.

The UHK also supports mouse keys. I own both the 60v2 and the newer UHK 80 (I was a beta tester), these keyboards are my final destination. The only reason I would consider a change is if they released an ortholinear layout.

Any keyboard can drive the mouse pointer. But trackpoint is an acceptable drawing device, while a keyboard is sadly not.

Perhaps. But these ones have been around a while. Here's the new HN story, seven years ago: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21263264

Not sure how long you're a startup...

You can all kinds of keypads on AliExpress that are programmable. Some of them even use QMK.

I’m using the caps unlocked CU7 every day; that’s how i discovered it : same frustration as yours!

( then i jumped onto otholinear keeb and now I’m not even bothered by apple anymore and run omarchy on a second hand thinkpad. Same excitement as when i got my first powerbook in the early 2000s…)

It fills the niche of "pointing device that uses a constant amount of deskspace" in the same way that a trackball does, but differently. Different strokes, different folks.

Exactly. People love trackpoint because it's right there in the middle of the keyboard, and you don't have to move your hands.

Any variation of trackpoint where you have to move your hand away from the keyboard, is a failure IMHO

My Logitech MX Ergo S is resting on my thigh.

It was however stuck in customs for quite a while, but I guess that's what I get for ordering custom electronics from Israel right after those pagers blew up.

Any keyboard can drive the mouse pointer. But trackpoint is an acceptable drawing device, while a keyboard is sadly not.

You can all kinds of keypads on AliExpress that are programmable. Some of them even use QMK.

Perhaps. But these ones have been around a while. Here's the new HN story, seven years ago: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21263264

Not sure how long you're a startup...

Yes my QMK Keychron can easily compile and flash modified firmware.

3D printed spring, magnet, hall effect sensor by the looks of it.

The design files and firmware are open source, so you hypothetically produce your own: https://github.com/ploopyco/bean-pointing-stick

I don't think it's bed adhesion or anything. Just looks like a little bit of under extrusion.

Twiddler is probably the closest thing I can think of that meets those requirements off the shelf.

https://www.mytwiddler.com/

They do make wireless (optical) trackballs. I don't think they attract grunge anywhere near as fast as a real ball mouse though.

I've been using a Logitech trackball for two years now and they're incredibly easy to clean and don't accumulate much dirt on the surface (since they're very smooth), just a little bit on the ceramic balls that they rest on in the case. You just pop out the ball every few weeks, remove the dirt with a cloth and that's it, doesn't take more than a minute.

Tne trackball rides a couple of bearings and they do pick up scrunge. It doesn't affect tracking unless it gets to the sensor window, but you'll feel it getting progressively stiffer.

In X11 (and probably in Wayland, since this is a libinput thing) you can define a button as a scroll lock.

So, hold down the scroll lock button and the thumbstick becomes a scroller. That leaves three buttons for left, middle and right.

Sure, but which of those buttons would be suitable? Keep in mind, it will be your thumb that needs to land naturally on that button while your index finger rests on the trackpoint. And the scroll button is also usually the middle button even though there are cases where you need middle-mouse drag (looking at you, Blender) for which a fourth button might go quite nice.

I’ll give you a use case. People with disabilities who can’t use the keyboard. Ploopy stuff has been absolutely amazing.

Does it work better than a trackball (thinking of the Kensington ones) in that respect ?

I had a UHK for a few months before refunding it because the shielding wasn't good enough to stop it becoming unreliable when my mobile phone was within about 30cm of my keyboard. I contacted support and the solution was to move the phone away from the keyboard, which is kind of irritating for such an expensive piece of kit.

But, just wanted to share that I was similarly surprised to land on mouse keys as a preference. I tried most of the UHK modules which were also pretty good and have since tried various other trackballs and pads, but since trying UHK mouse keys, they're what I keep coming back to most, even since switching to new keyboards.

One issue I have with mouse keys is fear of using them in front of others though: every so often, if I need to click something particularly small and don't have a keyboard shortcut memorised (vscode panel resizing is one) it can sometimes take me a fair few embarrassing seconds drawing small squares around my target before I resort to actual mouse hardware.

For the amount of time and thought and effort people have put into alternative mice, I feel mouse keys are massively overlooked and probably have a lot of room for software/firmware innovation without hardware costs.

it feels like someone promoted ai on what to build and kept going with that same process. the other products sre just as odd lol. fun site though!

I'm not sure they're odd? They're using a 3D printer. If the CAD design is open, you could even assemble your own repair parts.

I can highly recommend the Azeron Cyro [1] (cannot comment on their other products, but they look interesting). It is partly 3D printed, but also repairable and mod-able. It is the only vertical mouse I am aware of, with a modest amount of keys (15 + scroll wheel + analog thumbstick). I say keys since, well, in software they're recognized as such. You can also make it a Bluetooth mouse (I use USB2BT+), though obviously you suffer a bit from latency.

[1] https://azeron.com/collections/cyro

I can promise you it isn’t. This totally predates llms. Been using them for a long time

Yes, of course. I’ve accidentally fallen down the split keyboard rabbit hole and now I can’t get out. UHK seems like it’s got everything that I might ever need but I’m going to stick with my Aliexpress Corne for a bit longer before I take the plunge.

I’m using the caps unlocked CU7 every day; that’s how i discovered it : same frustration as yours!

I have a Shinobi, and like it, but I recently got an HHKB Studio w, and really like it too.

They're doing just fine in the euphemism department

I think the strongest selling point of Ploopy products is their open design. You are free to build this variation yourself.

Looks like the CU7 has 6 keys. I'd like 10 or so. Maybe something like this:

https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0B1CWJCS5

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005009224555917.html

For just the navigation cluster, I found this but it's a kit: https://keyhive.xyz/shop/navi10

And notably as touchpads have improved, most of the makers have stopped including TrackPoints. Lenovo is the main holdout.

Still waiting for Framework to introduce a keyboard with a trackpoint included, but apparently the room allocated for the keyboard is too thin for it to be possible.

In theory you could use it with your foot...

This is a nice looking keyboard. But not enough F keys for me:).

In quite a few languages they are called clitoris in various slangs colloquially. I didn't know the real name for this device for many years.

Tne trackball rides a couple of bearings and they do pick up scrunge. It doesn't affect tracking unless it gets to the sensor window, but you'll feel it getting progressively stiffer.

I'm not sure they're odd? They're using a 3D printer. If the CAD design is open, you could even assemble your own repair parts.

[1] https://azeron.com/collections/cyro

I'm right handed, so I would pick the bottom left button as the scroll lock, with the top left button as 1, top right button as 2, and bottom right as 3.

"scroll button is also usually the middle button" -- these functions are completely separable in libinput.

I can promise you it isn’t. This totally predates llms. Been using them for a long time

Looks like the CU7 has 6 keys. I'd like 10 or so. Maybe something like this:

https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0B1CWJCS5

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005009224555917.html

For just the navigation cluster, I found this but it's a kit: https://keyhive.xyz/shop/navi10

In theory you could use it with your foot...

This is a nice looking keyboard. But not enough F keys for me:).

You bring up a good point -- I have the same issue with mouse keys. I wonder how the track point gets around this. Is the tracepoint "progressive" in that it allows various speeds depends on deflection from center?

Does it work better than a trackball (thinking of the Kensington ones) in that respect ?

Use those a lot to (always try and focus off the shelf first). But for cases where we need to position differently we often need something custom

Depends on the disability. Not a homogenous group. "Work better" for whom?

I went the opposite way: I started with UHK, then went for a ZSA moonlander, but settled on a kbdcraft Israfel, which is a relatively cheap, split ortholinear.

I felt most of the extra functionality and polish that I guess makes up the massive costs of UHK and ZSA wasn't actually necessary. It was cool and fun and useful to try a bunch of different stuff, but then over time, I wanted things to be simple and small which UHK and ZSA Moonlander aren't (ZSA voyager wasn't at the time).

All I'm saying is if you've got comfortable with a cheap Corne, I think you might feel underwhelmed if you spend a lot on something a lot fancier.

I have a tented split scissor switch that is quite wide, and it still annoys my shoulder with the inward pivot. Plus I seem to do reasonably well two fingering a smart phone so, well, what is the point? We can put a SOC in an interface with reasonable speed these days. I would love to see a radical departure. A glove interface surely could be better?

Consider a trackball. I got a Kensington Expert Wireless a while back and really recommend it if you prefer to keep your wrists somewhere static.

And notably as touchpads have improved, most of the makers have stopped including TrackPoints. Lenovo is the main holdout.

Still waiting for Framework to introduce a keyboard with a trackpoint included, but apparently the room allocated for the keyboard is too thin for it to be possible.

In quite a few languages they are called clitoris in various slangs colloquially. I didn't know the real name for this device for many years.

Ploopy does make trackballs. I have an adept and it’s great. Inexpensive too.

Is a trackpoint the same as a pointing stick?

Bean is also slang for clitoris, at least in the UK. Ploopy has a good sense of humour, the Knob page being the prime example.

I'm right handed, so I would pick the bottom left button as the scroll lock, with the top left button as 1, top right button as 2, and bottom right as 3.

"scroll button is also usually the middle button" -- these functions are completely separable in libinput.

Meaning you would be pressing LMB and RMB with your index finger, moving it from the trackpoint itself? I can imagine controlling the trackpoint with the middle finger and use the index and ring finger to press the buttons, but it's far away from the "original" way to do it.

Use those a lot to (always try and focus off the shelf first). But for cases where we need to position differently we often need something custom

I went the opposite way: I started with UHK, then went for a ZSA moonlander, but settled on a kbdcraft Israfel, which is a relatively cheap, split ortholinear.

All I'm saying is if you've got comfortable with a cheap Corne, I think you might feel underwhelmed if you spend a lot on something a lot fancier.

That's a good question and make me think. I always thought the trackpoint nubs were binary too, basically just a stick in the middle of up/down/left/right mousekey buttons, bit it turns out they're not!

For original trackpoints, it's basically a stick in the middle of an up/down/left/right resistive strain gauge.

For the ploopy beans here, they use hall effect sensors instead of resistive strain to get a bit more movement.

As soon as you have non-binary up/down/left/right values, the mouse direction and speed can be interpolated to so many values that mousekey accidental squares become impossible.

Thanks! About off the shelf but customizable, slightly off topic, but Keychron is producing one of the smaller trackballs with full button mapping management:

https://keychron.co.jp/pages/nape-pro

Anyone wanting one that could fit anywhere on any side of a keyboard could be interested.

Depends on the disability. Not a homogenous group. "Work better" for whom?

I’ve provided a lot of different of the balls. Last one was for someone in bed and needed to control the whole pc with his chin. We adapted the base to fit on a mount. Other uses for people with ALS with reduced hand function - altered the ball shape to hold the hand.

Yes. Then I couldn't come up with a case where the trackpoint would work great but not a trackball.

Probably my lack of imagination, the article is about desk setup, and while you can move a trackball with basically anything that has friction, a trackpoint is a lot smaller and finicky. A joystick could be a better version if we're thinking adaptive input.

Ploopy does make trackballs. I have an adept and it’s great. Inexpensive too.

Unfortunately drag-scroll is not in enough places to make this work without a dedicated wheel but I do have an eye on these

Bean is also slang for clitoris, at least in the UK. Ploopy has a good sense of humour, the Knob page being the prime example.

Yeah, I knew exactly what this was gonna be before I read the second half of the title.

Now I'm wondering if putting a bean on the knob would be taking it too far.

Is a trackpoint the same as a pointing stick?

Yeah, TrackPoint is the ThinkPad term for it and very usable. The quality of other brands of pointing stick is highly variable.

For original trackpoints, it's basically a stick in the middle of an up/down/left/right resistive strain gauge.

For the ploopy beans here, they use hall effect sensors instead of resistive strain to get a bit more movement.

As soon as you have non-binary up/down/left/right values, the mouse direction and speed can be interpolated to so many values that mousekey accidental squares become impossible.

Thanks! About off the shelf but customizable, slightly off topic, but Keychron is producing one of the smaller trackballs with full button mapping management:

https://keychron.co.jp/pages/nape-pro

Anyone wanting one that could fit anywhere on any side of a keyboard could be interested.

Yes. Then I couldn't come up with a case where the trackpoint would work great but not a trackball.

Unfortunately drag-scroll is not in enough places to make this work without a dedicated wheel but I do have an eye on these

I have mine configured so that pressing the fourth button and moving the ball acts as a scroll wheel, no need for any special support is OS/apps. It shows as a scroll wheel input.

Yeah, I knew exactly what this was gonna be before I read the second half of the title.

Now I'm wondering if putting a bean on the knob would be taking it too far.

Yeah, TrackPoint is the ThinkPad term for it and very usable. The quality of other brands of pointing stick is highly variable.

I have mine configured so that pressing the fourth button and moving the ball acts as a scroll wheel, no need for any special support is OS/apps. It shows as a scroll wheel input.

[ Bean Pointing Stick [PREORDER] ](https://ploopy.co/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/95e25fa60539e9eeaf50cbf9395f8a9f43a0a08312d1009e1943832dce2009e0.jpg)

[ Bean Pointing Stick [PREORDER] - Image 2 ](https://ploopy.co/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/fa4530ecf5a74c22a288924aeb24f4250561d870e42dd73f404459e00754c309.jpg)

[ Bean Pointing Stick [PREORDER] - Image 3 ](https://ploopy.co/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/0a087b8c55518e6b9a08c6063f726ae43555861812faec014b7fd8977c00ff47.jpg)

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$69.99 CAD

The Ploopy Bean Pointing Stick is a 3D-printed, open-source pointing stick mouse. It adds high-precision pointing stick functionality to any setup, and has four Omron D2LS-21 buttons for snappy, responsive clicks. It runs QMK and supports VIA, which allows for quick and portable customization. It’s fully assembled and ready to use immediately.

SKU: PLCMBEAS0001 Category: Bean

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Preorder Details

The Bean Pointing Stick is currently in a preorder phase. That means that any orders you place with us that include a Bean Pointing Stick will be shipped out on the basis of availability.

The preorder is split into different tiers:

EARLY ACCESS: Orders from this tier will ship out immediately.
TIER A: Orders from this tier will ship out within 8 weeks of our launch date.
TIER B: Orders from this tier will ship out within 20 weeks of our launch date.
TIER C: Orders from this tier will ship out after 20 weeks of our launch date. Due to the large number of preorders in the earlier tiers, we do not have a specific timeline for when units from Tier C will ship. We will provide regular updates on our social media channels about the status of our preorder and will state when we project shipping Tier C preorders as soon as we can reasonably do so.

The launch date for the Bean Pointing Stick is 6 May 2026.

Ploopy has a strong history of preorder management. We have released multiple products under these exact preorder conditions, and we have always successfully delivered all units within the promised amount of time.

Included with every Bean Pointing Stick

3D-printed parts (black)

Top
Bottom
Spring

Electronics

Bean Pointing Stick PCB
USB-A to USB-C cable (optional)

Hardware

1x Screw
1x Magnet
4x Friction Pads
1x Friction Nub

You can find full assembly instructions here. But…you don’t need them, since this comes fully-assembled.

Default firmware

The Bean Pointing Stick ships with QMK preloaded. Currently, we’re shipping with our version of QMK.

Want to load new firmware onto your Ploopy device? Loading new firmware is fast and easy, and doesn’t require anything except your computer. Check out our guide here. It includes a full set of instructions on loading new firmware. You can load new firmware with tools like QMK Toolbox or the QMK Configurator.

A note for macOS users: macOS does smoothing for input devices automatically. This interferes with the code that runs on the Bean, meaning that pixel-by-pixel high-resolution scrolling doesn’t work on macOS. Getting usable scrolling to work on macOS requires about 10 seconds of extra work; see here for full details.

Modding

Planning on modifying your device? Read through the official Modder’s Guide first for helpful tips!

Checkout page not working?

Sometimes, ad-blocking software will interfere with the checkout process. It’ll result in the checkout page hanging forever after you’ve entered your payment information. If this is happening to you, try temporarily disabling your ad-blockers.

Additional information

Weight	.052 kg
Dimensions	8.4 × 6.4 × 1.6 cm

Shipping & Returns

Shipping

We ship packages using Chit Chats, a Canadian logistics provider.
During the checkout process, you will see an estimate for delivery time. THIS IS NOT AN ESTIMATE FOR HOW LONG THE PRODUCT WILL TAKE TO ARRIVE FROM YOUR DATE OF PURCHASE. It is an estimate for how long the package will be in transit.
Orders will be shipped out on the basis of availability.
Ploopy may charge sales tax for sales of Products; Canadian orders will show sales tax (HST or GST) upon checkout, while International orders will have sales tax collected upon import.
If sales tax is not indicated during the checkout process, it will be collected upon import along with all other charges related to customs, duties, and brokerage fees. Ploopy does not receive these funds, nor do we mandate their collection; they are collected by customs as part of international trade agreements.
Shipping costs are not declared on customs forms; only the value of purchased goods is declared.
If a shipping option declares that it is (Untracked), no tracking number for the parcel will be provided.
Our logistics provider does not ship to certain countries. If you are located in a country that our logistics provider does not support, we will not be able to ship orders to you.
If you use a freight forwarding service, we will not be liable for any failed delivery attempts made by said freight forwarding service.

Returns

We offer a 30-day return policy (shipping not included). We cannot accept returns for kit products that have been assembled.

For more details please refer to our General Terms and Conditions of Sale and our Help Center.

Warranty Information

Included with your Ploopy hardware is a limited one (1) year manufacturers warranty from the date of purchase. Note that, among other terms, this warranty is automatically voided if you in any way alter the hardware, software or firmware you receive, including but not limited to flashing new firmware onto hardware you purchase from us.

For more details please refer to our Warranty Information.

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