What do you do when you’re into trackball mice, but nothing out there is affordable or meets all your murine needs? You build one, of course. And if you’re like [Dangerously Explosive], who has a bunch of old optical mice squeaking around the shop, you can mix and match them to build the perfect one.
The mouse, which looks frozen mid-transformation into a rodential assassin, is a customized work of utilitarian art. Despite the excellent results, this project was not without its traps. [Dangerously] got really far into the build before discovering the USB interface chip was dead. Then he tried to sculpt a base out of Plasticine and discovered he’d bought the one kind of clay that can’t be baked. After trying his hand at making homemade salt dough, he painstakingly whittled a base from scrap pine using a drill and a hacksaw. Stretch Cord
Every bit of this mouse is made from recycled bits, which, if you pair that with the paint job and the chosen shade of blinkenlights, makes this a green mouse on three levels. One of the two parts of this mouse that isn’t literally green, the cord, is still ecologically sound. [Dangerously] wanted a really long tail, so he scavenged a charger cable built for fruity hardware and threaded it through a hollowed-out piece of purple paracord.
We love the thumb-adjacent scroll wheel and the trackball itself, which is a ping pong ball painted black. The cool part is the guide it rolls around in. [Dangerously] spent a long time hand-whittling the perfect size hole in a particularly wide mouse palm rest. All that plastic shaving paid off, because the action is smooth as Velveeta.
[Dangerously] certainly designed this mouse to fit his preferences, and ergonomics seem a bit secondary. For a truly custom fit, try using whatever passes for Floam these days.
I gotta remember that trick with the paracord, That’d be a great look for a finished project. Also, love the hack! good mice are so hard to come by.
It’s a fairly common practice among the PC modding community, done to make the wiring match their overall color scheme.
that’s very cool, but is it ergo?
As in "I think therefore I am"?
As in is this handcrafted mouse ergonomic enough to use for hours at a time without your hand cramping up.
At least I think that’s what dfgdfgdfgdfg meant by ergo……
“the action is smooth as Velveeta” I thought “a fresh jar of Skippy” was the current standard for smoothness.
(For the wider audience who might not be familiar with the brands: Velveeta is a brand of processed cheese product, Skippy is a brand of peanut butter.)
Is there any way to flip x or y axis on android?
Please be kind and respectful to help make the comments section excellent. (Comment Policy)
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Elastic Tie Down Straps By using our website and services, you expressly agree to the placement of our performance, functionality and advertising cookies. Learn more