Colin

We're frequently asked why #Ploopy devices aren't wireless. There's a bunch of reasons, which I decided to write out in a blog post. It's not only an explanation of wired vs. wireless, but also a little peak into our engineering process.

Here's the post: https://blog.ploopy.co/wired-vs-wireless-234

This is an amazing #Ploopy Adept build by Danny Howard! It's inspired by the Commodore 64. Really showcases what an #opensource design combined with a passion for 3D-printing can do!

Find Danny on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/user/_MusicManDan_/

Or on Instagram: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_musicmandan_/

We've got big plans for 2025! We've got:
- Trackpad preorder fulfillment!
- BIG updates coming to the Classic (and a sale!)
- And a few other things!

Full details in our blog, here: https://blog.ploopy.co/our-plans-for-2025-158

Here's a video of our in-house PCB manufacturing (I shot this about five minutes ago). This is the machine that produces all of our PCBs. It's currently making Trackpads.

We'll be making the majority of the Tier A preorders for the Trackpad today and tomorrow.

Our websites are targeted fairly frequently by hackers. I wrote a blog post about one such hacker that tried to break into our website, what they tried to do, and how we protect ourselves against these sorts of attacks.

Here's the post: https://blog.ploopy.co/sql-injections-on-wordpress-websites-287

The #raspberrypi RP2040 is a great chip. We use it in our #Ploopy Headphones. If you've ever wondered why we use it, or how such a cheap chip can produce a 20-band EQ, here's a primer on the RP2040 and how it makes the Headphones go:

https://blog.ploopy.co/rp2040-the-little-engine-that-could-96

This #Ploopy Trackpad was made by Mennenth! They sanded down the original case and put a vinyl sticker on the front. They say that "sanding also improves the feel of the base surface, at least imo and for me, I really like the feel of the matte vinyl".

You can find Mennenth on YouTube: @Mennenth@www.youtube.com

We've been experimenting with a new process to insert chips into PCBs. Here's a full technical writeup on our process and how it impacts the #Ploopy kits that we ship out:

https://blog.ploopy.co/using-spring-contact-principles-with-chip-pcb-interfaces-170

This is a carrying case for the Ploopy Adept, 3D-printable and everything! It was designed by Reasonable_Cut1580 over on Reddit.

Get the STL here: https://github.com/ArtiomSu/artiomsu-trackball-comparisons-and-mods/blob/main/ploopy-adept-stl/ploopy_case-base-no-username.stl

Designer credit: https://www.reddit.com/user/Reasonable_Cut1580/

Our latest design release generated a bit of a conversation about whether or not STEP files are meaningfully open-source.

I believe they are. I wrote about it here: https://blog.ploopy.co/are-step-files-open-source-278

Unboxing a Ploopy can be an interesting experience, to say the least. Here's a full explanation on why we package things the way that we do: https://blog.ploopy.co/unboxing-ploopies-162

We have an official shop account: @ploopy@mastodon.social!

From now on, #Ploopy announcements about design releases, showcases featuring builds by our community members, and open-source contributions from hackers working on our designs will be posted there.

I'll continue posting links to things I write on our blog, which will usually be inside looks at how we run the shop.

@gbrnt@hackers.town It happens to us all! Feel free to reach out if inspiration strikes.

@ekaitz_zarraga@mastodon.social 🙏

@gbrnt@hackers.town Thanks! Any interest in doing a BTU mod for it? We can help get things going if you're keen.