BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING, READ THIS FIRST.

Do not flash new firmware until you've verified that the electronics are all working.

That means, finish building the trackball, plug it in, use the stock firmware for about five minutes. Verify that the cursor is moving.

Once you've verified that it all works, you're good to go flashing new firmware.

There's a video build guide available on YouTube!

Check it out here!

u/d4v3thund3r released this wonderful build guide for the Nano. He goes into a lot of detail, showing a few nifty tricks for putting everything together successfully. It'll give you a great overview of the build process, so go and check it out!

Main Instructions

In this section, you'll go over how to build a Nano Trackball from the official Ploopy Nano Trackball kit.

Note that some of these pictures were taken at different times, so they may show a bit of inconsistency in between steps.

Step 1: Get the necessary tools

• A #1 Phillips head screwdriver (or similar; you're looking for a small-ish screwdriver here)
• Soldering iron
• Solder

Step 2: Remove support material from 3D-printed parts

The top has support material that must be removed prior to use.

"Support material" is more hollow than the structural plastic. You'll have to remove it before you continue with the assembly.

Most of the time, it can be removed using nothing but your fingers. If you find a bit of support material is sticking, use a pair of pliers or tweezers to scrape it off. Be careful not to damage the parts as you remove the support material.

Step 3: Solder ADNS-5050 sensor to printed circuit board

Before soldering:

• MAKE SURE THAT THE ADNS-5050 IS ORIENTED CORRECTLY BEFORE YOU SOLDER IT! This is a really easy step to mess up, so DOUBLE-CHECK IT!
• There are two little dots on one corner of the ADNS-5050. This denotes "pin 1". Line this up with the "1" on the PCB. See the photo for clarification.
• Once you are absolutely, positively sure that you have oriented the ANDS-5050 correctly, solder it down.
• The sensor must be flat down as far as it can possibly slide into the holes before soldering. Don't let it "float" while you're soldering the first pin down.

Step 4: Remove the small kapton tab protecting the sensor

Now is also a good time to check your solder joints.

Step 5: Place aluminum tape into base

• Try your best to copy the placement of the tape as is shown in the photo.
• When the tape is installed, it should align with the hole in the PCB (which is inserted in the next step).

Step 6: Place printed circuit board into base

• Make sure that the printed circuit board is oriented correctly. Most of the electronics will be hidden when the board is inserted correctly.
• The printed circuit board might require a tiny bit of force to push in.

Step 7: Place ADNS-5050 sensor optic into top

• It's done this way to make installation easier. Just trust us on this one.
• Make sure that there is no support material left in the cavity of the top. The optic must sit completely flush with the cavity, or the top and bottom won't fit together correctly.
• Make sure that the optic is oriented correctly. If it's not oriented correctly, the optic will bump into the sensor in the next step.

Here's another image, to ensure correct alignment:

Step 8: Place bottom onto top

• Hold the top upside-down, and place the bottom onto the top. The printed circuit board shouldn't slide out.
• Only a tiny bit of force is necessary to put the two pieces together. If you have to press hard, something is very wrong. Take it apart and repeat the above steps, making sure things are oriented correctly.

Here's another image when the two are placed together:

Step 9: Screw top into base

Step 10: Prepare bearing press jig

Prepare the following components:

• Bearing press jig
• 3x roller bearing
• 3x roller bearing dowel

Step 11: Insert roller bearing and roller bearing dowel into bearing press jig

Step 12: Press the bearing press jig together

This may require a surprising amount of force. Try your best not to bend the roller bearing dowel, but if you do, there should be spares with your kit parts.

Step 13: Remove bearing from bearing press jig and repeat

At the end, all of your bearings should look like this.

Step 14: Insert roller bearings into top

• Ensure that the bearings are pressed all the way into the case. If the bearings aren't seated all the way, there's a good chance that the ball will become badly scratched.
• Needle nose pliers or some similar tool can be used to ensure that the bearing is fully seated.

Step 15: Prepare friction pads

Prepare the following components:

• Trackball body
• 4x friction pads

Step 16: Place friction pads on base

Step 17 (OPTIONAL): Remove a bit of shine from the ball

• If the ball is too shiny, the sensor isn't going to pick up a lot of the detail on the ball.
• Therefore, in order to make the Ploopy Nano function better, you'll have to remove a bit of the shine on the ball.
• Rub the ball in your own hands for about two minutes, and you'll be done.

Step 18 (OPTIONAL): Rub the ball with toothpaste

• This is an optional step. Only do this step if you complete the rest of the instructions and find that the cursor tracks poorly.
• If the ball is very reflective, the reflectiveness of the ball will interfere with the function of the sensor, causing poor tracking.
• A simple, effective fix is to get about a teaspoon of toothpaste onto the ball and rub it for about ten seconds.
• HEY! Did you read that? Ten seconds! If you need to, you can go longer the second time. But just go for ten seconds the first time! You don't want to make the ball a big scratched-up mess.
• Toothpaste is quite abrasive, so it will effectively "sand" the ball, causing it to become less shiny. It will also cause the ball to smell great!
• Once done, wash the ball (and your hands) well and try the ball again. The tracking should be greatly improved. If it isn't, try this step again.

Step 19: Insert the ball

Step 20: Verify that the Ploopy Nano Trackball is working correctly

Plug the trackball into your computer. If you move the ball, it should move the cursor.

Step 21: Spin the ball to break in the bearings

The bearings are a bit scratchy when they're new. To prevent them from jumping around during initial use, spin the ball with some Latin dance vigour for about three minutes. That should be enough to break them in.

The bearings will take about a week to become fully broken-in.

Step 22: All done!

Congrats, you finished building the Ploopy Nano Trackball!

It's done! Love it, use it, but don't you dare abuse it!