When you spend a lot of time doing some more professional tasks on your computer (no, we’re not talking about browsing cat fans on twitter), you start to think that your basic touch pad or mouse lacks something. Do we think something might be called “usability” or maybe ease of use? Anyway, a large number of CAD users pour out their favorite mouse rack. One of the particularly interesting input devices is the space mouse, which is basically patented and can only be obtained from 3Dconnexion. But what about open source alternatives you can build yourself? After entering the stage left, the simple small structure of the object created by [faqt0tum] combines an analog joystick and a rotary handle, a rear button and an OLED display at the front to complete the user interface.
The idea is quite straightforward; You set the firmware using the application you want to use, and the firmware sends hid events to the connected PC to replace mouse or keyboard input. Since your machine will get input from multiple sources, it will not replace your mouse, but enhance the mouse. This may not be very accurate for detailed PCB layout, but it may be a very useful supplement to the workstation for moving in 3D view or dialing in video editing, so why not try it? The wiring is simple, the parts are easy to find, and the price is cheap, and there are only a few printed parts! The scribe is now printing plastic. If you listen carefully, you may hear luzbert’s voice in the background.
There are many other aspects of this idea with different complexity, such as the incredible construction of [ahmsville]. Unfortunately, it does not publicly provide PCB. The following is an example of smashing an expensive 3Dconnexion space mouse into a base frame.