Appendix C: Hardware

Buying hardware from us

Getting all of the hardware on your own can be tricky because the parts you select may not fit perfectly. That's why we sell kits with everything you need to build a Ploopy Nano Trackball. Here's why that's great for you:

• Everything is guaranteed to fit together perfectly
• Everything is guaranteed to work as intended
• You'll end up saving money - probably quite a bit of money - by not spending on extra parts

Your call. You'll sort it out.

Getting your own hardware

This guide was a bit light on detail in the other sections, and that's because the hardware has to conform to many specifications. They'll all be listed here.

First, a complete list of all the hardware you'll need:

• 1x M3x8mm flat-countersunk machine socket head screw
• 3x MR63ZZ roller bearings
• 5x friction pads
• 1x snooker ball

We'll be going over all of them in detail. There will be mentions of critical specifications; if you're going to be sourcing your own parts, you must get parts that conform to the critical specifications. If you go off-menu, the parts will not fit the way that we intended when we designed the trackball. That might mean that your trackball doesn't work.

Let's get cracking.

M3x8mm flat-countersunk machine socket head screw

Here are the critical specifications:

• M3
• 8mm length
• 5.6mm head diameter
• 1.7mm head height
• 90 degree countersink angle

MR63ZZ roller bearings

Here are the critical specifications:

• MR63ZZ bearing
• 3mm inner diameter
• 6mm outer diameter
• 2.5mm thickness

Friction pads

There aren't really critical specifications for this. Use whatever you've got on hand.

Snooker ball

We use 1.5-inch diameter (38.10mm) miniature snooker balls. Any ball between 37.60mm and 38.30mm will work.