I built a mouse from scratch with 3D printing and Arduino

#arduino #3dprinting #mouse #photogrammetry #diy #programming #peripherals #computer #technology #pcb #pcbdesign
I designed and built this mouse to perfectly fit my hand using photogrammetry, 3D printing and Arduino.

This video was sponsored by PCBWay. They offer rapid prototyping and production services for PCB production, 3D printing, CNC machining and more.

Parts list, code, 3D files and PCB schematics:

Most of the code was based on this:

[lachlanlau]

I love the attention to repairability in this design.. nice work !!

[Anthromod]

Btw if you use a subdivision based workflow in blender, you can export the unsubdivided base mesh as a quad obj. You can import this into fusion 360, convert to t-spline in the form mode. When you close the form mode, you are left with a shape very close to the original subdivided model. I mention it as I find SubD modelling in Blender so much faster and easier than messing around with organic shapes in Fusion.

[rigaudio]

Nice. I can never seem to find the right mouse and have thought about making my own. Thanks for sharing your process!

[StormBurnX]

I picked up a Logi G305 Lightspeed a few years back and was surprised at how modular and repairable it was. After a few years when a click (left, I think?) inevitably died, I just... opened it up and desoldered out the switch to swap for one from a random other junk mouse I had. Never really thought it'd work but it's been great, and I've been curious about 3D printing a custom shell to put its guts into for even better modularity, but now I'm curious about just making one from scratch! What a great video!

[seesharpist]

Super cool! Love the photogrammetry to get a perfect fit for your hand. Your end shape actually reminds me exactly of the Mionix Naos, which is the most comfortable mouse I've ever owned. Great project!

[cygenta_modernCRTgamer]

ty for thissss I've been working on my own from scratch and it's been difficult to plan this from the ground up, from sensors, ICs, and wrapping it up into a PCB design. It's been hard to find others documenting the journey, especially at the level I'm trying to do it.

[TontonGahu]

Thanks for taking us along for the journey! Love the project!

[alex_oiman]

double index & middle buttons is something i now want on every mouse

[kalban]

Really nice take on custom mouse project, kudos to you

[darrennew]

Photogrammetry often uses the background to figure out what angle you're taking the picture from, so putting it on a turntable without extreme measures to 100% remove all background is exactly the wrong approach.

[Sciman]

Really cool! I've always wanted to try making a DIY mouse but wasn't sure where to get the optical sensor, definitely going to keep this in mind!

[patrickjdarrow]

Not easy picking up PCB design. Great stuff Ben!

[Ochiha_ita]

"I decided that its time to quit putting off the inevitable and finally LEARN PCB DESIGN!", "Finally decided to learn Python", "Ok its time to learn..." its like a pattern in every video, ... Love how you like to challenge yourself and keep learning. applause

[Afrotechmods]

I love your work and I have added your channel to my recommended channels list

[juskim]

Those keys are looking real good 🙆🏻‍♂️

[trupotato]

love your videos. you make it seem/sound so easy, like, "oh, I just did that." it's very inspiring

[nadimfetaih]

Good job! My first thought was that instead of a rotary encoder, you could use a BLDC motor - and even do custom dents into whatever mode you want to use! Not sure if it would be a better scroll wheel, but it WOULD be super neat to see you attempt it hahaha

Either way, very cool project! Keep up the great work!

[danielerognini]

Love the project and I've been looking into building my own mouse for a bit now but I'd say that repairing a mouse is far easier, especially the scroll wheel.

I had problems on my Razer Naga Chroma's scroll wheel and for anyone interested all I had to do was unsticking the plastic adhesives that cover the screws (gently, being careful not to break them to reuse them), unscrew the bottom, unscrew the mouse wheel rotary sensor (just another screw) and opening it. Inside there are some small metal legs that push against another metal part. In most cases to fix the sensor it's enough to bend the metal legs a little bit outwards using some tweezers, to make sure that they make contact with the other part of the sensor. After that put everything back together and that should be it! It's that easy and doesn't cost you a penny. If you have some at home I'd suggest putting a tiny bit of lube in it, such as wd40, it will help the contacts last longer without interfering with the functionality of the sensor.

For the buttons it's a tiny bit more complicated, but nothing that you wouldn't have to do if you consider building your custom mouse: soldering!
You just have to spend a few cents for another mouse switch (or rescue it from another broken mouse), open up your mouse, locate the switch that isn't working. Then you just have to desolder the old switch and solder in the new one. To desolder it, if you don't have the tools to do it don't worry: you can improvise and try to do the job using just the soldering iron. You just have to hold the tip of the iron on one of the pins that you have to desolder until the solder gets melted, then you try to move one part of the switch out (doesn't matter if it doesn't completely come off, don't rush it). Once done do the same for the other pin of the switch. You continue to repeat this bit by bit until the switch eventually comes off. Then you solder in the new one and another mouse has been saved from the trash!

ps: just to make it clear, no hating here! Just a guy, whose primary language isn't english, that is trying to share some knowledge with people that may need it or just be interested :)

[carsonwalker]

Insanely cool and well thought out project!

[NicksStuff]

Lovely design. I hope to see a more polished V2 some day