One of the coolest things that came with the release of the Raspberry Pi Pico was making the RP2040 (and recently RP2350) microprocessors available for purchase. Makers get incredibly creative with implementing this processor into their projects, and today, we've got an excellent example to share of just that. The masterminds behind Ploopy Co have assembled an RP2040-powered trackpad they call the Ploopy Trackpad.
The Ploopy team decided to make this project totally open source, which means you can access all of the build files and software to recreate it or modify it yourself at home. But if you don't feel like 3D printing, ordering a PCB, and programming it yourself, you can always buy one pre-made for $94 at the Ploopy website. Alternatively, you can meet somewhere in the middle and order a kit to assemble yourself for about $72.
Every aspect of the trackpad has been designed with open-source accessibility in mind. The board inside is a custom PCB featuring the RP2040 microprocessor. The outer shell is 3D printable with STL files you can tinker with and experiment with different designs and filament types.
The trackpad's housing neatly contains all of the hardware inside and provides USB port access on the outside. It features a custom PCB powered by an RP2040 and an ATMXT1066TD chip to handle the tracking. The PCB files are available on GitHub so that you can order or modify them with customizations.
If you order the kit or pre-assembled model, it will come with QMK out of the box. This is free, open-source firmware used by many makers when building HID projects like keyboards, mice, or, in this case, a trackpad. All of the other source code is available on GitHub, as well. There, you'll also find some supporting docs to help with assembly.
If you want to take a closer look at this Raspberry Pi project, you can visit the Ploopy website. Be sure to follow them for updates and more cool open-source projects.
