ZSA Moonlander Trackball

New version available. The Pimoroni version is not supported anymore (firmware need to be built with v23 which is outdated). But if you prefer the small size and you are prepared to downgrade your firmware, it works perfectly well.

There are many pointing device integrations for custom mechanical keyboards, but far fewer for pre-built keyboards. For the Moonlander, there was an interesting integration of a Logitech trackball by Nov1n. Recently, a more advanced attempt was featured on the ZSA blog. However, Kevin gave up halfway on integrating the Pimoroni trackball.

Today, I present the perfect integration of a Pimoroni trackball into the right thumb cluster of the Moonlander, while retaining 2 of the original 4 keys. The overall thickness is only 4mm more than the original. I can already hear criticisms about the precision of the Pimoroni trackball, but I have rewritten the QMK driver, and I can assure you the precision is there. 100% of office work is achievable. However, keep your mouse for fast-paced video games. Anyway, the Moonlander is too slow for gaming with its two parts connected. But with the left part and a mouse, it is formidable in games. The trackball on the right is what it was missing for daily use. After 2 years of use, the down side is that it needs proper cleaning twice a week.

Thanks to Kevin for his article on the ZSA blog. I had been working on this project for a year, and seeing his work motivated me to continue mine. I started with little knowledge of C, no experience in 3D modeling or 3D printing. For this project, I dove into QMK, learned Blender, and bought the excellent Prusa MK4. To implement this, you will need to know how to compile your own QMK firmware, master your 3D printer, and handle a soldering iron with precision. I encourage you to read all the instructions before starting.

Please download attached PDF (english and french available) to know how to build it.