Installation Instructions

Setup flow, flashing notes, host driver setup, and validation checklist for the Trackball to Spacemouse Emulator.

These installation notes describe the intended setup flow for the Trackball to Spacemouse Emulator. Exact wiring and repository-specific commands should be checked against the firmware repository before building another unit.

Before You Start

  • Raspberry Pi Pico 2 W or the board version used by the project.
  • USB trackball receiver or compatible mouse-style HID receiver.
  • USB cable for connecting the Pico to the computer.
  • A computer with the 3Dconnexion SpaceMouse driver installed.
  • A Chromium-based browser for the Web Serial configurator.
  • Pico SDK, CMake, and the required TinyUSB/PIO USB build dependencies for firmware development.

Build And Flash

  1. Clone or download the project repository when it is available publicly.
  2. Install the Pico SDK and required build tools for your operating system.
  3. Configure the firmware build with CMake.
  4. Build the firmware target and generate the UF2 file.
  5. Put the Pico into bootloader mode.
  6. Copy the generated UF2 file to the Pico bootloader drive.
  7. Allow the board to reboot as the emulated input device.

Connect The Trackball Receiver

The receiver is connected to the Pico host-side USB wiring. The current build used a simple four-wire USB connection. Before publishing build instructions publicly, document the exact VBUS, GND, D+, and D- wiring used in the final hardware so the page can become a repeatable build guide.

Install Host Driver

  1. Install the 3Dconnexion SpaceMouse driver on Windows or macOS.
  2. Connect the flashed Pico to the computer.
  3. Confirm that the operating system and CAD application recognize the emulated navigation device.
  4. Open Fusion 360 or FreeCAD and test pan, zoom, rotation, and roll behavior.

Configure Axis Mapping

  1. Open the local browser configurator page.
  2. Connect to the Pico through the browser Web Serial prompt.
  3. Load the current mapping from the device.
  4. Adjust movement, wheel, and button-modified axis assignments.
  5. Tune sensitivity values for comfortable CAD navigation.
  6. Save the configuration back to the device.
  7. Let the Pico reboot and test the updated behavior in CAD software.

Validation Checklist

  • Trackball movement is received consistently.
  • Translation and rotation axes respond in the expected direction.
  • Wheel input maps to zoom or the selected axis.
  • Button-modified behavior switches correctly.
  • Settings persist after unplugging and reconnecting the device.
  • Fusion 360 and FreeCAD both receive navigation input.

Known Documentation Gaps

  • Exact final wiring pinout needs to be documented before this becomes a complete public build guide.
  • Repository-specific build commands should be added after the public GitHub repo is finalized.
  • Screenshots or photos of the wiring and configurator would make the installation page easier to follow.