I think the idea is to get a “2-hand workflow” for CAD mainly?
It’s a “6-DOF controller”
The knob can be
- tilted in X and Y
- translated/shifted in X and Y
- twisted around the Z axis
- pushed/pulled up/down the Z axis
Respectively, these movements will:
- rotate the view around the object
- move the object in X and Y around the screen
- rotate the object (like a barrel roll)
- zoom in/out
This is mainly intended to control the camera in a CAD software, because some of the camera control will require a key/mouse combination with a classic mouse
This way, you can keep your right hand on the mouse, and left hand on the spacemouse controller, and only use the keyboard to input values
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I haven’t gotten a feel for this yet but maybe it’s to high (no need for the extensions) and maybe it should be shaped like the left palm of your hand on the bottom left and top left parts.
As much as I’d love to, you still need some space to fit the joysticks 
Getting slimer than this might require smaller joysticks (but probably costly and not as easy to integrate), or a totally different system (eg: the one with magnets and an IMU)
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The joysticks here seems to be PS2, I see that there are PS4/5 joysticks as well as Switch joysticks that seem to utilze the “hall effect”. The price isn’t that much higher.
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PS4:
Once you add a support or breakout PCB I’m not sure it’s much smaller
Switch:
It’s a lot smaller alright… But I can’t even begin to imagine how on earth you’d attach a ball joint to this
Plus the ribbon-style connection doesn’t make it too tinker-friendly
Maybe there’s something that can be done with PSP/DS-style joysticks that just “slide” rather than tilt
Place one of these underneath the knob for translation movement + 2 more classical joysticks on the sides for tilt and twist
The range of motion could be problematic though…
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I had a very, very good idea that looks a bit like a joystick but with a more… natural… grip… But I can’t post pictures because it would get me banned. 
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I think the Adafruit Overview | Adafruit TLV493 Triple-Axis Magnetometer | Adafruit Learning System is interesting and it seems nifty and it’s inexpensive.
I had an idea about a smaller joystick, more like a pen for a tablet mounted in the middle. Then the pen could move but also click and maybe rotate or just have the tip to rotate. I am slowly learning Inventor and this could help me learn.
This is the first mod I had in mind !
Very surprised nobody has done it, because a banana is definitely the right shape to fit in a man’s hand!
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This is what the one you posted earlier uses, and probably the original spacemouse too
Yes, I found it when looking at the alternatives. By the time my PS2 joysticks arrive this will probaly have come a long way.
Do you think joysticks or magnets is the best way to move forward?
I’d say the magnets are a better solution but there’s been only one guy working on this, and no real update made to it
The one Teaching tech posted is like a “definitive edition” of a cheaper/simpler solution, with a great documentation and synthesis work
You only need to print and follow the instructions (with video) to get a working device
In the end it depends on what you’re after : a diy project you can develop on (and probably never finished), or a working spacemouse-like device (with a few flaws maybe)
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This looks a lot better size to me. I will say 3d connection did a great job on the size/shape of the real space mouse. But with the price of this thing i am sure they had a much higher internal parts budget lol.
Your more compact version looks a lot better. That HUGE thing TT made was just way too big for me. I never have that much open desk space LOL.
If you get this smaller one working I might actually make one to bring back and forth to work. Right now I take my space mouse but I am always worried about it. idk why the damn thing is a tank lol. But none the less I really like the look of your smaller version, as long as everything fits inside in real life and it still works lol.
I want to try it out, learn something and see if I need this. What are your intentions?
It’s not “a lot” slimmer, but I think the difference in look and feel will be noticeable
It will be slightly taller with the base, but I think I’ll make a thinner one too…
Note: printing this with 0% infill was a bad idea… re-printing right now…
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any bit slimmer is better in my opinion. It looks good!
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Have to have a drop desk to use it or stading desk
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The bigest problem i have is being a hopeless left hander never found a mouse that is comfortable always pading and bandages
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Yeah that must suck. I know they make left handed mouse, but not many of them lol. At least the space mouse would give your left had something to do LOL
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