Arduino PS2 Analog Thumbstick Test 001

This is my latest creation using the Arduino Microcontroller (and an old PS2 controller :P SALVAGED!!!) I have seen loads of videos of people hooking up thier arduino to the wii Nunchuck and using the joystick and the accelerometer. However I wondered if there was a more economical (cheap ass) way to get a joystick for the arduino. I then found a small breakout board on http://www.sparkfun.com/ which I bought on impulse when buying my arduino starter kit. Its just a board that allows you to connect a thumbstick (like the PS2 analog thumbsticks) to the arduino with 5 header pins. You could buy the thumbsticks ready to go on the site but i didnt as I had an old PS2 at home that I dont use and I have 2 controllers for it (I already stole the motor out of one before XD ). So I tried to remove the thumbstick from the PS2 controller's main board but this was easier said than done as I have no device for removing solder other than a soldering iron :P . So with some persuasion in the form of a pliers I freed it from the board and melted the bits of solder off the many pins. Then I plugged it into the breakout board and resoldered all the pins (better than I normally would, im a total soldering newb :P ). Then I just soldered in 5 header pins into the board and plugged them into a breadboard. Then I just hooked it all up to the arduino, wrote a quick program and uploaded it to the arduino and boom it worked. The stick is made up of 2 petentiometers and a button (when u press the stick down). The program I wrote just gets the input from both potentiometers and prints them as x and y values through the serial to the computer. The values it prints here are raw but they could easily be mapped to proper values to control 2 servos, or too control the RGB values of an RGB LED. This is a very cheap way to incorporate a joystick into your arduino at low cost (the board was like €1.50 and the stick would be about the same if you dont have an old PS2 controller, in which case you would already have 2 sticks). It was also very easy, the hardest part was removing the thumbstick from the PS2 controller board, and that would have been easier if I had a solder sucker and a newer soldering iron. I would recommend people to try this it works well and there is plenty you could do with it. There is even (if i recall) a way to make your computer think the arduino is a HID controller which means you could effectively make your own controller with this and a few buttons. I am very excited about this and can't wait to see what I can do with it... (joystick, 2 servos, arduino, tiny wireless cam, PAN AND TILT CAMERA!!!!!! XD ). And if you read all that text, fair play to you, give yourself a pat on the back XD.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• arduino
• ps2
• joystick
• thumbstick
• hack
• mod
• analog
• input
• controller

[T86157]

Did you have to buy headers with the Breakout Board for the thumb joystick?

[89nephilim]

@T86157 I honestly can't remember for the life of me, either they came with it or the arduino I forget, sorry.

[callofdutyrocks12]

w8 is the ps2 thumsick the same from a ps3??

[89nephilim]

I wouldn't know to be honest, but i'd guess it is. You can find the specs if you google it.

[A1260T]

wow so i ould do gamecube pad too? the actual joystick unit has the wires that just plug right into arduino? so cool.

[89nephilim]

Actually its not that easy, I used a breakout board for the stick that I got from Sparkfun's online store. Only cost like 2 bucks and it works great but without it it might not be too easy.

[roboter421]

@T86157: You can use a voltage-divider! Put an 10kOhm Resistor between the analog input and the GND. Then you connect the adc-pin from the joystick to the analog input (where the resistor to GND) and the other legs to 5v and GND. I think, I make a video about this!

MfG

[T86157]

I just bought myself a couple of breakout boards for the joystick potentiometers. I have one more question: I get analogRead values of 0 when I barely move it down for vertical and right for horizontal. Is there a way to fix this so that I can read a larger range? So far I get roughly 0 to 1023 for both vertical and horizontal reads but one side like I've said, goes to 0 much more quickly than the other side reaching the max analogRead value I get.

[purplemutantas]

I just got done unsoldering some joysticks from an xbox controller from the thrift shop. Now it's time to hook it up to my arduino!

+1 on the desoldering pump. Makes things SO much easier. My desoldering pump broke while I was removing the joysticks :( Now it's temporarily held together with duct tape. I may just have to go out and get a new one. I also want to try solder wick and see how that compares,

[nata911]

HEY, AS LONG AS ITS FUN TO MESS WITH



[azayles]

I have one of these I've managed, after much poncing about, to solder to a piece of 100mil matrix board :P

I read your whole description and I'll say this: Get a desoldering pump! You can get em all over the place, and they're immensely handy :D

A question regarding the thumbstick: What's the range of values you get out of it? If I hooked up an 8bit ADC to the centre pins of the pots (which I'm going) will I get 0 to 255, with the centre at 128? or will the range at the extremes be more limited?

[omlan]

I wonder if it would work with my Snake Chaser!