Whenever you hear the phrase “joystick,” you most likely consider the usual dual-axis joysticks that we see on online game controllers. Because the identify implies, these transfer and supply indicators for 2 axes (X and Y). However there isn’t a cause {that a} joystick wants two axes and, actually, that is probably not fascinating. To display the practicality of single-axis joysticks, Austin Allen constructed this easy controller appropriate for a number of completely different functions.

Allen’s system controls three various things with its three single-axis joysticks: an RGB LED, a servo motor, and a stepper motor. Every of these is an instance of a single-axis at work. That axis maps to paint (pink and inexperienced) and brightness for the LED, horn place for the servo, and rotation path/velocity for the stepper motor. There are, in fact, a number of different viable use circumstances for single-axis joysticks.

To showcase this, Allen’s unit supplies indicators to an Arduino Nano board, which then controls the LED and motors. It controls the LED and servo motor straight, however goes by means of a TMC2208 driver to deal with the stepper motor. The indicators from the joysticks are simple to learn, as a result of they’re simply potentiometers. Every joystick accepts optimistic and adverse energy, then outputs a voltage between these two primarily based on its place. With an ordinary analogRead() operate, the Arduino can examine the voltage and decide the joystick place.

Chances are you’ll not have any use for this particular controller, but it surely does do a great job of illustrating potential functions for single-axis joysticks and you need to think about them for future tasks.