Are you itching for an easy way to mount a PSP-like thumb joystick to your project? This Mini 2-Axis Analog Thumbstick plus Analog Mini Thumbstick Breakout Board will help you do just that!
The joystick is small with a black rocker cap, similar to the PSP joysticks. It is a ‘self-centering’ analog-type, and is comprised of two 10KΩ potentiometers, one for up / down and another for left / right.
You can solder the potentiometer pins onto a custom breakout board if you so choose, but our thumbstick PCB that you see here is a perfect match. It’s a neat little PCB, on which you can mount the thumbstick. Since it’s analog, you’ll need two analog reading pins on your microcontroller to determine X and Y.
We designed the breakout so that you can attach the thumbstick to a panel easily. A 4-pin 0.1″ spaced header makes it easy to connect either in a perfboard/breadboard setting or free wiring; with headers on both sides it is mechanically stable. You’ll need to solder a thumbstick into the PCB using a soldering iron and solder, but its very simple and will only take a minute.
When fully assembled and functioning, the voltage will follow the motion of the thumbstick as it is moved around. When you release the thumbstick it will center itself. Great for robotics and other control interfaces!
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