The motivation behind creating the Joystick DIY Kit is to offer a project that is simple to build and highly versatile to use. With this Joystick Kit you are able to easily control a wide variety of motorized projects.
You can also find these instructions and more information about this project on our confluence project info page that is linked on this page.
Gather your Joystick Kit PCB and all required components listed in the BOM.
It is especially important to follow the BOM exactingly as it tells you where to place the components on the PCB. The fifth column on the BOM is the “parts” column. This column designates which position on the PCB you are to pace the component. For example, if under the parts column you have a resistor labeled r1 you would then find the position marked r1 on the PCB and place the resistor there.
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Step 2: Wiring your Joystick to the Builder Base
On the back of your Joystick PCB you will have a 2x5 header. This is where you will plug in your cables to the client.
The table below shows how each terminal on the 2x5 header corresponds to the Joystick and button components on the PCB.
From the two diagrams below you can see how we wired the 2x5 header to the Builder Base.
2x5 Header
Builder Base
First we will start by connecting the GND and 3.3V terminals to the GND and 3.3V ports respectively on the Builder Base.
Be careful to make sure that you connect the Joystick to 3.3V and not 5V. If you don’t the readings from the joystick will be off.
Then we connect the remaining header terminals to the builder base as follows:
SW1 → GP0
Y1 → GP1
X1 → GP2
SW2 → GP3
Y2 → GP4
X2 → GP5
SW3 → GP6
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Step 3: Build the Firmware
Remember: All Apps and Firmware Files are available in the resources section at the bottom of the page!
Navigate to the Firmware Builder and create a new Firmware file. We named ours Joystick.
Next, click the “+ Add Hardware” button and find the Joystick device via the search bar, select it, name it, and then click “Add Hardware”. We named ours Left.
Now, add another device by clicking the “Add Hardware” button again, and add another Joystick. We named this one “Right”.
Lastly, we will add one more device. Repeat the steps above to add another device, but this time search for a “Button”.
You should now have three devices in your firmware file.
Now you can follow this video to configure each device in the firmware file.
You have now finished configuring your firmware. Save your firmware by clicking the “Save” button at the bottom of the screen.
Now you can upload your firmware to the Build Base.