Playstation Analog Sticks

Dylan · June 20, 2009, 05:01:41 PM

Has anyone ever used them for bending? I was thinking about it but I'm not sure if it would work. Gannon used an XBox one so I'm guessing it's possible.

RESONANCECIRCUITS · June 20, 2009, 05:54:46 PM

hello to everyone on the forum, brand new today.

delfy on ebay recently produced a synth that used analogue sticks,seemed to work well, so must be possible

Circuitbenders · June 20, 2009, 08:24:15 PM

How do they work? Are they like normal joysticks with variable resistance accross two contacts for the X and Y axis or is there circuitry inside the controller to convert the output into something else?

Gordonjcp · June 21, 2009, 12:11:45 AM

I think - I don't have one to take apart, so I'm not sure - they work more like mice than a pot. The ones in N64 controllers are basically a quadrature opto-sensor like a mouse with about a quarter turn of movement.

LoFi-Ninja · June 21, 2009, 01:24:02 AM

It's just potentiometers..

I think value's are 1 or 5 Kohm...

noystoise · June 21, 2009, 07:46:15 AM

yeah, they're just two separate linear 10k's. i've used them many times. in old sega saturn controllers you can sometimes find 100k's and the tiniest slide pots you've ever seen in the L2 and R2 buttons. you can also open the joysticks up and remove the spring inside to make the stick stay in any desired position. in fact i just found a pretty interesting pair at the thrift store the other day. just balls...

Matt the Modulator · June 21, 2009, 05:30:27 PM

There is a kit here to convert the controlls of a PS2 controller (and guitar hero) into midi measages
http://www.curiousinventor.com/kits/midiator
check the sites other anlog kits too like atari punk and anlog step sequencer !

Kinosness · June 30, 2009, 08:06:48 AM

Does anyone know if PSP joysticks are the same?

I just found a cheap source:

https://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.10831

noystoise · June 30, 2009, 10:36:30 AM

yes, they are potentiometers but they are slide potentiometers. the ones i've used were something like 85k and both pots share a common outer lug. i simply opened mine up and cut the trace to isolate the two pots. i got all mine from wireless controllers though. i've never actually used the psp version. im sure theyre the same.
i recently opened up a dreamcast controller and found that instead of pots it had these tiny smd relay things and the joystick had a magnet in it. that was kind of disappointing.

Matt the Modulator · July 17, 2009, 07:44:41 AM

Quote from: noystoise on June 30, 2009, 10:36:30 AM
yes, they are potentiometers but they are slide potentiometers. the ones i've used were something like 85k and both pots share a common outer lug. i simply opened mine up and cut the trace to isolate the two pots. i got all mine from wireless controllers though. i've never actually used the psp version. im sure theyre the same.
i recently opened up a dreamcast controller and found that instead of pots it had these tiny smd relay things and the joystick had a magnet in it. that was kind of disappointing.

ive just opened a guitar hero controller and the strum bar is the same two reed lookinjg things and the bar has magnets in it !!! do they work like resitors they seem just to be non contact switches

Circuitbenders · July 17, 2009, 11:37:25 AM

Quote from: matt the modulator on July 17, 2009, 07:44:41 AM
the same two reed lookinjg things and the bar has magnets in it !

that'll be reed switches then.

They are just on off switches activated by the magnet.

Matt the Modulator · July 17, 2009, 04:52:43 PM

cheers paul thats cleared up a problem i was having

Tyler1144 · August 30, 2009, 05:17:23 PM

Lucky me, i got a crap load of n64 and ps1 controllers