Joystick Tutorial with Arduino (KY-0213)

Let's explore the functionality of the Analog Joystick - a device with two potentiometers to control the X and Y-axis and a Select switch, commonly used for retro gaming, robot control, or RC cars.

BASICS

The Arduino Uno and similar boards have an ADC resolution of 10 bits, which means that the values on each analog channel can range from 0 to 1023. By connecting the VRx and VRy pins of an analog joystick to the A0 and A1 inputs, respectively, the values can be read and used for various applications. The joystick's home position is (x,y: 511,511). Moving the stick on the X axis changes the X values from 0 to 1023, and the same occurs when moving along the Y axis. By reading these values, you can determine the stick's position anywhere in the upper half hemisphere.

Wiring Diagram

JOYSTICK GND-> Arduino GND

JOYSTICK +5V-> Arduino 5V

JOYSTICK VRx-> Arduino A0

JOYSTICK VRy-> Arduino A1

JOYSTICK SW-> Arduino 2

CODE

#define joyX A0

#define joyY A1

void setup() {

Serial.begin(9600);

}

void loop() {

// put your main code here, to run repeatedly:

xValue = analogRead(joyX);

yValue = analogRead(joyY);

//print the values with to plot or view

Serial.print(xValue);

Serial.print("\t");

Serial.println(yValue);

}