Joystick design idea

[Ummon]

I may've mentioned something like this before:


A 'conduction band' around the inside, with four sections, one for each direction. The stick touching them would complete a circuit or something. Perhaps a small gap or insulating material would be needed between them. These would also serve as the restrictor, and could result in much more precise 'actuation'. For different degrees of throw, various outer-diameter actuators could be put over the shaft.

Also, the band could be just pressure-sensitive rather than conductive.

[mlalena]

If the stick itself completed a circuit, then either
A) The stick would have to touch 2 of the contact points
B) The stick would have to always be connected to a ground and would complete the circuit when connecting to one contact point

I don't think either of these designs are better than microswitch designs for 4-8 way sticks. People are pretty violent with joysticks when playing some games. Its one thing for a joystick to flip a switch. Its another for the joystick to directly contact the electrical circuit. Repair time/costs are easier when all you have to do is replace a microswitch.

For pressure-sensitive / variable throw... issues, the 49 way Happ or U360 work fine. On my U360s, there is no contact between the moving parts and the circuit board that determines which way the stick has moved.

[IG-88]

I like it. Would the stick itself be "live" therefore completing the circuit or having it push the band into another metal piece to make the circuit?

[Ummon]

If the stick itself completed a circuit, then either
A) The stick would have to touch 2 of the contact points
B) The stick would have to always be connected to a ground and would complete the circuit when connecting to one contact point

I don't think either of these designs are better than microswitch designs for 4-8 way sticks. People are pretty violent with joysticks when playing some games. Its one thing for a joystick to flip a switch. Its another for the joystick to directly contact the electrical circuit. Repair time/costs are easier when all you have to do is replace a microswitch.

For pressure-sensitive / variable throw... issues, the 49 way Happ or U360 work fine. On my U360s, there is no contact between the moving parts and the circuit board that determines which way the stick has moved.

I was wondering about the electrical aspect. What IG-88 suggests below could be a work around, though the accuracy might suffer. Wait, perhaps if the stick interrupted the current, similar to a switch being on 'no' ? No, that wouldn't work, because presumably the band sections would be in series....no, should be fine cos buttons are wired in series and they work independently, right?

By pressure-sensitive, I didn't mean analog-like, but simple pressure switches like on electrical instruments. Triggers. That might be the best, although they would just be super short throw switches. I'd like that, though.

U360....yeah, I know, and this design would have to be economically competetive with current digital stick designs.

[RayB]

The problem with this design is friction causes intermittent "no contact" even when to the player it would "feel" like there was contact. That's why joysticks are designed with the "feel" and "contact" operations separated. It's also why Atari resorted to "hall effect" for getting more than one direction using a similar principal as what you describe. It's the same thing except that magnetics detect proximity as well as "where" the tick is pushing. With magnetics, you can detect a range of the stick's position, where-as with your idea, its too binary. It either touches and is "on" or its not touching and is "off".

[Turnarcades]

Seems a bit advanced for most arcade play, plus being statically charged as I find myself often (blowing light bulbs etc.) I'd be conscious of touching a shaft with a current running so close to the hand regardless of the insulation surrounding it. I blow light bulbs from plastic switches!

[Ummon]

The problem with this design is friction causes intermittent "no contact" even when to the player it would "feel" like there was contact. That's why joysticks are designed with the "feel" and "contact" operations separated.

Yeah, this was a thought I hadn't really articulated.

Seems a bit advanced for most arcade play, plus being statically charged as I find myself often (blowing light bulbs etc.) I'd be conscious of touching a shaft with a current running so close to the hand regardless of the insulation surrounding it. I blow light bulbs from plastic switches!

Dude, sounds like a psychic phenomenon.