Joystick 3 Click, as its foundation, uses 2765, a high-quality mini 2-axis analog-type thumbstick from Adafruit Industries. This type of joystick has a self-centering feature that allows it to center itself the moment when you release the joystick. It also contains a comfortable cup-type black knob/cap, which gives the feel of a thumbstick, making it very similar to the 'analog' joysticks on PSP joysticks, suitable for numerous applications as a human-machine interface.

It comprises two 10kΩ potentiometers, one for up/down and another for left/right direction, used as dual adjustable voltage dividers providing 2-axis analog input in a control stick form. With the joystick fully assembled and functioning, the voltage will follow the motion of the thumbstick as it is moved around.

The measurements of the potentiometer resistance change are needed to read the joystick's physical position. That's why the MCP3204, a 12-bit A/D converter from Microchip, connects the joystick with mikroBUS™ using a simple serial interface compatible with the SPI protocol to determine the value of the joystick's X and Y. As the MCP3204 has a resolution of 12 bits, the values on each analog channel (axis) can vary from 0 to 4095. So, if the stick is moved on the X axis from one end to the other, the X values will change from 0 to 4095, and a similar thing happens when moved along the Y axis. The value of the joystick staying in its center position is around 2048. Also, the MCP3204 is capable of conversion rates of up to 100ksps.

This Click board™ can be operated only with a 3.3V logic voltage level. The board must perform appropriate logic voltage level conversion before using MCUs with different logic levels. However, the Click board™ comes equipped with a library containing functions and an example code that can be used, as a reference, for further development.

SPECIFICATIONS