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Grove - Thumb Joystick

Grove - Thumb Joystick is a Grove compatible module which is very similar to the 'analog' joystick on PS2 (PlayStation 2) controllers. The X and Y axes are two ~10k potentiometers which control 2D movement by generating analog signals. The joystick also has a push button that could be used for special applications. When the module is in working mode, it will output two analog values, representing two directions. Compared to a normal joystick, its output values are restricted to a smaller range (i.e. 200~800), only when being pressed that the X value will be set to 1023 and the MCU can detect the action of pressing.

Version​

Product VersionChangesReleased Date
Grove - Thumb Joystick V1.1InitialOct 2016

Specifications​

ItemMinTypicalMaxUnit
Working Voltage4.755.05.25V
Output Analog Value （X coordinate）206516798\
Output Analog Value （Y coordinate）203507797\
tip

More details about Grove modules please refer to Grove System

Platforms Supported​

ArduinoRaspberry Pi
caution

The platforms mentioned above as supported is/are an indication of the module's software or theoritical compatibility. We only provide software library or code examples for Arduino platform in most cases. It is not possible to provide software library / demo code for all possible MCU platforms. Hence, users have to write their own software library.

Getting Started​

note

If this is the first time you work with Arduino, we firmly recommend you to see Getting Started with Arduino before the start.

Play With Arduino​

Demonstration​

The Grove - Thumb Joystick is an analog device that outputs analog signal ranging from 0 to 1023. That requires us to use the analog port of Arduino to take the readings.

Hardware​

  • Step 1. Prepare the below stuffs:
Seeeduino V4.2Base ShieldGrove - Thumb Joystick
enter image description hereenter image description hereenter image description here
Get One NowGet One NowGet One Now
  • Step 2. Connect the module to the A0/A1 of Grove - Base Shieldby using the 4-pin grove cable.
  • Step 3. Plug Grove - Base Shield into Seeeduino.
  • Step 4. Connect Seeeduino to PC via a USB cable.

note

If we don't have Grove Base Shield, We also can directly connect Grove-Thumb Joystick to Seeeduino as below.

SeeeduinoGrove - Thumb Joystick
5VRed
GNDBlack
A1White
A0Yellow

Software​

  • Step 1. Copy and paste code below to a new Arduino sketch.
/*
  Thumb Joystick demo v1.0
  by:https://www.seeedstudio.com
  connect the module to A0&A1 for using;
*/

void setup()
{
    Serial.begin(9600);
}

void loop()
{
    int sensorValue1 = analogRead(A0);
    int sensorValue2 = analogRead(A1);

    Serial.print("The X and Y coordinate is:");
    Serial.print(sensorValue1, DEC);
    Serial.print(",");
    Serial.println(sensorValue2, DEC);
    Serial.println(" ");
    delay(200);
}
  • Step 2. You can check the values of the output analog signals by opening the Serial Monitor.

The output value from the analog port of Arduino can be converted to the corresponding resistance by using the formula:R=(float)(1023-sensorValue)*10/sensorValue.

Play with Codecraft​

Hardware​

Step 1. Connect a Grove - Thumb Joystick to port A0 of a Base Shield.

Step 2. Plug the Base Shield to your Seeeduino/Arduino.

Step 3. Link Seeeduino/Arduino to your PC via an USB cable.

Software​

Step 1. Open Codecraft, add Arduino support, and drag a main procedure to working area.

note

If this is your first time using Codecraft, see also Guide for Codecraft using Arduino.

Step 2. Drag blocks as picture below or open the cdc file which can be downloaded at the end of this page.

cc

Upload the program to your Arduino/Seeeduino.

success

When the code finishes uploaded, you will see the coordinate of X and Y displayed in the Serial Monitor.

Play With Raspberry Pi (With Grove Base Hat for Raspberry Pi)​

Hardware​

  • Step 1. Things used in this project:
Raspberry piGrove Base Hat for RasPiGrove - Thumb Joystick
enter image description hereenter image description hereenter image description here
Get ONE NowGet ONE NowGet ONE Now
  • Step 2. Plug the Grove Base Hat into Raspberry.
  • Step 3. Connect the Thumb Joystick to port A0 of the Base Hat.
  • Step 4. Connect the Raspberry Pi to PC through USB cable.

note

For step 3 you are able to connect the the thumb joystick to any Analog Port but make sure you change the command with the corresponding port number.

Software​

caution

If you are using Raspberry Pi with Raspberrypi OS >= Bullseye, you have to use this command line only with Python3.

  • Step 1. Follow Setting Software to configure the development environment.
  • Step 2. Download the source file by cloning the grove.py library.
cd ~
git clone https://github.com/Seeed-Studio/grove.py

  • Step 3. Excute below commands to run the code.
cd grove.py/grove
python3 grove_thumb_joystick.py 0

note

you can excute the program with ++python grove_thumb_joystick.py pin++, where pin could be one of {0, 2, 4, 6} in the ADC group and connect the device to the corresponding slot {A0, A2, A4, A6}.

Following is the grove_thumb_joystick.py code.


import math
import sys
import time
from grove.adc import ADC


class GroveThumbJoystick:

    def __init__(self, channelX, channelY):
        self.channelX = channelX
        self.channelY = channelY
        self.adc = ADC()

    @property
    def value(self):
        return self.adc.read(self.channelX), self.adc.read(self.channelY)

Grove = GroveThumbJoystick


def main():
    from grove.helper import SlotHelper
    sh = SlotHelper(SlotHelper.ADC)
    pin = sh.argv2pin()

    sensor = GroveThumbJoystick(int(pin), int(pin + 1))

    while True:
        x, y = sensor.value
        if x > 900:
            print('Joystick Pressed')
        print("X, Y = {0} {1}".format(x, y))
        time.sleep(.2)

if __name__ == '__main__':
    main()


success

If everything goes well, you will be able to see the following result


pi@raspberrypi:~/grove.py/grove $ python3 grove_thumb_joystick.py 0
Hat Name = 'Grove Base Hat RPi'
X, Y = 506 484
X, Y = 484 484
X, Y = 506 484
X, Y = 506 487
Joystick Pressed
X, Y = 999 485
X, Y = 310 736
X, Y = 681 484
Joystick Pressed
X, Y = 999 277
Joystick Pressed
X, Y = 999 487
X, Y = 506 484
X, Y = 501 486
X, Y = 509 484
X, Y = 511 486
X, Y = 510 485
^CTraceback (most recent call last):
  File "grove_thumb_joystick.py", line 69, in <module>
    main()
  File "grove_thumb_joystick.py", line 66, in main
    time.sleep(.2)
KeyboardInterrupt

You can quit this program by simply press ++ctrl+c++.

note

You may have noticed that for the analog port, the silkscreen pin number is something like A1, A0, however in the command we use parameter 0 and 1, just the same as digital port. So please make sure you plug the module into the correct port, otherwise there may be pin conflicts.

Play With Raspberry Pi (with GrovePi_Plus)​

Hardware​

  • Step 1. Prepare the below stuffs:
Raspberry piGrovePi_PlusGrove - Thumb Joystick
enter image description hereenter image description hereenter image description here
Get One NowGet One NowGet One Now
  • Step 2. Plug the GrovePi_Plus into Raspberry.
  • Step 3. Connect Grove-Thumb Joystick ranger to A0 port of GrovePi_Plus.
  • Step 4. Connect the Raspberry to PC through USB cable.

Software​

caution

If you are using Raspberry Pi with Raspberrypi OS >= Bullseye, you have to use this command line only with Python3.

  • Step 1. Navigate to the demos' directory:
cd yourpath/GrovePi/Software/Python/

  • Step 2. To see the code
nano grove_thumb_joystick.py   # "Ctrl+x" to exit #
import time
import grovepi

# Connect the Grove Thumb Joystick to analog port A0

# GrovePi Port A0 uses Arduino pins 0 and 1
# GrovePi Port A1 uses Arduino pins 1 and 2
# Don't plug anything into port A1 that uses pin 1
# Most Grove sensors only use 3 of their 4 pins, which is why the GrovePi shares Arduino pins between adjacent ports
# If the sensor has a pin definition SIG,NC,VCC,GND, the second (white) pin is not connected to anything

# If you wish to connect two joysticks, use ports A0 and A2 (skip A1)

# Uses two pins - one for the X axis and one for the Y axis
# This configuration means you are using port A0
xPin = 0
yPin = 1
grovepi.pinMode(xPin,"INPUT")
grovepi.pinMode(yPin,"INPUT")

# The Grove Thumb Joystick is an analog device that outputs analog signal ranging from 0 to 1023
# The X and Y axes are two ~10k potentiometers and a momentary push button which shorts the x axis

# My joystick produces slightly different results to the specifications found on the url above
# I've listed both here:

# Specifications
#     Min  Typ  Max  Click
#  X  206  516  798  1023
#  Y  203  507  797

# My Joystick
#     Min  Typ  Max  Click
#  X  253  513  766  1020-1023
#  Y  250  505  769
while True:
    try:
        # Get X/Y coordinates
        x = grovepi.analogRead(xPin)
        y = grovepi.analogRead(yPin)

        # Calculate X/Y resistance
        Rx = (float)(1023 - x) * 10 / x
        Ry = (float)(1023 - y) * 10 / y

        # Was a click detected on the X axis?
        click = 1 if x >= 1020 else 0

        print "x =", x, " y =", y, " Rx =", Rx, " Ry =", Ry, " click =", click
        time.sleep(.5)

    except IOError:
        print "Error"
  • Step 3. Run the demo.
sudo python3 grove_thumb_joystick.py
  • Step 4. We will see the output display on terminal as below.

enter image description here|

Schematic Online Viewer​

Resources​

Projects​

Raspberry pi music server: A first step to Raspberry Pi project.

Build a Custom Minecraft Controller: Build a Custom Minecraft Controller With the GrovePi.

Tech Support & Product Discussion​

Thank you for choosing our products! We are here to provide you with different support to ensure that your experience with our products is as smooth as possible. We offer several communication channels to cater to different preferences and needs.

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