Power Functions 'Thumbstick' Joystick

[joefish]

Yep, it's old, but the number of people who I see passing this off as their own design on YouTube is truly amazing.

But thanks to those builders who have given me credit in the past.

My original set of instructions to build your own can be found here:

http://www.brickshel...ry.cgi?f=301922

I've also just put it up on LEGO Ideas as a potential polybag kit to go with the PF remote (yep, that's what this post is really about ), so if you've used it, and found it useful, please can you support it so maybe it can go global?

https://ideas.lego.com/projects/77051

Thanks all,

Jason R

Edited August 29, 2014 by joefish

[JDC]

You now have 13 supporters and counting. Nicely done, Jason.

[PhyBuilder]

I'm sorry, but regardless how good it works: it ain't exactly rocket science. You aren't the only one coming up with this by yourself.

Putting it on Ideas though perhaps triggers some people without imagination and/or basic mechanical knowledge. As for TLG itself: the idea won't pass I think, the number of parts is too high for the added value. We all know that they're always on a budget...

[joefish]

I think if you look you'll find I did come up with it by myself; check the dates.

If it's all so simple, how come my design, largely unchanged, has supplanted pretty much all other joysticks ever since it was first shown? This was the first, and last, 2-axis mechanism not to need ball-and-socket joints and it's been copied ever since.

Edited August 29, 2014 by joefish

[PhyBuilder]

I don't mean that you didn't invent it yourself, I suggested that many Technic builders do come up with it by themselves too.

It's a good design, you've surely put effort in it before it worked the way you like! And like you said: all with common parts.

[VKTechnic]

I used to use this all the time, good luck on getting the support!

[Paul Boratko]

I don't think I've ever seen anyone trying to pass this off as their own...

[piterx]

cool! i've never seen that! i might try it one day :) thanks for sharing

[Jockos]

Where can I find the remote controls in the LDD?

[miguev]

Thanks for this! It makes driving some things easier :)

[Zerobricks]

Did you build it IRL? Looks a bit weak...

[Milan]

Did you build it IRL? Looks a bit weak...

If you meant to the OP's render, it can hold itself and it can operate ok.

[joefish]

Yes, there are photos taken of the real thing. I guess what I'm missing is a video; it seems these days if it's not on YouTube it doesn't exist. And then even if it does the concept of 'originality' seems to be who can copy someone else's stuff to their contacts first!

But it does work. The decoupling mechanism, to separate the two axes of movement, is what took so long to work out (without the use of ball and socket joints) and actually works best because of a little twisting in the mechanism. The trick is there's an extra flexing point in the linkage on the left, that exactly lines up with the pivot point on the right. So up/down movement doesn't affect the left-hand-side; only right and left. On a strictly rigid system, when the stick is pushed over to the side, the up/down pivots would no longer align. But there's enough flexibility in the structure that it doesn't matter; and it's only on/off, not analogue, positioning that's important. So we get away with it. That decoupling mechanism is what everyone's copying, however their end results looks.

You'll find on a lot of analogue electronic joysticks there is no such uncoupling; one axial sensor will actually be mounted on the rotating shaft of the second axis. People building NXT joysticks usually use the same thing; you'll see one of those big position-sensing motors mounted so the whole thing can rotate. Mechanical aircraft controls are different still; a glider is the simplest where the joystick is mounted through a rotating shaft that handles left/right movement to control the ailerons. Forward/back operates a lever along that shaft that isn't properly 'de-rotated'; it's simply very long and has flexible end couplings, so the left/right movement hardly affects it. Though you could use some sort of sliding slip-ring to separate out the two axes in a shorter space.

Thanks for the voices of support, and I'm glad people have found it useful, anyway.

[joefish]

Where can I find the remote controls in the LDD?

One of the parts icons is a motor. The Power Functions items should be under that. You could try opening a new project in the Mindstorms / Technic designer mode if you have no luck.

Something else you can do with LDD that you may not know; you can't reload a project in a different mode, but you can 'Import' another model that was created in a different mode. For example, in the free-colour mode, multi-colour items like motors don't show up in their proper colours, and there are no printed parts. The off-white colour of NXT parts doesn't appear in the palette either. However, you can start in basic mode, put all the multi-coloured and printed parts you want just flat on the ground and save. Then start a new model in free-colour mode, and import your parts collection model, and you'll be able to copy and paste those parts without them all changing to one plain colour.

[Jockos]

Thanks, I've found the technic remote control, but where is for the trains?

[GLEGO]

Good joystick i arledy build with instructions