2 axis joystick from VCR parts

posted Jun 7th 2009 8:30am by Caleb Kraft
filed under: classic hacks, tool hacks

joy

[eric] has found that he can build a pretty nice 2 axis joystick out of some VCR parts. Specifically, he’s using the idler wheel. When you disassemble the idler wheel, you’ll find that it has a bevelled washer in the perfect location to help with smooth joystick operation. Add a spring and a hole in some wood and you’ve got the basics. All you need to add now are the switches. This is a fantastic example of recycling parts, you never would have guessed that it was made from trash.

Comments [5]

tagged: Joystick, vcr

5 Responses to 2 axis joystick from VCR parts

_matt says:

June 7, 2009 at 10:21 am

wonder if he can press >1 directions at once.

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khordas says:

June 7, 2009 at 1:12 pm

If he needs to be able to press two switches at once, a simple fix would be to replace the round washer on the bottom with a square one.

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andrew says:

June 7, 2009 at 7:25 pm

he’s using the joystick to change the time on a clock. i really don’t think that requires pressing more than one direction at once.

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billybob says:

June 8, 2009 at 1:27 am

if it cant do b, db, d, p, then whats the point

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srilyk says:

June 8, 2009 at 7:22 am

This seems like kind of a useless hack. I like the idea of salvaging parts, etc., and using the spring… But it’s not that impressive.

I mean heck, just use a ball peen hammer and a washer and you can get the same effect. Or a piece of HDPE that’s been sanded smooth. Or a piece of metal soldered to a ball bearing.

But the idea is somewhat inspiring, so it’s not all worthless :P

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