Make: Robotic Arms

87Chapter 5: The Joy of Joysticks

we can measure not only the knob’s location in

360 degrees but also how far the knob is being

pushed.

Most simple joystick modules have five

pins. Remember what we learned about

potentiometers: The typical one has three pins.

But wouldn’t that mean we need a minimum of

six pins? Not quite. Because positive-voltage

and ground pins do not have any data associated

with them, they can be tied together, so each

potentiometer shares a 5 V and a GND pin. That

leaves us with four pins: 5 V, GND, x, and y.

What about our last pin—pin number 5? It is

usually associated with the integrated button

within the joystick. Most ...