Mini joystick knobs?

[Endurance]

Hey guys,

I was wondering if you guys could help me track down a part? What I am looking for are the joystick knobs found on PS2, PS3, etc. controllers. I have found a dealer for the joystick but I cannot find the knob. Here is an image of what I am talking about: http://www.phidgets.com/products.php?product_id=1113

Anyone know where I can get just the knob?

[village_idiot]

I've priced the joysticks, and it was almost the same price when I bought two of the sticks to the price of a PS 2 controller.

Two sticks around $17 plus shipping (digikey)
PS2 analog controller $25 (contains two sticks and two knobs)

Sorry it isn't a direct answer to your question, but I pondered this same thing a few months ago.

[Endurance]

That is a good idea and I have a few that I got from this method but I may need a lot of them and dont want to have to de solder. Im just planning right now though.

[village_idiot]

Oh, I'm not sure what you would do for a lot of them. I never did find that plastic part for sale anywhere when I was looking. You might try contacting ALPS to see if they know where you could buy them, for all we know they make them in the first place. There are no manufacturer markings on the 2 that I have.

Have you thought about using "traditional" type thumb sticks with these "pots"? It looks like you could tread a #1 screw down the center to hold the sticks on, or thread a larger piece of tubing over the top of the "pots".

And since you may be farther down the road than I am, have you found a way to remove the spring return for one axis? I may want to remove that on my throttle stick so that it is more like a traditional controller.

You might be able to order a bunch of the pot/knob combos from some of the PS2 controller clone manufacturers.

[TnP]

have you found a way to remove the spring return for one axis? I may want to remove that on my throttle stick so that it is more like a traditional controller.


Have a look HERE (http://www.oyajin.jp/~toko/pic/0063/index.html) on how Koichi removed the spring. You will need to translate the text into english using Goolge or Babelfish though...

[village_idiot]

The pictures were enough, thanks. That guy does some nice work!

[RX5]

Hey guys,

I was wondering if you guys could help me track down a part? What I am looking for are the joystick knobs found on PS2, PS3, etc. controllers. I have found a dealer for the joystick but I cannot find the knob. Here is an image of what I am talking about: http://www.phidgets.com/products.php?product_id=1113

Anyone know where I can get just the knob?



wow! BUT WHY do those joysticks cost SO MUCH??

[village_idiot]

They are around $9 each, which is really a very small price if you look at the industrial joysticks that are made in a very similar way. The industrial ones are up to several hundred each (2 axis). I used them in this project, torn from a PS2 controller:
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=692649

Plantraco uses a similar device, but there are no markings on the outside, I may have to desolder one to see who makes it. Slightly bigger than the ALPS and the throttle position is not center return.

If you mean why are those special robotics joysticks so much, simple... because people will pay that much. They probably pull them from game controllers like we do.