RotaryEncoder

While building small devices with the ESP8266 chip I made some experiences with the stability of implementations which I would like to share here. The examples you can find on the Internet often don't go into these problems in detail, but you can ... [More] also find tips and tricks on these topics. Connecting to the Network, too simple too bad To connect to a local network you often find only a very simple implementation of this kind: WiFi.mode(WIFI_STA); WiFi.begin(ssid, password); // Wait for connection while (WiFi.status() != WL_CONNECTED) { delay(500); Serial.print("."); } Obviously, if the ssid or password is wrong, the device will hang in an infinite loop because you never will connect and status will never return WL_CONNECTED(3) when using wrong settings. But WiFi.status() also has more return codes that may give a hint that is never reported to the Serial output and root causes will be undiscovered. By looking more into the WiFi library there is a waitForConnectResult() function that is used in the OTA samples (file ESP8266WiFiSTA.cpp). while(status() == WL_DISCONNECTED) { delay(100); } In the case of no connectable available WiFi the status will return WL_NO_SSID_AVAIL(1) or WL_CONNECT_FAILED(4) so the loop exist. At least no infinitive loop and the samples just restart the chip and the sketch. In case of a miss-configuration this is just another kind of infinitive loop that needs to be avoided. Connect during startup Here is a more robust implementation using a timeout to start a complete new approach after 30 secs and providing more information on the Serial output and terminating with the last return code of the status call. The possible results of status I observed that end the attempt to connect to the network are WL_CONNECTED(3), WL_NO_SSID_AVAIL(1) and WL_CONNECT_FAILED(4). When one of these status codes exist the loop can end as well. When you need to connect during startup this sequence can be used. // wait max. 30 seconds for connecting unsigned long maxTime = millis() + (30 * 1000); while (1) { wifi_status = WiFi.status(); Serial.printf("(%d).", wifi_status); if ((wifi_status == WL_CONNECTED) || (wifi_status == WL_NO_SSID_AVAIL) || (wifi_status == WL_CONNECT_FAILED) || (millis() >= maxTime)) break; // exit this loop delay(100); } // while Serial.printf("(%d)\n", wifi_status); The delay was reduced to 100 msec. as the implementations inside the SDK also use this timing. However, when a connection could not be established something needs to be done. A reset of the whole device is a valid option and in the case of a unreliable WiFi that helps connecting after the network is available again. if (WiFi.status() != WL_CONNECTED) { ESP.restart(); } You can find out by calling the WiFi status function from time-to-time and start a re-connect or restart. More improvements This is just a replacement for the usual connect sequence you can find in the setup of a device. But there are more situations to be taken in considerations like setting up a fresh network connection, using the WPS feature of your browser etc. Reading Material http://usemodj.com/2016/08/04/esp8266-wifi-smartconfig/ https://tzapu.com/esp8266-smart-config-esp-touch-arduino-ide/ http://bienonline.magix.net/public/esp8266-UrsWiFi.html [Less]

In the DMXSerial library examples folder you now can find a sketch for receiving DMX with an Arduino and send the received data to a series of NeoPixel or WS2811 LEDs. Just load the DMXSerial library version 1.4 using the library manager of the ... [More] Arduino environment of download DMXLibrary from Github. The challenge for this sketch was the fact the both protocols, DMX and WS2811, are time critical and that the standard Arduino Uno processor doesn’t have the power to do both protocols at the same time. The solution for this is another DMX mode in the DMXSerial implementation that allows to stop the DMX protocol while sending out the data to the NeoPixels. DMXProbe mode This mode is starting the Arduino in DMX receiving state, but doesn’t actively listen for incoming data. No interrupts are enabled and any incoming data packet will stick in the serial receiver. To receive data the receive() function must be called. This function clears all hardware buffers and waits for an incoming data package by using the same mechanism as the DMXReceiver mode. After receiving a package this function returns with true and data can be found in the internal buffer. When no DMX data was received in the specified time the receive function will return false. The DmxSerialNeoPixels example This example contains a sketch for receiving DMX data with an Arduino and send the received values to a series of NeoPixel or WS2811 LEDs.The NeoPixel sending routine is based on the work of bigjosh2 from his positing on his web site: https://wp.josh.com/2014/05/13/ws2812-neopixels-are-not-so-finicky-once-you-get-to-know-them/ The DMXSerial library is not yet published as a new version to the Arduino community. I just like to push it out to all of you working with time critical implementations as an added value and check for problems during the next days. [Less]

From now on it’s easy to install and update the library by using the Library Manager in the Arduino environment including including 3 sample applications for sending and receiving DMX messages. I used several of the beta versions and also the final ... [More] to test compatibility of my DMXSerial library. By using the Library Manager you can always download the latest stable version that is tagged with the version number directly in my github repository. You can find that repository directly at: https://github.com/mathertel/DmxSerial If you haven’t already done so, please download the new Arduino environment version 1.6.3 or later from the Arduino web site www.arduino.cc.   If you like the latest version including work in progress please use the download from github directly by using a git or subversion client. If you like to contribute I like to see your attributions based on this version. [Less]

From now on it’s easy to install and update the library by using the Library Manager in the Arduino environment including including 3 sample applications for sending and receiving DMX messages. I used several of the beta versions and also the final ... [More] to test compatibility of my DMXSerial library. By using the Library Manager you can always download the latest stable version that is tagged with the version number directly in my github repository. You can find that repository directly at: https://github.com/mathertel/DmxSerial If you haven’t already done so, please download the new Arduino environment version 1.6.3 or later from the Arduino web site www.arduino.cc.   If you like the latest version including work in progress please use the download from github directly by using a git or subversion client. If you like to contribute I like to see your attributions based on this version. [Less]

My latest project is about controlling an FM radio chip by using an Arduino Board, an LCD display and a rotary encoder all the components I need to build a standalone radio for my needs. There are diverse radio chips available for building radio ... [More] receivers. Because most of them are made for integration into mobile phones or car radios they normally come on breakout boards, sometimes together with audio amplifiers for headphones. The ones I found and tried are: The SI4703 from Silicon Labs RDA5807 from RDA Microelectronics TEA5767 from NXP They all are capable for receiving FM radio stations in stereo with European and US settings and can be controlled by using the I2C bus. However there are differences in the sensitivity and quality and well on receiving RDS information from the stations. The idea of the project beside implementing a radio for my personal needs is to provide Arduino compatible libraries for these (and possible more) chips that all offer the same functionality and expose the same functions. These radio chip adaptions can be combined with the also available RDS encoder and the radio applications. This is my current hardware setup for the latest project I am working on by using a breakout board for the SI4703 chip including an audio amplifier that I found on eBay: The radio library The libraries for this project can be found on github: https://github.com/mathertel/Radio You can download all the files at once by using the provided zip file: https://github.com/mathertel/Radio/archive/master.zip I still work on this and still some features I like to implement are still in development but maybe you already have experiences with audio functionality on the Arduino or other platforms or you also work on a similar project. Let me know (via eMail) and maybe we can share some experiences. Open Topics Implementing all functions for all chips good documentation pictures writing about using LCD displays in the I2C bus writing about interpreting RDS data … let me know [Less]

My latest project is about controlling an FM radio chip by using an Arduino Board, an LCD display and a rotary encoder all the components I need to build a standalone radio for my needs. There are diverse radio chips available for building radio ... [More] receivers. Because most of them are made for integration into mobile phones or car radios they normally come on breakout boards, sometimes together with audio amplifiers for headphones. The ones I found and tried are: The SI4703 from Silicon Labs RDA5807 from RDA Microelectronics TEA5767 from NXP They all are capable for receiving FM radio stations in stereo with European and US settings and can be controlled by using the I2C bus. However there are differences in the sensitivity and quality and well on receiving RDS information from the stations. The idea of the project beside implementing a radio for my personal needs is to provide Arduino compatible libraries for these (and possible more) chips that all offer the same functionality and expose the same functions. These radio chip adaptions can be combined with the also available RDS encoder and the radio applications. This is my current hardware setup for the latest project I am working on by using a breakout board for the SI4703 chip including an audio amplifier that I found on eBay: The radio library The libraries for this project can be found on github: https://github.com/mathertel/Radio You can download all the files at once by using the provided zip file: https://github.com/mathertel/Radio/archive/master.zip I still work on this and still some features I like to implement are still in development but maybe you already have experiences with audio functionality on the Arduino or other platforms or you also work on a similar project. Let me know (via eMail) and maybe we can share some experiences. Open Topics Implementing all functions for all chips good documentation pictures writing about using LCD displays in the I2C bus writing about interpreting RDS data … let me know [Less]

My latest project is about controlling an FM radio chip by using an Arduino Board, an LCD display and a rotary encoder all the components I need to build a standalone radio for my needs. There are diverse radio chips available for building radio ... [More] receivers. Because most of them are made for integration into mobile phones or car radios they normally come on breakout boards, sometimes together with audio amplifiers for headphones. The ones I found and tried are: The SI4703 from Silicon Labs RDA5807 from RDA Microelectronics TEA5767 from NXP They all are capable for receiving FM radio stations in stereo with European and US settings and can be controlled by using the I2C bus. However there are differences in the sensitivity and quality and well on receiving RDS information from the stations. The idea of the project beside implementing a radio for my personal needs is to provide Arduino compatible libraries for these (and possible more) chips that all offer the same functionality and expose the same functions. These radio chip adaptions can be combined with the also available RDS encoder and the radio applications. This is my current hardware setup for the latest project I am working on by using a breakout board for the SI4703 chip including an audio amplifier that I found on eBay: The radio library The libraries for this project can be found on github: https://github.com/mathertel/Radio You can download all the files at once by using the provided zip file: https://github.com/mathertel/Radio/archive/master.zip I still work on this and still some features I like to implement are still in development but maybe you already have experiences with audio functionality on the Arduino or other platforms or you also work on a similar project. Let me know (via eMail) and maybe we can share some experiences. Open Topics Implementing all functions for all chips good documentation pictures writing about using LCD displays in the I2C bus writing about interpreting RDS data … let me know [Less]

I was playing around lately with some standard I/O boards and came across the joystick shields. There are at least 2 versions of joystick shields on the market. There is one from sparkfun (see link below) and another labeled with funduino that is ... [More] available in many stores and as well on eBay. Both share a kind of Nintendo layout using an analog joystick on the left, 4 buttons on the right and 2 buttons in between. The JoyStick Shield V1.a is the one I like to write bout here but I expect that the sources I share with you can help out on other layouts too. The Funduino version has more functionality by providing  switch for the reference voltage of the analog joystick and a lot of connectors especially for the NRF24L01 transceiver. However samples for the shield are hard to find and most stores don’t provide a schema. So here is my documentation that may help you out of this and some sketches to show the functionality. The JoyStick IO definitions I use are for the Funduino JoyStick Shield V1.A but they can easily be adapted to the sparkfun and other similar joystick shields. Raw Signal testing The JoyStick_RawTest.ino sketch that you can find in the library shows how to initialize all the input ports of the Arduino corresponding to the buttons and the joystick of the shield. Here is the list of the Arduino ports used by the shield buttons and joystick: function io port Button A digital pin 2 Button B digital pin 3 Button C digital pin 4 Button D digital pin 5 Button E digital pin 6 Button F digital pin 7 X - Axis analog pin A0 Y – Axis analog pin A1 Joystick push, Button K digital pin 8 In the loop function the real raw signal levels of the IO are printed out to the Serial port so you can inspect the current values. After compiling and uploading the sketch you should open the serial monitor with the 57600 baud settings and watch all the information coming from the shield.You can see the difference for the 3V3 / 5V switch in the possible values of the analog input signals. You should use this sketch just to be sure all the IO definitions are fine. Signal testing However, using the raw signals is a kind of pain. 2 simple methods can help you to make this more easy. The JoyStick_Test.ino sketch that you can find in the download files shows how to use the input on a more logical level and in respect of the not so exact analog joystick signals. Buttons The levels of the buttons are on the level 1 when not pressed. The conversion is implemented in the function joyButton(...) and returns a boolean value.boolean joyButton(byte pin) { int signal = digitalRead(pin); return (signal == 0); } // joyButton JoyStick position The levels of the X and Y joystick normally are not very correct. If you leave the stick untouched in the middle position the actual value from the analog port will not be exactly half the reference voltage and it may jump between some values. It is also very hard to get the stick to a specific position and hold it in place. Therefore I use a function that converts to the analog input value to a range of -4 to 4 where 0 is the level in normal position. The conversion is implemented in the function joyStick(...) and returns a signed int. The 3v3 / 5v switch should be in the 5v position.int joyStick(byte pin) { // read the analog value int signal = analogRead(pin); // convert with mathematics: signal = ((signal+64) / 128) - 4; return (signal); } // joyStick After compiling and uploading the sketch you should open the serial monitor with the 57600 baud settings and watch all the information coming from the shield. If you like to use these functions just copy them over to your sketch. ... Sketch JoyStick_RawTest.ino /// \file JoyStick_rawtest.ino /// \brief A simple sketch showing the binary input values fro the joystick board. /// /// \author Matthias Hertel, http://www.mathertel.de /// \copyright Copyright (c) 2014 by Matthias Hertel.\n /// This work is licensed under a BSD style license.\n /// See http://www.mathertel.de/License.aspx /// /// \details /// This sketch shows how to initialize all the input ports of the Arduino /// corresponding to the buttons and the joystick of the shield. /// The real raw singal levels of the IO are printed out to the Serial port /// so you can inspect the current values. /// you can see the difference for the 3V3 / 5V switch in the possible values /// of the analog input signals. /// The JoyStick IO definitions here are for the Funduino JoyStick Shield V1.A. /// It can easily be adapted to the sparkfun JoyStick Shield. /// /// More documentation and source code is available at http://www.mathertel.de/Arduino /// /// History: /// -------- /// * 18.10.2014 creation. /// Port definitions for the buttons on the shield with the printed labels #define BUTTON_A 2 #define BUTTON_B 3 #define BUTTON_C 4 #define BUTTON_D 5 #define BUTTON_E 8 #define BUTTON_F 7 /// Port definitions for the JoyStick functions #define ANALOG_PUSH 8 #define ANALOG_X A0 #define ANALOG_Y A1 void setup() { Serial.begin(57600); // Setup button inputs with internal pull up high resistor pinMode(BUTTON_A, INPUT_PULLUP); pinMode(BUTTON_B, INPUT_PULLUP); pinMode(BUTTON_C, INPUT_PULLUP); pinMode(BUTTON_D, INPUT_PULLUP); // Setup the option buttons pinMode(BUTTON_E, INPUT_PULLUP); pinMode(BUTTON_F, INPUT_PULLUP); // Setup joystick button pinMode(ANALOG_PUSH, INPUT_PULLUP); // The analog inputs need no setup. } void loop() { Serial.print(" A:"); Serial.print(digitalRead(BUTTON_A)); Serial.print(" B:"); Serial.print(digitalRead(BUTTON_B)); Serial.print(" C:"); Serial.print(digitalRead(BUTTON_C)); Serial.print(" D:"); Serial.print(digitalRead(BUTTON_D)); Serial.print(" E:"); Serial.print(digitalRead(BUTTON_E)); Serial.print(" F:"); Serial.print(digitalRead(BUTTON_F)); Serial.print(" -- X:"); Serial.print(analogRead(ANALOG_X)); Serial.print(" y:"); Serial.print(analogRead(ANALOG_Y)); Serial.print(" K:"); Serial.print(digitalRead(ANALOG_PUSH)); Serial.println(); delay(250); }   Sketch JoyStick_Test.ino /// /// \file JoyStick_Test.ino /// \brief A simple sketch showing the binary input values from the joystick board. /// /// \author Matthias Hertel, http://www.mathertel.de /// \copyright Copyright (c) 2014 by Matthias Hertel.\n /// This work is licensed under a BSD style license.\n /// See http://www.mathertel.de/License.aspx /// /// \details /// This sketch shows how to initialize all the input ports of the Arduino /// corresponding to the buttons and the joystick of the shield. /// Here the io signal are converted to be interpreted easily: /// * The levels of the buttons are on the level 1 when not pressed. /// The conversion is implemented in the function joyButton(...) and returns a boolean value. /// * The levels of the X and Y joystick normally are not very correct. /// They are converted to the range -4 to 4 where 0 is the level in normal position. /// The conversion is implemented in the function joyStick(...) and returns a signed int. /// The 3v3 / 5v switch should be in the 5v position. /// /// The JoyStick IO definitions here are for the Funduino JoyStick Shield V1.A. /// It can easily be adapted to the sparkfun JoyStick Shield. /// /// More documentation and source code is available at http://www.mathertel.de/Arduino /// /// History: /// -------- /// * 18.10.2014 creation. /// Port definitions for the buttons on the shield with the printed labels #define BUTTON_A 2 #define BUTTON_B 3 #define BUTTON_C 4 #define BUTTON_D 5 #define BUTTON_E 8 #define BUTTON_F 7 /// Buttons with the names of the classic Nintendo layout #define BUTTON_SELECT BUTTON_F #define BUTTON_START BUTTON_E /// Port definitions for the JoyStick functions #define ANALOG_PUSH 8 #define ANALOG_X A0 #define ANALOG_Y A1 boolean joyButton(byte pin) { int signal = digitalRead(pin); return (signal == 0); } // joyButton int joyStick(byte pin) { // 000....128....256....384....512....640....768....896....1024 // -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 int signal = analogRead(pin); /// convert with mathematics signal = ((signal+64) / 128) - 4; return (signal); } // joyStick void setup() { Serial.begin(57600); // Setup button inputs with internal pull up high resistor pinMode(BUTTON_A, INPUT_PULLUP); pinMode(BUTTON_B, INPUT_PULLUP); pinMode(BUTTON_C, INPUT_PULLUP); pinMode(BUTTON_D, INPUT_PULLUP); // Setup the option buttons pinMode(BUTTON_E, INPUT_PULLUP); pinMode(BUTTON_F, INPUT_PULLUP); // Setup joystick button pinMode(ANALOG_PUSH, INPUT_PULLUP); // The analog inputs need no setup. } void loop() { Serial.print(" A:"); Serial.print(joyButton(BUTTON_A)); Serial.print(" B:"); Serial.print(joyButton(BUTTON_B)); Serial.print(" C:"); Serial.print(joyButton(BUTTON_C)); Serial.print(" D:"); Serial.print(joyButton(BUTTON_D)); Serial.print(" E:"); Serial.print(joyButton(BUTTON_E)); Serial.print(" F:"); Serial.print(joyButton(BUTTON_F)); Serial.print(" -- X:"); Serial.print(joyStick(ANALOG_X)); Serial.print(" y:"); Serial.print(joyStick(ANALOG_Y)); Serial.print(" K:"); Serial.print(joyButton(ANALOG_PUSH)); Serial.println(); delay(250); }   Additional Links http://arduino.cc/en/Main/ArduinoBoardEsplorahttp://arduino.cc/en/Reference/EsploraReadJoystickSwitch [Less]

I was playing around lately with some standard I/O boards and came across the joystick shields. There are at least 2 versions of joystick shields on the market. There is one from sparkfun (see link below) and another labeled with funduino that is ... [More] available in many stores and as well on eBay. Both share a kind of Nintendo layout using an analog joystick on the left, 4 buttons on the right and 2 buttons in between. The JoyStick Shield V1.a is the one I like to write bout here but I expect that the sources I share with you can help out on other layouts too. The Funduino version has more functionality by providing  switch for the reference voltage of the analog joystick and a lot of connectors especially for the NRF24L01 transceiver. However samples for the shield are hard to find and most stores don’t provide a schema. So here is my documentation that may help you out of this and some sketches to show the functionality. The JoyStick IO definitions I use are for the Funduino JoyStick Shield V1.A but they can easily be adapted to the sparkfun and other similar joystick shields. Raw Signal testing The JoyStick_RawTest.ino sketch that you can find in the library shows how to initialize all the input ports of the Arduino corresponding to the buttons and the joystick of the shield. Here is the list of the Arduino ports used by the shield buttons and joystick: function io port Button A digital pin 2 Button B digital pin 3 Button C digital pin 4 Button D digital pin 5 Button E digital pin 6 Button F digital pin 7 X - Axis analog pin A0 Y – Axis analog pin A1 Joystick push, Button K digital pin 8 In the loop function the real raw signal levels of the IO are printed out to the Serial port so you can inspect the current values. After compiling and uploading the sketch you should open the serial monitor with the 57600 baud settings and watch all the information coming from the shield.You can see the difference for the 3V3 / 5V switch in the possible values of the analog input signals. You should use this sketch just to be sure all the IO definitions are fine. Signal testing However, using the raw signals is a kind of pain. 2 simple methods can help you to make this more easy. The JoyStick_Test.ino sketch that you can find in the download files shows how to use the input on a more logical level and in respect of the not so exact analog joystick signals. Buttons The levels of the buttons are on the level 1 when not pressed. The conversion is implemented in the function joyButton(...) and returns a boolean value.boolean joyButton(byte pin) { int signal = digitalRead(pin); return (signal == 0); } // joyButton JoyStick position The levels of the X and Y joystick normally are not very correct. If you leave the stick untouched in the middle position the actual value from the analog port will not be exactly half the reference voltage and it may jump between some values. It is also very hard to get the stick to a specific position and hold it in place. Therefore I use a function that converts to the analog input value to a range of -4 to 4 where 0 is the level in normal position. The conversion is implemented in the function joyStick(...) and returns a signed int. The 3v3 / 5v switch should be in the 5v position.int joyStick(byte pin) { // read the analog value int signal = analogRead(pin); // convert with mathematics: signal = ((signal+64) / 128) - 4; return (signal); } // joyStick After compiling and uploading the sketch you should open the serial monitor with the 57600 baud settings and watch all the information coming from the shield. If you like to use these functions just copy them over to your sketch. ... Sketch JoyStick_RawTest.ino /// \file JoyStick_rawtest.ino /// \brief A simple sketch showing the binary input values fro the joystick board. /// /// \author Matthias Hertel, http://www.mathertel.de /// \copyright Copyright (c) 2014 by Matthias Hertel.\n /// This work is licensed under a BSD style license.\n /// See http://www.mathertel.de/License.aspx /// /// \details /// This sketch shows how to initialize all the input ports of the Arduino /// corresponding to the buttons and the joystick of the shield. /// The real raw singal levels of the IO are printed out to the Serial port /// so you can inspect the current values. /// you can see the difference for the 3V3 / 5V switch in the possible values /// of the analog input signals. /// The JoyStick IO definitions here are for the Funduino JoyStick Shield V1.A. /// It can easily be adapted to the sparkfun JoyStick Shield. /// /// More documentation and source code is available at http://www.mathertel.de/Arduino /// /// History: /// -------- /// * 18.10.2014 creation. /// Port definitions for the buttons on the shield with the printed labels #define BUTTON_A 2 #define BUTTON_B 3 #define BUTTON_C 4 #define BUTTON_D 5 #define BUTTON_E 8 #define BUTTON_F 7 /// Port definitions for the JoyStick functions #define ANALOG_PUSH 8 #define ANALOG_X A0 #define ANALOG_Y A1 void setup() { Serial.begin(57600); // Setup button inputs with internal pull up high resistor pinMode(BUTTON_A, INPUT_PULLUP); pinMode(BUTTON_B, INPUT_PULLUP); pinMode(BUTTON_C, INPUT_PULLUP); pinMode(BUTTON_D, INPUT_PULLUP); // Setup the option buttons pinMode(BUTTON_E, INPUT_PULLUP); pinMode(BUTTON_F, INPUT_PULLUP); // Setup joystick button pinMode(ANALOG_PUSH, INPUT_PULLUP); // The analog inputs need no setup. } void loop() { Serial.print(" A:"); Serial.print(digitalRead(BUTTON_A)); Serial.print(" B:"); Serial.print(digitalRead(BUTTON_B)); Serial.print(" C:"); Serial.print(digitalRead(BUTTON_C)); Serial.print(" D:"); Serial.print(digitalRead(BUTTON_D)); Serial.print(" E:"); Serial.print(digitalRead(BUTTON_E)); Serial.print(" F:"); Serial.print(digitalRead(BUTTON_F)); Serial.print(" -- X:"); Serial.print(analogRead(ANALOG_X)); Serial.print(" y:"); Serial.print(analogRead(ANALOG_Y)); Serial.print(" K:"); Serial.print(digitalRead(ANALOG_PUSH)); Serial.println(); delay(250); }   Sketch JoyStick_Test.ino /// /// \file JoyStick_Test.ino /// \brief A simple sketch showing the binary input values from the joystick board. /// /// \author Matthias Hertel, http://www.mathertel.de /// \copyright Copyright (c) 2014 by Matthias Hertel.\n /// This work is licensed under a BSD style license.\n /// See http://www.mathertel.de/License.aspx /// /// \details /// This sketch shows how to initialize all the input ports of the Arduino /// corresponding to the buttons and the joystick of the shield. /// Here the io signal are converted to be interpreted easily: /// * The levels of the buttons are on the level 1 when not pressed. /// The conversion is implemented in the function joyButton(...) and returns a boolean value. /// * The levels of the X and Y joystick normally are not very correct. /// They are converted to the range -4 to 4 where 0 is the level in normal position. /// The conversion is implemented in the function joyStick(...) and returns a signed int. /// The 3v3 / 5v switch should be in the 5v position. /// /// The JoyStick IO definitions here are for the Funduino JoyStick Shield V1.A. /// It can easily be adapted to the sparkfun JoyStick Shield. /// /// More documentation and source code is available at http://www.mathertel.de/Arduino /// /// History: /// -------- /// * 18.10.2014 creation. /// Port definitions for the buttons on the shield with the printed labels #define BUTTON_A 2 #define BUTTON_B 3 #define BUTTON_C 4 #define BUTTON_D 5 #define BUTTON_E 8 #define BUTTON_F 7 /// Buttons with the names of the classic Nintendo layout #define BUTTON_SELECT BUTTON_F #define BUTTON_START BUTTON_E /// Port definitions for the JoyStick functions #define ANALOG_PUSH 8 #define ANALOG_X A0 #define ANALOG_Y A1 boolean joyButton(byte pin) { int signal = digitalRead(pin); return (signal == 0); } // joyButton int joyStick(byte pin) { // 000....128....256....384....512....640....768....896....1024 // -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 int signal = analogRead(pin); /// convert with mathematics signal = ((signal+64) / 128) - 4; return (signal); } // joyStick void setup() { Serial.begin(57600); // Setup button inputs with internal pull up high resistor pinMode(BUTTON_A, INPUT_PULLUP); pinMode(BUTTON_B, INPUT_PULLUP); pinMode(BUTTON_C, INPUT_PULLUP); pinMode(BUTTON_D, INPUT_PULLUP); // Setup the option buttons pinMode(BUTTON_E, INPUT_PULLUP); pinMode(BUTTON_F, INPUT_PULLUP); // Setup joystick button pinMode(ANALOG_PUSH, INPUT_PULLUP); // The analog inputs need no setup. } void loop() { Serial.print(" A:"); Serial.print(joyButton(BUTTON_A)); Serial.print(" B:"); Serial.print(joyButton(BUTTON_B)); Serial.print(" C:"); Serial.print(joyButton(BUTTON_C)); Serial.print(" D:"); Serial.print(joyButton(BUTTON_D)); Serial.print(" E:"); Serial.print(joyButton(BUTTON_E)); Serial.print(" F:"); Serial.print(joyButton(BUTTON_F)); Serial.print(" -- X:"); Serial.print(joyStick(ANALOG_X)); Serial.print(" y:"); Serial.print(joyStick(ANALOG_Y)); Serial.print(" K:"); Serial.print(joyButton(ANALOG_PUSH)); Serial.println(); delay(250); }   Additional Links http://arduino.cc/en/Main/ArduinoBoardEsplorahttp://arduino.cc/en/Reference/EsploraReadJoystickSwitch [Less]

I was playing around lately with some standard I/O boards and came across the joystick shields. There are at least 2 versions of joystick shields on the market. There is one from sparkfun (see link below) and another labeled with funduino that is ... [More] available in many stores and as well on eBay. Both share a kind of Nintendo layout using an analog joystick on the left, 4 buttons on the right and 2 buttons in between. The JoyStick Shield V1.a is the one I like to write bout here but I expect that the sources I share with you can help out on other layouts too. The Funduino version has more functionality by providing  switch for the reference voltage of the analog joystick and a lot of connectors especially for the NRF24L01 transceiver. However samples for the shield are hard to find and most stores don’t provide a schema. So here is my documentation that may help you out of this and some sketches to show the functionality. The JoyStick IO definitions I use are for the Funduino JoyStick Shield V1.A but they can easily be adapted to the sparkfun and other similar joystick shields. Raw Signal testing The JoyStick_RawTest.ino sketch that you can find in the library shows how to initialize all the input ports of the Arduino corresponding to the buttons and the joystick of the shield. Here is the list of the Arduino ports used by the shield buttons and joystick: function io port Button A digital pin 2 Button B digital pin 3 Button C digital pin 4 Button D digital pin 5 Button E digital pin 6 Button F digital pin 7 X - Axis analog pin A0 Y – Axis analog pin A1 Joystick push, Button K digital pin 8 In the loop function the real raw signal levels of the IO are printed out to the Serial port so you can inspect the current values. After compiling and uploading the sketch you should open the serial monitor with the 57600 baud settings and watch all the information coming from the shield.You can see the difference for the 3V3 / 5V switch in the possible values of the analog input signals. You should use this sketch just to be sure all the IO definitions are fine. Signal testing However, using the raw signals is a kind of pain. 2 simple methods can help you to make this more easy. The JoyStick_Test.ino sketch that you can find in the download files shows how to use the input on a more logical level and in respect of the not so exact analog joystick signals. Buttons The levels of the buttons are on the level 1 when not pressed. The conversion is implemented in the function joyButton(...) and returns a boolean value.boolean joyButton(byte pin) { int signal = digitalRead(pin); return (signal == 0); } // joyButton JoyStick position The levels of the X and Y joystick normally are not very correct. If you leave the stick untouched in the middle position the actual value from the analog port will not be exactly half the reference voltage and it may jump between some values. It is also very hard to get the stick to a specific position and hold it in place. Therefore I use a function that converts to the analog input value to a range of -4 to 4 where 0 is the level in normal position. The conversion is implemented in the function joyStick(...) and returns a signed int. The 3v3 / 5v switch should be in the 5v position.int joyStick(byte pin) { // read the analog value int signal = analogRead(pin); // convert with mathematics: signal = ((signal+64) / 128) - 4; return (signal); } // joyStick After compiling and uploading the sketch you should open the serial monitor with the 57600 baud settings and watch all the information coming from the shield. If you like to use these functions just copy them over to your sketch. ... Sketch JoyStick_RawTest.ino /// \file JoyStick_rawtest.ino /// \brief A simple sketch showing the binary input values fro the joystick board. /// /// \author Matthias Hertel, http://www.mathertel.de /// \copyright Copyright (c) 2014 by Matthias Hertel.\n /// This work is licensed under a BSD style license.\n /// See http://www.mathertel.de/License.aspx /// /// \details /// This sketch shows how to initialize all the input ports of the Arduino /// corresponding to the buttons and the joystick of the shield. /// The real raw singal levels of the IO are printed out to the Serial port /// so you can inspect the current values. /// you can see the difference for the 3V3 / 5V switch in the possible values /// of the analog input signals. /// The JoyStick IO definitions here are for the Funduino JoyStick Shield V1.A. /// It can easily be adapted to the sparkfun JoyStick Shield. /// /// More documentation and source code is available at http://www.mathertel.de/Arduino /// /// History: /// -------- /// * 18.10.2014 creation. /// Port definitions for the buttons on the shield with the printed labels #define BUTTON_A 2 #define BUTTON_B 3 #define BUTTON_C 4 #define BUTTON_D 5 #define BUTTON_E 8 #define BUTTON_F 7 /// Port definitions for the JoyStick functions #define ANALOG_PUSH 8 #define ANALOG_X A0 #define ANALOG_Y A1 void setup() { Serial.begin(57600); // Setup button inputs with internal pull up high resistor pinMode(BUTTON_A, INPUT_PULLUP); pinMode(BUTTON_B, INPUT_PULLUP); pinMode(BUTTON_C, INPUT_PULLUP); pinMode(BUTTON_D, INPUT_PULLUP); // Setup the option buttons pinMode(BUTTON_E, INPUT_PULLUP); pinMode(BUTTON_F, INPUT_PULLUP); // Setup joystick button pinMode(ANALOG_PUSH, INPUT_PULLUP); // The analog inputs need no setup. } void loop() { Serial.print(" A:"); Serial.print(digitalRead(BUTTON_A)); Serial.print(" B:"); Serial.print(digitalRead(BUTTON_B)); Serial.print(" C:"); Serial.print(digitalRead(BUTTON_C)); Serial.print(" D:"); Serial.print(digitalRead(BUTTON_D)); Serial.print(" E:"); Serial.print(digitalRead(BUTTON_E)); Serial.print(" F:"); Serial.print(digitalRead(BUTTON_F)); Serial.print(" -- X:"); Serial.print(analogRead(ANALOG_X)); Serial.print(" y:"); Serial.print(analogRead(ANALOG_Y)); Serial.print(" K:"); Serial.print(digitalRead(ANALOG_PUSH)); Serial.println(); delay(250); }   Sketch JoyStick_Test.ino /// /// \file JoyStick_Test.ino /// \brief A simple sketch showing the binary input values from the joystick board. /// /// \author Matthias Hertel, http://www.mathertel.de /// \copyright Copyright (c) 2014 by Matthias Hertel.\n /// This work is licensed under a BSD style license.\n /// See http://www.mathertel.de/License.aspx /// /// \details /// This sketch shows how to initialize all the input ports of the Arduino /// corresponding to the buttons and the joystick of the shield. /// Here the io signal are converted to be interpreted easily: /// * The levels of the buttons are on the level 1 when not pressed. /// The conversion is implemented in the function joyButton(...) and returns a boolean value. /// * The levels of the X and Y joystick normally are not very correct. /// They are converted to the range -4 to 4 where 0 is the level in normal position. /// The conversion is implemented in the function joyStick(...) and returns a signed int. /// The 3v3 / 5v switch should be in the 5v position. /// /// The JoyStick IO definitions here are for the Funduino JoyStick Shield V1.A. /// It can easily be adapted to the sparkfun JoyStick Shield. /// /// More documentation and source code is available at http://www.mathertel.de/Arduino /// /// History: /// -------- /// * 18.10.2014 creation. /// Port definitions for the buttons on the shield with the printed labels #define BUTTON_A 2 #define BUTTON_B 3 #define BUTTON_C 4 #define BUTTON_D 5 #define BUTTON_E 8 #define BUTTON_F 7 /// Buttons with the names of the classic Nintendo layout #define BUTTON_SELECT BUTTON_F #define BUTTON_START BUTTON_E /// Port definitions for the JoyStick functions #define ANALOG_PUSH 8 #define ANALOG_X A0 #define ANALOG_Y A1 boolean joyButton(byte pin) { int signal = digitalRead(pin); return (signal == 0); } // joyButton int joyStick(byte pin) { // 000....128....256....384....512....640....768....896....1024 // -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 int signal = analogRead(pin); /// convert with mathematics signal = ((signal+64) / 128) - 4; return (signal); } // joyStick void setup() { Serial.begin(57600); // Setup button inputs with internal pull up high resistor pinMode(BUTTON_A, INPUT_PULLUP); pinMode(BUTTON_B, INPUT_PULLUP); pinMode(BUTTON_C, INPUT_PULLUP); pinMode(BUTTON_D, INPUT_PULLUP); // Setup the option buttons pinMode(BUTTON_E, INPUT_PULLUP); pinMode(BUTTON_F, INPUT_PULLUP); // Setup joystick button pinMode(ANALOG_PUSH, INPUT_PULLUP); // The analog inputs need no setup. } void loop() { Serial.print(" A:"); Serial.print(joyButton(BUTTON_A)); Serial.print(" B:"); Serial.print(joyButton(BUTTON_B)); Serial.print(" C:"); Serial.print(joyButton(BUTTON_C)); Serial.print(" D:"); Serial.print(joyButton(BUTTON_D)); Serial.print(" E:"); Serial.print(joyButton(BUTTON_E)); Serial.print(" F:"); Serial.print(joyButton(BUTTON_F)); Serial.print(" -- X:"); Serial.print(joyStick(ANALOG_X)); Serial.print(" y:"); Serial.print(joyStick(ANALOG_Y)); Serial.print(" K:"); Serial.print(joyButton(ANALOG_PUSH)); Serial.println(); delay(250); }   Additional Links http://arduino.cc/en/Main/ArduinoBoardEsplorahttp://arduino.cc/en/Reference/EsploraReadJoystickSwitch [Less]