Analog Stick Manufacturer

[CptMonkeyFist]

I am a huge fan of sliding analog sticks and have been looking for one for a project of my own. I am trying to find one that is high quality but most everything I found is some chinese knockoff of either a PSP joystick or a Nintendo DS joystick. I have been watching you guys since I bought a GP2X back in the day. If it isn't going too far to ask, from whom did you get your analog stick base? I know the nub is custom, but the base is what I am looking for. I thought it might be the ams n50p111 at first, but they are (sadly) no longer in production.

I looked at the schematic for the pandora and it seems that your old analog stick manufacturer is out of business. I have no desire to pry trade secrets from you, so feel free to tell me where to stick my question if I am out line.

 

[rygD]

feel free to tell me where to stick my question

You can stick it in your fist.

 

[DAP]

Look elsewhere, the Pandora’s analogue stick is junk.

 

[Tenka]

Look elsewhere, the Pandora’s analogue stick is junk.

That is not what they have asked about.

 

[TrashyMG]

I swear a spec sheet was posted in some thread on the boards of the current choice of the pyra nubs.. I just can't find it in my searching...

 

[CptMonkeyFist]

Look elsewhere, the Pandora’s analogue stick is junk.

I heard it had issues, but that is one thing the devs claimed to have fixed on the Pyra. I am asking about the Pyra's analog sticks. I know they aren't using the same ones as the Pandora because the manufacturer for those sticks has gone under.

I looked around for a spec sheet but have yet to find one.

 

[GreenDream]

Would it be possible, if the dimensions of the Pyra nubs are the same as the Pandora's, to one day make a replacement/upgrade ourselves? I know that's off topic here, but I didn't want to start a new thread.

 

[vcoleiro1]

I would suggest you ask ED in the ask Evil dragon questions section. I'm sure he will be happy to provide the part info for the nubs used in the Pyra.

 

[WizardStan]

Look elsewhere, the Pandora’s analogue stick is junk.

I beg to differ. It has a stupidly high failure rate and the "auto-calibration" software is bonus stupidity, but the ones that work, when they work properly, are quite nice.
But yeah, the Pyra's nubs are supposed to be worlds better, according to recent reviews (mostly by ED but I trust him not to lie).

There is information, I swear I remember reading it so I think you're on the right track, I just can't remember where it is. It uses a magnet and hall sensors to detect motion if that helps at all, but that's all I remember and even that could be misrememebered.

 

[DAP]

Look elsewhere, the Pandora’s analogue stick is junk.

I beg to differ. It has a stupidly high failure rate and the "auto-calibration" software is bonus stupidity, but the ones that work, when they work properly, are quite nice.

Both of the analogue sticks on my Pandora have trouble going certain directions, and the auto-calibration software only makes it worse. It is really frustrating when the mouse moves 5 times faster in one direction than another.

 

[Null]

http://www.ams.com/eng/Products/Position-Sensors/EasyPoint-Joystick-Position-Sensor

http://boards.openpandora.org/topic/14031-old-nub-new-nub/?p=311617/URL]

 

[CptMonkeyFist]

http://www.ams.com/eng/Products/Position-Sensors/EasyPoint-Joystick-Position-Sensor

http://boards.openpandora.org/topic/14031-old-nub-new-nub/?p=311617/URL]

Thank you sir... I suddenly feel VERY stupid. I looked at that page, I went to the position sensor section... but I didn't scroll down to the modules. Rookie mistake.

 

[deadofmind]

Any idea which of the modules are going to be used? N40P107 or N50P105

I think the only differences between the two are:

N50P105 - Travel (XY operation) ±2.0mm (±10%) - Directional operating force (XY direction) 0.70N (±0.15N) - 18.5x18.6x2.45

N40P107 - Travel (XY operation) ±1.00mm (±10%) - Directional operating force (XY direction) 0.35N (±0.10N) or 0.55N (±0.15N) - 12.5x12.6x2.35

I don't know what these things are, but I assume the travel is how far you can move from center resting position and operating force is the resistance it has to movement?

What differences positive or negative could the extra 1mm of travel offer? Would the higher operating force make it slightly harder to move the nub?

 

[Granitehead]

operating force is the resistance it has to movement?

But I don't think that "resistance" is constant. So I assume it's the maximum force needed, the force needed to stay at the border of the area you can reach. "XY direction" could mean a diagonal between positive x and y or maybe just in direction of x or y (I assume in a good module it should be the same in all directions, but this isn't said here).
A mm of extra travel would probably make it easier to move precisely (your character or the mouse or whatever) because you could scale the same input to a larger movement of your finger, requiring less precision of the finger/thumb.

 

[Null]

N50P105 - Travel (XY operation) ±2.0mm (±10%) - Directional operating force (XY direction) 0.70N (±0.15N) - 18.5x18.6x2.45

This one, because I remember ED saying that the Pyra's nubs would have the same travel as the Pandora's ones.

 

[Bosbeetle]

N50P105 - Travel (XY operation) ±2.0mm (±10%) - Directional operating force (XY direction) 0.70N (±0.15N) - 18.5x18.6x2.45

This one, because I remember ED saying that the Pyra's nubs would have the same travel as the Pandora's ones.

1mm of travel would be very little so I hope this one indeed...

 

[comradekingu]

It means you need to push it with something like 70grams and 35grams to move mouse cursor. Its not exactly that, but roughly (for reasons unknown to me)

Its comparable to Cherry mx black switches which need 0.65cn to actuate,  the lighter one would be like a cherry mx blue.

Thanks for finding the details Stringoi. Wiki updated.

 

[Granitehead]

It means you need to push it with something like 70grams and 35grams to move mouse cursor. Its not exactly that, but roughly (for reasons unknown to me)

Roughly because g~=9.81m/ss and not g=10m/ss.But "move mouse cursor" isn't very exact either, most likely the force won't be constant in the whole area where you can move the analog stick. Most likely it will be generated by a spring, which would mean the force would be roughly proportional to the distance from the center.