Pokitto JoyHat

Reminds me of @trelemar’s idea:

I agree with @FManga that the link cable should be separate from this hat.
At least until we have an idea about how a link cable should function,
so we can get a better idea of whether it’s worth having on this hat.

I find it a bit odd that there’s a hole on the top left of the hat but on the top right.
And I think there should be two lots of those grey bars holding the hat in place.
(I like symmetry, is it obvious? :P)

Also maybe they should be on the back rather than the front (though obviously people can choose which side to put them on).

What are the buttons on the sides of the hat for?

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I think that’s where the idea came from. What made me move is that I now got some thumb joysticks from ebay.

Side buttons were intended for “front finger trigger” when held sideways (portrait mode)

Legos can be used on both sides. They’re legos afterall. Like I said previously, the friction of the big pin connector alone can hold the hat in place

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I think @trelemar’s original design was thinking of sliders rather than joysticks, but maybe I’m mis-remembering.

Fun fact: in Britain we consider ‘lego’ to be uncountable (both singular and plural, like ‘code’), and ‘legos’ to be an Americanism. :P

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PEXJoy :stuck_out_tongue:

Won’t those cables get in the way if a game is designed to be 90°?

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*PUCG -Pokitto’s ultratrue cylinder gamepad :sunglasses:
*Pokitto fragger deluxe
*Pokitto joyhat
*Pokitto aimstick
*PHC - Pokitto headshot controller (sorry for that)

The are such cool possibilities :sunglasses:

For naming, I’m leaning towards:

  • Pokitto Joy Hat
    • Nice and simple
    • Alternatively stylised as “Pokitto Joyhat”
  • Pokitto Joy+ Hat
    • Because it’s joystick + buttons
    • Alternatively stylised as “Pokitto Joyhat+”
  • Pokitto Thumbstick Hat
  • Pokitto Stick Hat
    • In case nobody can agree on whether it’s a ‘control stick’, a ‘joystick’, a ‘thumbstick’, or an ‘analogue stick’

Version 3 with rumble motor added to top left corner. Its a Jinlong 3V motor, pretty powerful, through-hole with excellent characteristics, but its 2.44 USD a piece!

@Pharap : as per your suggestion I modified the hat to have 4 holes symmetrically. It makes PCB layout much easier, leaves more space for components and generally works just better

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why are you going for the large analog stick? wouldent a low profile one make more sence?
(psp, 3ds)

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Thats a very good question. I wonder if I can find that component somewhere else

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It indeed seems so.

I think it would be best to test that before finalising it.
I have two main concerns with a motor:

  1. It might not work very well if it’s only on one side of the Pokitto, usually a motor is centred
  2. Would it cause enough vibration to damage the pins?

(These issues are why I suggest that a ‘rumble’ feature should be implemented as ‘boots’ rather than a ‘hat’.)

Presumably the reason for the 4th hole being absent in the original design was because it would interfere with the PCB?

Wouldn’t having 4 holes like this require altering the mold?
I know you can fill unused space within a mold, but I’m not sure how you’d manage to double-up holes like this.
Though I agree not having the holes on the main body and just putting them on the ‘arms’ (or should that be ‘brim’ of the ‘hat’? :P) probably makes fitting the PCB in easier.


I agree with this, in the current designs the joystick does look a bit on the large side.

Although it depends on what’s available and how much what’s available costs.

My biggest concern with a large joystick would be how much pressure is being put on the pins.
I don’t know how much the pins have been stress tested,
but I know bent pins can be a real problem.

One thing I’ve thought of in the past is to put ‘sideburns’ on the hat to spread the load a bit.

HatGripSmall

(Though I imagined them being shaped to fit around the Pokitto more. I’ll try to draw something by hand later to give a better idea of what I mean.)

Though the downside to this is that I don’t know how it could be pulled off without altering the mold.
It probably can be done somehow, but hardware manufacturing isn’t my forte.

Don’t forget the SD card slot, it’s already hard to extract,
The L bracket on the other side should be fine

I also did my own 3d prints before wedging the top and bottom of for a snug fit

That translucent case led (pun intended) me to think about a RGB-led. Would it be hard to add?

Normal one or a powerful one?

I do not know. Depends on how much it will affect to the battery consumption with all the other parts (rumble). Also is it more expensive to make a translucent 3D printed case?

@adekto , @Pharap

Just calculated. That thumbstick component will cost 5,1 USD per piece. Realistically anyone manufacturing anything has to calculate 2x the cost to cover expenses. So that means 10 USD just for that component

Taxes and shipping … makes it very hard.

Oh that’s a shame, there a couple more variants on those I seen around

Also there’s capacity pcb version or custom one with magnet halleffectsensors but I guess nothing is going to Be cheap

The problem is getting the component.

If I buy from Adafruit, the cost goes up 2x because of taxes, customs and shipping.

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I think that we should take the price point into consideration, when selecting features for the JoyHat. What is a good price point in your opinion (excluding postage costs and 3D printing costs)?

I think less than 10 euros would be great. Less than 20 euros would be ok, but might be too high for some.

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