Fiberoptic joystick with quadrature encoders and arduino

TL;DR

This video showcases a joystick made entirely of optical components, allowing it to be used in environments where electricity is not allowed, such as MRI machines.

Transcript

hi everyone I thought I'd show you my latest project this is a standard computer joystick that's not that interesting but this particular joystick is entirely Optical so there's no wires inside here this is only glass fibers inside this cable uh meaning that the joystick has no electronics inside it or this part of it is completely free of electron... Read More

Key Insights

• 😒 The optical joystick is designed for use in non-electronic environments like MRI and meeg machines.
• 🥶 It replaces traditional joysticks with glass fibers, making it metal-free and safe in such environments.
• 📡 The joystick uses optical fibers to transmit and receive signals, which are converted into square wave signals for tracking movement.
• 🧘 An Arduino microcontroller is used to scale the output and maintain the minimum and maximum positions of the joystick.
• 🍳 The optical fibers used in the joystick are surprisingly tough and can withstand bending and twisting without breaking easily.
• 👻 The joystick design allows for easy modification and component replacement.
• 😒 The use of an ATmega chip enables USB interfacing for the joystick.

Questions & Answers

Q: How is the optical joystick different from a traditional joystick?

The optical joystick is made entirely of glass fibers instead of wires, making it metal-free and safe to use in non-electronic environments like MRI machines.

Q: How does the optical joystick work?

The joystick has eight fibers that transmit and receive signals. These signals are converted into square wave signals that track movement, which are then read and processed by an Arduino microcontroller.

Q: What is the purpose of using an Arduino microcontroller?

The Arduino microcontroller is used to keep track of the minimum and maximum positions of the joystick and scale the output accordingly. It also sends the scaled output to an ATmega chip for USB interfacing.

Q: Is the optical joystick fragile?

While the glass fibers used in the joystick are delicate when exposed, they are surprisingly tough and can withstand bending and twisting without breaking easily. However, the stripped fibers are more fragile and require careful handling during termination and polishing.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The optical joystick is designed to be used in non-electronic environments like MRI machines, where traditional joysticks with wires can interfere with the magnetic field.

• The joystick uses glass fibers instead of wires, making it entirely metal-free and safe for use in such environments.

• The joystick's sensing method is optical, with eight fibers transmitting and receiving signals to track movement.