Beating the $20B Joystick Drift Problem, and giving it away for free

Over the past decade, more than 400 million gaming controllers, valued at over $20 billion, have been sold, each featuring joysticks that are commonly plagued by potentiometer issues. Numerous class-action lawsuits have been filed in an attempt to tackle this problem. If the world won't change, we'll just have to change the world ourselves. So, I decided to confront this issue head-on, and I plan to make the final design solution freely available to all.

This video documents the process of designing, testing, and implementing a rotary encoder hall effect position sensor (AS5600 by Osram), a component typically used in robotics, as a substitute for the potentiometer in the world's most popular joystick.

Wondering how to get your hands on these modules? With this video, I'm marking the completion of the first prototype of these hall effect joystick sensor modules. Chances are, this prototype has already been dispatched to my Prototyper Patreon supporters. The first prototype is specifically made for PS4 controller. But will fit any controller that uses 3.3V main power and have room for the modules. (XBOX and PS5 uses 1.8V)

The next prototype, which is expected to closely resemble the final product, will be sent to all members of my Prototyper Patreon tiers for testing(upon their request). Please note, however, that there is a limited number of slots available in this tier. Visit this link to see if any slots are currently open.

Alternatively, you might consider joining the "Part-time Prototyper" tier on my Patreon, where you will have the opportunity to purchase any prototype sensor modules that are not claimed by the Prototyper tier.

If you dont want to prototype anything, but still support my journey in bringing you technology your not suppose to have, to a price your not suppose to pay. Checkout my Supporter tier.

Once the prototype stage concludes, the design will be released as an open public design. Despite this, you'll still be able to purchase the hall sensor joystick module from my Tindie or Lectronz shop. Patreon supporters will be prioritized when it comes to the initial production run.

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Want to support my work, get first access to products? And influence what and how I work?
Join my Patreon

Or you can also buy one of my USB-C circuit boards for the PS4 controller.

Shopping from the EU? Get it at Lectronz:

Shopping from non-EU? Get it at Tindie:

Suppose you want to read more about my PS4 boards and me.

Thanks to PCBway for donating circuit boards to my projects!

It will be fantastic to get my boards in their incredible matte black color!

You can also reach me here:

[ilysmall]

As much as I get wanting to not license your product at all, you *should* license it under an open source license simply to protect it from copyright trolls. They could steal the design, claim it as their own, which by itself doesn't matter, but then they can sue all the other people using your design as if it is theirs, stopping others from using it, which is the real problem.

[loscienzo]

i'm very happy that people are explaining how open source licenses are better than an "open unlicensed release" for protecting your creations from being "locked away" by ill-willed companies

[Idiomatick]

The Sega Saturn used hall effect sticks back in the 1990s. Most controllers today with triggers that detect depth also use hall effect sensors. They know how to do this. They want the controllers to break.

[ScimitarGaming]

you did it 1 year ago, and now we are seeing hall effect joysticks in the market, you are a real inventor, hats off to you.

[humanbass]

The pressure and demand for hall sensor sticks have been building up quite a lot. Gamesir, 8bit and Gulikit already offering some options.

[Bobbias]

The dumbest thing about this is that there HAVE been thumb sticks out there for years that use hall effect sensors. Not in exactly the needed form factor that gaming controllers use, but if Sony or someone called them up and said "we need this thumbstick, but with a hall effect sensor" you know damn well they'd have made it.

[Warpathallthetime]

I admire a man who has a code to his existence and sticks to it.

[Est_Yasser]

Thanks!
You're the first one I support on YouTube, and I never thought I would do this in my life, but you deserve every support. Your last words in the video were... so sincere.
Good luck with your path!

[vidjenko]

Fun fact: Sega put hall-effect joysticks in their 3D Saturn and Dreamcast controllers in 1998.

[edmundmondo]

What people don't understand is that this is not a design flaw. Companies want your controller to wear and tear so that you're forced to buy a new one after some time, they design them so that hopefully it happens when warranty expires.
It wasn't like this in the first generation consoles, I remember the first Xbox controller I bought for PC, played for 10 years and never heard of drift problems.
Now I am forced to change controller every year. Thanks to greedy companies and their revenue schemes.

[nemtudom]

As others have said, you should *absolutely* put this under an open license, so wankers cant just copyright it themselves and turn a public service into a corporate scheme.

[RobinCernyMitSuffix]

Just one thing:
You earned a lot of respect with your attitude and your decision.

Knowledge should be free.

[timairborne]

The world needs more people like this. People that do something because they are passionate about it, not because they are passionate about money.

[Chasm]

Companies will hate you for this. They very much like their sweet planned obsolescence.
Stay safe, friend. Great design and even greater intention!

[Ucceah]

over 20 years ago sega's saturn analog pad and dreampad used hall effect tracked thumbsticks. the design was ingeniously simple, minimizing the number of moving parts, and practically impervious to wear. even on pads where the buttons started failing, and the nubs on the stick are completely worn down after years of use, the stick still tracked and centered perfectly, with zero center wiggle. (aint gonna try and describe the mechanism, but there are teardown videos)

[Cloud-Yo]

My man, you're teaching me how to fish, but I dont have a lake, a boat or even a fishing rod to do it with. 10/10

[Ethereal]

I remember the days when I was younger and used older generation consoles. As a kid, I often didn’t take good care of my controllers but man did they last long. There is definitely nothing better than buying a product and getting more than what you expected out of it. Now, games are demanding even more precision and intensity while the hardware is continuing to get worse. All for the sake of saving pennies

[ALiTY]

I think they know exactly what they are doing. This wasn't a big issue a few console generations ago.

[brotatoe]

The fact that you got this small enough to fit into existing hardware is incredible to me, especially considering how things like controllers are purpose built and never designed with any extra space in mind. I hope this in combination with other hall effect pads on the market will finally force the big guys to make quality, durable controllers.

[anthonysparks]

DUUUDE!!! YOU ARE FREAKING AWESOME!!! love the fact you build most of your own "tools/machines" just to fix common but typically "unfixable" issues!!! KEEP UP THE AWESOME WORK!!!