Having completed the frame, I need to design a handheld controller, suitable for controlling the trike. I’ve decided to use an Xbox style joystick as these are easily available and the Adafruit Eagle library already had them, saving me redesigning the package!

I intend to make myself a dual motor controller on a single board in the near future (I’ve intended to make a BLDC controller for ages…) so I’ve designed my joystick to be able to interface to either two pre made controllers (as I currently have) or my controller board. For the two controller interface, the board will output two analog voltages suitable for controlling each controller. For my board however the board will output a standard USART stream which my controller board will be able to decode.

I’ve also 3d printed a suitable case that I need to test the dimensions of before I order the PCBs. The case is really simple and looks slightly like a Wii nunchuck.

Top and bottom piece with a render of them both on top of eachother

You can see above that there is a slot for a cable to come out (twisted or ribbon style) and there are little fins on the top piece for it to keep on the bottom cover. As per usual, I’ve got these two piece printed using 3D Hubs, a service I wholeheartedly recommend! The actual STL files were designed using FreeCAD, another piece of software I’d happily recommend.

Once I get my prints, I’ll be posting pictures of those too.