joyStick

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This is an Arduino-based MIDI controller.

 

Essentials:

When you move the joystick in any direction, or hit the button, you are simply closing a switch. The 5 switches (4 directions + 1 button) are connected to the digital input pins of the Arduino. The Arduino reads the state of the switches – open or closed – and sends the assigned MIDI note to the synthesizer.

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Inside the gutted ET video game cartridge sits the Arduino. On the exterior, a 9-pin D-sub connector is mounted to plug in a standard Atari 2600 joystick (the joystick has not been modified), as well as a MIDI out jack to connect to a synthesizer, drum machine, etc.

 

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Here’s a quick demo:

 

And some more fun:


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CODE: