Joystick LED

Note

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Kit purchase

Looking for parts? Check out our all-in-one kits below — packed with components, beginner-friendly guides, and tons of fun.

Name	Includes ESP32 board	PURCHASE LINK
ESP32 Ultimate Starter Kit	ESP32 WROOM 32E +	BUY
Universal Maker Sensor Kit		BUY

Course Introduction

In this lesson, you will learn how to use ESP32 along with Joystick Module, LEDs, and resistors to create a light play.

Note

If this is your first time working with an ESP32 project, we recommend downloading and reviewing the basic materials first.

Required Components

In this project, we need the following components:

SN	COMPONENT INTRODUCTION	QUANTITY	PURCHASE LINK
1	ESP-WROOM-32 ESP32 ESP-32S Development Board	1	BUY
2	USB Type-C cable	1
3	Breadboard	1	BUY
4	Wires	Several	BUY
5	1kΩ resistor	Several	BUY
6	LED	Several	BUY
6	Joystick Module	1	BUY

Wiring

Common Connections:

LED
- Blue: Connect the LED anode to GPIO19 on the ESP32, and the cathode to a 1kΩ resistor, then to the negative power bus on the breadboard.
- Green: Connect the LED anode to GPIO18 on the ESP32, and the cathode to a 1kΩ resistor, then to the negative power bus on the breadboard.
- Yellow: Connect the LED anode to GPIO17**on the ESP32 , and the **cathode to a 1kΩ resistor, then to the negative power bus on the breadboard.
- Red: Connect the LED anode to GPIO16 on the ESP32, and the cathode to a 1kΩ resistor, then to the negative power bus on the breadboard.
Joystick Module
- VRY: Connect to GPIO35 on the ESP32.
- VRX: Connect to GPIO34 on the ESP32.
- GND: Connect to breadboard’s negative power bus.
- VCC: Connect to breadboard’s red power bus.

Writing the Code

Note

You can copy this code into Arduino IDE.
Don’t forget to select the board(ESP32 Dev module) and the correct port before clicking the Upload button.

// ===== LED pin definitions (ESP32 safe GPIOs) =====
// Avoid strapping pins like 0/2/12/15 for reliability.
// You can change these if they clash with other hardware.
const int redLED    = 16; // negative X (LEFT)
const int yellowLED = 17; // negative Y (DOWN)
const int greenLED  = 18; // positive X (RIGHT)
const int blueLED   = 19; // positive Y (UP)

// ===== Joystick analog inputs (ESP32 ADC1, input-only) =====
// Most joystick modules output 0–3.3V when powered from 3.3V.
// GPIO34/35 are input-only and support analogRead on ADC1.
const int xPin = 34;  // VRX -> GPIO34 (ADC1)
const int yPin = 35;  // VRY -> GPIO35 (ADC1)

// ===== Analog range and dead zone (ESP32 is 12-bit: 0..4095) =====
const int MID_VAL   = 2048; // midpoint for 12-bit ADC
const int DEAD_ZONE = 300;  // adjust as needed

void setup() {
  pinMode(redLED, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(yellowLED, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(greenLED, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(blueLED, OUTPUT);

  // Initialize all LEDs OFF
  digitalWrite(redLED, LOW);
  digitalWrite(yellowLED, LOW);
  digitalWrite(greenLED, LOW);
  digitalWrite(blueLED, LOW);

  Serial.begin(115200);
}

void loop() {
  // Read joystick (ESP32 returns 0..4095 by default)
  int xVal = analogRead(xPin);
  int yVal = analogRead(yPin);

  Serial.print("X: "); Serial.print(xVal);
  Serial.print("  Y: "); Serial.println(yVal);

  // Turn all LEDs OFF before deciding direction
  digitalWrite(redLED, LOW);
  digitalWrite(yellowLED, LOW);
  digitalWrite(greenLED, LOW);
  digitalWrite(blueLED, LOW);

  // Invert both axes: swap sign of offsets
  // (Original: dx = xVal - MID_VAL; dy = yVal - MID_VAL;)
  int dx = MID_VAL - xVal;  // inverted X
  int dy = MID_VAL - yVal;  // inverted Y

  // If inside dead zone, light nothing
  if (abs(dx) < DEAD_ZONE && abs(dy) < DEAD_ZONE) {
    // Do nothing
  } else {
    // Pick the axis with the larger magnitude
    if (abs(dx) > abs(dy)) {
      // X dominates
      if (dx > 0) {
        // +X (after inversion) -> RIGHT
        digitalWrite(greenLED, HIGH);
      } else {
        // -X (after inversion) -> LEFT
        digitalWrite(redLED, HIGH);
      }
    } else {
      // Y dominates
      if (dy > 0) {
        // +Y (after inversion) -> UP
        digitalWrite(blueLED, HIGH);
      } else {
        // -Y (after inversion) -> DOWN
        digitalWrite(yellowLED, HIGH);
      }
    }
  }

  delay(100);
}