Mini Joystick with Fire Button

Step 7 Thread the Wire

There are a handful steps here but only a few photos. Make sure you have a switch that will fit in the pen body before proceeding. Otherwise you can skip to the last paragraph.

The first step is to cut off one end of the grommet so that it lays flat. Then punch a few small incisions on either side of it using a small flathead screwdriver or a razor. The grommet serves as a cushion for the joystick and prevents the pen tip from catching in the hole.

Next, run each wire through the grommet and through one of the holes in the perfboard (preferably not the large hole we drilled out earlier). The holes will probably need to be widened slightly depending on the gauge of the wire.

Next we want to solder each of the wires. Like the buttons before, the white one connects to it's own header and the black one to the common signal pin.

Now take bolt and flatten each side using a cutoff wheel or grinder. We need to make enough room for the two wires and the bolt within the pen body. The end result is that the bolt should be more rectangular than round. The bolt will still be able to screw on if we leave enough thread.

Lastly we want to thread the bolt and two wires through the body of the pen. This step can be a little tricky depending on the width of the bolt, gauge of the wire, and the diameter of the pen. Be patient if you don't get it on the first try, it took me several tries to get it right. Once the both makes it through you can put the spring and bolt on.