Joystick Control Unit
This is the in-cab control device with which the operator manages the direction and height of the rear arms with one hand. The direction the lever tilts sets the direction of movement, and the amount of tilt sets the speed or position command. In the AXI ELF-812 set it is supplied as one of three input methods, together with the fender switches and the remote control.
The joystick converts the lever's angle into a voltage via the potentiometer or Hall sensor in its internal mechanism; the control module turns that voltage into a command. A good joystick provides three things together:
- Return to centre: when released it returns to neutral with a spring and the command is cut.
- Deadband: it produces no command within a small band around the centre, so tractor vibration does not create unintended movement.
- Repeatability: the same physical position corresponds to the same command every time.
The rule for placement is that the lever should be close to the operator's dominant hand, with elbow support, and at a point where it will not be knocked while climbing in and out of the tractor. Cab vibration must not act directly on the joystick body; the unit must be fixed to a solid surface.
On the ELF-812 the joystick works together with the position and precision modes: the mode choice sets the behaviour, and the joystick gives the command within that behaviour. When you need to stand outside the cab while attaching an implement, the fender switch takes over the same function.
The context in which this term is used: Converting a tractor hydraulic lever to electronic control