---
name: "joy"
section: "4"
platform: "linux"
package: "freebsd-manpages"
version: "6.0-5"
release: "Debian 4.0 (Etch)"
platforms: ["linux", "openbsd"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/joy/4"
---

# joy(4)

joystick device driver

## NAME

**joy** – joystick device driver

## SYNOPSIS

To link into the kernel: **device** **joy**

To load as a kernel loadable module:

```
kldload joy
```

In */boot/device.hints*: **hint.joy.0.at="isa"** **hint.joy.0.port="0x201"**

**#include \<sys/joystick.h\>**

## DESCRIPTION

The joystick device driver allows applications to read the status of the PC joystick.

This device may be opened by only one process at a time.

The joystick status is read from a structure via a read() call. The structure is defined in the header file as follows:

```
	struct joystick {
		int x;         /* x position */
		int y;         /* y position */
		int b1;	       /* button 1 status */
		int b2;	       /* button 2 status */
	};
```

Positions are typically in the range 0-2000.

### One line perl example:

```
perl -e 'open(JOY,"/dev/joy0")||die;while(1)
{sysread(JOY,$x,16);@j=unpack("iiii",$x);print "@j\n";sleep(1);}'
```

### ioctl calls

Several ioctl() calls are also available. They take an argument of type int \*

- JOY\_SETTIMEOUT *int*, *\*limit*

  Set the time limit (in microseconds) for reading the joystick status. Setting a value too small may prevent to get correct values for the positions (which are then set to -2147483648), however this can be useful if one is only interested by the buttons status.

- JOY\_GETTIMEOUT *int*, *\*limit*

  Get the time limit (in microseconds) used for reading the joystick status.

- JOY\_SET\_X\_OFFSET *int*, *\*offset*

  Set the value to be added to the X position when reading the joystick status.

- JOY\_SET\_Y\_OFFSET *int*, *\*offset*

  Set the value to be added to the Y position when reading the joystick status.

- JOY\_GET\_X\_OFFSET *int*, *\*offset*

  Get the value which is added to the X position when reading the joystick status.

- JOY\_GET\_Y\_OFFSET *int*, *\*offset*

  Get the value which is added to the Y position when reading the joystick status.

## TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

The pinout of the DB-15 connector is as follow:

```
  1  XY1 (+5v)
  2  Switch 1
  3  X1 (potentiometer #1)
  4  Switch 1 (GND)
  5  Switch 2 (GND)
  6  Y1 (potentiometer #2)
  7  Switch 2
  8  N.C.
  9  XY2 (+5v)
 10  Switch 4
 11  X2 (potentiometer #3)
 12  Switch 3&4 (GND)
 13  Y2 (potentiometer #4)
 14  Switch 3
 15  N.C.
```

Pots are normally 0-150k variable resistors (0-100k sometimes), and according to the IBM techref, the time is given by Time = 24.2e-6s + 0.011e-6s \* R/Ohms

## FILES

- */dev/joy?*

  joystick device files

## HISTORY

The joystick driver appeared in FreeBSD 2.0.5.

## AUTHORS

Jean-Marc Zucconi ⟨jmz@cabri.obs-besancon.fr⟩