Low Power Design Using Hall-Effect Sensors
Abstract
Gaming controllers and virtual reality controllers have various controls that can be actualized through Hall-effect sensors. As controllers are compact and battery powered, efficiency is paramount. This document explores the various ways to optimize Hall-effect sensor power usage while not compromising on the user experience of controllers.
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1 Introduction
Gaming controllers are a standard user interface that is often paired with gaming consoles like the Xbox, PlayStation, etc. These gaming controllers are rife with many different controls that include triggers, thumb sticks, buttons, and d-pads that all require sensors for converting the user’s mechanical input into an electrical stimulus. As these are ergonomically designed to fit in your hands, be portable, and remain powered on for extended periods of time, it is important to incorporate the most compact, power efficient sensing solutions as possible. This document will explore a variety of use cases for different low power modes pertaining to the sensors used in the gaming controllers.
Figure 1-1 Typical Gaming Controller With
User Interfaces like Triggers, Thumb Sticks, and Buttons2 Low Power Modes
Typically, linear Hall sensors are used in triggers or thumb-sticks to detect precise position. These sensors have either an analog output or a digital output interface such as SPI or I2C. To be power efficient, the sensors with analog output can be power cycled by the microcontroller and the sensors with digital output can be placed in trigger mode or self duty cycled modes. In the following sections, we show these implementations in detail.
