Controller 2.4G Receiver (PS2)

The infrared remote control provided by LEGO offers a frustratingly small number of buttons, and using two EV3 hubs for a Bluetooth connection is extremely resource-intensive and prone to disconnection.

The Controller 2.4G Receiver provides a high cost-performance solution: It allows your SPIKE or EV3 hub to directly read input from a wireless controller featuring dual joysticks and abundant buttons via standard interfaces, unleashing your complete control over the robot.

• Rich Button Layout: Dual joysticks + directional pad + multiple action buttons, offering vastly more control options than the original remote.
• 💰 High Cost-Performance: The most economical solution for entry-level remote control needs.
• Plug & Play: Plug directly into SPIKE / EV3; official blocks read button states instantly.

Caution

2.4G Frequency Band Notice 2.4GHz is a public frequency band shared with Wi-Fi, microwaves, etc. When 12 or more sets of equipment are used simultaneously in the same venue, interference may occur due to channel congestion. We recommend upgrading to the Bluetooth version (PS4/PS5) for such scenarios.

Scenario	Suitability
Personal practice, home use, small projects	✅ Highly suitable
School clubs (under 10 sets)	✅ Suitable
Large competition venues (12+ sets simultaneously)	⚠️ Recommend the PS4/PS5 version

Platform	How
LEGO SPIKE Prime / Robot Inventor	Official app, Pybricks
LEGO SPIKE Essential	Not supported
LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3	EV3 official software, Pybricks
Arduino / ESP32 / Raspberry Pi	Universal I2C (address 0x42), Arduino Examples
MakeBlock (mBot etc.)	Dedicated edition, blocks & wiring

Important

Each platform is a different factory edition; please order the one that matches your controller.

Hub	Files
SPIKE (Pybricks 4.1)	Download all (.zip) · Library MBC_gamepad_Lib.py · Shared library MBC_sensors.py (for new projects) · Beginner examples
SPIKE (Pybricks 3.6.1, no longer updated)	Old files are under "Legacy (no longer updated)" on the Downloads page
EV3 / SPIKE App / Pybricks blocks	Command guide (PDF)
mBot etc. (MakeBlock)	Block extension and controller example

Stick values: EV3 0 ~ 99 (50 = center); SPIKE (official app, Pybricks) 1 ~ 9 (5 = center). Pushing up or right increases the value.

EV3 mode	Content
0	D-pad state
1	D-pad, left stick X, shape buttons (▲ ● ✕ ■), left stick Y, shoulder buttons (L2 R2 L1 R1), right stick X, function buttons (SELECT L3 R3 START), right stick Y
2	Left stick X, left stick Y, right stick X, right stick Y

Same register table as the PS4/PS5 receiver, so host code can be shared. Shared rules: MBC Universal I2C Protocol.

Tip

No coding experience? No problem: see the Arduino Examples. Every example can be copied and uploaded right away, with an English note on every line.

How to read: write [ID] → wait 2 ms → read 2×k bytes: k values starting at that ID (each value is an int16, low byte first, k ≤ 16). Unknown IDs return -32768. Values read in one go are from the same instant.

ID	Value	Content
0x01	16 buttons	All 16 buttons in one number (1 = pressed): b0 SELECT, b1 L3, b2 R3, b3 START, b4 up, b5 right, b6 down, b7 left, b8 L2, b9 R2, b10 L1, b11 R1, b12 ▲, b13 ●, b14 ✕, b15 ■; 0 when not connected. ⚠️ Read as int16, ■ alone is -32768 (same as "no value"): cast to uint16_t before testing
0x02	D-pad	0 ~ 15: up 1, right 2, down 4, left 8 (added when pressed together)
0x03	Shape buttons	0 ~ 15: ▲ 1, ● 2, ✕ 4, ■ 8
0x04	Shoulder buttons	0 ~ 15: L2 1, R2 2, L1 4, R1 8
0x05	Function buttons	0 ~ 15: SELECT 1, L3 2, R3 4, START 8
0x06	Connected	1 = gamepad connected, 0 = not (while disconnected all buttons and sticks read 0)
0x07	Battery	PS2 pads report no battery: always 0
0x08, 0x09	L2, R2 analog	0 ~ 255 (pressure only on a DualShock 2 in analog mode; otherwise pressed = 255, released = 0)
0x0A	System buttons	PS2 pads have none: always 0
0x0B	Gamepad type	0 = none, 1 = digital mode, 2 = analog mode
0x10 ~ 0x13	Sticks LX, LY, RX, RY	-100 ~ +100, 0 = center, right / up positive (within ±7 of center reads as center); the sticks only move when the pad's ANALOG light is on

Commands E5 (rumble) and E6 (light bar) are acknowledged but ignored by the PS2 receiver (PS2 pads have no light bar, and rumble is turned off). F0 device ID: low byte 0x42, high byte 1 (= PS2). For F1–F5, F8 (change address) and EF (restart) see the MBC Universal I2C Protocol. How to read it from Arduino, and every value in detail: Arduino IDE guide.

1. SPIKE / EV3 edition: plug the receiver into SPIKE (Ports AF) or EV3 (Ports 14). Universal I2C edition: receiver TX → SCL (A5 on the UNO), RX → SDA (A4 on the UNO), VCC → 5V, GND → GND. See the Arduino Examples for details
2. Power on the controller and wait for pairing to complete (indicator light remains steady).
3. Read sensor values in the official block environment to retrieve button states.