Hi all - some really impressive work in this topic!

I am interested in using MMJoy2 to add a couple of thumbsticks and extra buttons to my cheap Thrustmaster HOTAS X (can’t afford an off the shelf better HOTAS) to make it better. I initially followed this old guide to add a single one of these thumbsticks to the throttle but now I want more and that little guide will no longer help, so I have simply switched to MMJoy2 which was much easier to set up and get working. I am a novice when it comes to electronics so I likely have some pretty basic questions.

First question: if you look at that guide I have used a GND, VCC, A3 and A2 pins for the thumbstick which works just fine with MMJoy2 – if I want to add a second thumbstick I would use A1 and A0, but do I simply connect that to VCC in parallel with the original thumbstick I put in?

Second question(s): I only want to add at most 8 buttons so I presume that I do not need a button matrix? Looking at SolderMonkey’s set up on page 14 that seems to be the case. If that is true do I simply connect the buttons from the left hand side numbered pins on the Pro Micro through to the RX B(D2) pin? Do I need a diode to connect them to that D2 pin to prevent ghost clicks?

Third question: if I wanted to use some toggle switches instead of momentary push buttons what extra work would it require?

As I say I am just getting started so thanks in advance; really excited to give this more of a go.