Button Boxes

[Brian Clancy]

Okay Guys..

I'm gonna start this thread off with some details of my latest atempt at a button box . I made this stand alone panel out of some 3mm perspex sheet, it utilises a Leo Bodnar BU0836 USB 'joystick' controller to connect the buttons and rotary encoders to the PC. Once all the holes were drilled, the panel was trimmed with a 3M made Dry Carbon look Vynil. Its suprisingly realistic and looks even better than it does in the pics!
All the switches are readily avilable from E-bay as is the 20x4 LCD panel and not as expensive as you might at first think!

Its suprising how helpful it is not having to look for buttons on the keyboard mid race as the switches on the button box fall to hand much easier! If enough people ask, I will write a comprehensive tutorial

 

[Abdul Al-Amry]

I've bought the following items today:

Acrylic(Black) x 3(never know I might fluff one up )
BU0836 Controller
Rotary encoder CTS 288 x 3

 

[Ryan Callan]

Barnsley and Huddersfield.

So romantic......

:wink:

 

[Brian Clancy]

Barnsley and Huddersfield.

So romantic......

:wink:

Cheeky bleedin..Grrrrrr......That will come back to bite you on yer ar*e Callan hahahahahaha

 

[Brian Clancy]

I've bought the following items today:

Acrylic(Black) x 3(never know I might fluff one up )
BU0836 Controller
Rotary encoder CTS 288 x 3

Good stuff Abdul! I will try and keep the momentum on the tuts going, but it takes time lol! Hope to have another installment, in under a week, but dont hold me to it lol!

 

[Dave Stephenson]

Remember too that if you run the G25 shifter you don't lose all the buttons it offers. Some of the less used stuff could quite easily be assigned to there

 

[Dave Stephenson]

Barnsley and Huddersfield.

So romantic......

:wink:

ey Callan! watchit nowt up wi Barnsley lad.

 

[Brian Clancy]

Remember too that if you run the G25 shifter you don't lose all the buttons it offers. Some of the less used stuff could quite easily be assigned to there

Very true, another 8 buttons and a hat switch there!

 

[Neil Farren]

Top work on the first tutorial Brian. I've just rearranged my gaming room and have been trying to work out how to get my keyboard close enough to my cockpit to be able to use it. You have just solved my problem and inspired me to build a button box. Already thinking of ways to mount it to my cockpit and thinking of how many buttons/switches/rotary encoders I need. Will be following further tutorials very closely. Never tried anything like this before but if your first tutorial is anything to go by even noobs like me will be catered for. Keep up the good work.

 

[Brian Clancy]

Thanks Neil

Thats the whole idea mate! Get people into this stuff and de-mystify it a bit, with the advent of quality USB input boards, its much easier than you might think, lets face it, if I can do it, anyone can lol!

Welcome abord and hope you enjoy it, once the Button Box is done, bigger and better things will follow!:wink:

 

[Neil Farren]

Thanks Neil

Thats the whole idea mate! Get people into this stuff and de-mystify it a bit, with the advent of quality USB input boards, its much easier than you might think, lets face it, if I can do it, anyone can lol!

Welcome abord and hope you enjoy it, once the Button Box is done, bigger and better things will follow!:wink:

Looking over at the Leo Bodnar website opens up a whole world of possibilities. I'm looking at the Sli-Pro and wondering how I could mount it on my Fanatec lol. But I think I'll try and walk before I can run with the button box for starters.

 

[Brian Clancy]

Ive already got an SLI-M on my G25 (look at the G25 wheel thread) its a bit scrappy (prototype) but I will be covering this stuff in a later tut! You could fit an SLI-M or Pro board into your button box as its also an input board too?

 

[Abdul Al-Amry]

Brian you are spoiling us lol lol

btw... Leo Bodnar site has one of the best customer service I have ever experienced. I mean I am really impressed. I was so much in a hurry to get the USB controller I forgot to add the rotary thingies in the basket aswell. Got sorted without extra shipping charges. Lovely

 

[Brian Clancy]

Brian you are spoiling us lol lol

btw... Leo Bodnar site has one of the best customer service I have ever experienced. I mean I am really impressed. I was so much in a hurry to get the USB controller I forgot to add the rotary thingies in the basket aswell. Got sorted without extra shipping charges. Lovely

Yeah hes very good, buggar to get to respond to an e-mail sometimes, but very quick delivery, great products, the e-mail thing is simply he's a one man band, so really busy. Ive had a few long chats with him and he knows his stuff!

 

[Brian Clancy]

Right, second part of the button box Tutorial is up in the TUT thread, enjoy and leave all your questions, feedback etc here guys​

 

[Abdul Al-Amry]

Brian, this is coming up nicely m8.

Will one set of those 10 servo ext lead be enough?

 

[Brian Clancy]

Will one set of those 10 servo ext lead be enough?

10 leads should be 10 female plugs, that will do 20 buttons or 16 buttons and 2 rotarys, but to be honest, it will do more anyway, once you go above 12 buttons you have to wire in a matrix (TUT will have more about it later in wiring) but basically shared earths.

 

[Brian Clancy]

Oh, guys, check out the components thread from time to time too, I'm slowly adding little e-bay gems and suppliers, feel free to add your own discoverys too. It will make a handy 'parts catalouge'!

If we get enough stuff in there I will make sub-forums inside the thread for diffrent component types, could be very handy as a resource for later projects! The more you guys put into this forum, the more we can ALL get out of it:wink:

 

[Daniel Higgins]

Was going to post in chit-chat but this is more appropriate;

Well my idea was to create a wheel mounted box as I figured a button box is a button box weather it is on a desk or on a wheel. Looking though and total idiot didnt realise that the SLI-M has shift lights, doh! So far I have;

• SLI-M - $75
• Knitters x4 - $28
• Rotaries x2 - $8
• Wires + Rotary Cover - $11
• 2mm Perspex + Vinyl - about $20

Altogether $142 or £90 Think I may go for it after all.

 

[Neil Farren]

Quick question Brian. I need to have the SLI-M for the rev display but I think mounting it to my fanatec is not feasible whilst I'm such a noob (probably do it in the future). So I was thinking about mounting SLI-M behind my wheel so it just pops up above my wheel for me to see and having a separate button box to the side for...buttons! This would mean cables being run between the button box and the SLI-M frame. Is this possible in your experience?

 

[Brian Clancy]

Hi Neil

Yep, not a problem, infact you could even think about a small dash the wheel pod is 'sunk' into, but yes running the button wires to a sperate panel is easy, no prob!