BU0836-LC Load Cell Joystick Controller

Price: $49.63

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Free USB Cable









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A small USB joystick interface board with pin header connectors to connect buttons, potentiometers, sensors, rotary encoders and switches to a PC or Mac.

Build your own gaming device - Commonly used for making pedals with a loadcell brake however many other uses including flight panels, button boxes, joysticks, robot controls and more......the list is limited by your imagination.

Also suitable for converting gameport devices or connecting real life controls to turn them into a USB device suitable to be used by almost any simulation or game software without the need of installing any drivers.

Loadcell axis always active even if nothing is connected. Connect a jumper wire between Data+ and GND to read 0 to prevent interference.


Inputs

1 Loadcell input with 12-bit (4096 steps) resolution
7 analogue inputs with 12-bit (4096 steps) resolution each
32 button / 16 rotary encoder inputs
8-way "point-of-view" hat switch input

Dimensions

Length 2.4" / 61mm
Width 1.4" / 35mm
Height 0.57" / 14.6mm
Recommended Wire Size 24AWG to 20AWG
Mounting Screw Hole Size M2.5 or #3-56 - DO NOT ENLARGE THE MOUNTING HOLES


Connection to PC

The PCB has a standard USB B type connector for connection to PC or Mac. No drivers are required. Plug it in and use straight away.

Fully self-contained interface

Natively supported by Windows 10/ 8/ 7/Vista/XP/2000 32/64 bit and Mac OS X. Also works on Android devices via USB link. - Forget drivers - just plug it in and it's ready to go.

Unique serial number helps Windows remember each device - Ever unplugged a joystick and had Windows lose calibration settings? This controller retains settings even if plugged in a different USB port or if you use two and swap them over.
Also allows you to connect and use more than one at a time.

Analog inputs filtering - Digital processing removes noise from axes position reports while preserving extremely fast response.

Powered by USB bus (+5V - 500mA) so no external power supply is needed - You can even light LEDs between the button input and +5V connector to illuminate your panel or switches when input is switched on. See downloads section for diagram.

Full-speed 12Mb USB connection.

Compatible with any game that can detect and use generic joysticks - MS Flight Simulator, X-Plane, rFactor, iRacing and other driving Games etc.

Proudly designed and made in the UK.

Pin Header Connection - Seven 3-pin and one 12-pin connectors are included with each controller to solder your wires to (to save soldering directly to the pins on the PCB) or connect using our 3-pin and 2-pin cables. Pin header has standard 0.1" (2.54mm) pitch.

Load Cell Connection

1 Input to connect almost any loadcell - How to connect a load cell? Excitation voltage (load cell's IN) to +5v and GND terminals. Load cell output to -IN and +IN terminals. If load cell cable is shielded, connect the shield to GND. Example of connection diagram and connected wires available in additional images tab

32 digital inputs for buttons and switches via wiring matrix - connects to six ROWS (buttons 1-6) and six COLUMNS (buttons 7-12) pins on the controller, for example - Row 1, Column 1 = B1. Row 1, Column 2 = B2. Row 2, Column 1 = 7 etc.(See additional images tab for diagram showing all inputs.) No need for any ground pins to be connected. Diodes required if there will be 3 or more contacts activated simultaneously, e.g. if you use ON/OFF switches - no diodes if buttons used only momentarily like most joysticks. First 32 buttons are standard buttons. Last 4 contacts make up 8-direction point-of-view hat (coolie) switch. Literally any diodes can be used - 1N4148 or 1N4004 are good ones and can be found at most local electronics supply stores.

Simplified Direct Button Connection - Connect up to 12 buttons or switches without wiring in matrix. No diodes are needed even with switches or toggle buttons. Connect each switch to the board using one GND pin and one of the 12 input pins. GND wires can be shared(daisy chained) between buttons.

Support for up to 16 rotary encoders - A pair of digital inputs can be connected to a rotary encoder. All main types supported (1, 2 and 4 pulses per detent. Check the datasheet of your encoder to find out which type you have). Once connected, download our encoder software in the product downloads tab and set the pair of inputs to the encoder mode you require. Always use odd number for the first input, ie. 1-2, 3-4 etc.

7 analogue inputs with true 12-bit resolution and independent wiring - 4096 steps of resolution. Even 1/4 of this range is still 1024 steps!
To support true 12-bit performance each analog inputs has independent set of +5v and GND terminals, oversampling and sophisticated signal filtering.

8-direction POV hat switch. - Connect a hat switch like ours - (click here) to these inputs or make your own by connecting any four buttons of your choice. Diagonal directions are made by pressing two directions together ie, UP and LEFT = NW. (only available if wiring in matrix mode)

Can I be turned into keyboard or other device? - Mapping button presses or potentiometers to other functions such as mouse/keyboard or hat switch controls can be done emulated using third party software such as Joy2Key. Look in the downloads tab for alternative software solutions.

Check data sheet of component you wish to connect for the correct pin out - The PCB is labelled clearly to show where each pin from your component should connect.

Once you have connected everything you need - Connect to a PC or Mac using a standard USB A to B cable and the device will be recognised as a generic game device named - BU0836-LC. You can then either calibrate or assign your controls using your chosen game or software as you would with any other game controller. That's it!


Construction tips

What to do with unused inputs?
Unconnected buttons will appear as not pressed - just ignore them
Unused analog inputs are automatically disabled. They will appear as soon pots are connected and BU0836-LC is powered up. In other words, if they are not connected - you will not see them.

Which pots are the best?
Any value from 1kOhm to 100kOhm will work fine. If you don't know where to start, get 10kOhm ones
Use linear pots (taper B.) Avoid non-linear, log pots with tapers A, D or Y used in audio level controls
Any pot would work but the best ones are industrial quality Spectrol (Vishay) and Bourns. They have life expectancy of few million shaft revolutions.
Good wiring helps. For ultimately clean signal use shielded wires and ground the pot's case if it's metal
Try to use as much of pot travel range as possible.

BU0836-LC Configuration

DIView.exe - For Accurate Calibration

Encoder Configuration Software

LED on Button Press Wiring Diagram

BU0836LC Firmware





Recommended Third Party Software

Keyboard and Mouse Emulation / Scripting Software

SVMapper

Joy2Key

AutoHotKey

GlovePie


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FSUIPC if you use Microsoft Flight Simulator