BBI-32 Button Box Interface - No Connectors

A low profile version of the regular BBI-32. Exactly the same features but without the push in terminals or USB connector allowing you to solder your own USB connection to the labelled solder tabs. At under 3mm thickness and the exact dimensions of a standard credit card, there are great possibilities for mounting into tight spaces at a reduced cost.

This is a universal USB joystick interface board with solder tabs to connect buttons, rotary encoders and switches to a PC, Mac or Linux computer.

Build your own gaming device, whether it be a flight panel, button box, joystick, 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.

Inputs

32 button / 16 rotary encoder / 11 BBI-32 rotary switch inputs

Dimensions

Length	3.370" / 85.60mm
Width	2.125" / 53.98mm
Height	0.15" / 2.90mm
Recommended Wire Size	24AWG to 20AWG
Mounting Screw Hole Size	M2.5 or #3-56 - DO NOT ENLARGE THE MOUNTING HOLES

Exactly the size of a standard credit card, and without the connectors will happily fit in your wallet (should you ever need it to!)

Connection to PC

The PCB has a standard USB B type connector (not supplied) 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 11/10/8/7/Vista/XP/2000, 32 and 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.

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.

Solder Directly to the Board - As well as a lower price, having no connectors has many advantages! Being low profile allows for a wide range of mounting locations. You can also use your own USB connector mounted in a panel or even just wire directly to the board and secure the USB cable through a panel with a cable gland.

32 truly independent digital inputs for buttons and switches - No matrix, no diodes and no daisy-chaining. Each input has its own two terminals for GND and button input(GND can also be shared between inputs if necessary)

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.

Connect 11 BBI-32 Rotary Switches for up to 132 inputs! - Our 12 position BBI rotary switches connect with only two wires! Simply solder two wires to the tabs on the bottom of the switch PCB, connect to a button input and let the controller do the work!
Switches connect only to buttons 1-11. Each switch is allocated 12 button inputs, and moves the next switch to the next available slot of 12. For example, a switch in B1 will use B1-12. With a switch also in B2, this will use B13-24. If the switch in B1 were not connected however and only the B2 switch, it would use B2-14.
You can also connect other standard buttons into the switch 12 button allocation for duplicate presses. For example a switch in B1 allocates B1 to B12. A standard button connected in B6 has the same effect when pressed as setting the rotary switch to position 6. If you do not want duplicate presses, you can change the starting position of the rotary switches 12 button allocations in the BBI-32 config software available in the downloads tab.

Can I be turned into keyboard or other device? - Mapping button presses 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 - Button Box Interface. 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

Encoder Configuration Software

Firmware files

Renaming Firmware - eg. Button Box Interface 1, Button Box Interface 2 etc

LED on Button Press Wiring Diagram

PCB Template in .dxf format

DIView.exe - For Accurate Calibration

Recommended Third Party Software

Keyboard and Mouse Emulation / Scripting Software

SVMapper

Joy2Key

AutoHotKey

GlovePie

Also search for:

FSUIPC if you use Microsoft Flight Simulator

Other Applications

Information for a model railway sensor application