I'd like to build a wireless joystick for one of my machines. It's a very simple thing using only discrete switches. The type of joystick that I'm planning to use looks more or less like this:

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I've already searched Digikey for wireless modules, but I can't make heads or tails of it. They all have an SPI, UART, are WiFi or Bluetooth, or have some other serial interface output that's too complicated to implement.

Is there a way to build a simple transmitter and receiver pair (or use an already made module that I have yet to find) that will transmit the state of up to 8 switches without having to use an MCU to read/control it?
I'd like to transmit the state of up to 8 switches in the joystick, thus activating up to 8 outputs at the receiver.

Distance is not that important, up to 10m would suffice. Also, battery life is not that important either, since it would be used sporadically.

 

Gee... the silence of the members of this forum is deafening...

 

Something like this:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DC-12V-8-...Transmitter-/262049692353?hash=item3d0360fac1

I doubt it would handle more than one keypress at a time, though, if that's a requirement.

 

Something like this:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DC-12V-8-...Transmitter-/262049692353?hash=item3d0360fac1

I doubt it would handle more than one keypress at a time, though, if that's a requirement.

Yes, up to two keys at a time being pressed is a requirement... but thanks for the link!, it's a start

 

I just risked it and bought this item from amazon.

The reason I did it is because in the specs it says: "Using wireless encoding technique, no direction, no mutual interference", and that might (but then again, might not) mean that more than one relay can be momentarily activated at a time.

Also, for my purposes it's important that the relays don't share a common terminal.

Thanks for the time to look it up, Blocco!

 

I think it might be difficult to find something that will encode more than one key at a time. I assume that there are 4 switches on the joystick but 2 may be operated at the corner positions for diagonal movement?

The only solution may be to add micro-controller between the joystick and the transmitter to encode the 8 positions from 4 switches into 8 channels.

 

I think it might be difficult to find something that will encode more than one key at a time. I assume that there are 4 switches on the joystick but 2 may be operated at the corner positions for diagonal movement?

The only solution may be to add micro-controller between the joystick and the transmitter to encode the 8 positions from 4 switches into 8 channels.

It all depends on how the transmitter and receiver in this particular item work. I'm under the impression that they're using RF modules being controlled by their own mcu's. If that is the case, then it all depends on the way the transmitter is encoding the signal. Maybe the transmitter is sending a 12-bit word to the receivers, with the state of each receiver assigned to one particular bit of that word. If that turns out to be true, then it should be possible to press more than one button simultaneously, with the receivers working in unison.
On the other hand, I'm curious to take a close look at the circuitry involved in this design.