Remapping input buttons in hardware (switchboard?)

Thread Starter

Pixel_Outlaw

Joined Jun 30, 2010
20
Hello all,

I've built a few joysticks and they usually have a handful of buttons. Usually they do nothing more than bridge a power source to a pin on a chip when pushed. These joysticks are for computer and often I'd like to be able to quickly remap the buttons for different games which may not support doing so in software. I thought of a sort of plug and socket system but I'm not sure what my options are there. Essentially after each switch I have a plug wire which can be inserted into a socket connected to any leg of the receiver PCB.

I've thought about banana plugs, rca jacks, and audio jacks.
I'd like to keep the design compact and certainly wouldn't want to use something like breadboard with jumper cables as those are very prone to wiggling lose.

So, given these sockets and jacks would be a few inches apart which is a good compact solution? I don't know much about my hardware options. If you wanted to make a small plugboard given an area of about an inch and a half by three what hardware would you select? My joystick has 6 buttons meaning 6 jacks and 6 sockets.

Keep in mind, I'd like to keep these sockets and jacks outside the board for very easy access.

Sincerely,
Pixel_Outlaw
 

nsaspook

Joined Aug 27, 2009
13,079
Using a DIP socket wired in and out with DIP headers to reconfigure the wiring from input to output is one option.


jumper header and socket

20 pin Proto breakout
 

Thread Starter

Pixel_Outlaw

Joined Jun 30, 2010
20
Aren't the pins in the jumper header fixed though?
Just to be sure we're on the same page I need to be able to put any wire to any pin on the chip in real time between video games. Dynamic connections that change by what I'm playing.

So, buttons 0-5 need to connect with pins 0-5 in a non predetermined configuration.
Here are what I'm using... https://focusattack.com/sanwa-obsf-30mm-pushbuttons-black/

Connected to this:
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/6eh1v0FtlVQ/maxresdefault.jpg

Now, this all connects by push on connectors but they're not meant to switch quite as much as I tend to...
 

Thread Starter

Pixel_Outlaw

Joined Jun 30, 2010
20
Quite a bit of soldering. Seems like a clean option for the outside.
I may have to just go with banana plug jumper wires. Though, it seems that 1/4" jacks are a bit cheaper and come premade with some very short wires for guitar pedals. I've heard that those audio cables have enamel or something on them making soldering annoying if you make your own.
 

nsaspook

Joined Aug 27, 2009
13,079
Aren't the pins in the jumper header fixed though?
Just to be sure we're on the same page I need to be able to put any wire to any pin on the chip in real time between video games. Dynamic connections that change by what I'm playing.

So, buttons 0-5 need to connect with pins 0-5 in a non predetermined configuration.
Here are what I'm using... https://focusattack.com/sanwa-obsf-30mm-pushbuttons-black/

Connected to this:
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/6eh1v0FtlVQ/maxresdefault.jpg

Now, this all connects by push on connectors but they're not meant to switch quite as much as I tend to...
You can wire (using a wire) any one header pin connection point to any other header connection point pin. You could have several pre-wired headers each for X game to drop in the socket.
 
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