Button Box / Hardwire Contact USB Encoder Box

[protocolgeorge]

I think I came up with a very simple solution for a way to mount a button box, dry contract accessory USB encoder. I have built several easy detachable accessories for my rig such as Eaton Fuller 18 Speed shift know for American Truck Simulator, turning singles and quick button for controller the TrackIR. The issue was most on the accessories are too small to house the USB encoder and required it to be mounted externally. I decided to use CAT5 keystone jacks and a surface mount 8 port keystone jack enclosure to house the encoder and attach it to the rig. This allows the accessories to be connected and disconnected using standard CAT5/CAT5e network patch cables of various lengths and make it very easy to utilize the available 12 inputs (in the case of my encoder) for many different accessories depending on the game being played.

In the case of the USB encoder I used the wires are a small enough gauge to directly punch down the to the keystone jack and very elegant solution cheap solution. I even found a USB A to USB B keystone pass-through jack for the connection to the PC or alternatively the connection could be passed though one on the cable holes on the back of the enclosure.

 

[NeoGrotesk]

I've found the issue with those cheap joystick boards is they all have the same id/name, so you can't use two at once because Windows sees them as the same. At least that's my experience. It's a shame because they're really cheap and dead easy to work with.

 

[jeefAD]

Very clever using CAT5! Making a note should I need to rebuild my button box or make something new.

Question: what plans did you use for the Eaton Fuller or did you go it your own?

@NeoGrotesk: I used a two-player set for my button box and they seem to work fine together. Gave me 32 inputs in total (12 buttons + up/down/left/right per board). Windows does show them as having the same name, but they detect in-game as separate devices.

 

[protocolgeorge]

Very clever using CAT5! Making a note should I need to rebuild my button box or make something new.

Question: what plans did you use for the Eaton Fuller or did you go it your own?

@NeoGrotesk: I used a two-player set for my button box and they seem to work fine together. Gave me 32 inputs in total (12 buttons + up/down/left/right per board). Windows does show them as having the same name, but they detect in-game as separate devices.

I purchased from Amazon a real Eaton Fuller shifter knob, some micro switches and a EasyJake sleeve (for the engine brake switch). The real shifter uses solenoids but there is enough room inside with careful placement to install glued microswitches inside.
I got the basic idea originally from this video "

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With some slight modification. Then I wired all three switches to another CAT5e keystone jack on the bottom of the shifter that essentially is press fit between the EasyJake sleeve and threaded rod I use used for an extension. This allows for very quick swaps between a traditional shift knob and the 18 speed shift knob on my Fanatec SQ1.5.

 

[jeefAD]

Nice! Thanks for the product info/pictures. Looks like I may have a project coming up. I had a 3D-printed part on my G27 shifter that held toggles for range/split function. That obviously won't carry over to my new Fanatec SQ 1.5 and I haven't seen an equivalent. Sure, I can map a button on the universal hub, but it doesn't feel right... at least not after getting used to range/split on the shifter.