DIY Sim Racing Button Box | Cheap and Simple!

I found myself needing 3 new sim racing button boxes for the rigs in the studio, and being a miserly sort, I thought let's do this as cheap as possible. So, here's how I built these 4 DIY sim racing button box for less than £60 all in, for all 4.
Parts Used:
Zero Delay Arcade USB Encoder
200x120x75mm Junction Box
12mm Momentary Push Buttons
18mm Momentary Push Buttons
24mm Arcade Buttons
Carbon Vinyl Wrap (Don't do it!)
A couple of years ago I created a set of Sim Racing Stream Deck icons, which could easily be adapted if you plan on making a numpad based button box: www.dropbox.com/s/sjhthxtd9pp...
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#ChrisHaye #SimRacing

[@clemsiemckenzie9799]

Possibly one of your best videos mate! Funny and super helpful! How would one go about making these boxes work in sim? Do you have a simple software that'll recognize those and make it work in sim?

[@ChrisHaye]

Thanks man! There's no need for any software, the USB board is picked up by windows and works natively. I probably should have mentioned that!

[@clemsiemckenzie9799]

@@ChrisHaye Brilliant! Man you really undersold the cheap and simple part, looks like a super fun quick project.

[@DarthPoyner]

@@ChrisHaye Sorry to piggy back on this comment, but does that board only support momentary switches or does it also work with switches or potentiometers?

[@ItsHelmet]

@@DarthPoyner It works with knobs, switches, and anything like that, just has to have the connection type to be able to work with the board is all

[@JamesW81]

@@DarthPoyner Pots might be a stretch, but you could possibly get away with a rotary encoder, one input for press, and one each for clockwise and anticlockwise turns.

[@adambodorkos1745]

I just bought a cheap USB keyboard featuring a touchpad, printed some stickers, mounted it on my playseat challenge and bam, multi-purpose button box :)

[@ChrisHaye]

I did the same thing to start with. But, when I got an Alcantara wheel I wanted to use gloves, which made the touchpad unusable.... which is a shame, because it was much more convenient than having a separate mouse!

[@adambodorkos1745]

@@ChrisHaye Yeah and for older sims the mouse is a must unfortunately. Cool DIY btw!

[@munkymittens]

You sir.... Deserve my humblest and sincerest thanks for this idea.... ❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@atomgaming7170]

A mastermind! Will try the same

[@munkymittens]

@@adambodorkos1745 do you mind telling me how you solved plugging more than one keyboard in? I've tried messing with AHK and LuaMacros but haven't a clue what I'm doing lol

[@wanabdulhadi1268]

As both a fighting games enthusiast and a sim racer, I’m absolutely elated that you used arcade buttons!

[@pedrosilvamusician]

Imagine using sanwa buttons for a sim rig. The great feel with the practicality of the button box

[@benji928]

Kazuya nods in agreement

[@single_daddin_it]

After scouring a few sites for panels I'm convinced building my own will me FAR easier and better than what's out there for my needs. We have 3 different 3D printers at home and plenty of these switches and wires already from previous projects. This is gonna be a fun one.

[@HPsawus]

Please let me know how it went 😁

[@darknewt9959]

Chris, you're a legend. This is such a simple but effective build. After buying the bits back when you released this video, I finally got around to designing a layout and doing the build. So many latent man-tools called into service. Pure workshop joy. Just what the doctor ordered. Works first time, added into iRacing, AC, FS22 and Elite Dangerous. Once I work out just where I want it on my rig, I'll sort out a proper mounting solution.

[@jordangrant-smith1248]

Chris this is the most simplified way someones ever taught DIY (as should be the standard). Gonna follow this and make one in the near future, I cant see myself messing it up too badly! :D Thanks for the vid!

[@andyc280081973]

Pro-tip: Many of the boxes have a grid etched on the inside of the lid - making it super easy to plan your button spacing, and it's just as easy to drill from that side (i.e doesn't make a mess of the outside). Also +1 for carbon - I did the same!

[@everythingofnothing3744]

Thanks for this. Been on the fence all week after watching a few videos. Yours has finally persuaded me. Parts all ordered and arriving Saturday.

[@JimLem]

This is awesome Chris! I only discovered your channel a couple of weeks ago and had been considering a DIY button project for my sim rig. Thank you and subbed!

[@placeholder2924]

I did this a few years ago myself and it's excellent. I really like it, though mounting is definitely an issue.

[@timayres2405]

Entertaining and informative at the same time, breezy and quick as always, thanks!

[@doggieboy773a]

Your DIY skills are on point and is worthy of another KZbin topic.

[@jenscee7679]

Most useful video I’ve seen for sim racers on a budget. Thanks.

[@wwjnz9263]

Chris... This is an amazing video. I can use a button box and building one myself would be a nice little project. Definitely going to make my own button box now! Thanks.

[@BadWallaby]

Since Im into rhythm games and arcade stuff I have a ton of these Sanwa arcade buttons as well as switches and I cant wait to do this as well! I already ordered those little arcade boards :D Thanks Chris!!

[@tonyyimbo]

Dude i literally just got these in the mail today perfect timing! great content as always!

[@aeiouxs]

Bloody. Awesome. Work. That's all I need to say Chris!

[@ndb6ndk99]

New simracer, new fan of yours! Really love your stuff Chris. Keep it up!

[@ForSquirel]

Holy crap. This is what I need in my life right now. Thanks!

[@joel7812]

Definitely gonna use the numpad one. No clue why I havnt thought of that before. I even have one laying around too.

[@kevinmastrogiacomo2727]

I just followed this tutorial and it turned out amazing!!! Thanks so much for this! I’ll find a way to send pics

[@utopianandroid]

Dude this video is perfection! Hilarious and helpful. Great job!

[@JimVR]

Brilliant video mate, nicely put together and really informative.

[@mrj3217]

Thank you, thank you , thank you brother. This is awesome, I am going to save a ton of money, make the boxes how I want them and have a cool project with the kids.

[@Walt1119]

Great video Chris!! Im in need of a button box and this sure fits the bill!!! Thanks so much!!! w

[@rhyswhite4018]

What a brilliant video. Would welcome any future videos where you share tips and advice on how to save money in sim racing.

[@keithbriscoe99]

who knew!!!??? This is so helpful and eye-opening. Thank you.

[@alexharkettsimracing]

Awesome video! I'll definitely be giving this a go!!

[@phillupson8561]

heh, "My limited DIY experience" - says the man in a kickass studio he built ;)

[@christophertcraig]

Your vid’s are always times so we’ll, I’ve been shopping button boxes the last few weeks!

[@ChrisHaye]

Heh. I can't take too much credit for the timing of this one.... it should have been released 3 weeks ago, but getting the printer to play ball for the 'numpad' box took far longer than it should have :D

[@R3mix97]

@@ChrisHaye Printers are literally the worst

[@rtimmins7212]

great video, easy to follow. Im going to make one. Thank you

[@bottomsplitracing]

love the zip tie that bad boy on there hahaha

[@pwi-studio]

really like this video - will help many guys to start their DIY career i think i started with such a USB controller 😃

[@matk4731]

Bloody awesome 👏 Thanks for sharing 👍🏻👍🏻🙃🙃

[@rudyversteeg1]

this is really a funny and great vid... thanks Chris. gonna try to build soon something myselves

[@ChrisHaye]

Glad you enjoyed it! Have fun!

[@smithp573]

Absolutely brilliant. Simple as that eh.

[@martinsorg4929]

what a great video! Thanks a lot! Think Im gonna opt for the numpad one. Really pushed my buttons there ;)

[@ChrisHaye]

Thanks Martin. I think the labels and carbon vinyl ended up costing more than the numpad in the end 😂

[@DavidJackson-zc4eq]

Nice one, feel a DIY project coming on :)

[@marcusdutton1808]

Loved the Joffrey line :))

[@cgpilk]

I love those USB joystick encoders, way easier than an arduino or pi for an electronics noob like me :)

[@crashturnone7611]

Seeing the prices of prebuild boxes I was looking into whether to build my own. This vid helps finally convince me to just give it a go. Just need to workout how to integrate my stream deck into the box for extra buttons.

[@Odysseus38]

Omg i love you thank you for this video youre saving me so much money on buying a new wheel with more buttons haha

[@roadhog29389]

Also with this, If you buy a kit with all the buttons and joystick, You can use said joystick as a sequential shifter. I did such for many years with no issues

[@lukejordan9670]

for mounting a button box 3m dual lock is another great option

[@mons2639]

Chris, you are the best....

[@revalutionzzz]

Made these myself in the past, I used a glue gun to secure the connections instead of solder. A cheap glue gun with glue can be found on eBay/Amazon too.

[@bradyhenricks6601]

excellent video

[@dvarrin]

Really nice video Chris! How do we choose the push buttons? I often see that they are for 12V. What is the voltage to use with this arcade usb board?

[@dylman5744]

Thank you for this very good tutorial, but do you know if they would work with fighter-jet style switches as well?

[@alexandercurtis7772]

Great video! Is there a way to use switches too with the encoder?

[@ValiantSaintAndSon]

Brilliant video! I've just bought a cheap numpad (£8 off amazon) thanks to this video. What's the best way to attach the icons (thanks for uploading them) to the keys? I was thinking about laminating them for longevity......

[@StuntcatTV]

Thanks man

[@Dasspapirfly]

Surprisingly this almost looks like something even I'd not be able to fuck up and doesn't look too bad. Witchcraft!!

[@ChrisHaye]

I managed to not ruin 3 of them, it can't be that hard :D

[@bullzeyes23]

Thank you so much.

[@heelandtoeknee]

That’s a short one and I love it. 👍 So all I do in the end is plug it into the PC via USB? Thanks Chris!

[@dave-j-k]

Very nice, would the zero delay board show up on an X-Box console?

[@coriddeval1815]

Seems like with the right setup you could make both an ebrake (just on and off not pressure sensitive) as well as a sequential gear box shifter. Even a H shifter.

[@TheBbarrow79]

ive made the joy usb boxes in the past dont know why i never thought of a 10 key. my dad was an accountant,man he loved his 10 key

[@EnsiFerrum]

Next time we meet (next SimRacingExpo?) I will bring my soldering iron to give you some lessons :-D Nice idea with the tape! I have to learn using tape the hard way ;-) For fixing the BBox I prefer Velcro Tape from Tesa.

[@AmillionCo]

Hello Can you wire a start ignition led button without soldering?

[@marcorazal]

This is nice. Is it plug and play? Then assign each button from the game setting?

[@SimonRoss-vl1nx]

Hi mate I know you mad ethos vid a long time ago but can you tell me what buttons you used please as I can only find buttons you have to hold in to be on. Great video 👌

[@grumpyguss]

I've always understood that with these you can only have 12 functions but one of your boxes has 13 (9 buttons + 4 bigger ones). I assume you connected those 4 big red buttons to the directional pad section of the PCB. Can you use JoyToKey to effectively jump from 12 possible functions to 16 possible functions?

[@patrickjanssens5923]

Nice Job, is it also working for the xbox series x, or do I need another encoder

[@krzysztofdrzewiecki4578]

awesome

[@schmidtvonhallzig]

Not as cheap but also easy to use, I can recommend the Leo Bodnar ButtonBox Interfaces. They also support rotary encoders. Anyways. Nice video, I enjoyed you, diving deep in your Adobe Stock library.

[@ChrisHaye]

Definitely! I’m a big fan of the Bodnar boards. I still have one kept safe for a bit of a dream project that I hope I can realise this year!

[@vb_matic4166]

You can add two rotary encoders to the shown USB encoder. In total 12 buttons and two rotary

[@Joakim_Johansson]

@@vb_matic4166Where do i plug the rotarys in on the USB board?

[@Manu68-Simracing]

Thanks a lot for this very useful tutorial. Could you maybe give us some purchase links ? Thanks in advance

[@maximiliantarillion6442]

How are the boxes called you bought? Love this simplified video!

[@LegendRockPlot]

mate this video is amazing i feel i can do this myself watching this im gonna invest i think in parts and make a box thanks alot will Sub and like now!!!!

[@kyussgaming5588]

Awesome Video! A few questions though. First, could I use this to control my OBS directly, or would I have to map the buttons to keyboard keys? Second, could I use a toggle switch to mute my microphone (i.e Toggle switch up for Mute on, switch down for mute off)? Third, Do i need to be an admin to install/use this on a computer? Lastly, Could I make this wireless in some way?

[@Lachlan_2005]

How do you Know which cord plugs into where? Very good video just not sure where which cord goes where into the board??

[@YotaakGFX]

If i wanted to use a rotory switch for like brake bias for example, how would I go about doing that / what switch would I use?

[@alanndeleau5085]

Hey Chris, do you know if you can put multiple encoder on the same pc ?

[@Finch7Stunt]

Are buttons from the numeric keypad recognized as the same button from the keyboard ? Example : 7 from keypad = 7 from the keyboard ? or it is a different input signal for the game control ? i would like to avoid conflict during configuration. Thanks !

[@yokoh691]

never realized how it easy it is lol

[@dr0nz893]

Is there a way to to add more types of inputs like switches and sliders?

[@SnoodyMcFlude]

Proud just how many cable ties are used on my rig.

[@trillbo]

Thanks for this, I was looking for this kind of project! Do you have any EMI issues with your DD wheels and these?

[@ChrisHaye]

None so far. In fact, with the Fanatec and Simucube systems, I've had no EMI issues with anything. My old OSW system did produce some issues with audio equipment however, but that seems to be a lot more sensitive in general to such things.

[@trillbo]

@@ChrisHaye Good to know, thanks. I'm still rocking the OSW system and have had some EMI issues with my Valve Index, but it hasn't affected any other controllers thankfully. I reckon these should be fine too.

[@the_sausage]

Does it install drivers? In your USB devices list, what type of device does this board show up as?

[@jameswiggin2631]

Would it be easy to use a few rotary encoders with this type of PCB?

[@JustaThing]

This might be a dumb question but do toggle switches work on the board you used? Like on-off-on or something idk anything

[@Jansson18]

Never done anything like this but seems kinda easy (and fun) . Just got a quick question. Wanna start with a super small one , ignition and start engine. The start engine is gonna be a push button ofc but want a toggle switch with cover for the ignition. Now here comes the question , how can I make it so if i open the cover , hit the switch and the ignition comes on, but i want the ignition to stay on even if i close the cover?

[@Glorious_Kim_Jong_Un]

Carbon is very strong, especially if you ever decide to use it around the Titanic

[@diegojusto705]

is it alredy compatable with the computer so you just have to set up the controls in game?

[@Anytheros]

Will there be any keybinding issues if i buy 2 of those boards to make 2 boxes to put one on each side of the wheel?

[@Steven-bq5fu]

Sorry if dumb question. I saw that the USB is automagically recognized by windows. Is there software needed to map the keys? If I wanted to use this for something else like a space or flight sim, would that be needed, or is it game dependent?

[@citricnick225]

I see in button boxes that there is a "fuel button". What type of switch is that called? When you push it in, it stays pushed in, pressing it again de activates the switch.

[@AdamKaylor]

Would rocker switches work?

[@jeep4lyfe319]

Are the red and black buttons the 12mm ones? 18mm dont seem to pop up well on the old amazon. Obviously the big red ones are the 24 mm lol

[@_mati90_82]

does the Burton box need software or drivers to work?

[@myst_m4rt3n53]

Do i need to Programm the USB yostick encoder or how does it work

[@vincentsantaliz8331]

I had a question for a usb button box. Can it work outside of racing sim, like for other uses/task

[@matthiasthurm207]

how did you assign specific buttons or commands to the "num pad box", otherwise it will just work as an numpad and your PC cant tell the difference. i know some solutions as HID MACROS but i was not really satisfied. (i always had to start it manually and sometimes it didnt worked). Maybe you found another great way and could share it in a Video Tutorial ?

[@combatwombat594]

I made one myself the exact same way before even seeing the video. My issue is, I want 3 way switches for my button box, but don't know how to make them work with the USB board. Clearly I can't use the cable with the connectors they came with, but can I just splice it and make it work?

[@thegdog368]

I used to have a website. Whats the best website/stores for the buttons?

[@chrinaldi]

Title : DIY sim racing button box. Content : button box for anything, really. Price : cheap Value : priceless References : we gonna need more warehouse for that.

[@Meditech509]

You are so right. We really are not above anything. Anyone have a zip tie?

[@fcf8269]

Really good video; indeed I ended up for the same route as you, although I went a step higher by buying a single controller that host more buttons, so I have a single box with axis and buttons, instead of multiple ones (save also space and mounting hassle). One thing I am surprised is how that cable harness that you use with your encoder is able to fit on the different button terminals. The small ones are a weird size and I had hard time finding spade connectors that would match; while the larger buttons are easy because those are the standard spade connectors. Did you have to do any work to fit the cable harness on the smaller buttons?

[@ml1186]

alcantara foil is also a good option, instead of the carbon

[@DjEyeQ]

Amazing! Now if only this could be used on a ps5 😭