Bossy Is an Open Source Wireless Controller That You Can Build Yourself

When they need a controller for some sort of custom project, most people turn to either video game controllers or radio control (RC) transmitters. For example, if you’re building a robot that you want to be able to control manually, you might control it with an Xbox controller by using a computer as an intermediary. Alternatively, you might use an RC transmitter to control it like a drone or RC car. If, however, you want something a bit more custom, Bossy is an open source wireless controller that you can build yourself.

Bossy was developed by Mithi Sevilla to fill the need for a general purpose wireless controller that can be adapted to a wide range of applications. The “standard” Bossy controller has four analog joysticks, four momentary push buttons, four toggle switches, five potentiometer dials, and a small RGB LED matrix display. Mithi also has plans to develop smaller versions in the future, which will be called the Mini Bossy and Tiny Bossy. Her plans to do so are currently on hiatus do to coronavirus lock downs, but hopefully she’ll be able to pick the project back up in a few months.

The standard Bossy controller can be built with either an Arduino Micro or an Adafruit Metro Mini development board. Wireless connectivity is handled by Nordic Semiconductor nRF24L01+ transceivers. These operate at 2.4GHz, which is the same band used by most wireless routers because it is reliable, has a decent range, and can be utilized by hobbyists in most regions. Two CD74HC4067 multiplexers are used to expand the available inputs to handle all of the buttons. Whether you use the Arduino Micro or the Adafruit Metro Mini, you can program it using the Arduino IDE. How you choose to use Bossy is completely up to you, because this project gives you the flexibility to use it for just about anything from a robot to a custom video game console.