Manufacturer we represent

Bokam Engineering in the Southeast

Solid-state joysticks, pedals, yokes and sealed operator controls built for extreme environments and very long service life.

Request a quote Manufacturer site

Headquarters: Santa Ana, CA
Founded: 1980
Coverage: All Vaughn territories

About Bokam Engineering

Bokam Engineering, Inc. is a privately held designer and manufacturer of rugged human-machine interface (HMI) hardware based in Santa Ana, California. Dr. Boris Kamentser founded the company in 1980 as an engineering consultancy focused on sensor development, and Bokam added its own production in the mid-1990s. Today it takes joysticks, pedals, yokes and sensors from concept through OEM volume production in a single AS9100-certified facility.

What Bokam makes

Bokam’s product line is built on one idea: operator controls should not wear out. Its joysticks, pedals, inceptors and cursor devices sense force or deflection with embedded strain elements rather than wipers or potentiometers, so nothing rubs inside the sensing element.

That same platform shows up in very different places. Miniature thumb joysticks and palm-grip controllers go into unmanned-system ground stations and military vehicles. All-welded, potted versions serve underground mining equipment and flammable atmospheres. Welded stainless submersible mice and joysticks work on ROV consoles, diver tools and vessel stations. Programmable pedals, throttles and yokes handle drive-by-wire and flight-control duties, and the Universal Operator Control Unit packages several inputs with an embedded PC for UAV, UGV and ROV pilots.

Much of Bokam’s work is adaptation. Engineers start from a proven joystick, pedal or yoke design and tailor the grip, travel, force profile and interface to a specific program.

Why engineers specify Bokam

Service life. With no contacting parts in the sensing element, Bokam rates its devices from 10 million cycles for pedals and throttles to more than a billion cycles for many joysticks and submersible devices.
Harsh-environment construction. Electron-beam-welded, potted zero-volume housings let one hardware base work underwater, in mines and in explosive atmospheres. Bokam lists MSHA and Class I, Division 1 certification for its explosive-environment joysticks and mice.
Recalibration without teardown. Field-reprogrammable microprocessor electronics allow sensitivity and calibration changes in firmware.
Interfaces for safety-critical loops. USB, CAN, Ethernet, analog and switched outputs are available, with multi-channel redundancy and built-in test.
Controlled quality. Design, fabrication and testing happen under one AS9100 quality system.

Local support from Vaughn Associates

Vaughn Associates represents Bokam Engineering across all of its Southeast territories. The line fits the region well: aerospace, missile and unmanned-systems programs around Huntsville, shipbuilding and marine work along the Gulf Coast, and heavy-equipment builders throughout the Southeast.

Our sales engineers help you frame the requirement before it reaches the factory. That means the number of axes and travel, force feel, grip and switch layout, output protocol, redundancy, and the environmental or hazardous-location ratings the program must meet. We coordinate quotes and technical questions with Bokam’s engineers and stay involved from prototype through production. Orders are typically placed with, and invoiced by, Bokam directly.

Start with our joysticks, grips and HMI overview, send your requirement through application help for engineers, or find your local rep.

No rubbing contacts in the sensing element, with ratings from 10 million to more than 1 billion cycles

One welded stainless platform for underwater, mining and explosive-atmosphere use

Sensitivity and calibration adjustable in firmware without disassembly

USB, CAN, Ethernet, analog and redundant outputs with built-in test

Design, fabrication and testing in one AS9100-certified facility

Product lines

What Bokam makes — product categories we can help you specify.

Solid-state joysticks

Force- or position-proportional joysticks that sense with Bokam's embedded strain elements instead of potentiometers, from thumb-operated miniatures to full palm grips. Output options include USB, analog, CAN and redundant channels with built-in test.

DS-Series MINI Joystick
Gadol Joystick

Mining and explosive-environment controls

Electron-beam-welded, potted operator controls for underground mining equipment and flammable atmospheres. Bokam lists these devices as MSHA and Class I, Division 1 certified; confirm the exact marking for your model.

All-Welded Submersible Explosive Environment Joystick
High REL Explosive Environments Mouse

Submersible underwater controls

Welded stainless input devices for diver tools, ROV consoles and wet-mounted vessel stations, which Bokam states are qualified to more than 6,500 psi of external pressure. They are non-magnetic and make no audible noise.

High REL Submersible Mouse
Miniature Neptune Input Device
All-Welded Submersible Joystick

Trackball replacements and industrial mice

Sealed cursor-control devices with no moving sensing parts, so dirt, fluids and aggressive cleaning routines do not wear them down. A practical fit for contaminated, shipboard and medical workstations.

Force Ball Mouse
Solid-State Track Ball
High REL Explosive Environments Mouse

Multi-axis input devices and force/position sensors

Embedded solid-state input modules and sensors for OEM equipment, redundant measurement and condition monitoring tasks such as bearing thrust and vehicle ride height.

US-Series Solid-State Multi-Axis Input Devices
Sealed Position/Force Measurement Sensor

Programmable pedals

Solid-state flight and ground-vehicle pedals with adjustable reaction force and travel, rated for 10 million cycles or more. Analog, CAN, USB and switched outputs are available, including redundant isolated channels.

Solid-State Programmable Pedals

Yokes, inceptors and grips

Modular flight and steering inceptors with single- or dual-axis motion, damped or motorized return-to-zero, optional haptic feedback and up to quad-redundant sensing.

Multi-Function Programmable Modular Yoke/Inceptor
Drive-by-wire yoke and steering systems
OCU-style grips

Vehicle and gimbal control-by-wire

Throttles, wands and controllers for military vehicles, turrets, gimbals and unmanned equipment, designed for long life and adjustable operator feel.

Extreme Life Throttle Assembly
Universal Remote Wand Controller

Universal Operator Control Unit

A rugged handheld controller that pairs multiple programmable inputs with an embedded PC and display for piloting UAVs, UGVs and ROVs. Bokam rates it for operation from −40 °C to 85 °C.

Universal Operator Control Unit (UOCU)

Custom HMI and sensor engineering

Application-specific grips, force profiles, output protocols and packaging, developed from concept through production on Bokam's joystick, pedal, yoke and sensor platforms.

Applications

UAV and UGV ground control stations
ROV pilot consoles
Military vehicle drive-by-wire
Turret and gimbal control
Naval and subsea operator controls
Underground mining equipment
Flight and vehicle simulators
Medical equipment cursor control
Crane and heavy machinery consoles
Bearing thrust and ride-height sensing

Standards & certifications

AS9100

FAQ

Common questions about Bokam

How do Bokam joysticks last longer than potentiometer-based joysticks?

Bokam senses applied force or deflection with its own embedded strain elements inside a solid-state structure, so there are no wipers, brushes or rubbing contacts to wear out. The company rates many of its joysticks and submersible devices beyond one billion cycles, and its pedals, throttles and yokes at 10 million cycles or more. Because the electronics are field-reprogrammable, sensitivity and calibration can be changed later in firmware.

Can Bokam controls be used in underground mines or explosive atmospheres?

Yes. Bokam's all-welded stainless joysticks and its High REL Explosive Environments Mouse use potted, zero-volume cavities, and the company lists them as MSHA certified and Class I, Division 1 certified. Some joysticks are self-certified for Division 2. Before you specify, confirm the exact approval, gas group and marking for your model with Vaughn Associates or the factory.

What depth or pressure can Bokam submersible joysticks and mice withstand?

Bokam states that its submersible controls, including the all-welded joysticks, the High REL Submersible Mouse and the Miniature Neptune input device, are tested and qualified to more than 6,500 psi of external pressure. That suits diver-held tools, ROV pilot stations and wet-mounted vessel controls. Connectors and cable penetrations should still be reviewed against the actual depth requirement of each application.

What electrical interfaces are available on Bokam joysticks and pedals?

Depending on the product, Bokam offers USB in cursor, game-controller or switch modes, CAN bus, Ethernet, 0–5 V analog and switched outputs. Many designs support redundant multi-channel outputs with built-in-test reporting. That matters in drive-by-wire and other safety-critical control loops, where a single sensor fault has to be detected rather than passed silently to the vehicle or platform.

Does Bokam make a handheld controller for UAV, UGV or ROV operators?

Yes. The Bokam Universal Operator Control Unit (UOCU) is a rugged handheld ground-control device with four programmable joysticks, two D-pads, four proportional triggers and push buttons. It runs Windows or Linux on an Intel quad-core Celeron processor, offers a 5- or 7-inch display, uses hot-swappable dual batteries and is rated by Bokam for −40 °C to 85 °C operation.

Who represents Bokam Engineering in the Southeast?

Vaughn Associates, an independent manufacturer's representative headquartered in Huntsville, Alabama, represents Bokam Engineering across all of its territories: Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Florida, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C. Vaughn's sales engineers help define joystick, pedal and yoke requirements and coordinate quotes and technical questions with Bokam's Santa Ana engineering team.

Local support

Territory map