Here we go. Wireless controllers.

[mnm1200]

I've been looking into this for a while. I want to hook up all my old controllers wirelessly to the computer running MAME.

What I've been looking at is making a very simple adapter for each controller to interface to a PC that uses mini-ITX 17cmx17cm-(I can't find any nano-ITX -12cmx12xm - that has legacy support), specifically one of the boards at http://www.viaembedded.com/indexN.jsp so I can take advantage of the Eden-N processor, which draws 2.5W at 533MHz or 7W at 1GHz, meaning very little heat. Also, a flash drive to boot into DOS or Linux (quick boot times so I don't have to wait from choosing a game (or from switching output to TV - not sure which yet) to using the controller box).

Then the OS reads the inputs and sends them wirelessly to the MAME computer, where the emulation is performed and output to TV.

My problems are threefold:
1) Controller hookup is going to be tricky and bulky, adding to the size of the final design. (Has anyone hooked up this many controllers in a small amt of space?)
2) I'm at a loss for power. I can't find a suitable AC power supply for a mini-ITX mobo that is small and fanless.
3) Software. I'm really not a software person. Can anyone recommend anyone I can turn to or drivers and software that can take the inputs and use wireless to broadcast them to the other computer (before or after decoding the signals - send raw data from COM and parallel ports to other computer or decode the signals and trick the other computer into thinking the controllers are joysticks or similar) or what language is easy to learn and powerful enough to do what I want

Thx for looking this over. Any thoughts/ideas/suggestions would be appreciated.