Can a joystick be used to access my smart device?

Yes! If the joystick is the same one used to drive the wheelchair, you can connect it to the Tecla Shield if the chair is equipped with an environmental control unit (ECU) or an input/output module. This is an add-on for wheelchairs that allows them to control external devices. The ECU is usually a black box with a black cable coming into it, and it has one or two DB9 connectors. Male connectors (you can see these on the Tecla Shield as they are labeled with a wheelchair) are inputs, and the female connectors are outputs. This is where you would connect the Wheelchair Cable to the ECU, and the other end of the cable to the wheelchair port on the Shield.

Your wheelchair vendor would know if there is an ECU already installed or if it could be added to their chair. If there is an ECU present, then you only need this Wheelchair Cable to connect the chair to the Tecla Shield. 

Some Tecla users prefer to keep their wheelchair driving controls separate from accessing their smart device. In this case, a separate joystick can be connected directly to the Tecla Shield and an ECU is not needed. Don’t have a powered wheelchair but want to use the Tecla Shield DOS with a directional control? The Tecla Four-Way Joystick is the solution. Meet the Telca Four-Way Joystick here.