Soldering controllers for fun and profit *renamed*

Is that what they're called? I saw them used in one of the pictures but wasn't too sure, and I also don't really care that much right now (not that I'd even know where to look for some). Out of curiousity, wouldn't a (harder) method of rewiring be to simply reheat the solder and pull the wire out (and/or put a new in)? I had to do that fifteen million times to get the trigger and ground seperate on that damned tiny as all hell start button on the PS pcb. Or does it become impossible or some such after too long?

I'll probably bother with that for when I work on the supergun.

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Originally posted by MechDeus
Is that what they're called? I saw them used in one of the pictures but wasn't too sure, and I also don't really care that much right now (not that I'd even know where to look for some). Out of curiousity, wouldn't a (harder) method of rewiring be to simply reheat the solder and pull the wire out (and/or put a new in)? I had to do that fifteen million times to get the trigger and ground seperate on that damned tiny as all hell start button on the PS pcb. Or does it become impossible or some such after too long?

I'll probably bother with that for when I work on the supergun.

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Actually, yes. Too much heat/stress can actually cause the traces to lift off the PCB. I had this problem when I made my first USB adapter for a NEO stick.

heh, actually i did that on my dreamcast pad (i bought a circuit writer pen thing to fix my screwups). which was before i figured out the cutting off the ground trick. the heat shouldnt be that big a deal on the microswitches, its mainly for convenience really (although technically the heat could melt the plastic casing of the switch, it probably wont happen). itll be a bitch to rewire things through desoldering/soldering because the amount of wires goin around and depending on your casing.

Wow, this is all really cool. I think I should learn how to solder. It's probably going to be an important skill to me someday and it this project looks pretty fun and interesting. Plus I could use another joystick.

The only thing I don't get is how the pushbuttons work. Does anyone have like a detailed step by step guide on where you solder the points? I'm not getting it so far. Also, I can't find the Ultimate stick on the happcontrols website. Link anyone?

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Originally posted by SXA
The only thing I don't get is how the pushbuttons work. Does anyone have like a detailed step by step guide on where you solder the points?

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I'll probably make a small guide myself when I'm done to add to all the other guides. For the pushbuttons, the ground is the "extra" prong piece that sticks off the side, and you solder the wire from the pcb trigger to the side of the regular two prong plug close to that. Take at look at the closeup pics on the first site I linked for a good picture.

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Also, I can't find the Ultimate stick on the happcontrols website. Link anyone?

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http://www.happcontrols.com/joysticks/ultimate_joy.htm

I just ordered two Super Joysticks, which are currently on sale for almost half the price to boot.

http://www.happcontrols.com/joysticks/super_joy.htm

[edit] Update: I now have the four face buttons and start hooked up and in a piece of wood. I got stuck for a bit because it turns out you can only solder the two sides of the face button areas, and not those thin lines running up and down.

dont get the ultimate. for reasons, read this:
http://www.oscarcontrols.com/joycomp...yreview1.shtml
the super and the competition sticks are the way to go, i have both and theyre great.

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I got stuck for a bit because it turns out you can only solder the two sides of the face button areas, and not those thin lines running up and down.

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yeah arent those a wonderful bitch. cutting through the outer ground contact on there makes that pretty easy since you can just use the entire button area then.

Ah, I see how it works. So the green wire on the first website is ground? Forgive me 'cuz I'm just starting out.

Yeah, now that I see where you solder it seems way easier.

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Originally posted by SXA
Ah, I see how it works. So the green wire on the first website is ground?

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Yepperts.

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Forgive me 'cuz I'm just starting out.

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Same here, this is the first soldering/mechanical work (?) I've ever done.

Well my dad is an engineer so he's guiding me along the way and he already had lots of the stuff I needed so that's good. Soldering a modchip doesn't seem so hard now. :D

Woohoo! I just finished my own joystick-hacking project. I turned a Saturn Hori Fighting Stick SS into a PSX stick. I used the guts of an old Sony PSX controller. I didn't do any drilling, but the little circular copper pads that were under graphite seemed to be fine to solder to. The stick works well, too. Now I have no excuse not to try Guilty Gear XX. :p

And while this is my fourth or fifth soldering project and the most complex one yet, it doesn't make me excited for doing any PS2 mods...my hands shake far too much for the fine work. -_-