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crosbred900's Analog Xbox360 Control Panel - DONE!
BadMouth:
I've been wanting to do an analog joystick to xbox360 pad hack for a while.
I don't have an xbox 360, so there really wasn't much point in doing it other than to prove the concept.
This starts in this thread about whether an analog hack is possible or not,
but I'll recap the parts pertaining to this build here for the sake of having it in one thread.
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,120216.0.html
The rest of this post is a repeat of info in that original thread.
(except for the last pic)
crossbred900 is paraplegic and doesn't have use of his fingers, but still has control of his arms.
His hands are in a loose fist that he can get over bat top joystick handles and he can hit buttons with his knuckles.
This CP will be built specifically for him.
I am using him as an excuse to do something I've been wanting to do anyway. ;D
This started out with the idea that an analog joystick would be easy to hack into an xbox 360 controller as long as it had the same value pots as the original thumbstick (10k). I tested this by hooking up an Alps 2D joysticks ordered off ebay.
It proves the concept, but has some play in it when centered and I'm not sure the xbox360 will have enough deadzone built in to account for it.
I tested the original xbox pots just to make sure that they had no deadzone built into them and they didn't, so it has to be on the software side.
This wouldn't be an issue for emulators since the deadzone can be adjusted, but this will be used on an xbox360 console.
The other issue with the ALPS stick is that it is so small. I was hoping to fit Sanwa bat tops to them, but they are just too small for this project and I'm not sure if they'd hold up to extended use. They might not be too bad as a small addition to a standard cab where they would only see occasional use for N64 or Dreamcast emulation.
The original thumbstick and switch that is activated when you press down on it are removed as one unit.
All connections to both of them must be unsoldered before it can be removed.
I ran to Radioshack and picked up a $13 desoldering iron that has the vacuum bulb attached.
That thing is well worth the price and made easy work of removing the sticks and trigger pots.
I should have done more research about the hack, but jumped into it after glancing at HaRuMaN's tutorial.
I read that the controller wasn't common ground and ran with that, but it turned out that there are different versions now and this one was in fact common ground.
Really good because one of my ground wires wasn't getting a connection, so I could just jumper it over to the next one.
Since I already had all the wires soldered in, I decided to move ahead with the barrier strips as if it weren't common ground.
All the spots marked with black are ground and any of them will work. As far as I can tell though, they can't be used with the analog inputs.
The controller disconnects and reconnects to windows when I try that. I went ahead and added 10k resistors to the back side of where the trigger inputs will connect to make them digital. They can easily be removed though if we wanted to make them analog.
The board is fairly big (6x12"), but it is less than an inch tall and should fit in the bottom of the CP without any problems. It is 1/4" MDF.
The buttons are ordered right to left in the numerical order they appear in windows controller properties.
SpaceHedgehog:
Very interested in this. I had a control panel in mind using an XBOX controller analog stick.
BadMouth:
In researching bite switches, I came accross this overpriced monstrosity:
http://www.broadenedhorizons.com/ultimate-arcade
The same place is also charging $450 for what amounts to my hacked xbox360 controller above (with no controls) and $99 for a bite swith with a MSRP of $35-45. :angry:
Anyways, back to this build.......
Finding suitable analogue sticks is probably going to be the biggest challenge. The industrial ones I looked at were expensive and who knows how they'd feel.
I'm waiting to hear back from a vendor who is checking with their Seimitsu vendor about getting a set of LS-64 analog sticks.
This stick should be perfect if we can get a pair. They are already 10k which is what we need and are built for arcade duty.
They won't be cheap, but should be a lot cheaper than the Happ analogs (which we would still have to swap out the pots in).
I have some Sanwa bat-tops that I plan to put on them.
For the D-Pad, we're going with a JLF with either a round or octagonal gate. I'm thinking octagon would be more forgiving, but I'll get both and he can have someone swap the round one in if he likes.
The buttons will be translucent Seimitsu 30mm with inserts similar to the ones I'm using in my cab, although the ones in this CP will probably have black lettering.
Absolutely every input on the xbox controller has been wired, including the ones activated by pressing down on the thumb sticks.
crossbred900 is working on a layout that will work best for him.
There will also be two 2.5mm jacks wired in parallel with the trigger buttons for use with bite switches.
Hopefully this will allow first person shooters to be played effectively.
I'll add a jack for the headset too, although I have no plans to make it shaped to accept the contours of the official headset.
A short exentsion cable will probably have to be used between the CP and the headset.
That's where the project stands for now.
I have enough mdf, Dayton stick on vinyl, and red T-molding to make a respectable CP (IMO anyway).
Not planning on doing plexi or artwork for now, but we'll see if I can cut out the plexi for my own CP without breaking it.
If I succed in doing that in one try, maybe I'll reconsider it for this CP.
I'm still waiting on the second ALPS joystick I ordered to come in. When it does, I'll find a real xbox360 to test the hacked pad on and see how much deadzone it allows for.
emphatic:
Very cool project! :cheers:
BadMouth:
:badmood: Well, the vendor got back to me and it looks like the LS-64 has been discontinued.
I can't find anyone with them in stock.
They show up on akihabarashop, but when I try to put one in my cart, it says "no products in this range".
If anyone has a lead on a pair of these, please let me know. I do think they would be ideal.
The Happ analog sticks are $163 each.
I'll come up with something, but I'd prefer it be something intended for arcade duty.
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