Precaution: Could this screw up my laptop in anyway?

[subzero23]

Just a precaution but I want to make sure I'm safe here,

I'm an experienced solderer, and was thinking of making a playstation controller hack and wiring it to the buttons/joystick and then using a PS-to-USB converter from radio shack. Theoretically if my circuits/soldering is dead-on and everything is connected as it should, should I have any problems or anything to worry about? I've never had a bad experience but I've never had $1000 laptop to worry about either.

[paigeoliver]

If you accidently get +5 and ground shorted out, then you will be in trouble.

Try it in a playstation first, those are much cheaper, if it works there then you are fine.

[subzero23]

Yeah assuming it works, which it probably will since I've tried on PS2 before and WILL test it on one, I should have nothing to worry about?

[Gunstar Hero]

Well, it is a hack... and anything can happen.

I guess you'll need to ask yourself... do I feel lucky?

Well... do ya? 

[paigeoliver]

I once made the mistake of trying to "test" my 49-way with SJC setup on my laptop after I have the joystick wired, but just had the button wires coming off the harness. It worked, I left it hooked up as I hooked up the buttons one by one.

To make a long story short I burned the sucker up, as some voltage got grounded out by a loose wire.