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USB controller hack HELP!!!
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daywane:
what is the watt on your solder gun?
I like 15 watt.
25 watt is most the time OK
nothing more than that. Too Hot :blowup:
find the thinest solder you can find.
I call it angel hair
very thin stuff
hard to tin with but take your time and it will work.
buy the time I get done my hands are shaking
I have one of those lights with a magnifying lens and a stand with clips to hold my pads.
The guy at radio shack here know me and knows what I mean (small itsy bitty little hick town)
johnnybleu:
Well, thanks for all the input, folks!
I've got the problem fixed. Well, not fixed, but I've managed to work around it. Just mapped the "left" direction to another button, and set it up accordingly in Mame. I then went into the cfg file, and deleted any instances of the "real" left input, and voila. Seems to work well enough. The only problem with having the left button constantly pressed is that it seems to be causing mamewah to do weird things.... Also, my PC didn't find the controller when I booted up- I had to unplug it, and plug it back in.

@cynos:
I don't think pictures are needed anymore, since things are working now. Hacking a controller is fun, but man is it ever frustrating.... If I ever have to do this again, It'll probably be an I-PAC.

@tikbalang:
Well, the rakes are gone. I cut them off in an attempt to break the circuit. The thing is still convinced I'm pressing "left". I've no clue what's going on.

@daywane:
Yeah, it seems some controllers are just better than others... I actually went through 5 before all was said and done... To be fair, however, 2 of those weren't really working to begin with. Now, what do you mean by burning the pad? Is it actually possible to use too much heat and mess up the circuit board? Could that be what's happening here?

My soldering iron is an adjustable one.... I usually go with 25-30 watts. Solders in less than a second. Of course, I didn't know that at first, and I literally cooked a few pads, where the copper circuits just came right off the board. Lets just say it was a learning experience. Hahahahah.

Anyway, the problem is mostly solved... I just never thought this little project would be so complicated.

Thanks again!
HaRuMaN:
I would recommend a 15 watt soldering iron for any gamepad hacking.  Still solders plenty fast, and makes it less likely that you will burn components.

As for your left being constantly on, you have created a short somewhere.  Could be an extra gob of solder making a complete circuit.
johnnybleu:

--- Quote from: HarumaN on January 05, 2009, 11:57:37 am ---I would recommend a 15 watt soldering iron for any gamepad hacking.  Still solders plenty fast, and makes it less likely that you will burn components.

As for your left being constantly on, you have created a short somewhere.  Could be an extra gob of solder making a complete circuit.

--- End quote ---

That's what I was thinking, but I double, and triple checked all of my joints, and all of them are fine- no contacts are bridged. Unless it's somewhere I didn't even solder. Guess it could be worth an extra look....
dmworking247:
Have you considered that your controller does not have a common ground?

I've hacked a few where the up/left has a different ground than the right/down, and others where everything was common except for the start/select buttons.

Do a continuity test from all your ground points and ensure that they are indeed common?
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