In need of a good joystick to hack.

[TeamTEOR]

I tried to use a Logitech controller with 12 buttons, but the pads all had a black coating on them, so I put it to the side to think about using it (mean time someone threw away the parts on me, so now I can not put it back together). I have seen the videos showing some good boards with lots of copper, but none state what controller it was from. This is going into a single person bar-top, so there is no need to really get a I-Pac VE or a GP-Wiz40-Eco USB if a $5 used controller from a local game shop will work.

Thanks in advance,
Tom

[garnerb350]

That black coating....you should be able to scrape off...I know when i did a keyboard hack...it had the coating and i ended up just taking a razorblade and scraping it off...be careful also , because you can also scrape the copper off...( but only if you are like drunk and having intent of killing somebody)

[TeamTEOR]

Thanks I will give it a whirl. I was not sure if that was going to work. In fact I though of using acetone and a q-tip to clear it away.

[TeamTEOR]

LOL, blew it! I tried to scratch off the black to look for copper, and ended up on the fiberglass board.

Then I tried to solder wires to the .5mm pads on the other side with a 15 watt pencil and the traces lifted. It has been one of those days! LOL I am not going to give up though.

I'll see if the game shop has a used usb sony game pad for under $5. I bet they are copper under those buttons.

However, I found a WingMan Precision USB (6 button) here in my closet which is good to hack.

I guess at that point I will need to find a second controller to hack since I'll only have 6 buttons, at least I have something good to go and pursue now. Maybe I can salvage part of the first joy pad.

[Hewskie]

Is that a picture of the new 6 button pad or the old 12 button ruined one? If it's the 6 button one, I count at least 8 and probably 10 buttons there, don't forget about up, down, left, right.

Hewskie

[TeamTEOR]

Yup, they go to the joystick, then I have the 6 buttons needed for game play. Then I still need buttons for escape, enter, tab, pause.

That is why I had originally tried to hack that logitech 12 button joy pad,  I would have been able to have the joystick, and still a full 12 buttons.

I will see if the logitech pad is still functional, if so I'll have the 4 trigger buttons that I can work with since they were solder-able.

[garnerb350]

Ive never messed with gamepads myself....on my cab I hacked an old dell keyboard just so i could make a admin button block...I didnt have any problems....just rubbed off the black with an old rusty razorblade...I dont know if you ever hacked a keyboard, but the actual PCB board is the size of a 3x5 photo, maybe smaller...it could be small enough to hack and use in the bartop you are wanting to do...sorry bout you blowing the board, but hey ...it was only 5 bucks...

[kowal]

Hi
if you hack gamepad use gold pin 2,54mm
more easily to solder, and work fine - easy input change
http://kowal.itcom.pl/foto/asINT-PSX05.jpg
http://kowal.itcom.pl/foto/asINT-PSX07.jpg
http://kowal.itcom.pl/foto/asINT-PSX08.jpg
http://kowal.itcom.pl/foto/asINT-PSX09.jpg
mediatech warrior use 10 buttons very good base

[TeamTEOR]

garnerb350, the board is still good, just no longer good for a joy pad in the original casing (it was the side that the rubber pads touch that I was scratching away on in hopes for copper. At this point I have the analog joysticks off of the board, and it is cleaned up nicely without the left over resin everywhere thanks to q-tips and acetone.

Kowal, excellent pictures. I do not have drill bits that size, and they are hard to find here. My best guess is that you are using about a #39 metric bit. However sitting right next to me is my Swingline stapler, and the staples are the exact size of the holes on the Logitech board (yea for DIY ingenuity). If I can find my fiberglass scraping pen, or make one with an old pen and piece of sand paper I should be able to use the 12 button controller still. I love the idea for the gold header pins, I will have to use that idea on future projects!

I am going to be using wire from a Cat5 cable, once the holes are cleared with the staple, the stripped Cat5 wire fits in fine.