Build Your Own Arcade Controls Forum

Main => Consoles => Topic started by: Edwards80 on March 02, 2011, 10:53:00 am

Title: Cable length reduction question - xbox 360 pad
Post by: Edwards80 on March 02, 2011, 10:53:00 am
Hopefully an easy question with an obvious solution :D

I'm in the process of putting together a USB arcade stick for use with shooters (shmups) on my xbox 360. I've ordered one of Harumans rather cool pad hacks.

It's a wired one and I was planning on using one the connectors (see attached image) at the back of the joystick - The pad plugs into one end of that and I can use a 3 meter cable to connect it to the 360 without risking the pad being damaged from people/cats tripping over it.

Problem being, the 360 pad cable is 3meters long and I need 3 meters of cable to comfortably use the controller on my sofa. USB standards say that anything over 5m will not work properly. So in total there will be 6 meters of usb cable.

Is there a simple solution for this? I'm probably missing something very obvious :D

Thanks for any ideas
Title: Re: Cable length reduction question - xbox 360 pad
Post by: Samstag on March 02, 2011, 11:14:03 am
Six meters will normally work okay.  The 5 meter spec is so you can have a reasonable guarantee that a 5 meter cable will work rather than a warning that after 5 meters the signal will suddenly stop.  It just means that you're more likely to experience glitches but it's safe to give it a try.

If it doesn't work there are long USB cables with inline amplifiers.
Title: Re: Cable length reduction question - xbox 360 pad
Post by: Edwards80 on March 02, 2011, 11:22:02 am
Ok thanks for that. I just realised that my old office had a 10mtr usb cable for a printer and we had no issues with that. I'll give it a try when it arrives.

Failing that, cutting the cable and re-soldering + re-insulating it might be the only answer.