The "padhacking" thread

TheRealNeoGeo · May 2006

Demon Dash · May 2006

Nice idea. Pad hacking is one area I've always wanted to venture (I say always, but I mean more since I got into sticks), but obviously lack of skills gets in the way. I'm happy with my knowledge of sticks atm, as far as wiring and general knowledge goes I'm perfectly fine. Hopefully in a couple of years I'll be on my way to cutting my own cases and soldering things my self, but right now it's way too much and far too expensive for me to get into.

Som · May 2006

the black stuff that you colored blue and red... do you solder directly onto that? it doesn't stay on even if i put flux on it. or am i supposed to take that off somehow first?

Rickstah · May 2006

Scrape the black stuff off with an exacto knife or something similar, and it should have a gold type of medal underneath it to which you can solder onto.

Knuckledust · May 2006

Great idea, I'm glad this exists.

Som · May 2006

alright thanks, im gonna try that

Unknown · May 2006

ill post pics up of the sf:ac pad later. i need to go buy a new cam first.

nmbr1krush · May 2006

Thank you for this.

leaveal · May 2006

great idea.

final_cut · May 2006

Thanks, I'm gonna try that H-series hack this weekend. I always depend on someone else to do it for me. I didn't know that image even existed!

Dj_Matrix · May 2006

lol... geo man i was just fixing to do this too... just got me a new sony t9 6.0mp camera and i was hacking like crazy... altho i dont do xbox so thats great man... good shit

Paik4Life · May 2006

As usual, Per takes the initiative to help out the building community. A very comprehensive list of PCBs.

~Paik

OngBak · May 2006

Paik, where do u buy your wires from? I'm looking for 26 gauge wire. My area don't have them.

TheRealNeoGeo · May 2006

What xboxcontroller should one use when doing custom sticks you guys think? Pros and Cons?

Paik4Life · May 2006

You know what I think, Per : )

Reflex Arcade:
Pros: Very easy hack. Everything is labeled. All buttons/directions have their own grounds. Can be done solderlessly. Headset functionality. Small PCB.

Cons: Harder to find controller. Rather expensive when you factor in shipping (about $20). Solder points are pretty small compared to easier hacks.

1st Party (Regular or S):
Pros: It's a first part PCB so optimal compatibility and reliability.

Cons: Both are rather hard to hack because of the triggers and small solder points. Also it is a lot more difficult to hack the memory card/headset slot. Also still very expensive PCB. A larger sized PCB.

Ongback: I don't buy 26 gauge wire. I'm assuming you looked at RadioShack. If you can't find it there, your best bet is to probably find it online like eBay or Vectorplus. I use 22 gauge and it's easily found at RadioShack in both solid and stranded in at least 3 different colors.

~Paik

Demon Dash · May 2006

I dont think I'll actually be doing this now, but could someone tell me what I'd need and how much it would cost for a nice starter pack for hacking pads? I honestly don't know what I'd need besides a soldering iron.

Unknown · May 2006

TheRealNeoGeo:
i'm biased here. cause i simply love the sf:ac pad for xbox for pad hacking. i'll definately up some pics today of the inside of my pad. it's so super to hack and solder. NO ANALOG STICKS! makes for a VERY slim profile; so whether you decided to toss it in a project box or toss it into your stick casing, it's perfect. As a matter of fact, i suggest it for both xbox and ps. price is wicked aswell. $10.00USD.

Demon Dash
read above what i posted for TheRealNeoGeo. $10.00USD pad. $7.00USD Radioshack iron. $3.00 solder. i used a 30watt iron. also, spilt solder on this pad is very easy to clean up.

to everyone
i forgot to mention that the headset slot is easy as well. cutting the pins and extending them is no problem at all.

Unknown · May 2006

as promised. the inside of the sf:ac pad for xbox.

with some simple diagrams i put in.

http://www.disillusioned-inc.org/sfacpad_dpad.png
http://www.disillusioned-inc.org/sfacpad_button.png

remember to zoom in. (that is, if your browser scales them down.)

sorry it took so long. my friend gave me his old sony mavica 3.2 camera. no one sells mini cdrws anymore. and this camera can't be hooked up to just take pics an transfered. so i had to buy some minicdrs (sucks cause i can't erase).

but the pics came out wicked clear :)

BIG BEEF! · May 2006

Anyone got a pic of a PS controller M

TheRealNeoGeo · May 2006

pxldtz
Does that controller have memorycardport on the top of it?

Unknown · May 2006

TheRealNeoGeo
actually no. the memory card port is on the bottom. like the xbox360 control.
i'm going to be doing another box this week strictly for xbox. so no db25 adapter on it. i'll take pics of how i wire up the headset/memory port.

TheRealNeoGeo · May 2006

pxldtz
How is it with other games on xbox, works 100%? Does it work emulatorgames played on xbox also?
Oh, so it is possible to talk with headset when playing LIVE on it?
And when you hack it you do not need resistors like on the usual Xboxpad and Xbox S-Pad?

Unknown · May 2006

TheRealNeoGeo

i haven't tested it on other games really. I tested it on that Outrun game, but the game itself wouldn't go past the LOADING screen with the control plugged (before the soldering in retail condition) so i'm guessing that games that actually need the sticks will have problems. so any games that don't work with the actual sf:ac stick won't work with this i guess.

it's good for emulators no problems. there's only ONE THING that i don't really like. since there are no thumbsticks, you can't press r.thumb to bring up the menu (90% of emulators on xbox use this button to bring up the ingame menu i havent checked if this can be changed.) i have a separate control in player 3's slot for this so its not a very big problem.
well i play on xlinkKAI (modded xboxes get banned from live) and the headset works fine.
so it wouldn't be any different than live. it would work fine on there to.
no resistors needed at all. drop-solder-plug-n-play. the triggers are pure digital not pressure sensitive or analog.
if you have any more questions go ahead and ask. i'll be happy to answer.

Unknown · May 2006

I hacked a couple Madcatz microcon controllers. I'd say those were the easiest pads to hack ever. I only did the xbox ones, maybe the ps2 one is just as easy. It has huge holes in the pcb to solder to and has a shared ground. Nothing better than that! :wgrin:

Unknown · May 2006

Stellarola

do you have any pics of this pad hacked and soldered? price? availability? anything special needed like adding resistors? ( ie. like the oem xb control ) or is it straight solder and thats it?
i'm trying to pick up as many hackable pads as possible before all the xbox ones disappear.

and yes, a shared ground is awesome :)

Bare Knuckle 2 · May 2006

Anyone know of any hacks for PC Pads?

Kingbuzzo · May 2006

Doesn't the official DC pad have lag issues with L+R?

It would make much more sense to use a 3rd party controller that uses c+z instead of L+R, like the madcatz controller, or the agetec pcb.

We should also include the A series dual shock since it's a simple solderless mod.

I'll try and get some pics of my hacked model 1 saturn pad.

Unknown · May 2006

BareKnuckle 2

i love you avatar. also, if you build a stick from a psx/psone pad you can get a lagfree adapter from radioshack for $6 (no drivers needed in xp).
if you build one from an official xbox pad you can use the xbcd drivers if you make a usb adapter. a spare usb mouse and an xbox extension cable is all thats needed.
i'll let you know if those drivers work with the sf:ac pad for xbox.

Bare Knuckle 2 · May 2006

pxldtz wrote:

BareKnuckle 2

i love you avatar. also, if you build a stick from a psx/psone pad you can get a lagfree adapter from radioshack for $6 (no drivers needed in xp).
if you build one from an official xbox pad you can use the xbcd drivers if you make a usb adapter. a spare usb mouse and an xbox extension cable is all thats needed.
i'll let you know if those drivers work with the sf:ac pad for xbox.

Thanks for the comment on the avatar.I already have a radioshack adapter that I've tried using with my Hori Real Arcade Pro but it lags. If using a psx/psone pad gets rids of the lag then I guess I'll have to build a stick from it. Thanks.

BIG BEEF! · May 2006

So does anyone Have the lay out for a playstation M serious non analog control???????

TheRealNeoGeo · May 2006

http://arkadesticks.com/hackedpads/xboxpcbmicro.jpg
I think this is the Microcon from Madcats, for Xbox.

NiteWalker · May 2006

BIG BEEF! wrote:

So does anyone Have the lay out for a playstation M serious non analog control???????

I've seen 3 or 4 different digital ps1 pad pcbs all by sony. It's pretty easy to find the traces needed.

UltraDavid · May 2006

How do you hack this thing? I have whatever PS2 controller came with my PS2, just the regular ol' regular PS2 controller, but it has this crazy ribbon thing in it. I think I know where I'd solder if I were to just solder wiring straight to the ribbon, but my guess is that there's something different about this.

Mayhem · May 2006

Anyone have experience with the Mad Catz MicroCon pads for Xbox 360 or PS2? Some seriously tiny PCBs would make my upcoming stick project much easier for me.

Unknown · May 2006

TheRealNeoGeo

do have experiences wiring the thumb buttons? does the microcon need a resistor or anything one the stick like the OEM s ? also, if you have them, can you post a pic of how you would wire up the thumb.clicks to use a button?
reason i ask is because all the emulators on my xbox use the r.thumb.click to access the ingame menu.

TheRealNeoGeo · May 2006

pxldtz
The Microcon does not need use of any resistors what so ever.
http://flickr.com/photos/vr/sets/439496/

I have never wired a button to the thumbstick"press-down"button, sorry.

leaveal · May 2006

i guess this is the best place to ask this:

i have two Agetec PCBs that are acting HELLA WEIRD. the Y button on one of them just doesn't respond anymore, even when i didn't do anything to the project box it was encased in. the other one is even weirder: the A button and the Start button seem shorted (i get taunts whenever i try to pause) but pressing the A button doesn't respond at all.

i know they're broke because i switched them out for my other agetec pcbs and they were all good. also, i'm sure it's not the wiring because i didn't rewire the new PCBs. i just pulled the connectors off the old boards and plugged them into the new ones.

anyone know what could be wrong with them?

ParryPerson. · May 2006

Great thread! Been waiting for this forever.

chippermonky · June 2006

wow, this therad rocks. THanks for the DC one, I was fretting about what to do with the analog. Seems a bit too simple though, do I jush short the upper left contact with ground? can anyone confirm?

KabaL · June 2006

Like chippermonkey, i was waiting so long for a thread like this!!! im a very proud owner of a sega dreamcast, but as a fighting game fanatic, im not all happy with the controls... damn analogs!!!

hey, someone posted that there were problems with the hacking of first party DC pads, like lagging with the L & R buttons... have someone experiencied this problem?
If so, does he managed to solve it, without buying an 3rd party pad???
Excellent thread!!! :lovin:

hanz0 · June 2006

what is this thing with resistors you guys are talking about, cause ive done 2 sticks with xbox controller s and i did not know you have to put resistors in it:wtf:
the sticks work fine, the only thing i dont know how to connect is the L & R buttons, most games dont use this but the ones that do requires you to use them to access something

example: Guilty gear reload for xbox, you need to press i think L or R in order to access gold characters or something which is anoying cause i dont have the button on my stick and the option of changing the button to for selecting gold characters cannot be changed i think.

example: KOF neowave Xbox- you need to press R button to access secret char, again this option cant be changed, and i dont have L & R:wasted:

example: Mortal Kombat Deadly alliance you need to press L to input password something i cant do cause i got no L & R:wasted: :annoy:

anyways i am wondering where exactly do i need to solder in the xbox controller S pad to get L & R, i know its no big deal and i can live with not having L & R but i am currently playing neowave and i cant select the secret characters:annoy:

PS: anyone know where to solder in a HOTROD PC arcade stick PCB??? i got one cause i used the hotrod stuff to make my xbox sticks

hanz0 · June 2006

nevermind i i found out where they go for both L & R and you do not need to put resistor in it they work just fine, so now all the buttons on the xbox s pad can be connected :wgrin:

ill take pics later to show you guys where to solder.

Unknown · June 2006

question about grounds

for this tutorial : http://home.comcast.net/~spiffyshoes/DualShockHack/

Do you daisy chain the 1 ground wire to every pushbutton and every direction on the joystick?\\

And Also what is the Analog wire used for exactly?

ParryPerson. · June 2006

analog isn't used for anything.

And yes, every ground on the buttons and stick switches.

Unknown · July 2006

Xbox 360 PCB

Im new to the wiring on pcb's. I know on the stick you can daisy chain the grounds all together then attach to a barrier. Would you do the same for pcb ? Daisy chain all the grounds together to one ground on a barrier. Im mainly concerned if im using a project box with a db15 or db25 . What is the best way ? ?? :confused:

Unknown · July 2006

SH0NUFFJONEZ wrote:

Im new to the wiring on pcb's. I know on the stick you can daisy chain the grounds all together then attach to a barrier. Would you do the same for pcb ? Daisy chain all the grounds together to one ground on a barrier. Im mainly concerned if im using a project box with a db15 or db25 . What is the best way ? ??

I have the same question.

I've just cut up a HRAP wired all the buttons to one ground and put a 25-pin male parallel connector on the end of it all.

First job was to get it working with the DC so I hacked up a pad as per the guides and it works a treat. :lovin:

The thing is I'm now looking at hacking an XBox pad but it seems, according to the xbox link in the first post http://arkadesticks.com/hackedpads/XboxS-Pad.jpg a bunch of resistors are required on the ground lines of each button which means that having a common ground inside the joystick doesn't really work. :confused:

The way around this would have been to wire each button its own seperate ground line but to do this for all the switches in the HRAP would mean 14 seperate grounds and therefore would need at least a 28-pin connector as interface to the adapter! (25-pin is the biggest I know of)

So I'm wondering what's the best way ahead with this to build a platform agnostic joystick and adapters for each platform?

Som · July 2006

Rickstah wrote:

Scrape the black stuff off with an exacto knife or something similar, and it should have a gold type of medal underneath it to which you can solder onto.

I tried to scrape it off but it's not copper colored. more of a grayish metal. is that ok or do i have to scrape more to get to the copper?

Unknown · July 2006

will the spiffyshoes tutorial actually work for a PS2 dual shock? if not can someone help me out with a tutorial on this particular controller.

KabaL · July 2006

glopglop wrote:

First job was to get it working with the DC so I hacked up a pad as per the guides and it works a treat.

So, yo did it just like the image and you have no lag issues???
Please confirm it, 'cuz i'm into that for sure!!! :lovin:

ParryPerson. · July 2006

r-ch1e wrote:

will the spiffyshoes tutorial actually work for a PS2 dual shock? if not can someone help me out with a tutorial on this particular controller.

Spiffy said it would work fine.

Unknown · July 2006

anything for the Logitech Cordless Action?

*The "padhacking" thread*

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The "padhacking" thread