Posted by JustinT on 4, 2000 at 10:09 AM:
In Reply to: Disgruntled-Controller Design posted by FiZZLeRoM on 4, 2000 at 12:25 AM:
I made my first controller a few weeks back, and decided to buy a pre-made encoder, rather than going through the keyboard/gamepad hack route. I made my homework, and found out that many people with little soldering experience (like me) had trouble doing keyboard hacks and such. So I bought an I-PAC (an absolutely excellent, 100% hassle free premade encoder) and do not regret it. It doesn't require soldering, and has no ghosting/blocking problems whatsoever. $60 and worth every penny!
So, having said this... making the BOX itslef, is the hardest an most time consuming part. It took me almost 2 weeks just to have the box done! After you have that done, wiring the I-PAC is a matter of minutes.
In terms of pric... premade controllers are dirt cheap, IMHO. Anything under $150 is usually priced right, considering that my controller cost over $200 and 2-3 weeks worth of design and construction. The only advantage of doing one yourslef, is that you get the exact layout you want. And of course, that great feeling of achievment ;) LOL