Posted by Tom61 on August 15, 1999 at 17:27:43:
In Reply to: 2Qs: Dreamcast controller hacking (update and question) & Sidewinder hacking; (gamepad hacking: help needed) posted by misato-san on August 15, 1999 at 03:35:22:
: Alright, I apologize for my recent absence, but I have bben hard at work on my super multi console cabinet as well as my 1player super stick.
: If anyone has been thinking about hacking a Dreamcast controller, let me share this info with you. The shoulder (L & R) buttons are analog and don't have a normal metal contact patch with lead/ground. They operate on some wierd type of distance detector and I know know way to normally hack them. The same goes for the analog stick. But just because you can't hack it, don't disconnect it. The Dreamcast is very smart and will detect if you have a controller with a disconnected anaolog stick and might now work. (Frame Gride wont work with a stick). Now there is a fortunate solution to this. I recently glimpsed a up and coming Electronic's Boutique flyer and around the time of the US Dreamcast launch (9/9/99) Interact will be releasing a variety of gamepads for the DC, and one of them is a "fighter pad". Now this is good news to everyone regardless of your video game genre preference because the "fighter pad" has all SIX buttons in standard button format, and so it should be easily hacked. Yeay Interact.
: Now this is a question to all you who have hacked gamepads before: I never have, but when I was trying to solder some wire ends onto the lead/ground contact patches of the DC controller, it wouldn't stay on. This is too say that once the solder had cooled (and hardened) it did not stay affixed to the metal contact patch area. I had similar problems when I was trying to hack the generic playstation controller I disassembled. I just wanted to know if someone could help me. Maybe Im using to large of a wire gauge. (I think its 14). I am using a 30 watt soldering gun and "silver electronic solder". Anybody have any ideas where my problems lie? I don't consider myself an inept solderer as I put mod-chips in Playstations quite frequently, but Im jus tnot sure what to try. Thanks for the help.
I was wondering why the L/R buttons felt weird when I played it at eb. They're probably designed with racing type games in mind.(anolog left and right brakes). Could you send me pics of the encoders for them? (solderside and top side)
about your trouble:
Did you scrape the insulation off the lines on the pcb?