You might have to link the website. Transistors and resistors are standard electronic components found at even places like Radio Shack (though they generally charge too much).
Here’s something confusing me:
Voltage from the commons to the USB ground: 2.77V
Voltage from the non-digital signal lines to the USB ground: 0.0V
Voltage from the commons to their non-digital signal lines: 0.13V
Maybe something I’m not understanding here, and this might have a lot to do with why this setup works. It is still not making sense why the non-digital signal lines, with the help of 100K resistors, are not engaging the transistors when they touch the bases. But also keep in mind that the non-digital signals do not work as the target that multiple buttons engage.
I started this thing out seeing if I could get Start and Select to engage Home. It worked and just for fun I tried using other signals, and they worked to engage digital signals. I did not plan on them working this way, but they did.
i went to radioshack and saw the resistors and transistors, but i’ll buy them when the schematic is worked out 100%. are there any other ways to connect resistors and transistors besides soldering?
I don’t think the schematic is going to change; I do not think many of us have time to figure other things; you’re lucky to get this.
If you have the Axisdapter, spread the legs on the transister, insert the emitter leg into the PS terminal, and screw it down. Get the 100K resistor and screw it down along with the signal wire in the Select slot; do the same with a 1K resistor in the Start slot. Twist the other side of the 100K resistor to the base leg on the transistor tightly; twist the other side of the 1K resistor to the collector leg; maybe put some tape (or string) on these twists so they do not touch each other or come apart. As long as these hold, you should not need solder.
Terminal strips are actually very handy for messing around with components without soldering; I’ve been pretty much using a European terminal strip to test a lot of various components connections.
thanks for the advice again. i’ll definitely start putting this together this week and post results.
oh yeah. when i was looking at resistors, i noticed they had a wattage rating, 1/4 watt and 1/8 watt. does it matter which one i choose?
Whichever you want; doesn’t effect this. The low power and voltage of PCBs, and the use of basically 1K to 100K in PCBs, make the wattage of resistors pretty much irrelevent. Added LEDs, with the use of more current and lower resistance, are really the only thing I know of in working controllers where wattage is relevant.
i ended up using a terminal block to connect the resistors and the transistor. the resistors are set up wrong in the picture but have since been switched to the correct positions. once i get my jlf harness and sixaxis pcb i’ll let you guys know how it works.
update:
works as intended. i now have a wireless hrap3 with the case fully intact and unmodified for an extra home button.
This is awesome, thanks for posting it!
stnwag0n, even though you have the resistors switched in your wiring, everything still works?
that was just the picture, i showed it to slagcoin and he pointed out that i had them in the wrong positions. i corrected it and it works fine.
wouldent the battery life drain faster if the joystick is wireless?
I think the total effect on the battery is about nill.
Worst case scenario, let’s say that a pure 5V is flowing into both the collector and base, and there is 0V on the emitter of the transistor. We’ll just say nothing is flowing on the collector and emitter unless the transistor is engaged, just like a normal button switch. So the base is where we look, and it has a 100K resistor. Using the equation I = V / R, 5V / 100,000ohm = .05mA. Worst case is even negligible.
But in actuality, the voltage difference on the switches is more like 2.5V, and the current has already been strongly limited before it even reaches the switches. I put my multimeter on the switches and I get a current of about 1.5uA. Add in the resistors on these and well there isn’t squat remaining.
And the PCB is setup so that the switches do not consume power when the PCB controller is off.
Maybe I’m wrong in this assessment, and someone can contradict it.
I couldn’t even venture a guess at this point point how much current would or wouldn’t be used with that setup. But, worst case scenario, assuming no voltage drop from either pin to the emitter, that’s two lines at about 2.7v connected to a 0v point through 100k ohm resistors each, that’s 54uA of current. Standard battery is 660mAH. capacity = current * time => capacity/current = time => Time =0.660/ 54E-6/ = 12,222 hours = 509 days.
In other words, the effect of doing that on a battery ain’t shit. The inherent leakage of the charge on the battery will have way more of an effect on battery life than this ever could.
Any luck this would be possible with a Cthulhu board as well?
? Cthulhu has been able to do that since day one. Read the welcome sheet that came with the board, or the assembly Instructable.
Oi! Sorry. It hasn’t come in yet. Just trying to prepare by seeing how many buttons I’ll need to drill/order.
I stopped by my local electrical store and tried to look for the NPN switching transistor and they had 6 different kinds available. Any insight on which one I need to pick up? I don’t have specific model numbers.
Out of the specs that I saw, I think the main difference is the on-off time. What specs should I be checking out?
i dont think it makes much of a difference. i tried two different ones from radioshack, and another from willy’s electronics, and they all seem to work fine.