I feel as if I’ve followed the guide(s) well enough but apparently not since I can only get some buttons to work. I’ll upload some pictures so you guys can get a better idea of where I’m at right now and which buttons are working.
I apologize in advance for the big picture sizes if this post will even go through:
The buttons labeled with a red dot are the ones that register when I plug in the fightstick into the coomputer while it is on the 360 mode (via DPDT switch). The home button also works when I push the button on the PS3 PCB.
This is the PS3 PCB soldered. The top right second down green wire that is oriented different from the others is the start button. I’ve resoldered that point several times and the corresponding 360 pint and it still will not work.
This is how I soldered the 360 PCB. The wire is blocking it but you can he green led being lit up in the first player section. At least I’m doing something right :|.
I’m going to be going to bed now as it’s almost 6 AM and I have things to tend to when I wake up but I’ll be checking back and hopefully I get some comments/criticism. This is the first thing I’ve soldered by the way and I spent over $100 in supposedly good equipment as a deterrent to failure (yet look at me needeing assistance).
Edit* Wow I really need to see about resizing these; I can’t even show all four pictures. I just hope the resizing doesn’t detract from the detail.
Edit2* I also forgot to mention I did the hex inverter thing to try and get the triggers to work. Just noticed this: when I press and hold R2/RT the green light goes off and it disconnects from the computer (makes the sound when a device is taken out) and when I release the button all four green LEDs and the LED on the PS3 temporarily light up. When I wake up I’ll bump this thread and try to fit all the pictures and have them at a reasonable size.
You have waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too much exposed wire. Ideally you should only have 2-3 mm of exposed wire. It looks like your soldering technique is really really bad. Not trying to be mean, but yeah it looks obvious that you will probably have shorts. Especially on picture 1, you have your exposed wires all criss crossing that is bad.
Here in this picture if you look a the pcb, I only expose enough wire to solder to and nothing more. You have what looks like an inch of wire that is exposed and is likeley causing shorts all over the place. I think I am using 24 gauge stranded wire. 22 or 26 stranded is okay too.
Is that 22 gauge solid wire? Don’t use that thick solid gauge wire to solder directly to the pcb. You run a good chance of snapping off contacts with that wire. Carefully desolder everything and practice soldering on some obsolete technology like a VCR or audio tape player. Go out and find some 24 gauge stranded and only strip off 3mm off the end twist and tin the ends. You should also be using a sharp precision 15 watt soldering iron. It looks like you are using a speaker or automotive tip soldering iron because you are having precision issues.
I noticed that you also shorted the start button closed. You soldered the start button so it is permanently pressed down. I think you may have the wrong side of x and b and b looks like you soldered it so it closed.
I’m not offended and I appreciae the criticism. Afterall, this is my first attempt at soldering.
You are correct in this being 22 AWG wire. Having no experience in this sort of thing I assumed 22 AWG would be smaller than the 24/26 that was suggested in one of the aforementioned guides. I’m about to order 10 25 ft of wire for ten colors for $20. Regarding the soldering iron, I bought a Hakko 936 soldering station for this and I got the 908 Iron which is for heavy duty purposes so no wonder I was having so much trouble with soldering. I spent maybe a days worth of time trying to get to this point. I ordered a the 907 (Medium) Iron and tips that should make things a lot easier.
When you say “soldered it so it closed” what do you mean by that?
It is important that you get stranded wire. Not solid core. Solid core will work and will solder easier but it is prone to breaking and not reccomended for PCBs. Get stranded instead. Full core is also solid core. Don’t get that wire.
Stranded is the way to go. Stranded has the plus of being more flexible and softer.
Thanks for replying again. When you said I soldered the start button to be pressed down permanently did you imply tha the start button is screwed no matter if I desolder it? I tried to desolder and desolder the start button on the 360 PCB several times. Is it the start button solder on the PS3 PCB that is the problem?
