Yeah, I was just gonna recommend trying this one a VSHG/HRAP3 PCB as those are USB powered, which I read provide enough power to not have to use C or D batteries as the source for the LED’s.
If you do go through with it, let me know how it goes.
So, going by what you said Toodles, my transistor = bad?
If there is nothing connected to the base pin, and yet the LEDs are still glowing and the wiring is correct, something has gotta be fubared with it.
I guess I’ll go back to the 1st schematic with the switch.
Ok I am bumping this up to the first page. I have an order for a stick that will be using this lighting system. I am going to go through the thread again to get a list of parts. This will also be a dual game pad system, PSX and XBox 360. So any suggestions along that line will be appreciated.
Toodles where is the best place to order the parts from? While I am at it I might as well stock up on parts for a simple electronics setup. Could you also recommend some standard parts on top of what is required for this circuit?
Thanks,
Kaytrim
Already been in contact with Franco. Thanks for the link.
TTFN
Kaytrim
I don’t know if you can wire up 2 pads to the hex inverter, but I guess you could try. Another alternative would be to use a SPCO (On-Off-On) switch, then have each pad wired up to its own hex inverter.
Edit: disregard this. The great Toodles has spoken below this post =P
nah, should work fine, if they’re both common ground and wired together the way I usually explain it, so they’re both powered. The hex inverter is wired up exactly like a dual pcb setup would be; the hex inverter IS another pcb 
He’d actually have three systems wired up if he went lighted+PSX+360
Oops =P
I was wondering if the light stays on continuously wouldn’t the shaft and balltop get hot from the led?
An LED shouldn’t produce anywhere near enough heat to be noticable, given how massive a heatsink it’s attached to.
oh ok i was just wondering also is there a way for the stick to light up when you input an action like the buttons?
I don’t see why not. It would just take another inverter circuit.
Depends a lot on the kind of work you’re interested in doing, but I’ll throw out the little I know.
If you have a lump o’ money that you want to spend on a getting a ton of parts, what I’d prolly recommend is to start out at www.futurlec.com. They’re prices are good, their selection is decent; I highly recommend you go the $16 route for shipping through FedEx though. Their normal shipping takes for fucking ever.
http://www.futurlec.com/ValuePacks.shtml
^^ You won’t need the 1/2 W resistor pack unless you’re getting into some high voltage stuff, but grab at least one of each of those grab packs. You may not need the mylar cap pack either.
There’s lots of other handy stuff as well, like breadboards. Their protoboards are cheap in case you want to make something permanent. I’ve made a full Arduino board on their 95 cent small stripboard.
If you are looking to learn, there’s a $65 electronics kit available at Radio Shack. Catalog number: 28-280. I had one for a rather long time and enjoyed the hell out of it until it got stolen. The really nice part is that breadboard in the middle; its damn usefull for working on your own stuff because of all of the switches, LEDs, potentiometers and crap available right there. Two books included inside with projects to learn, one for analog, one for digital.
GET WIRE! Get a spool of 24 guage solid core wire for breadboarding, and a spool of 24 gauge stranded for non-breadboard stuff. Radio Shack never has wire smaller than 22 guage, so you’ll have to hits Fry’s or get it online. Futurlec doesn’t carry it.
Get a good multimeter. Digital is good, continuity tester is nice but not required. If it will measure capacitance and/or inductance, its a damn good one. Most are voltage/resistance/current only, which should be fine.
Another option to think about is the Arduino starter pack from Lady Ada:
If you want to gloss over the freaky unobservable electricity underneath and get straight to the ‘how do I do cool shit?’ stage, this may be the way for you to go. But, I just like microcontrollers.
Also, very important if you’re poor or cheap: Sampling. It’s so awesome. Companies will ship you free stuff pretty much for the asking, hoping you’re designing something that will end up with you buying butt-tons in the future.
www.microchip.com : massive samples available of all of their microcontrollers, i2c eeproms, and tons of stuff.
www.onsemi.com : difficult to use their site, but they had a deal where you would cover shipping of about $11, and you could sample up to 25 pieces of an unlimited number of chips they make. They make a version of most ‘standard’ logic chips and god only knows how much else. Plop down $11 and get more damn chips that you’d ever know what to do with.
www.maxim-ic.com : lots of very specialized stuff, some very handy. The step up DC-DC converters I made for getting 5v from PSX systems is based on their chips.
Just look around, sampling just seems customary for electronics manufacturers.
For buying, Digikey.com, mouser.com, newark.com, jameco.com (and Maplin for UKers).
Whew. Thats enough for now.
Help!!!
Got my chips in today but they don’t seem to be working as advertised. I am in the breadboard stage and I don’t have a game pad in the circuit. I have everything wired as in the schematics without the pad. Though I am using a wall wart to supply the 4.5v
I am getting some real strange happenings. :looney: Without even touching anything the LEDs will light up just by getting near the breadboard. When I use a button to light up the LED it stays lit when I release the button.
Here are two pics of the breadboard.
http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee314/KaytrimsKustoms/WIP/FirstBreadboard.jpg
http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee314/KaytrimsKustoms/WIP/LEDLitButtonNotPressed.jpg
It doesn’t look like the button is connected to a PCB, but connected only to those two wires going to the breadboard. If that’s the case, there’s nothing pulling the line high when the button is not pressed; the inputs to the gate will be either grounded low when pressed, or just floating if not pressed.
If you want to test the LEDs and all without the PCB, connect a resistor (something 1k or greater ohm to be safe) between the gate input and your power; looks like a resistor connector pin 13 and pin 14 of the chip would do it.
:woot: Thanks Toodles, that did the trick. I knew you would have an answer.
Hey TingBoy,
I have a request.
I have ZERO experience with electronics, I just ordered an HRAP3, and was planning to do this. :bgrin:
I was wondering if you could do a step by step tutorial with pictures, like you did for modding the HRAP2? That tutorial helped me out so much. :wow:
I know it’s a lot to ask, but the instructions on this thread are a tad too vague for someone like me. :shake:
Either way thanks for your time, this looks like an awesome mod. :wgrin: