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Tech Talk
1761

toodles i tried different cables everything its like it doesent work. m getting rightvoltage also 5v from v 1v from f and 0 from g

1762

Post a picture.

1763

of what specifically, The usb works fine, the gc is broklen, did you ever do a gc install with a imp board, I know thats not it but what could it be. I get 4.22v from on of the glass diodes is that normal when the gc is plugged in. When I have both plugged in the ps3/360 only works if its plugged in first. And I think your instructable pinout is wrong. on most sitese the first pin is 5v or on ur guide its 3
http://www.int03.co.uk/crema/hardware/gamecube/gc-control.htm

maybe I did it incorecttly the first time now its shorted?? Thanks for all youyr help toodlez I might just buy another one if I cant fix it

1764

The Cthulhu, preferably with the GC cable wires soldered in. Additional ones showing the interconnections with the Imp and 360 pad are needed too.

And I think you need to doublecheck. The pinout in the Instructable matches the pinout on that page perfectly. Even if it didnā€™t, screw everyone else and follow the Instructable.

Listen, what do you expect me to do? Iā€™m trying to help. You described the problem, and I told you the problem will be with the cable. You push back and say its not the cable. Sure, so letā€™s get some photos so we can see. You push back back and dont show any photos, and start asking about the Imp and pointing out something you incorrectly think is an inconsistency.

Help me help you. Re-do the GC cable by following the Instructable and ONLY the Instructable. If it doesnā€™t work, take some photos, so I can peek at the connections to the board and the power diodes; include photos clear enough so I can see all of the interconnections between the Imp, 360 pcb and Cthulhu. If nothing is glaringly obvious, Iā€™ll have a number of multimeter tests for you to try afterwards that should help locate the problem.

1765

cool, im sorry if i came off harsh, i really didnt mean too . your awesome. Ill do it again. 2 gc contollers destoryed and 4 extension cables lol Toodlez I appreciate all your help thanks. Ill have pics soon.

1766

Thereā€™s no reason to destroy anymore controllers. Use one of the ones youā€™ve already cut up.
Just triple check the pinout against the instructable.

1767

hey toodlez so I redid it exactly like the instructables. i mean exactly, still a no go. here are some pics.

http://www.hakdizzle.com/Pics/1.JPG

http://www.hakdizzle.com/Pics/2.JPG

http://www.hakdizzle.com/Pics/3.JPG

http://www.hakdizzle.com/Pics/4.JPG

http://www.hakdizzle.com/Pics/5.JPG

http://www.hakdizzle.com/Pics/6.JPG

I hope these suffice any insight is appreciated

1768

Found that this is possible with a DPDT switch via another thread linking to this article. Just wondering if it was possible with Imp since I would really like to avoid adding a switch or a port for another USB cable.

1769

That was kinda the whole point of the Imp. Instead of asking if it could be done, why dont you read Bombermanā€™s tutorial showing you how it is done.
http://forums.shoryuken.com/showthread.php?t=184787

Ya, Im not gonna be able to make too much headway from those. I just have to trust that the power from the USB cable is going to the Imp, to the Cthulhu, and the 360 board is powered from one of the VCC points from the Cthulhu (VCC screw terminal or unlabelled hole)

One thing thatā€™d be nice though; use some electrical tape around the end of the GC cord insulation. Thereā€™s some copper showing, and in the first picture, itā€™s dreadfully close to chip pins.

So we need some voltage measurements. Put the black probe on one of the GND screw terminals, plug it into the PC in either Cthulhu or 360 mode (your choice, doesnā€™t matter).

Find the voltage at:

  1. VCC screw terminal
  2. ā€˜Aā€™ column
  3. ā€˜Fā€™ column

After that, unplug from PC, select some game that support gamecube controllers (a real Gamecube game is best, but a VC title or fighter that support GC can work too.), plug the GC cable into your wii, and take measurement for the exact same spots. let me know what you find. Also be clear on signs, if any. If it shows ā€˜-3vā€™ then make sure to note that it was negative.

1770

The 360 is being powered from the imp. I hope thats not an issue? Should I move it to the cuthulu screw.

Here are my findings:
Black probe on ground - In Cuthulu mode

vcc screw

  • 4.11

A coloumn

  • 3.892

F column

  • .260

Wii in GC MODE W/ GC GAME

vcc screw

  • 4.73

A coloumn

  • 4.53

F column

  • 1.555

Thanks Toodles I really appreciate this its driving me crazy

1771

Thereā€™s definitely a problem somewhere. The F column when plugged into USB, you put 0.26 volts. Thatā€™s definitely a problem. That should be pulled high to the same number as the VCC screw by the resistor array.

Clip or desolder the GC wire going into column F, and repeat that test (testing voltage at column F when plugged into PC) You can leave the other two GC wires soldered in for now. You might want a little electrical tape around the exposed bare wire just in case.

Moving it to the Cthulhu screw would help protect things if someone plugged both cables in at the same time.

1772

Pc Cuthulu Mode

Retested F coloumn

without wire its still

+.260

i think you found the issue.

Btw i insulated all the exposed wire.

1773

Sorry for my stupidity. I saw that he added another port and, forgetting he was using the multi-console Cthulhu, thought it was for the PS3 cable. Boy, do I feel dumb. Thank you for the excellent work and your time.

1774

If not the issue, definitely one issue.
Check the resistance between column F and:

  1. VCC screw terminal. Should be about 10k ohm.
  2. GND screw terminal. Should be infinite resistance.
1775

Coloum f and VCC

10k ohm

coloum f and GROUND SCREW

.067k ohm

hope this helps, hey re you on aim u mind if we talk there thanks!!!

1776

Nah, the IM is shut down until after finals.

You definitely have a short to ground. The good news is that the pull up resistor is connected and trying to do its job.
Sorry man, but youā€™re going to have to pick up the board out of the case and check the bottom. it should be easy to spot the F column trace; looking at the bottom of the board, its right next to the round V column points. The top pad has a trace going to the third leg up on the chip, and it also has another trace going to the third pin up on the resistor array. Look for solder bridges; solder connecting two spots. After that, youā€™re just checking the three pads in the F column on both sides of the board.

And recheck the resistances with the board out of the box. Itā€™d be easy to have a problem exist only in the box; a bent exposed wire or some conductive material underneath. You dont have to disconnect it from everything; you can leave the connections in. But getting it out so you can look at the bottom has miraculous troubleshooting potential.

1777

im getting the .67kohm between all the f points i traced is there on im missing. Im a little confused what do u mean by infinity resistance, sorry Im lostā€¦ The resistance between f and VCC dropped to 3.5 when I took it outā€¦ wierd

1778

Hi Toodles, my Cthulhus and Imp kits (2 each) arrived today in the mail. No customs fees, although it looks like they peeked into the box.
Working onto a deadline for work until friday. After that Iā€™ll finally have some free time to work on my stick (if the rest of the tools I ordered arrives).
Will have a 360 PCB from the UK, the Cthulhu+Imp from the US, Stick+Buttons from Japan and a case made in germany. And most of the parts bought without leaving the office via the web as i think about it. W00t globalization!

1779

hey toodles, just ordered a couple of MC Cthulhus off modchipman, should get them in about 2 weeks i guess.

i am actually going to use them in a cabinet build, which will have a ps2, ps3 and pc inside it - my main question it appears is answered above - i cannot leave it plugged into all 3 at the same time? to do this i would have needed to hook up a second usb cable to the pcb, which would have garnered more questions which i wont bother with if they arent relevant.

thanks heaps, and thanks for your work on all this. i was so excited when i found the uPCB thread and info, but this is even better. you rock

1780

id like to order a cthulhu board but only gaming now seems to have it in stock
when I select it with paypal it shows that its 40USD but it doesnt include shipping cost

and from the faq I you can only order it from america?
and if its possible to order from europe (holland) does it only cost 10USD?

http://gamingnow.net/FAQ.html