Additional Shoulder Button Mod by N3Cr0

[N3Cr0]

Last weekend, I met Askarus and we talked about his well known shoulder button mod. That encouraged me to add some shoulder buttons to my own Pandora, finally!

However, I was a bit afraid messing something up if I do the mod the traditional way, so I decided to make it a bit easier for me.

The plan was to go without real buttons. A little hole and a pushbutton should do, too.

A good position for the hole is 5mm from the edge where the original button sits and 11.5mm from the sides.



I had those two switches lying around.Their shaft has a length of 4.3mm . It turned out that that is too long to insert the switch in the Pandora case, so I had to shorten it a little bit. Also, I had to cut a bit of the switch's body in order to make it thin enough to fit it behind the light pipes. 



Then I had to bevel edges of the switch, the light pipes and the case, so the switch can slide in. If you have inserted everything, you have to turn the switch around 90° or it will not sit straight. That means it would be pressed all the time.



Solder all together as it should be (Don't wonder about my already done keyboard light mod).



And that's it!





View attachment 9150

 

[TrashyMG]

Very nice, this mod seems very approachable.

 

[Hồng Thất Công]

I was thinking the same thing.  Just a small buttons not full size one.

Very neat!  I will try to do the same.

Thanks!

 

[Tenka]

I would love to try this too, this has much less scary room for screwup than I'm used to imagining.  Your Pandora looks great.

 

[N3Cr0]

Thank you very much! 

 

[Hồng Thất Công]

After this mod, I can play MGS properly

 

[N3Cr0]

Maybe one thing you should keep in mind:

Those buttons are not as comfortable as L1 and R1. You have to change your grip a little bit or press it with the last joint of your index finger.

... But at least, they are robust and reliable.

 

[Fzero]

Very kool, I like the chrome/black Pandoras too

 

[rygD]

This mod has a lot less for me to screw up.  I am not worried about screwing stuff up, but I usually have a ready supply of replacement parts, which I do not for my Pandora.  If I decide to add extra shoulder buttons I may not do it exactly like this, but this way has inspired me.  My biggest problem will be finding space, and now I have some silly ideas I might consider.

 

[N3Cr0]

[…] My biggest problem will be finding space, and now I have some silly ideas I might consider.

Speaking of stupid ideas: My first idea was to place the buttons facing downwards on the bottom side, in the middle of the shoulder buttons.There is some space, too, but they ain't be better to press in a game and you would accidentally press them when you put the Pandora on the ground.

 

[rygD]

when you put the Pandora on the ground.

My first idea was to place the buttons facing downwards on the bottom side

So I guess I throw that one out.  

What about right next to where the current shoulder buttons are, so I can use my fingertips for the R2/L2 and joints for the current ones?

 

[Askarus]

My first idea was to place the buttons facing downwards on the bottom side

So I guess I throw that one out.  

What about right next to where the current shoulder buttons are, so I can use my fingertips for the R2/L2 and joints for the current ones?

You have to decide that .

I would not recommend that as it's not esay to hit them without hitting the original buttons.

Also There is no room in my oppinion.

There's the microphone on the one side ans the LCD-cable on the other sinde.

 

[Majin Wamu]

I really want to do this. I have been wanting to put in my own buttons since I first got my Pandora, but I just don't have any experience with soldering things on my own. I once attached a killswitch to my bass guitar but that was with the aid of a professional bass tech. I wish I lived with my Father as a child because then I he could had taught how to solder things and I would had gained the experience needed to take on projects like these. Someday when I have time I will learn on practice projects.

Anyways good job N3Cr0. Maybe someday when I build more courage over this stuff I will return to this topic and try to do this on my own with your example as my guide.

 

[levi]

I never learned to solder from my dad, rather I had a little instruction at school, and the rest is trial and error. These days there are a lot of good guides on youtube and the likes.

 

[iprice]

That looks like a cracking little mod. What's it like to actually use though?

 

[rygD]

Also There is no room in my oppinion. There's the microphone on the one side ans the LCD-cable on the other sinde.

 
This is what I thought might happen.  I don't want to pop open the case until I am almost ready to go, so I suppose I need to research a bit more.

Thanks.

 

[discopig]

This is a great mod, I may have to try this.