D-pad Stick Replacement Project

[Trip]

You could probably put some kind of coating onto it to improve the grip. I'll let you know soon; Radek's sending me a kit and I'll be writing a review-- using that same QD pad.

This stuff should work fine on it
And it comes in black..

 

[grahf]

i always liked the qd pad.

 

[Claym99]

How are we all supposed to get QD pads?

 

[xinfernoofdantex]

we have to get them ourselves? i thought hey were part of the kit =[

 

[DaveC]

we have to get them ourselves? i thought hey were part of the kit =[

They would be. Hopefully there will be enough to make alot of kits.

 

[telengard]

This could be the "product" that gets me using (and also coding for) the gp2x again. Haven't touched it in months due to the joystick in mine.

Looking great Radek && DaveC!

~telengard

 

[Julius]

Any news on this? How is the medium term experience with it, Dave?

Any ETA on when it will be availabe to the masses?

btw: does anyone know when the cased bobs will be available?

 

[kardasan]

about the center button. I use it very often. It's zilion times faster and more comfortable to navigate through your gp2x with this stick-button. Maybe it wears of the stick, but who bashes into the stick so hard and fast to really wear it off?

 

[DaveC]

Any news on this? How is the medium term experience with it, Dave?

Any ETA on when it will be availabe to the masses?

btw: does anyone know when the cased bobs will be available?

A few problems.

One, the QD pads seem to be gone. I really can't find a good source of those anymore.

Two, Radek has stopped responding to any of my messages. He now ignores any attempt I make to contact him. He has dissappeared. Without his board the pad is next to useless. I don't know the first thing about programming those chips.

Three, the PCBs are prohibitively expensive to have made. Radek has a cheap source but see reason two above.

So there may be a few made but not enough to supply everyone.

I plan to release all drawings and plans so if someone wants to make their own they can. Again though without the logic chip not real useful.

 

[Julius]

http://cgi.ebay.de/Nokia-N-Gage-NGage-QD-T...1QQcmdZViewItem

This shop I found on the german ebay, seems to have them stocked for 4.95€ each, maybe cheaper if someone buys more of them.

Too bad Radek isn't responding... maybe he is just on holidays?

 

[daclassicgamingmaster]

Any news on this? How is the medium term experience with it, Dave?

Any ETA on when it will be availabe to the masses?

btw: does anyone know when the cased bobs will be available?

A few problems.

One, the QD pads seem to be gone. I really can't find a good source of those anymore.

Two, Radek has stopped responding to any of my messages. He now ignores any attempt I make to contact him. He has dissappeared. Without his board the pad is next to useless. I don't know the first thing about programming those chips.

Three, the PCBs are prohibitively expensive to have made. Radek has a cheap source but see reason two above.

So there may be a few made but not enough to supply everyone.

I plan to release all drawings and plans so if someone wants to make their own they can. Again though without the logic chip not real useful.

Is there any reason you know of why he stopped responding to your messages? That's weird :blink:

 

[LordFu]

Arg, that's bad news. I was really hoping this would provide a drop in replacement to this stick we all love to hate.

 

[DaveC]

http://cgi.ebay.de/Nokia-N-Gage-NGage-QD-T...1QQcmdZViewItem

This shop I found on the german ebay, seems to have them stocked for 4.95€ each, maybe cheaper if someone buys more of them.

Too bad Radek isn't responding... maybe he is just on holidays?

Would this guy sell to the US I wonder? If not I guess we are SOL as there are none left here or the UK.

Is there any reason you know of why he stopped responding to your messages? That's weird :blink:

No clue. There was no fight or anything, just one day he decided that he was going to ignore me. Don't know why. I sent him my current board designs meybe he will do something with them but who knows.

 

[Julius]

http://cgi.ebay.de/Nokia-N-Gage-NGage-QD-T...1QQcmdZViewItem

This shop I found on the german ebay, seems to have them stocked for 4.95€ each, maybe cheaper if someone buys more of them.

Too bad Radek isn't responding... maybe he is just on holidays?

Would this guy sell to the US I wonder? If not I guess we are SOL as there are none left here or the UK.

It says shipping only in Europe, but I guess that is only a matter of talking to them.

But it would be probably even better if you discussed this with EvilDragon (www.gp2x.de), so that he can order them, keep the ones he wants for modding and send the rest to you right?


Edit: Just out of interest, you use this mod for your own Gp2x and are (almost -given the DaveC factor-) completly satisfied with it right?

 

[Epicenter]

Radek was sending me a D-Pad kit to review, but I haven't heard from him in over a week now. I wonder if he sent it; keeping an eye on the mail but nothing yet. I suspect he just can't get online often for one reason or another..

 

[DaveC]

Here is a preview of how the mod was designed. It allows for slight misalignments found on the GP2X PCB and hole in front case.

Note that the module would be pre assembled so it it is not as complicated as it looks here.

Julius, I have it installed in a "beater" unit. It seems like it is pretty good. I use it alot to test. It is better than many pads that I have used. I would say it is better than the GBA-sp, original DS, PSP, Giz, but not quite as nice as the DS lite. It is much better than the current stick though. It is very reliable as it always moves when you press it.

 

[grahf]

I wonder if it would be easier to just create a board with 4 tact switches? Then the dpad itself could be just a solid piece of plastic. Much easier to make something like that Dave. I still much prefer the feel of a carbon contact setup, but many people do use tact switches in their portable projects. Im sure there are tact switches out there that have a soft feel to them like your typical dpad, if you look.

 

[DaveC]

I wonder if it would be easier to just create a board with 4 tact switches? Then the dpad itself could be just a solid piece of plastic. Much easier to make something like that Dave.

I still much prefer the feel of a carbon contact setup, but many people do use tact switches in their portable projects. Im sure there are tact switches out there that have a soft feel to them like your typical dpad, if you look.

4 "tack switches" ? like what type do you mean? If the d-pad was a solid piece of plastic where would I get that pad? I can't mold one that would be too expensive. I would have to make each on the lathe and that would be alot of work in addition to the boards etc.

I do agree with you that the carbon contact switches are best. The main problem with doing that is that I would again need to make my own pad. The plastic on the GP2X is too thick to use the n-gage pads in that configuration. So I would need to make the pads as well as the boards. It just gets to be too much to do as it would take too much time and work. I actually DID find some discrete switches that actually use the carbon contacts in them and feel like a typical pad. Putting everything together with those would be a huge amount of work without a mold.

The switches that I finally settled on have a slight tact but aren't too clicky or stiff. They are the least clicky I could get and have the lowest activation force needed. The QD pad has it's own springiness so adding both makes the feel pretty good.

If I could make everything from scratch with my own molded parts and pads I would do it different. As it is I have to work within some quite limiting constraints. I think it turned out pretty good considering. I would say the result is a good pad. Not perfect but very good. By not perfect I just mean the feel is very good but not perfect, meaning if I could just wish it into being it would be a little different in feel.

While the current setup above may look overcomplicated there is a reason for it. One it allows traces to be made so the module can be used with or without the logic chip (you loose the hardware diagonals that way though). Plus importantly it can adjust easily for the misalignments between the GP2X mobo and the case front hole that is cut into it. Plus there are some irregularities in the QD pads to compensate for too. What can be done here is you can mount the base board to the GP2X and solder in. Then the sandwich consisting of the switch mount board, switches, and dpad spacer can be lined up at assembly to that base board. You can shift and rotate it a bit until the pad lines up correctly with the hole you make in the case. Once the perfect position is found you attach the two and it fits right. This is needed. As you may know even with the stock GP2X the joystick isn't centered correctly.

 

[bacteria]

Two, Radek has stopped responding to any of my messages. He now ignores any attempt I make to contact him. He has dissappeared. Without his board the pad is next to useless. I don't know the first thing about programming those chips.

...

I plan to release all drawings and plans so if someone wants to make their own they can. Again though without the logic chip not real useful.

DaveC - ages ago (April?), someone kindly posted on my "how to make you own D-pad" topic about tact switches. He stated that you can get them 4mm high; they are cone shaped, and simply have 2 contacts. They can be hot-glued to a piece of plastic and act as the full switches. You only need to connect 5 wires in total, one of the "power" contacts (eg the one on the right of the rear of the joystick contacts) can connect to the 4 direction tact buttons, and a separate wire to connect to each of the 4 directions = 5 wires. You do not then need a D-pad top (as per the one you mention) as you don't need carbon contacts - just a "+" glued to each of the tops of the tact switches - this can be made by a mould to your design.

This would keep construction easier, simpler, cheaper and better for mass production. You could use a 5th tact switch to act as the centre push button quite easily.

Don't get sucked into Radek's board - as I have stated so many times, everything on the GP2x, with the exception of Whack the Rat and GnGeo (if GnGeo took directions like MAME does, no issues). You don't need Radek's board - so assuming he has quit, ignore it, you don't really need it - concentrate on your D-pad, sell it, and if Radek comes back to light again, it would be very easy to modify the D-pad you make to accomodate it. I get perfect directions in everything I play - the emulators on the GP2x for NES, SNES, Megadrive, SMS, MAME (inc NeoGeo games working in MAME), etc - and Vektar, etc, etc.

I hope this information helps you DaveC - I believe you can do it!

 

[DaveC]

if Radek comes back to light again, it would be very easy to modify the D-pad you make to accomodate it. I get perfect directions in everything I play - the emulators on the GP2x for NES, SNES, Megadrive, SMS, MAME (inc NeoGeo games working in MAME), etc - and Vektar, etc, etc.

I hope this information helps you DaveC - I believe you can do it!

Actually I don't have to modify the d-pad board if it uses Radek's chip. It is already set up for it. There are a few "jumpers" (solder bridged spots actually) that you connect/disconnect depending on the way you go that is all.

I will have pics of the new module soon with the better proffessionally made boards.