One More Dpad On A Gp : The Nes Cross!

[Epicenter]

Running a tiny daemon to combine directions shouldn't use any appreciable amount of CPU time. The GP2X's linux implementation runs quite a few, but they just don't do much of anything, so they don't hurt performance.

As for turning on/off the speakers, no need for 4 wires in/out. Each speaker has 2 connections-- Signal and Ground. Keep signal on both connected to the board, but disconnect ground from both. Connect the Ground to one side of a simple switch, and the other terminal, connect to the Ground pin on BOTH speakers. The current for the audio signal will only flow to the speakers when the ground is connected.

 

[jokeman]

Ah, yes, I see your point now. Actually, this could be interesting. Problem might be having these small programs running in the background using up system resources?

i think, this should not be a problem... at the moment, i use this "sleep" program running in background, that turns display off and underclocks CPU, when no button is pressed for a while
http://archive.gp2x.de/cgi-bin/cfiles.cgi?0,0,0,0,8,1289
and i dont think, it uses much resources

You could now make the speakers turn on and off by a switch, if you have a small enough one.

also a good idea to turn speakers off, but i'm much more interested in a hold funktion, that deactivates all buttons... and this would be very hard to do entirely in hardware

 

[Jarska333]

Phew, after basically destroying the stock stick while removing it, and miss-treating the innards of my 2X rather badly, I'm rather glad that it still works... Exellent "guide", btw.

My dremeling looks damn shoddy... Maybe I could aply some, hum, what's it called, stuff they put into walls to make them smoother?

 

[bacteria]

Maybe I could aply some, hum, what's it called, stuff they put into walls to make them smoother?

...polyfiller... works great.

 

[Goemon4]

wow, i wish i could try this (cause i dont want to f-up and be without a 2x) great job tho, looks great

 

[Jarska333]

Want To Buy: Casing that fits the shoddy PCB-glob-of-glue-NES-pad-monster I have created...

What's really thin wood?

 

[bacteria]

What's really thin wood?

paper!

 

[Jarska333]

Wouldn't work for case-construction...

But cardboard seems to be the only viable option in fitting my microswitch-based configuration inside... Barely. Bloody fat cross...

 

[Jarska333]

Seems to be working moderately well... Innards are a mess, and it looks bloody awfull. I cut a huge, gaping hole there, and the butchered NES-cross lays there freely... Anyone have any ideas, how I could attach it permanently? I was thinking of cutting the casing from NES-controller, and glueing it on top... h34r:

(Right about now I'd be rather happy to be able buy spare 2X faceplates & thumbsticks... The stick really wasn't bad enough to be worth all this...)

 

[bacteria]

Remember on my guide - using the CD blank you get when you buy a pack of blank DVD's - strong and thin plastic. You could cut out a piece to contain the "+" and make the outside circular to fit; then paint the piece black to suit the case of the GP2x. You can stick this plastic onto the GP2x case with foam pads. This will look ok, and will provide a casing for the "+" in place.

 

[Jarska333]

Mmmm, could work, I have those CD blanks... Will see.

Would be a good opportunity to paint the case... I wonder if Warhammer/model airplane-paints would work.

 

[bacteria]

Mmmm, could work, I have those CD blanks... Will see.

Would be a good opportunity to paint the case... I wonder if Warhammer/model airplane-paints would work.

Yes, model airplane paints are fine (painting on plastic after all). On one of my mods I used wallpaint, worked fine - if you want to make sure paint stays permanently on your surface, use varnish on top of the paint surface to seal it.

 

[Jarska333]

Wouldn't work for case-construction...

But cardboard seems to be the only viable option in fitting my microswitch-based configuration inside... Barely. Bloody fat cross...

Unfortunately, cardboard bends too easily. How would one go on about making one's own "pcb"? Contacts and the likes?

Yah, I'm not asking myself...

 

[LordFu]

http://hem.passagen.se/communication/pcb.html

 

[bacteria]

The method LordFu points to is the proper way, although it is only useful if you intend to make other PCB's as the cost of buying the materials for a "one-off" would be expensive.

If you want to use the rubbers with carbon contacts then you either have to do the above or utilise the PCB from a game controller; and trim the PCB to size to fit in the GP2x.

The other method, which would be easy, is to use the rubber (and carbons) from a commercial D-pad, and make an acetate and aluminium foil sandwich (a middle piece of acetate providing the contact separator, pressing the rubber contact pad would press the two outer layers of acetate together, pressing the foil, making the contact. This assembly could be simply stuck to thin and rigid plastic (eg from a CD) which acts as a PCB. Home made, effective. See my blog on "Super USB D-pad Gaming Device - For PC ... (possibly working with the BOB too on the GP2x?)"" below (on my sig) for more info.

 

[Jarska333]

I do have rubber contacts and a pcb from an old Game&Watch. Problem I noticed, while trying to do proper connections with something like it, was that solder didn't seem to stick to the (NES pad) pcb I tried... Just kept burning stuff up. Need to get atleast +10 to my soldering stats.

Where would one find acetate? Aluminum foil I can get from the grocery store, but...

 

[LordFu]

Radio Shack or a similar electronic hobby store should have it.

 

[bacteria]

I do have rubber contacts and a pcb from an old Game&Watch. Problem I noticed, while trying to do proper connections with something like it, was that solder didn't seem to stick to the (NES pad) pcb I tried... Just kept burning stuff up. Need to get atleast +10 to my soldering stats.

Where would one find acetate? Aluminum foil I can get from the grocery store, but...

Acetate - from any hobby store, or from plastic packaging you get - it is only very thin plastic. If you use the plastic from packaging, it is free!

I had a crap experience soldering to tracers (bricked my old GP2x) - use sticky foam pads - secure, and keep the wire in place; then use some hot glue to keep the wire in place (so it doesn't pull the wire contact away from its position). This works. Again, see my USB project I referred to - I used sticky foam pads - worked fine. The pads I use are the Sellotape outdoor square pads.

 

[The Fifth]

im trying to track this usb controller down.......

looks like it can possibly be the perfect fit.....

the stock stik is killin me

 

[Jarska333]

Hey, that looks nice.