Gamecube controller (DOL-003) Triggers hack (?)

[Shin]

Hi everyone !
just found this thread which kinda sums up my problem, but got a warning that it was very old and probably not a good idea to bump...

anyways, I'm triple-pcb-modding an arcade stick>



everything worked fine(please don't flame, It's my first attempt at modding something ), only thing is that I didn't get how to hack the GC L&R analog triggers to digital because the triggers are made of 2 parts, a sliding analog thing and apparently a digital "end of course" button.

I tried to just wire just the L&R digital points (as seen here left and right most ones) to the arcade stick buttons but it didn't work.(different ground than the other buttons ?)

am I supposed to hack the sliding part of the triggers too ? (like I did on the 360 madcatz arcade controller pcb with the following instructions)

thanks a lot in advance, any kind of help would be really appreciated

[NFG]

Having never done that I can't really offer any specifics, but there's every chance that the system doesn't recognize the digital shoulders if the analogue ones weren't used also.  That's the first thing I'd check.  And yeah, check for duplicate ground too.

Also, nice stick.  Wish I had one.  =)

[ken_cinder]

If you've played Defender for Gamecube, you will realize the analog function of the shoulder triggers does nothing at all.
This isn't to say that the hardware isn't designed where the analog trigger must be active before the digital will work though, that may very well be the case.

My only suggestion would be to force the analog triggers into a fully closed state, like pushing them all the way in and hot gluing them in place. Though I don't fully understand how you've made use of the pad to begin with.

[NFG]

IJTF: It's entirely possible the game simply ignored the analogue input, and unfortunately neither of us has more than conjecture to offer at this time.  =(

Shin: You may be able to simply connect BOTH the analogue and digital shoulder inputs to a single button, so the GC pad just assumes your fingers are lightning-fast...  Check the grounds first, and see where you're at.

[ken_cinder]

IJTF: It's entirely possible the game simply ignored the analogue input, and unfortunately neither of us has more than conjecture to offer at this time.  =(

Shin: You may be able to simply connect BOTH the analogue and digital shoulder inputs to a single button, so the GC pad just assumes your fingers are lightning-fast...  Check the grounds first, and see where you're at.

That's exactly what I meant Lawrence, the analog is completely ignored and only the button press at fully engaged registers in Defender.
Then you look at something like Metroid Prime where the button press at the end does nothing more than fully engaging the analog function does, it has no action.

Could be the hardware requires that the analog be fully engaged before the button press will register.
Though I'd bet on it simply having the circuit run through the analog to the digital button, and if analog is fully closed then it's impossible for the digital circuit to work because it's a: getting no power b: has no ground. Or it could be even more complicated than that, at the encoder end of things. We all know Nintendo does weird shit with their hardware for no apparent reason!

Be easier to tell with closer pictures of the pads PCB. Maybe I'll open one of mine for the hell of it and look.

[NFG]

Hey yeah, I have two GC pads right next to me.  Time to crack one open!  Nice to have an excuse.  =D

1st edit:
They certainly do share a common ground.  The centre of the analogue slider is ground, and so is the rear-most wire from the shoulder button PCB.

2nd edit:
I can press the shoulder button without using the analogue and it registers in RE4, so if your controller doesn't work it's either the game or the wiring you've done, the controller itself does not care if the analogue slider works before the button is pressed.

[Shin]

wow, thanksa lot for your help

just tried gamecube RE4 and viewtiful joe, works fine, indeed; but my wii game doesn't (tatsunoko vs capcom) (register the sliders but not the digital L&R)

so I suppose that the wii handles the gc trigger differently in wii mode than gc mode ?

when the slider all the way engaged I have +3.3V between L or R(slider points) and gnd... and the digital L and R points are the contrary

so how do I do this slider hack ? (as the only thing working on both gc and wii modes will be that slider hack)
I have to remove the slider first and then use diodes ? transistors ?

[ken_cinder]

*Scratches head*

Glue the slider in place @ 100%, then lift the signal pin(s) to the controller encoder on the slider and wire your button between the two points so the button closes the circuit?

[Shin]

100% ? meaning 100% top or botom ? (I found the signal pins 2 for L&R analog and 2 for L&R digital) should I lift digital or analog ? if analog then solder to analog signal + ?

thing is that digital is interpreted pressed at 0V, and analog is at 3.3V, so I can't wire those on the same button unless I use some more electronics ?

on another note, somebody told me that this didn't have anything to do with gc or wii mode, it can be different in evry game (what's register as trigger, slider or digital or both.) and it works the very same for the wii classic controller.

btw, I just found this>
http://forums.shoryuken.com/showpost.php?p=5872248&postcount=1931
what do you guys think, would that work ?

if it does, I might do it at some point, but I feel too lazy right now to do it as it was my first controller-mod, and spend a looot of time on it and it was pretty difficult with the tools I had. (pretty big wire, big soldering iron tip, etc)
as of now I can play, tatsunoko vs capcom and street fighter IV like that so that cool. but that trigger hack would definitely interesting on the long term...

[ken_cinder]

Lift the pin for the analog, with the slider glued in place at 100% pushed in, and wire your pushbutton. Like this.....

Correct pin on slider > Wire > Button > Wire > Point you lifted pin from slider on PCB

If you want, you can solder another set of wires in to the digital and put a switch between them to shut off the digital. Or you can do it with the analog too.
That parts adding to complication, but I'm sure if you understand me, you know what you'd need to do anyway.

[undamned]

Just posted a tutorial on this on SRK a few days ago

http://www.shoryuken.com/showthread.php?t=226807&p=8445065&viewfull=1#post8445065

-ud