Example Summarized Controller Builds

This section contains more summarized descriptions of some controller builds. As I complete controllers, more examples will be added. And I should get better as I go.

The first two controllers I did are somewhat similar, so I plan on doing some fairly different from them.

The Idiot Box

Completed April 2008

The goal in making this controller was to do some humble, straight-forward, easy steps, and not use a router. Pretty much all the cutting was done using either a drill or a rotary saw, with the joystick still being top-mounted.

The devices and wiring:

1 Sanwa JLF
1 Wire Harness
1 Seimitsu White 35mm Ball Top
6 Seimitsu Black w/ Clear Plungers PS-14-GN 30mm Buttons
4 Seimitsu Black w/ Clear Plungers PS-14-DN 24mm Buttons
1 X-Wiz QD
~12' 20 AWG Insulated Wire
~20 Various Connectors

The control panel uses three layers. The bottom layer has small rails glued to the top and thick sides glued to the bottom to form the box. It has large enough holes and bolts placed 80mm by 40mm to fit the Sanwa JLF, and Seimitsu LS-32 and LS-40 using S-plates.

The basic measurements for the materials:

1 12" x 8" x 1/2" Wood
1 11-1/4" x 7-1/4" x 1/4" Wood
1 11-1/4" x 7-1/4" x .093" Acrylic Glass
1 10-1/2" x 6-1/2" x 1/8" Wood
2 12" x 3/8" x 3/8" Wood
2 7-1/4" x 3/8" x 3/8" Wood
2 8" x 1-1/2" x 3/4" Wood
1 10-1/2" x 1-1/2" x 3/4" Wood
3 10-1/2" x 1-1/2" x 1/4" Wood
4 1-1/2" x 1-3/16" x 1" Wood

The same basic measurements for the materials in approximated centimeters:

1 30cm x 20cm x 1.25cm Wood
1 28cm x 18cm x .5cm Wood
1 28cm x 18cm x .25cm Acrylic Glass
1 26cm x 16cm x .25cm Wood
2 30cm x .75cm x .75cm Wood
2 18.5cm x .75cm x .75cm Wood
2 20cm x 4cm x 2cm Wood
1 26cm x 4cm x 2cm Wood
3 26cm x 4cm x .5cm Wood
4 4cm x 3cm x 2.5cm Wood

The original purchased materials:

1 48" x 24" x 1/2" MDF
1 48" x 24" x 1/4" MDF
1 24" x 18" x .093" Lexan
1 48" x 24" x 1/8" Hardboard
2 36" x 3/8" x 3/8" Poplar
2 24" x 1-1/2" x 3/4" Poplar
2 24" x 1-1/2" x 1/4" Poplar

The poplar was purchased from Lowes and the rest was purchased from Home Depot, all together about $30 with a lot of excess materials leftover at the finish.

The basic dimensions were all cut using a rotary saw ran along clamped, guiding boards. (The standard plexiglas was later replaced with lexan because it cracked because I did not drill the pilot holes for the hole saw to the full size; I will get plexi to work in the future.)

To make uniform support blocks so the bottom panel could be surrounded and the rubber feet would not stick out so much, I glued together two 1/4" and one 3/4" poplar pieces to get a thickness of 1-1/4". After drying and using 60 grit sandpaper supported by some flat scrap wood, I sanded away most the excess glue and shaved the thickness down to 1-3/16". I wanted to use the rotary saw to cut the four blocks, but instead used a hand saw to avoid injury. I would have had to use a longer length of wood for this to be done safely with a rotary saw.

To make and fit enclosed small buttons in the back of the joystick, I started with three 1/4" cuts of poplar. I clamped them together and made four pilots holes and a cord hole through them. I then separated them, laid each on a piece of scrap wood, and gently made holes in them with hole saws. One of the boards got 24mm holes, while the other two boards got 30mm holes. I then glued them together with the 24mm in the middle and sanded them. I sanded in a keyhole for the cord to finish the back.

I sanded the thin pieces even and glued rails using a scrap board and weights for drying to the top sides of the main 1/2" panel. I then sanded and fit the other two control panel layers into and between the rails. I screwed the panels together using 3/4" non-tapered screws and drilled the button holes through all the panels at once.

I measured out the body for the LS-40 joystick, making dimensions on the bottom 1/2" panel, and the width of the S-plate and length of the JLF mounting plate, marking those on the middle 1/4" panel. I marked an area to remove around the buttons in the bottom 1/2" panel to make room for the nuts on the buttons. I then cut appropriately, later adding little coves to fits the tabs on the JLF and the switches on the LS-40.

I put several layers of polyurethane on the middle 1/4" layers to make it stronger and thicker (to marginally make it level with the Seimitsu S-plate). I flatly glued all the sides and corner blocks to form the box under the 1/2" control panel. I placed them on level ground with a scrap board and weights on top so they would glue straight; the corner blocks were attached later using only hand clamping for a few minutes. I had to then saw away some of one of the blocks to make room for joysticks.

I began sanding the box using 60 grit sandpaper taped on a flat piece of scrap wood. I used the same sanding and some sweat to shave the sides to various extents to fake a 45 degree chamfer bit. I filled many gaps and porous parts of the box using white wood filler. Then I sanded the filler and everything even using 220 grit sandpaper.

Using a cheap glossless black spray paint, I put a couple layers on the bottom panel. I put three layers of the same on the box a few minutes apart, then repeated this a day later. Unfortunately, the seams in the connections of the layers of the box still showed. I wish that I would have very thoroughly used filler and sanding, and made sure that the sides were very flat and even.

Because I had seams showing, I decided to make a wood texture in the polyurethane finish. If the sides were filled and sanded very thoroughly, I could have put a few layers of glossless spray paint, then a few even layers of poly, with no sanding between, and probably gotten that "piano finish".

I probably also should have used some masking tape and paper to cover the space where the mounting plate rests; this could have made making clearance for the S-plate easier. I maybe also should have just lined the whole inside where the panels meet as not to risk unevenness.

I sandwiched a white piece of paper in the control panel and put the layers together. I had to sand a couple isolated spots so they came together flatly. I then installed the devices and wired them all to the designed PCB. I left a bit of a mess, but it works.

I attached the bottom panel with screws through the rubber feet.

It turned out to be a pretty nice controller. The layers of the panel came together well. It is actually a lot easier to change out joysticks and buttons with three control panel layers.

The only regret was that I did not sand and fill the sides of the controller better; I should have used a primer and then saw I needed more filler instead of starting with the finishing paint.

Stripes

Completed August 2008

The goal in making this controller was to utilize both the routed solid box design and the layering of different woods. Admittedly, I thought this design would be easier than it turned out to be, but the results turned out great. Some of the steps can be done with different tools, but I would not recommend attempting this kind of build if you are new to woodworking; yet it might be easier for others with the instructions given here that I had to compile and exploit in making this controller.

The devices and wiring:

1 Sanwa JLF w/ Covers
1 Wire Harness
1 Sanwa White 35mm Ball Top
7 Sanwa White OBSN-30 30mm Buttons (with Seimitsu Clear Nuts)
4 Seimitsu White PS-14-DN 24mm Buttons
1 Button Plug
1 PS2 Dual Shock A (Late Version) (cord replaced using D-Sub connectors)
~16' 24 AWG Insulated White Wire
~8' 24 AWG Insulated Brown Wire
19 Combined Pairs of Terminals in European-Style Terminal Strips
22 Non-Insulated, Single-Barrel Quick Disconnects
~12" Clear 3/16" Heat-Shrink Tubing

Basically a thick box made from two layers each of 1/2" boards of alternating woods is rabbet-routed to fit the panels. The joystick was top-mounted to a thick panel that was covered with a thin layer of plexiglas.

The basic measurements for the materials:

1 10-1/2" x 7-1/2" x 3/4" Wood
2 10-1/2" x 7-1/2" x .093" Acrylic Glass
2 12-1/2" x 2" x 1-1/2" Wood (45 Degree Miter Cut, 7/8" x 1/2" Top Rabbet Cut, 1/8" x 1/2" Bottom Rabbet Cut)
2 9-1/2" x 2" x 1-1/2" Wood (45 Degree Miter Cut, 7/8" x 1/2" Top Rabbet Cut, 1/8" x 1/2" Bottom Rabbet Cut)
5-3/8" x 2-3/4" PCB Box from 1/2" x 1/4" Wood and .093 Acrylic Glass

The same basic measurements for the materials in approximated centimeters:

1 26.5cm x 19cm x 2cm Wood
2 26.5cm x 19cm x .25cm Acrylic Glass
2 32cm x 5cm x 4cm Wood (45 Degree Miter Cut, 2.25cm x 1.25cm Top Rabbet Cut, .25cm x 1.25cm Bottom Rabbet Cut)
2 24.5cm x 5cm x 4cm Wood (45 Degree Miter Cut, 2.25cm x 1.25cm Top Rabbet Cut, .25cm x 1.25cm Bottom Rabbet Cut)
13.5cm x 7cm PCB Box from 1.25cm x .5cm Wood and .25cm Acrylic Glass

The original purchased materials:

1 48" x 24" x 3/4" MDF
1 48" x 24" x 1/4" MDF
1 14" x 10" x .093" Plexiglas
1 24" x 18" x .093" Lexan
2 48" x 1-1/2" x 1/2" Poplar
2 48" x 1-1/2" x 1/2" Oak

The poplar and oak were purchased from Lowes and the rest was purchased from Home Depot, all together about $40 with a lot of excess materials leftover at the finish.

First thing to do was glue together the four 48" x 1-1/2" x 1/2" boards of poplar and oak in an alternating pattern. I used a lot of yellow wood glue and about 10 various clamps padded with a lot of cardboard. It turned out to be very messy, but the mess ensured the boards came together strongly and seemlessly. After making sure they were straight, I let them sit for a few days.

After the wood dried, I noticed the pieces were not entirely even; I'm not sure if they even could have been made so that they were. They had a very slight step pattern, moving about 1/32" between the top and bottom board. This made me wish I had a powerful jointer. But fortunately the top and bottom of the combined boards were parallel and could be worked decently. I had to sand away a lot of excess glue later using strong sandpaper; probably would have been easier with a hand scraper.

Using a table saw, I cut each of the four sides from the big board, leaving about an inch each to make them easier to work. Then I tried 45 degree cuts using the miter gauge to see how well the boards came together. It did not work very well on many attempts. So I came up with making and using a miter sled to cut them in a complementary manner, setting the boards on the sled using double-sided tape and a framing square and combination square (this definitely is the most surefire way to cut miter joints I can think of). I lined them up to cut at 45 degrees and the same needed sizes and they came out surprisingly great. Make sure to mark and number the complementary corners in case things are not entirely square.

Not only are miter joints good looking, but they make it easier to cut the rabbets for the panels. Using a straight bit and a router table, I transitioned in about eight steps (using the same step on all the sides so they would be identical) through each top inside piece until the rabbets were 7/8" deep and 1/2" wide. Then I did the same on the inside bottoms in three steps to get them to 1/8" deep and 1/2" wide.

I cut the main panel 10-1/2" x 7-1/2" x 3/4" and arranged the sides to see how well it fit; it fit pretty much perfectly. Then, using a 1/4" brad-point bit, 24mm, 30mm, and 1-1/8" forster bits and a drill press, I bored holes in the back side centered and spaced 36mm; I decided to put the cord hole off-center so the home/guide button would be by itself; the outside 30mm and 24mm holes were each about 3/16" deep; I did the rest through the back using the 1-1/8" bit; this would have been easier perhaps if I designed the box using a 1/2" main panel.

Using a framing clamp and some white glue, I put the box together, scraping away excess glue with a butter knife I rubbed into a towel. I set the panel inside and put them all on a level surface and tightened the clamps. I let it dry for 24 hours. I later routed the top transitioning with a chamfer bit. I also had to bore some holes to give the nuts and bolts on the joystick room to fit. So that the box remained pale, I finished simply using 80, 150, 220, 320, and 400 grit sandpaper, some vacuuming, and four layers of clear wax. That's the box.

I used plexiglass for the top layer since it does not scratch or collect dirt as easily; I used lexan on the bottom because it is more durable. To cut the acrylic glass panels, I simply attached the acrylic to straight pieces of MDF using double-sided tape set so the proper size of panel was against the wood, and cut with the acrylic face-down on a router table with a flush-trim bit. Cutting acrylic is very easy this way.

Drilling the top panels was not as easy. I taped the top panel and main panel together with the desired layout set in the proper spot. I made eight 1/16" pilot holes in all the centers using a drill press. Being very careful and drilling very slowly, I transitioned the holes in the acrylic in about five steps up to 1/4" to fit the arbor in my hole saws. Using my 24mm and 30mm hole saws in my drill press, I very slowly cut each hole for the buttons and joystick in the acrylic. I then used a 1-1/2" forstner bit to give clearance for the buttons in the bottom of the main panel. With the panel faced down on some scrap wood for support, I went through the rest using hole saws in my drill press; after the experience, I would not recommend boring wood using hole saws in your drill press.

One thing I decided is that this initial drilling of the main panel is also the best time to drill holes for the bolts used to secure the joystick. I lined up the mounting plate on the panel and drilled the holes for the bolts.

Since I just got a bushing piece for my router, I made a guide panel from pieces of MDF the size of the mounting plate plus 3/8" (for the bushing) and another 2mm of padding. A pattern pit can also be used with this kind of template. I used double-sided tape to attach the guide to the panel and ran the router to cut about 8mm deep to fit the mounting plate. I then made another hole throught the rest of the panel to fit the housing for the joystick. I set the panel in the box and drilled holes for attaching it to the box, and divots using a #10 countersink bit.

I figured my wiring layout and decided to make a small box to fit the PCB. I made the box using simple cuts of 1/2" x 1/4" of wood and glued them in the right location beneath the panel to form a box with an opening for soldered wires and the cord. I cut some more lexan to use as a cover on the box. The box turned out about 5-3/8" x 2-3/4" x 5/8". With the main panel done, I sanded out some protruding cuts and hung it up using some wire. I spray painted it white, making sure to keep the spray can moving and not within 12" from the panel (you do not want uneven paint on something that you want completely even and flat). I secured small rubber feet and the bottom panel to the box by aligning them and drilling small holes with my drill press. The panels were finished.

The wiring turned out to be a pain because I had to learn some things about removing analog sticks. First I got rid of most the attaching solder using braid and flux paste, then I pulled them out with some force. I neutralized the sticks using 10K resistors and bridging the nodes in the click switches (which took a while to figure out; I should have done more step testing); I also had to put a resistor between the 7 and 8 pins to substitute for the one in the ribbon face. I wired using white wire for the signals and brown for the commons to keep with the color theme. I replaced the cord with a white one using a D-sub connector and a multimeter to figure what terminal in the plug matched which wire in the cord, threading the cord through the hole in the box before attaching the connector. I had to bridge the 2 and 8 pin in the PCB so the different cord would match.

I threaded the various signals and commons to the terminals in strips (secured with #4 3/4" screws) arranged kind of like the buttons. I linked the buttons using matching wire cut to a length that could reach any of the terminals, and non-insulated, single-barrel QD's which I threaded through the barrel and soldered because I do not trust crimping to make and hold contacts; the joystick made contact simply using the wire harness. I covered the terminals using heat-shrink tubing and a blow dryer. The wiring was then finished.

I got the artwork for the panel from a comic of mine. I scanned it, polarized and traced and recolored it in my drawing program, and printed it out on thick paper. I planted my top panel on it (with the film still covering it) and taped it to the excess (not double stick this time). I traced the buttons and joystick with a pencil and ran my exacto blade along the outside of panel to get the right dimensions. I then removed the panel and cut the buttons and joystick with the exacto as well.

I colored various components including the side button nuts, the joystick covers, and the button plug using white plastic paint to keep with the theme. I used clear Seimitsu nuts (which are fairly inexpensive) on the Sanwa buttons (you have to on some of the buttons in the Vewlix layout).

It was then time for the whole thing to come together. I mounted the main panel on the box with #10 sinking 1-1/2 screws. I mounted the joystick in the panel with #10 1" bolts and nuts and washers. I took the film off the acrylic and secured it with the art under it to the main panel simply using the nuts on the buttons. With things shaped precisely, there is no need to attach the top panel using screws; it feels very nice without them. I attached the buttons to the QDs and the wire harness to the joystick and the cord to the D-sub connectors, screwed the PCB box with #4 1/2" screws, and then attached the bottom panel with the rubber feet and those same screws.

This controller turned out surprisely well. I thought I could get it done faster, but I am not disappointed with the results. The only real issue was the unevenness of the glued boards. But I do not have a jointer, and would not have trusted my table saw with trying to even them. I found ways to get through this issue anyways.

More controllers to come...