Diy button box,vertical handbrake lever

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harvysmoon

harvysmoon

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madcatmeow
Finally finished my diy button box and vertical handbrake lever. I made the button box from a Ps3 wired controller and soldered the switches to the pcb and the handbrake lever is connected via a switch to the box. Also I rigged a led light to the frame for night races.
 

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looks great. I´m also thinking of doing it, but I´m not very good at soldering.
Is it difficult to solder wires to a circuit board?
 
Check out You Tube for soldering tips. one issue with Ps3 controller pcb it was very fragile and the soldering iron would break the connection.
 
Maybe if you could upload it as a picture instead of a .pdf document it could help.

Awesome work, man. The box looks neat, although with too few buttons, which is the limiting factor of using a PS3-compatible circuit. Nice handbrake too!
 
Did you solder the wires to the test points or to the contact pads for the membrane? I did the latter, it wasn't easy but with enough hot glue and patience it worked out in the end. I haven't actually made a button box yet, I just wanted a prototyping board so that one is hooked up to a breadboard, I salvaged another DS3 board from a Call of Duty victim (a friend of mine snapped and smashed his controller to bits, I did the same once which is where my prototype board came from) which will end up as a PS3 button box though. I might solder to the test points this time, seems easier given that there's already solder there.

Oh and is your handbrake analogue or digital? I might use a flex sensor to make mine analogue or something.

Nice job, though, you don't see PS3 button boxes often.
 
With regards the wired Ps3 controller they do not have that thin plastic wired sheet membrane it is just a pcb that you can directly solder to. The handbrake lever I placed a momentery switch to the lever and soldered on to the Ps3 controller this was pivoted on a bolt and spring in place to keep it vertical then secured into a pcb project box. I was surprised how easy it was but as I said the pcb could be fragile to the heat of the iron.
 
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Great idea and thanks for the diy.
Just a few pictures of the process and how you connected the PCB would have been nice ;)
I was thinking to mod my PS3 controller with the dead battery into a button box but I didn't think about the hand brake yet.
On the topic, while googling a little I found a site for modding arcade sticks.
http://www.slagcoin.com/joystick/pcb_wiring.html
I will try to use the solder free solution.
 
why am i downloading blank page ?? , grr Im so interested to see this, you should link a picture maybe ?
 
You are mate ;)

anyway..assuming this worked okay, here they are :)

picture.php


picture.php
 
Hwangm
:grumpy:yeah weird I can't see it since the first time ..maybe im "special" :sly:
Click to expand...

Sorry no joy with picture could your pdf require update? I would download to you if you could advise me not to clued up with computers.
 
May I ask where you got your handbrake lever? I'm using a piece of aluminium profile at the moment, which I suppose is ok as it fits in with the rest of the cockpit but it's far from ideal!
 
This looks great, and has given me ideas for making my own! What do you use the ignition switch for? is it the ps button? and what does the flash button do? Assuming the key is just there for looks? Then you just assign this as a second controller in gt5?
 
Thanks for your positive feedback the switches are assigned to all features within Gt5 and possible for more in future ie ghost and view change. I have them set to the basic functions also the omp horn push is a sticker. My plan now is to place an omp aluminium plate on the floor will put some pics on the forum shortly.
 
very impressive, its great to see some one come up with such a slick system for something other then computer. That is without a doubt the beset ps3 button box/handbrake i have ever seen.
 
Thanks for your feedback. Must admit I thought this would be a tricky project but surprised how straight forward it was. You would think that that you could buy a button box off the shelf for the PS3 as there is a market for them.
 

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