Using PS2 Controller

[cuber00tva]

Hi all,

I just got all my parts in today and was starting to put them together when I found my old PS2 controller wires were extremely small and brittle. They are also braided with some other material. I remember reading in the old forums that someone had used a PS2 controller to connect the XIM. They also used the empty shell of the controller as a case for the ToolStick. Just wondering how that worked out...I'm afraid of using these wires and it falling apart soon thereafter.

I tried to find that old posting, but I can't get back to the old forums (it's just a link to xim360.com now.) Any help on this would be great! Or, if the PS2 extension cable isn't made of flimsy wires I can go pick one of those up...somewhere - I couldn't find one locally.

Thanks!

[thorimmortal]

The shielding on the wires should not be brittle, this might pose a problem, better safe than sorry. as far as the braid, usually it keeps the wire from being stretched and pulled apart, similar to a rib in cat5 networking cable, just depends on the wire they used when they manufactured the controller, wire size shouldnt matter.

[cuber00tva]

The shielding on the wires should not be brittle, this might pose a problem, better safe than sorry. as far as the braid, usually it keeps the wire from being stretched and pulled apart, similar to a rib in cat5 networking cable, just depends on the wire they used when they manufactured the controller, wire size shouldnt matter.

OK, well I will move forward with the controller cable and see what happens. I'm comfortable with soldering but with heavier gauges. My wire stripper won't even strip these wires and it goes down to 22 gauge! Geez, couldn't make it any easier?!

Any advice on how to strip these without cutting the small wires inside?

[Sick_Tight]

I used a very sharp knife and carefully cut around the rubber outside then just slide it off the wires then twisted the wires so they would insert into the Holes on the Daughter card then Soldered the puppy up! After that I got some hot glue and glued the wires all down as well as together on the board. Reason being the wires are very frail and will break the solder point easy if you are not careful. Once I Hot Glued it, they were not moving without some great force!

[cuber00tva]

I used a very sharp knife and carefully cut around the rubber outside then just slide it off the wires then twisted the wires so they would insert into the Holes on the Daughter card then Soldered the puppy up! After that I got some hot glue and glued the wires all down as well as together on the board. Reason being the wires are very frail and will break the solder point easy if you are not careful. Once I Hot Glued it, they were not moving without some great force!

Just an update. I did exactly what you did with a sharp knife. I had to repeat a couple of times because I got in a hurry and unraveled the wire from the braid by accident.

Thanks for the tip with the hot glue. Lucky for me my girlfriend is into crafts and has a glue gun readily available. It's heating up as I type so I should be good to go very soon.

Oh, and for anyone reading this. Remember to take your time and be very patient when stripping the wires. On my controller each individual colored wire has TWO strands of very thin copper wire inside of it. Each of those two copper wires is wrapped around a braid of some other material that can cause you problems when soldering (ie, the solder joint may not make good contact with the copper wire.) It's very easy to unravel those copper wires from the braid when you are trying to twist the two copper wires together and when you try to push them through the holes of the daughter board.

[thorimmortal]

I used a very sharp knife and carefully cut around the rubber outside then just slide it off the wires then twisted the wires so they would insert into the Holes on the Daughter card then Soldered the puppy up! After that I got some hot glue and glued the wires all down as well as together on the board. Reason being the wires are very frail and will break the solder point easy if you are not careful. Once I Hot Glued it, they were not moving without some great force!

I have noticed you saying "twisting the wires" don't you tin the wire before you solder it to the card?
If you dont you may not get a solid connection, or too much heat and dammage the board, not bagging on the way you do things just saying tinning the wire first is the proper way. 

[cuber00tva]

I have noticed you saying "twisting the wires" don't you tin the wire before you solder it to the card?
If you dont you may not get a solid connection, or too much heat and dammage the board, not bagging on the way you do things just saying tinning the wire first is the proper way. 

Yes, you are right. I should have tinned the wires first before soldering to the daughter board. After testing the board I top soldered the wires as well to make sure the connection would hold and then glued the colored wires together as well as glued the remaining wire to the board itself.

I also used a lower wattage iron to do my soldering. This probably helped not damage the board with too much heat.

[nickstudy]

Ya 100th post, I now become elite member.

Yes tinning your wire, and not having too much wire sticking out through the holes is key to a nice set up. You really want to reduce the amount of time that the iron is hitting the board to reduce risk of melting, damaging the trace on the board.

Pretty easy to do. However, now the xim2 is looming we'll see how that goes.

[cuber00tva]

Yeah, I just read a lot about the XIM2 and looking forward to it. XIM1 was a fun little project and I enjoyed sitting down and actually finishing it, however, I'm a bit disappointed that I spent the money on something that might be replaced soon.

Oh well, my buddy wants a XIM but doesn't have the tools/experience to build it so I will probably sell him my stuff and build the XIM2 when it comes out Problem solved.

[thorimmortal]

Ya 100th post, I now become elite member.

Yes tinning your wire, and not having too much wire sticking out through the holes is key to a nice set up. You really want to reduce the amount of time that the iron is hitting the board to reduce risk of melting, damaging the trace on the board.

Pretty easy to do. However, now the xim2 is looming we'll see how that goes.

More wire sticking out the holes actually makes it easier to solder, and you can also put all the wires it at one time , just use some finger nail clippers to shorten  the leads after it is soldered to the board, 100 ways to skin a cat!

[nickstudy]

Ya 100th post, I now become elite member.

Yes tinning your wire, and not having too much wire sticking out through the holes is key to a nice set up. You really want to reduce the amount of time that the iron is hitting the board to reduce risk of melting, damaging the trace on the board.

Pretty easy to do. However, now the xim2 is looming we'll see how that goes.

More wire sticking out the holes actually makes it easier to solder, and you can also put all the wires it at one time , just use some finger nail clippers to shorten  the leads after it is soldered to the board, 100 ways to skin a cat!

touche'!

Well what I ended up doing was taking all the wires putting each one through the hole so that the sleeve was through as well then pull them back out until the wire was exposed and bent them all like an L shape to keep them in place while I pop them with solder.

I have built 5 of these now so far, and I can do it in under 10-15 minutes, not that it matters but I just like running through it.

I really look forward to the xim2, and if its complicated that's ok I like projects. I heard the x2 will become larger due to the components needed, but hell if its the size of a small laptop, that's fine. I'll just tell people that come over it's my "pwn box" and then laugh out of control until I pass out "Just as I planned mwuhahhahahahhaha".


ya that would own.

[Sick_Tight]

I used a very sharp knife and carefully cut around the rubber outside then just slide it off the wires then twisted the wires so they would insert into the Holes on the Daughter card then Soldered the puppy up! After that I got some hot glue and glued the wires all down as well as together on the board. Reason being the wires are very frail and will break the solder point easy if you are not careful. Once I Hot Glued it, they were not moving without some great force!

I have noticed you saying "twisting the wires" don't you tin the wire before you solder it to the card?
If you dont you may not get a solid connection, or too much heat and dammage the board, not bagging on the way you do things just saying tinning the wire first is the proper way. 

Ohh yeah I did tin the Wires first I guess I didn't put that, my Bad bro! 

[Sick_Tight]

None the less it all worked out and my Daughter Card and all the PS2 Wires are soldered nicely and on there and wont pull out (at least not without excessive force) , so that's what I am happy about. . . When I said twisted the wires, I just mean I twisted them so I could get them to fit in the holes,  had some straggly wires so I twisted them together then I tinned them. . . Sorry that I missed that. . .

[Juncti]

Months old so likely resolved.

I'm closing this post and if anyone still needs some help they can start a new more current post.

Closed...