Question GC controller triggers

kennsj

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Jan 29, 2018
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Short Version:
Do the button contacts for the L and R triggers on a GC controller do anything, or is input solely taken from the "slide switches" on the underside of the PCB?

Long Version:
Here are photos of both sides of a 3rd party GameCube controller, marked with the terms I'm using to refer to certain components in this post.

DSCN8996.JPG


DSCN8997.JPG

When I tested input (in Metroid Prime for NGC), I found that the buttons associated with the triggers do not provide input, but the "sliders" on the underside of the PCB do. That is to say, if you slide a "slider" all the way back, contact is made and input is registered.

Is this standard? Should I map custom inputs to the slider switches alone, or to both the sliders and the buttons associated with the shoulder triggers (L & R, not Z)? If both, can I map input to both simultaneously?
 

Stitches

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Short Version:
Do the button contacts for the L and R triggers on a GC controller do anything, or is input solely taken from the "slide switches" on the underside of the PCB?

Long Version:
Here are photos of both sides of a 3rd party GameCube controller, marked with the terms I'm using to refer to certain components in this post.


When I tested input (in Metroid Prime for NGC), I found that the buttons associated with the triggers do not provide input, but the "sliders" on the underside of the PCB do. That is to say, if you slide a "slider" all the way back, contact is made and input is registered.

Is this standard? Should I map custom inputs to the slider switches alone, or to both the sliders and the buttons associated with the shoulder triggers (L & R, not Z)? If both, can I map input to both simultaneously?
Yes, both are used for input, but the button only works when the 10k slide pot is fully depressed. When the slide pot is fully depressed, that's registered as a "half press". If the the slide pot is fully depressed AND the digital button is pressed after the slide pot hits a certain threshold, that registers as a "full press".

You need the "full range" of the triggers in order to physically be able to complete certain games like Super Mario Sunshine. Without the full range, you lack the ability to use certain required game mechanics. You can indeed replace the actuation method of the triggers with two tact switches stacked one on top of the other, which is known as the "Dual Tact Method". You still need to relocate the slide pots, though. There is also a way to have one switch act as a full press with the use of a few transistors, but again, the lack of a half press can make some games impossible to complete.
 
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