Worklog MRKane's final PS2 portable, first competition entry

MRKane

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6 batteries? That's nuts
It's to match my lifestyle really, I'd like to have something that'll give me several evenings worth of play without having to charge the unit (often I won't have the ability to charge the unit).

Now the PCB is spaced in such a way that I could still drop a 2x battery holder on each side, so if I do have a change of heart I can support it. Plus I won't have to put in all 6, the unit will run fine off of just 2 :)
 

MRKane

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Having the PCB away has really let the hammer off in terms of me having more time. I've been able to focus on finally building this CNC machine, finding out that there's zero margin for error in the CNC build, that the kit I brought doesn't have thee right bits, and that the instructions kind of had a few oversights.

Time to do some case designing, and I've only posted renders that I felt were worthwhile, there's a whole host of what I consider to be "failed designs" that I'm not showing.
Which in this case is more of a focus on "make it not look like a brick" and generally is resulting in minimising differences. I know it'll be thick, and so I've got to improve the hold. Putting in depressed areas makes it look like that other Olsen twin:
Design_Cutout.png


I love the Vita, tried to take a design cue, but it won't really work because of the Wii U thumbstick mounts underneath:
Design_PSVita.png

Finally that brings me to where I am today, with the inset area extended up to cover the sticks and a bit of design synergy happening elsewheres around the console itself. Makes it look rugged, but we all know that being 3D printed it won't be!
Design_Shouldered.png
[/spoiler/
 

MRKane

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Had to scroll down for ages to find my post - this years competition is shaping up to be awesome!

Anyway, the PCBs I ordered arrived today, and I've got to thank GMan for his suggestion to go with JCLPCB as it's really quick and looks to be totally on point. I'll try to steady my MS-hands and populate this board but welcome any hints or tricks you have to offer for this!

So I tossed on this years logo for added not-cheating "legitness", and because I think it looks really cool, plus I know that in a decades time when I open it back up I'll have a little chuckle. Plus my friend, Matthew, said "this thing's going to be a colossus!" and now it's got a name, so I couldn't resist dropping that on too.

PCB_Arrived.jpg
 

MRKane

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TLDR: I need a bit of a hand, and there are no bird photos in this post ;)

So most of my silence and lack of a development thread has been the result of the sky falling on my head and me also having to wait for parts to arrive. I purchased them over a week ago, from a city that's only six hours away (by slow bus!) and thanks to lockdown I just can't get a handful of 220R 1206 resistors. Oh well, lets design something else!

So I got it into my head that I'd like to use the Wii U trigger button design, you all know I've a bias there ;) The thing is I've changed a few of the dimensions and that kind of breaks things somewhat, so that has lead me down a path of trying to come up with a setup that works within the constraints of my design. This whole process has been slowed down too as I'm currently building a CNC machine and some of the prints there are between 7 and 12 hours.

I really thought this would have been easier, but that shoulder button walks a fine line between functioning and colliding with everything else under the hood as I'm designing it to be pressed from the side.
CasePrototyping.jpg

But here's the rub that I've hit: I can't seem to get the silicon buttons from the Wii U working with the "shoulder mounts". I had this great idea that I'd use some copper tape to make the contact pads, but despite trying different approaches, including putting a thin layer of solder on them, none of the different silicon buttons I've got will trigger a response from my multimeter. For the PCB the third-party N64 pads that I'm using seem to work great, but even they won't trigger against these copper strips. I could really do with some good ideas here!

Also: What's the black stuff on the PCBs of common controllers, and would that have anything to do with it? I might just add it to pretend I'm a real handheld console maker. Cheers!

Turns out copper tape doesn't fare well under soldering...
ButtonProblemB.jpg
ButtonProblemA.jpg
 

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Dmcke5

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TLDR: I need a bit of a hand, and there are no bird photos in this post ;)

So most of my silence and lack of a development thread has been the result of the sky falling on my head and me also having to wait for parts to arrive. I purchased them over a week ago, from a city that's only six hours away (by slow bus!) and thanks to lockdown I just can't get a handful of 220R 1206 resistors. Oh well, lets design something else!

So I got it into my head that I'd like to use the Wii U trigger button design, you all know I've a bias there ;) The thing is I've changed a few of the dimensions and that kind of breaks things somewhat, so that has lead me down a path of trying to come up with a setup that works within the constraints of my design. This whole process has been slowed down too as I'm currently building a CNC machine and some of the prints there are between 7 and 12 hours.

I really thought this would have been easier, but that shoulder button walks a fine line between functioning and colliding with everything else under the hood as I'm designing it to be pressed from the side.
View attachment 12028

But here's the rub that I've hit: I can't seem to get the silicon buttons from the Wii U working with the "shoulder mounts". I had this great idea that I'd use some copper tape to make the contact pads, but despite trying different approaches, including putting a thin layer of solder on them, none of the different silicon buttons I've got will trigger a response from my multimeter. For the PCB the third-party N64 pads that I'm using seem to work great, but even they won't trigger against these copper strips. I could really do with some good ideas here!

Also: What's the black stuff on the PCBs of common controllers, and would that have anything to do with it? I might just add it to pretend I'm a real handheld console maker. Cheers!

Turns out copper tape doesn't fare well under soldering...
View attachment 12025 View attachment 12026
That should be working just fine. That's how I've done half of my buttons. Make sure you're checking for resistance on your multimeter. It may not change enough to set off the "continuity alarm" but you should still see a change in resistance.
 

MRKane

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Ok, I'm glad to know that it's not a lost cause then! I'm sure I'm checking for resistance. My unit considers continuity as being below ~40 ohm. Interestingly the Wii U pads show no resistance measure, the PS2 and xBox 360 ones have about 120 to 170 ohm, the N64 is below 90, and these knockoff N64 pads are below 60 with just mild pressure. Thing is none of them are working with copper tape - but a length of wire does, wonder if it's coated with something.
 

Dmcke5

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Ok, I'm glad to know that it's not a lost cause then! I'm sure I'm checking for resistance. My unit considers continuity as being below ~40 ohm. Interestingly the Wii U pads show no resistance measure, the PS2 and xBox 360 ones have about 120 to 170 ohm, the N64 is below 90, and these knockoff N64 pads are below 60 with just mild pressure. Thing is none of them are working with copper tape - but a length of wire does, wonder if it's coated with something.
Weird. I've never used copper tape before, so I'm not sure. Mine are on milled PCBs and they are working fine. I've used some PS4 rubber buttons and also some from a very cheap no-name PS3 controller clone and they've all worked well.
 

MRKane

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Thanks so much for the feedback, and it's great to know I'm not barking up the wrong tree here! I doubt I'll get my CNC finished for a few months yet so sadly that won't be an option, but to quote New Zealands own Earnest Rutherford "We haven't got the money, so we'll have to think", or in my case "Can I somehow solve this with a 3D printer?"
 

MRKane

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In theory anything that's a pad with a contact should do the trick. I might go about investigating things like broken calculators to see if there's solutions there - but at that thickness I'll nearly be at a squishy tact anyway. More investigation is required, and it's nearly 1am here again. I shall endeavour to post some crazy solution in the near future!
 
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I've done a little bit of PCB etching, and I can say that it is pretty easy and useful, if you do decide to go down that path. I'm using a couple of handmade PCBs in my project. All you need is copper clad laminate and an etching solution (I use 1 part muriatic acid to 2 parts hydrogen peroxide). I was able to get everything I needed for pretty cheap on Amazon.
 

YveltalGriffin

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Also: What's the black stuff on the PCBs of common controllers, and would that have anything to do with it? I might just add it to pretend I'm a real handheld console maker. Cheers!
That stuff is conductive carbon ink, and it's printed onto the PCB à la silkscreen. Most nice fabhouses (PCBWay, EuroCircuits, etc.) can do carbon contacts, although prices are higher than basic prototype services. Very fancy! https://www.eurocircuits.com/pcb-design-guidelines-carbon-contacts/

It has higher resistance than ENIG contacts or bare copper, so I'm not sure why your copper pads aren't working. You could always order a 0.6mm-thick button contact PCB from JLC with ENIG. ;)
 

MRKane

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I'm going to go to bed smarter tonight for that knowledge! So that strongly suggests that there's something wrong with my "home made copper pads" more than issues with the silicon buttons themselves. Having slept on the problem I've got a few ideas to go back and see about approaching it with, plus I'm still waiting on said resistors to arrive and cannot progress until they show up and they're kind of important as they handle the LEDs in the system.

In the meantime...conductive ink you say. Now I've always wanted to be able to electroplate things like organics (shells, bone etc.) and also some plastics for use in art. I'll have to have more of a look into this as my prior efforts of making my own really didn't work all that well!

As a little update: I tried to replicate the shoulder button design from the Wii U, and it only took two revisions to get it pretty much perfect. I think I might switch to designing something of my own as it'll allow for more freedom of design here but I'll be wary that 3D printed is weaker than the injection moulded plastic

Not content to leave it at that I had to have a go printing out a cover similar to the one Nintendo had, to see if I could pinch yet more space out under the hood. Turns out I probably can, as well as getting in some crucial screwposts for this unit as much of it is blocked by the screen. I'll see about following this for a few more days to try and develop it a bit better. Also, I'm convinced that my bird secretly wants to destroy the world one tiny object at a time.
 
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My sister’s dying to know what kind of bird Fluffy is. Also, that is the best bird ever (even if he is going to become a megalomaniacal overlord one day). We give our unconditional surrender to Fluffy. Hail Fluffy!
 

MRKane

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My sister’s dying to know what kind of bird Fluffy is. Also, that is the best bird ever (even if he is going to become a megalomaniacal overlord one day). We give our unconditional surrender to Fluffy. Hail Fluffy!
Fluffy is actually a wild Waxeye/Silvereye that I found orphaned just before Christmas, they're self-introduced into New Zealand. While I'll often rehabilitate animals he was only about 8 days old (from what I could figure) when I collected him and I didn't have the conditions to stop him from becoming tame, so we kept him on as a pet as releasing him would have been a death sentience (and my partner and I grew fond of him). Given that animals usually never abandon young without there being a serious defect, he was given a temporary name "Fluffy" because he was really just a tiny ball of hungry fluff, and the name kind of stuck. He'll be approaching 6 months old soon, and is one of the most personable birds I've ever been around - also we'll probably never know if "he" is male or female as the only way to tell with these birds is a DNA test, but he sings and that's a male bird kinda thing.

On top of that due to requests from friends I've made him a facebook page where I post videos to, so flick me a PM if you'd like that link :)

EDIT:
Quickly prototyped a "shoulder mount" for this design to see if I could do away with using the Wii U components. By moving it 1.4mm towards the centre I've been able to fit in the squishy tact on the side, as well as a host of screwmounts, and save some more space. It's about 2mm higher than the original Wii U but this approach offers me a lot more design and wriggle room. This will see the shoulder button actuated from the side instead of the top, which is a bit unconventional but I think it'll be very ergonomic.

 
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MRKane

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Still working away at the designs. The theory here is that it's 10.5mm to the front of the "control depth" as I wish to use the original buttons from the PS2, and with those giant battery holders it means the full depth will be about 50mm which is about the diamater of a beer bottle, so anything I can do to reduce this "hold area" in the front of the unit will be helpful. This also means that it's 8:50am and I'm thinking about drinking again - but that's not unusual ;)

They're not pretty, but then again they've been bashed together with haste.
Try to get more "movement and form" into the overall look of the design. The different colours are for reference only.
CaseDesign_SemiColon2.png

My partner likes this one:
CaseDesign_Deadpool.png

A couple more where I'm really just iterating on a theme:
CaseDesign_SemiColon.png
CaseDesign_Maori.png

 

MRKane

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Note: Fluffy isn't in this one yet so feel free to avoid reading it, but the day is young I guess.

So I finally had a few of the components I needed show up. I can't believe that I had to wait three weeks for some 220R 1206 SMDs. Still this gives me a shot at my first test-assembly for my PCB. I remember setting up an assembly method that allowed me to test things as I went and apart from letting the magic smoke out of a smoothing cap, getting confused, looking up the details, finding I'd been sent the wrong component, deciding it was only a precautionary component, and then saying f*ck*t it'll work.

I'd like to give a huge thanks to GMan for his Wii PMS that formed the basis of this setup, I modified the LEDs to be a Red/Yellow/Green battery indicator and seem to have them not totally turning off - but that's why we build boards with the ability to mount programming pins ;)

I know in the big scheme of things it's really not much, but it's a first for me and has been stacked on top of weeks of learning, so I'm frustrated and excited at the same time. Imagine that feeling when you've got a new game and the Playstation just takes forever to start up, and then it's got a day one patch.

Et ma femme est de France ;)

EDIT:
So I hit my first mistake, I was checking the voltage with a voltage divider between VDD_IN (straight off of a 2S battery pack) and GND. Thing is that GND doesn't become active until the unit is "turned on" as I'm using GND to control all the components on the board as it's common. I might cut the traces and wire the divider to GND_IN as a fix, but am open to suggestions here!

EDIT2:
Second mistake: The footprint for my SMD mosfet is SDG but the mosfets I've got are SGD. Don't know if that's a mistake or an oversight, but it's simply fixed by flipping them upside down and LEDs start working as intended :)
 
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MRKane

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So after a shaky start of "but these are beginner PCB errors" followed by "hang on, wait..." I've finally got things working as intended. The code for the WiiPMS is delightfully well structured and has been a pleasure to work with assuming that MPLab wants to play ball.

To be fair I expected the power centre of this unit to be more...impressive. What can I say? It works.
PowerIndicatorsEtc.jpg


Fluffy checks the LEDs for tastiness - they were just flashing pretty colours a moment ago therefore WaxEye logic is that they must be tasty! Also got the controller PIC mounted, they're going to write on my gravestone "well that could have gone better" and, well...that could have gone better, but I think it'll work.
FluffyChecksTheLEDs.jpg
 

MRKane

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It's nice to push on with a project finally, and an admission of being human.

So I didn't check over everything and made the mistake that KiCad seems happy when nets are connected to likewise nets, and there was actually an airgap there meaning that my PIF chip wasn't connected to power! Another rookie mistake, but It's fixable with a simple jumper. I am a rookie, and I did bash it together exceedingly quickly. I'll neaten the grey wire up before final, but live and learn I suppose.

ControllerTesting.jpeg

So lining this up involved printing the board out and sticking pins through some cardboard. I was dubious of the accuracy and in a few points well understand that I'll not be able to use headers as the holes are too small, but all up it seems to have worked :)

PS2BoardMounted.jpeg

But proof that I don't much care about making sure the PS2 is outputting the correct colour scheme...

So I'd been checking things over for hours and swearing at my Mac for not wanting to programme with MPLab when I finally got it to work. I've no idea why it didn't want to programme the chip, but I figure that's a Mac problem. Rookie mistake number 4?

And finally
Fluffy doesn't know what's in that little packet, but he's sure that it's tasty, or that it'll go crunch, or that he'll find it exciting to play with, or that he can take it and hide it in the curtain - he doesn't know, but he wants it!

Seriously, this is life in my household during lockdown and he's great company assuming he's not eating my SMD resistors.

 
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