- Joined
- Aug 11, 2024
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I was inspired by @Madmorda to make a tiny N64 controller after seeing their worlds smallest Gamecube controller. My N64 controller is essentially the same thing in a different keychain, a GC2+ gamecube controller that I use a raphnet NGC-N64 adapter to convert to N64.
I had reached out to Madmorda for some tips before I got started and they said the tiny joystick was hard to get. I eventually found the part on AliExpress, so I ordered a bunch of them to get my project started. I run a Smash64 tournament where there is a a "Silly Controller" bracket so this was the purpose of the project. I obtained the 1/8? keychain controller out of 5 packs that I bought, I ordered a few GC2+ boards and I was ready to start making.
Cutting open the keychain shell was quite tedious and took quite a long time but I eventually got the shell in half and the LZR buttons separated from the shell. I got some small tact switches and magnet wire to mock up the functionality, no issues. However, I realized that I did not really have a good way of mounting the tact switches and it was at this point I put the project on hold for a while.
The next step was teaching myself KiCad to make myself a daughter board that I could attach to the GC2+ board. This would solve my mounting issues and just make it easier to build anyway. I designed the board sent it away to PCBWay and was pretty happy with my product once it arrived. This really got the project going full speed ahead. I then did a mock up for functionality with my new PCB and everything worked great, time to build it in the keychain shell.
I used a third party controller cord to solder to the GC2+ board. The board sits within the memory pak part of the shell which I had to carve out a slot for. I really took my time when I was building in the shell, I wanted every wire perfect length as I really did not have much room to work with. Getting the analogue stick centred as best I could was probaby the most annoying part of the build. The joystick gate opening didn't really make the stickbox and joystick cap fit well so plenty of fine adjustment sanding and retesting was done. Once it was all in place, I used a bit of hot glue to fill the gaps and keep it in place. The shell doesn't quite close as tightly as I would like but I am still pretty happy with the end result.
Things I would do different if I were to make another one;
- I would change the switch on my PCB for L and R buttons as they do not have a satisfying click like the rest of the buttons. I thought it was going to click from the part that I picked but maybe I entered the wrong part number on my BOM, haven't looked into it yet.
- Getting the joystick centred was a big problem so I think I would need to make a small bracket for it. There is pretty much no space inside the shell though (I even had to carve a bit out from the inside) so I am not exactly sure how to solve this.
- Rumble would be pretty cool, there is room in the outer prongs so I think it is doable
I am quite proud of this project and I think if I ever make another one, I will probably film the making of it.
I had reached out to Madmorda for some tips before I got started and they said the tiny joystick was hard to get. I eventually found the part on AliExpress, so I ordered a bunch of them to get my project started. I run a Smash64 tournament where there is a a "Silly Controller" bracket so this was the purpose of the project. I obtained the 1/8? keychain controller out of 5 packs that I bought, I ordered a few GC2+ boards and I was ready to start making.
Cutting open the keychain shell was quite tedious and took quite a long time but I eventually got the shell in half and the LZR buttons separated from the shell. I got some small tact switches and magnet wire to mock up the functionality, no issues. However, I realized that I did not really have a good way of mounting the tact switches and it was at this point I put the project on hold for a while.
The next step was teaching myself KiCad to make myself a daughter board that I could attach to the GC2+ board. This would solve my mounting issues and just make it easier to build anyway. I designed the board sent it away to PCBWay and was pretty happy with my product once it arrived. This really got the project going full speed ahead. I then did a mock up for functionality with my new PCB and everything worked great, time to build it in the keychain shell.
I used a third party controller cord to solder to the GC2+ board. The board sits within the memory pak part of the shell which I had to carve out a slot for. I really took my time when I was building in the shell, I wanted every wire perfect length as I really did not have much room to work with. Getting the analogue stick centred as best I could was probaby the most annoying part of the build. The joystick gate opening didn't really make the stickbox and joystick cap fit well so plenty of fine adjustment sanding and retesting was done. Once it was all in place, I used a bit of hot glue to fill the gaps and keep it in place. The shell doesn't quite close as tightly as I would like but I am still pretty happy with the end result.
Things I would do different if I were to make another one;
- I would change the switch on my PCB for L and R buttons as they do not have a satisfying click like the rest of the buttons. I thought it was going to click from the part that I picked but maybe I entered the wrong part number on my BOM, haven't looked into it yet.
- Getting the joystick centred was a big problem so I think I would need to make a small bracket for it. There is pretty much no space inside the shell though (I even had to carve a bit out from the inside) so I am not exactly sure how to solve this.
- Rumble would be pretty cool, there is room in the outer prongs so I think it is doable
I am quite proud of this project and I think if I ever make another one, I will probably film the making of it.
