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In this tutorial I show you step-by-step how I install a PIC microcontroller inside of an Xbox controller in order to provide custom functions. Now th...
a small phillips screwdriver soldering iron solder (60/40 or 63/37... not the lead-free silver solder) flux (this is more or less a must-have to get ...
There are seven phillips head screws holding the two halves of the controller together. One of them is hidden underneath the sticker.
The easiest way to get to the hidden screw is to feel where it is, then push the screwdriver through.
Now that you have removed and stored all seven screws, remove the BOTTOM half of the controller. If you remove the top, all the buttons will fall out....
Now, pull up on the plastic bit that holds the headset and other peripherals. It will slide out, along with the pcb. Be mindful of the rumble motors t...
Now we will remove the communicator/peripheral socket and motors to get better access to the board, itself.
Let's take the motors off, first. We don't want the wires to break. The connector is rather like a chinese finger trap. The harder you pull on it, the...
This pesky bit of plastic has four retainer tabs holding it in place. This can be removed easily once you have found them.
First notice the white circles? These circles show where the support cylinders on the bottom plastic contact the board. We don't want any wires to cro...
Here's a closer look at the area highlighted in the previous picture. Notice the proximity to accessible ground and power points, as well as one of th...
FYI, this is the brain of the controller. All of the button inputs eventually end up here. So why don't we just solder directly to this chip? Well, wh...
Here's our dead bug. I chose the pic 12f683. The indentation on the chip is pointing down.
The Atmel "brain" runs on 5V, as is common with many other microcontrollers, including our PIC, so we just have to find a good place to commandeer. I ...
I am using teflon insulated wire. About the only thing that will strip it (that doesn't cost 50+ dollars) is a very sharp knife or razor blade. I post...
Solder your wire in place.
Wire wrapping provides a very durable and reliable connection. I have read that is it more reliable than soldering, even, especially where the connect...
Do the same thing for the +5V power rail. This gets wrapped to pin 1.
Now what? Let's go to the other side of the board and get a connection to the R trigger. There are three pins for the trigger potentiometer. When you ...
There's a small hole that goes all the way though the peripheral port and the pcb. You can thread the wire through this hole.
Here's a picture of the wire, already stripped, poking through the hole, right next to our chip.
I affixed the trigger signal to pin 5. Pin 6 and 7 are also close, but they are the chip's clock and data pins. The trigger's potentiometer will inter...
Wow, if there is a useless button on the controller, it is the back button. In many games, the back button does absolutely nothing unless you are in t...
Remember to avoid the white circles. You may have to push the wire a bit. It will stay in place pretty well. Wrapping wire has thin insulation, so it ...
We affix this wire to pin 6. This won't interfere with programming, because this signal is pulled up to (connected to via a high value resistor) the +...
The X button is accessible over here, in front of the right trigger. Using the tip of an exacto knife, scrape the green coating off of part of this ci...
The hard part is getting solder to stick to this tiny point of bare copper that we exposed. The intact solder mask surrounding this point will repel s...
Fit the end of the beaded and flux-dipped wire into the via that you have previously scraped. Holding the wire there, touch the tip of your soldering ...
I affix this wire to pin 3 of the chip.
Now solder a wire to this spot to access the Y-signal. Affis this to pin 2 of the chip. See pic 2: Remember to keep this wire out of that lil white c...
I drilled a 1/4 inch hole in the bottom plastic to add a tactile switch for the R middle finger. Solder a couple wires to the switch from the other si...
We will eventually connect these wire to pins 7 and 8 of the chip. 8 is ground, remember? When the button is pressed, pin 7 will be pulled to ground. ...
1. Slide the communicator socket back on. 2. Place the controller back into the top plastic. 3. Put the vibration motors back in place and plug them...
Well, I assume you have an in circuit pic programmer. If you don't, check my tutorial "5 transistor pic programmer." Now you can build a "dead bug" ...
Intro to PIC microcontrollers http://www.amqrp.org/elmer160/lessons/Cheap programmer I adapted from Bob Blick's version of "the TAIT."http://www.instr...
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