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How to make a PS2 Guitar Hero controller out of scratch

How to make a PS2 Guitar Hero controller out of scratch
So this is my second instructable, thanx for clicking on it! It is not fully true what the title claims, you do need some materials of course (in fact a lot), I just wanted to emphasize that I had no guitar or anything at the beginning, so it's not a "how to make a big guitar from a small original Red Octane one just by placing the circuit board from the GH controller to a real guitar" type of instructable. Well, maybe it would look much cooler, but I didn't want to sacrifice a real guitar. So I made the body of the guitar and everything from the proper materials and I took the circuit board from a PS1 joy pad. Some wiring and a lot of work and it's done. I'm satisfied with it and I hope you like it too.



This is a video of me playing the GH controller. The Song is called Holy Diver. I'm playing it on Hard. It demonstrates that it is working just fine (every part of it).

Note! I have never seen an original red octane controller (nor any 3rd party copies), only on pictures.

Also, if you would like to help me in my further projects or/and want to know how to get free stuff, please read my blog. Thanx and please save your comments about my blog to my blog comments. But still, feel free to leave a lot of comments about my project, I'd like to have some response, and if you have any questions about anything according to my project, don't hesitate to ask (but please try to ask things that aren't covered in the instructable! Thanx!)!
 
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Step 1The mentioned "scratch"

The mentioned \"scratch\"
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So here's what's needed for this project:

- a PS1 controller with analog sticks (important! PS2 controllers won't work with GH2, only GH1)
- trigger buttons of another PS1 controller (I used an old one with no analog sticks - i haven't used it for ages) or some sensitive micro switches for the guitar fret buttons
- some other switches and plastic pieces
- a whammy bar
- some csrews
- a tilt sensor, covered in my fist instructable, the correct one for this project starts at Step 4
- a longer flat cable consisting of 6 wires (it will be easier to glue it down) and a bunch of other shorter wires
- 2 pieces from a roll-top (guitar neck)
- a thick paper with fine surface on one side (guitar body shape)
- a long piece of wooden slat or more smaller pieces (body stability)
- lots of hot glue
- soldering-iron and some solder and of course soldering knowledge
- an electric drill, rasp, Stanley knife and some other tools
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156 comments
1-40 of 156next »
Dec 1, 2007. 6:01 PMThat Hurt This Time says:
I wonder what would happen if i tried to make a toilet plunger guitar...
Nov 6, 2011. 7:24 PMrritchie1 says:
YO. IF YOU DO THAT, YOU BETTER MAKE AN INSTRUCTABLE! JUST SAYIN!
Oct 3, 2008. 4:23 PMpeach_fart says:
awesomeness. duh.
Sep 29, 2010. 11:24 PMBillgun says:
Its called a controller not a joy pad just pointing that out a joy pad is the thing with the giant joy stick and two buttons that are powered off batteries a controller is something that you plug into the system and use it to control the game
Nov 6, 2011. 7:22 PMrritchie1 says:
regardless what its called, it works, dude did good, dont bash him for not labeling something correctly, im pretty sure anyone who read it, knew what he meant, i did, and if you cant decipher what he means, by the word "playstation" as well as the PHOTO of it, you probably shouldnt be tinkering around with this kind of stuff anyways, "JUST POINTING THAT OUT"
Aug 20, 2011. 9:10 AMzjschafer says:
spray paint flames on it. :D
Jul 5, 2011. 6:08 AMyaly says:
are those hard drive platters?
May 18, 2011. 9:10 PMRobot Lover says:
To make something from scratch, you must first create the universe.
Apr 27, 2011. 4:06 AMmostafa_n1939 says:
it was awsom tnx
Aug 12, 2010. 1:42 PMartcher says:
very good instructable but this guitar works with rock band for PS2 (sorry, i'm brazilian and my english isn't good)? thanx!
Sep 11, 2007. 8:38 PMTheMadScientist says:
I also found that cd tray sensors work wonderfully. you need to tear up a few old cd trays to get the sensor switches that spring back into place though
Jul 20, 2010. 7:05 PMsIDsleeper says:
The same as I was thinking about!
Jul 16, 2010. 3:12 PMSabudum says:
Yo, teebee918, can you tell me the technical difference between the ps1 and ps2 controllers, and why a ps2 controller should not work with this project?
Jun 9, 2010. 1:57 AMfreakyoshi123 says:
Why is your circuitboard different from mine?
Jun 9, 2010. 1:28 AMfreakyoshi123 says:
Where did u get the circuit board??
Mar 30, 2010. 12:03 PMNetspyware says:
 Is the "Ucc"    the    "Vcc"   point  of  analog led ?
Mar 15, 2010. 1:05 PMreznikrecords says:
ahaha ))
yeah
100% four-handed
Dec 3, 2009. 5:56 AMdkcas11 says:
 Does anyone know if it works with Rock Band I and/or II?

/dkcas11
Sep 21, 2009. 7:24 AMcdman321 says:
do you have to use a ps1 joy pad controller
Jun 24, 2009. 10:55 AM1993_18 says:
I did the same... i put the circle, square, triangle and the cross as the buttons but they don't do... i play GH2 and they don't assume to be the real buttons...
Jul 13, 2009. 6:47 PMstratisfire says:
you need to solder down the left cuz thats how the game recognizes it as a guitar
Jun 17, 2009. 3:08 AM1993_18 says:
can you put a litlle box... showing were is the gnd? plz
Jun 15, 2009. 3:37 PM1993_18 says:
how didi you conect the ps1 controler to this buttons?
Apr 20, 2009. 3:29 PMcrisicla says:
I have a lot of old nonworking PC mouse, and all of them (optics, with a ball, two, three buttons, with or without wheel) have the same type of internal button, they are very sensitive and easier to use than the original ones
May 13, 2009. 4:34 PMfoxtrot4697 says:
and why are you posting this here?
Apr 20, 2009. 3:22 PMcrisicla says:
I use a car electric window switch, from an 87 VW
Jan 23, 2009. 9:42 AMyaish60 says:
hey guys how are u '
Jan 16, 2009. 12:04 PMdjsteph974 says:
hello , i'm french, so sorry for my writing.

i made ,me too ,a guitar DIY, with a BigBen command .

I made my wooden support and pvc. I diverted all the touches of the command on sleeve and install a "mediator".

J also created a sensor of slope as that of your guitar.

You realized a beautiful work, thank you for your ideas!!!

Coming soon !!!

Here is my web site :

http://sites.google.com/site/diyfaiteslevousmeme/guitar-hero-3---guitare-ps2-diy
Jan 21, 2008. 5:46 PMkbhkiss says:
Hello, I am brazilian, sorry my bad english, but It works for guitar hero 3? thank you...
Sep 25, 2008. 3:15 PMcantthinkof bettername says:
Its okay, almost everyone talks in bad english on the internet.
Dec 30, 2008. 2:33 PMn0ukf says:
That's a sad truth, particularly when so many of them speak english as a first (and only) language. When it's a second (third, fourth, etc.) language, poor spelling or grammar can be excused more easily.
Jan 6, 2009. 2:17 PMcantthinkof bettername says:
Yeah, I agree with that, but it doesn't matter very much if it is only going to be read once by one person.
Jan 27, 2008. 6:56 PMmsnake17 says:
yes, work perfectly for gh 3, gh2, gh rocks the 80, and gh1 I have tested in all the guitar hero and i never have a problem with nothing of the guitar
Jan 5, 2009. 7:59 AMfons82 says:
Hi great instructable!
You if its posible to do the same for Drums , to get it working for rock band or guitar hero IV .
May be there is another trick like the one you did solderting the directional buttons, to get it working as drum ?
I'm thinking that, if this trick exists we can apply this other instrcutable http://www.instructables.com/id/Electronic-Drum-Set-with-Controller/
to get a drum with piezos for PS2 ..
what do you think ?
thanks excellent work, and very well explained.
Dec 16, 2008. 12:24 PMmountain island says:
OMG!!! Hav u got 3 hands?!
Jan 3, 2009. 6:21 PMcuddletuttle says:
No, he has four! how do you think he took the pic?
Dec 28, 2008. 4:04 PMn0ukf says:
What exactly is that part you're calling a "roll-top"? All I can think of by that name is a roll top desk and that doesn't look like any I've seen.
Dec 1, 2008. 10:47 PMRJax says:
Will it work to use ps2 controllers on GH3? WHy won't a ps2 controller work for guitar hero 2 anyway?
Nov 9, 2008. 10:08 AMJohnyK says:
But what is Ucc and GND? You don´t explain what that is.... In fact I didn´t understand nothing of how to actually assemble the pieces! For example:

"I took apart a small switch, put a broken drill-bit into the upper part of the switch (not the electric, but the mechanical), because it is hard, so it won't break (it will be pushing the buttons).After that i cut the trigger-pad in half, soldered it (common GND!!) glued the button gums to the trigger pad, placed it to the switch as seen on the pic and glued the whole thing"
What is that suppose to mean??!! What kind of swith? What is the upper part? electric not mechanical? Your explanations weren´t so good, and it kept like this for all the guide so that the only thing that´s good to understand are the pictures(but they´re not enough)! I suggest you make a more detailed guide, better explained or, even better, a video! That would be awsome!
P.S: I wrote this the nicest way i could. I´m not trying to be rude. I sincerely appreciate your effort and thank you for sharing this with us.( Just to be sure you won't read this the wrong way, because, on forums and such, people tend to start arguing for no aparent reason. lol)
Jul 29, 2008. 10:23 AMguitarmasta says:
Can you make it it for the wii?
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Author:teebee918