Add Any Extra Button To Xbox 360 Wireless Controller Options

[Bg360]

Sorry if my description was not clear but I am able to reproduce the problems with no relay attached.

Actually, this is wrong! I just disconnected all of the wires between the controller board and the relay and the behavior is not occuring!!

I will check out the relay and relay documentation and see if I can determine whether it is causing the problem.

Thanks again RDC...

[Bg360]

RDC,

I located the user guide for this device. It contains pretty detailed specs and schematics. I read this over but again, I'm not a hardware guy so I'm not sure I can address the points you raised directly. I believe from what I've read that each relay terminal has its own common and that they are not shared.

Here is the link to this information and it is available for public consumption.

Measurement Computing ERB-24 User Guide

Page 3-4 contains a schematic of an individual relay.

I hesitate to ask this but I'm in a kind of "limbo" situation.... but would you mind giving this document a look and maybe you could tell me what I may be experiencing with the interaction between this device and the controller board?

[RDC]

@ Bg360 - That document doesn't really show the kind of schematic that would tell ya 100%, those are more block diagrams and the general workings, but I don't see anything in there that lends to it being the cause either.

If you Ohm out the Resistance between any two of the relays Common, N.O, and N.C. connections and then from any one connection set to Ground and it's open, then that will pretty much rule that out as being the cause and you're back to the controller or wiring being at fault somewhere. If the controller board works fine with everything disconnected that points to the relay or wiring causing it, if the relays contacts are measured and that's proven to not be the cause, then it's back to the wiring or how it's being wired.

[Bg360]

RDC:

If you Ohm out the Resistance between any two of the relays Common, N.O, and N.C. connections and then from any one connection set to Ground and it's open, then that will pretty much rule that out as being the cause and you're back to the controller or wiring being at fault somewhere.

I just performed this test on the relay, unpowered and not connected to anything. Connecting like points between the relay ports (Common to Common, NO to NO etc.) there was no continuity - all open. I did the same from the Common points to ground on the device and again, open circuit with no continuity. My most excellent meter has a buzz setting that is pretty useful for this type of test. No buzz on these other than for a connection between the NC and C on any port, which we would expect because this is the default setting for the device.

If the controller board works fine with everything disconnected that points to the relay or wiring causing it, if the relays contacts are measured and that's proven to not be the cause, then it's back to the wiring or how it's being wired.

I then connected the controller board via USB to the console and fired up the console by touching and holding the wires soldered to the Guide button for about 2 seconds. the controller was not connected to the relay at all.

I then used the wire touch method to test each wired button. Only the Guide, Start, and DPad-Left buttons work as this point. Others used to work but it appears that over time, possibly with my handling of the board they no longer work. I don't think the cause is a lack of physical connectivity because the connections appear to be fine still. An exception is that one wire has disconnected from one of the right-bumper terminals, and although I re-made the connection the Right-bumper still does not work.

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So, based on your comments and the results of this testing it would appear that I have toasted yet another board.

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The way forward...

All soldering/wiring to date has been done soldering to controller button pad locations on the top of the board. All required scraping away of the black anti-oxidant material prior to soldering (except for the bumper terminals).

I have yet to attempt to solder using the connections that you have suggested in your tutorials mostly because they were very intricate and at the time I was using relatively huge wires. I think I could pull it off now.

Do you think it would be better or would make any difference to use the solder points that you suggested in your tutorials now that I have more soldering experience and the proper wire for the job?

Also, would a wireless controller board be a better choice?

[RDC]

If ya go with a Wireless board you'll have to have a way to keep it powered as well as worry about it's auto off feature and starting the controller back up, so I'd stick with the Wired one for your setup as long as running the cable to the 360 is no issue.

The continuity function on meters isn't the best way to tell, most of them will only buzz if the Resistance is around 200ohms or lower, so they still could have a higher resistance between them that wouldn't set off the meter to show a 'short', but still have a resistance that's not good for the board connections at all.

As far as solder points go, as long as they're done right it really doesn't matter which ya use, it all ends up being the same electrically so go with whatever is easier for ya on that part. I've sent ya a PM as well about the problem boards.

[MasterKujac]

I've got a little problem... I was soldering a new A button using the points in RDC's post on page 8. And I wasn't paying attention, which was stupid, I know, and I accidentally covered the two tiny resistors right above where I was working in solder. When I scraped away the solder, they were gone. They were lost somewhere in the blob.



The traces lead to the right bumper, which doesn't work now. So I was wondering if maybe I could just wire from the points where the resistors were, or if there's no way that I can get that button working again without them being there. Thanks in advance.

[RDC]

The top one is a Capacitor, bottom one is a Resistor. Even with them missing RB should still be working fine. Clean up the mess there and see if it starts working, looks like it's possibly shorted to ground there to me. Do A, D-pad Up and D-pad Down still work? if not that trace is definitely shorted, if all of them do still work then that trace is just damaged at the via there and the connection just isn't getting to RB.

[MasterKujac]

Alright, so you were right about it shorting. The Dup and Ddown weren't working either, so I cleaned up the solder and it fixed that. But the RB still isn't functioning properly. When I press it, it does the A button function. Any ideas on that? Thanks a lot for your help.

[MasterKujac]

Also the A button does the A function. I have two simultaneously working A buttons.

[RDC]

Interesting, can ya get a new pic of it cleaned up now? Also is this testing being done with the Trigger still removed or reinstalled? and in what game (or is it the dashboard) that it acts like this?

[MasterKujac]

Ok, so here's what it looks like now:


Originally I was just trying it in the dashboard with the trigger removed, but I tried it in Orange Box and Halo 3, and found out that the RB actually acts as both the A button and the RB at the same time. I reattached the trigger, and am still having the same results. There's still some solder left on it that I couldn't seem to remove, but as far as I can tell, it's not connecting anything anyway, so I don't think that's the problem (it's probably hard to tell from the picture.)

[silverzippo93]

I got a new wired controller, and the switches are labeled different, and are in different places. Instead of "K#", they're labeled "SW#". Does anyone have an updated diagram I could use? All I really need to see is the Dpad. Thanks to anyone who can help.

[Beauregardy]

I still use your original xbox guide

dude your awesome

[LyLerk]

Ok, so here's what it looks like now:


Originally I was just trying it in the dashboard with the trigger removed, but I tried it in Orange Box and Halo 3, and found out that the RB actually acts as both the A button and the RB at the same time. I reattached the trigger, and am still having the same results. There's still some solder left on it that I couldn't seem to remove, but as far as I can tell, it's not connecting anything anyway, so I don't think that's the problem (it's probably hard to tell from the picture.)

Hey I had the same problem. Right bumper was doing the A function. Controller eventually broke, so now I dont have to worry about it.

[RDC]

Ok, so here's what it looks like now:

Originally I was just trying it in the dashboard with the trigger removed, but I tried it in Orange Box and Halo 3, and found out that the RB actually acts as both the A button and the RB at the same time. I reattached the trigger, and am still having the same results. There's still some solder left on it that I couldn't seem to remove, but as far as I can tell, it's not connecting anything anyway, so I don't think that's the problem (it's probably hard to tell from the picture.)

Sorry bout taking so long to get back to ya. That doesn't look horrible, seen better, seen worse. For the controller to have the issue you're describing there's either still a short somewhere or it's been screwed up on that one line and fried something, I'd have to actually see it to check and know more.

I got a new wired controller, and the switches are labeled different, and are in different places. Instead of "K#", they're labeled "SW#". Does anyone have an updated diagram I could use? All I really need to see is the Dpad. Thanks to anyone who can help.

No M$ brand controller has the button contacts labeled SW, and if they're in different places that begs the question what are you really looking at then? The latest version of the Wired controller still has them labeled K, the only thing that's labeled SW on it are the Thumb Sticks. Post up a pic of it if ya can, can't even begin to make up any kind of diagram if I don't know what you're looking at.