[Becky] experienced some PS4 controllers that ended up sadly no more time purposeful. Having said that, most of the buttons and joysticks however appeared to be alright. So, she established about planning a alternative PCB to breathe new lifetime into these previously bricked gamepads.
In the circumstance of the PS4 controller, most of the buttons are of a membrane form, that converse to the main board inside through a series of contacts on a flex cable. Therefore, [Becky] built her PCB to interface with that to go through most of the buttons. A breadboard and an LED arrived in handy to figure out which pads corresponded to which buttons on the controller. Replacement joysticks ended up sourced off Amazon to solder immediately on to the substitute PCB.
[Becky] also took advantage of Fusion 360’s design instruments to 3D print a simulcra of the last layout. This served get the in good shape just appropriate inside of the gamepad’s shell.
The substitution PCB alone functions as a breakout so that the gamepad’s controls can be wired up to a microcontroller. In this circumstance, the controller was repurposed to operate with an RP2040 microcontroller managing a looping audio challenge. The many buttons and controls hearth off samples to let simple performances.
People keen to substitute the guts of their own controllers can make their very own, as [Becky] has shared the style data files on the web. If you just want to interface a PS4 controller in a a lot less invasive way, though, take into account this option strategy. Online video right after the crack.
