RBSV2 Lovers: PS3 Controller Mod with Pics

[moose1981]

First off, this is my first mod/tutorial for PS3 and is almost noob friendly, so excuse it!

What it is: I added a stationary,push button on/off, switch in paralell with the momentary "select" switch, to my PS3 controller (sixaxis-CECHZC1U). The switch is mounted on the top of the left grip, and is actuated by your palm. This mod does not render the select key useless, it still operates the same as before.





Reason: When playing Rainbow six: vegas 2, the only way to access your map is to hold down the select key, taking away the use of your left thumb or what ever you use. Once you release the select key, your map goes away. I wanted a way to have my map and my thumb.

Uses: This is very useful in two ways. First,and my favorite: when you are flashbanged and can't see anything, hit the switch for your map then you have a realtime 2D picture of hostiles around you, where you can take cover,which way you're facing, ect. all the while being able to move, shoot, throw grenades and yes, dance.



One downside to this is that the map covers the whole screen, so i don't recommend playing the with the map on all the time.

The second is during splitscreen terrorist hunt, in this mode when you pull up your map you'll notice that it is only displayed in the top right corner of your screen, so playing with the map on all the time is ok.



*Note: If you die with your map still on, when you respawn, you'll have to turn the switch off, then back on to see the map.

One more thing before we get started, I realize that this can all be avoided with a game patch from Ubisoft, but if you know anything about the history of RBSV, Ubisoft, and their patching intentions, then you'll prob settle for this. Also I didn't care too much for the controller I used because I plan on getting a Dual Shock 3, so the mod doesn't look that professional. Consider it a prototype.

What you'll need: small phillips screwdriver, a small stationary on/off switch (press once for on, press again for off), low wattage (15-25w) pencil tip soldering gun, small solder (I used .022 silver-bearing rosin core), super glue or a hot glue gun.

Lets get started. First remove the five screws from the back of the controller. Now with the controller facing down, so as not lose any falling parts, insert your thumb nail between the casing halves and between the analog sticks like so.



Prying gently here and on the opposite side, should cause it to come apart. Be careful not to go too fast so that in case something falls out, you'll be able to tell how and where it went.

Now with the controller apart, remove the battery by unpluging it from the board and setting it to the side.



Then gently remove the right battery cradle.



Notice that the pictures were taken after the mod was completed.

Now its time to solder. Test points 30 and 60 are what we're looking for here. (TP30 and TP60) Check out the picture and notice how I routed the wires. This will need to be taken into consideration so that the controller can be reassembled with no problems.



*Note:Soldering here is a very tricky process. You may want to practice on something else first.

Using a fine tip on your soldering pencil, heat up one of the testpoints and apply some solder to it, just enough to get a small bubble. You dont want to hold the soldering pencil there too long at the risk of heating up other components on the board. Then take a small piece (about 4 inches) of small diameter wire (the smaller the diameter the better) and melt it into the bubble. Repeat this process for the other testpoint.

Now you should have two pieces of wire coming from the board. route them to the future location of your switch and in a way so that you will be able to close the case when you are finished. For futher security, glue the wires to the board, I used super glue, but a hot glue gun may be more practical, in case you decide to remove the wires later.

Now its time to mount your switch. Decide on a location that is best for you. I chose this location because I have big hands and its easiest for me to actuate. Plus there was plenty of room inside the controller here to house the body of the switch.



You can put a hole in the case however you like, Dremel tools are real nice. I used the tip of my soldering pen to burn the hole, then trimmed away the excess plastic.



After you've mounted the switch. You need to connect the two wires from the board to it. If the switch you chose only has two terminals on it, then its simple, just solder one wire to each. If it has more, like the one I chose, then you'll need to decide which two terminals to use. Most switches you buy from, say radio shack, indicate what each terminal is, you'll be looking for one labeled "common" and another labeled "on". It doesn't matter which wire goes where, just as long as you use the right terminals. If the terminals are not labeled, you can resort to using a multimeter set to continuity to determine which terminals acutually turn on and off.

When your done with the above steps, you can put everything back together or if you're careful you can just plug the battery back up and try it to see if everything works properly first.

Any questions, comments or criticism are welcome. I'll be happy to help anyone and correct mistakes in this tut.

Good Luck!

[DarkArchon]

Hey nice tutorial. i dont own rainbow six vegas 2 as #1 was absolutely crap on ps3, online was terrible (could go on but i wont). Very detailed with good pics, but prob wont do this tute as i have no need for this button.

Btw how did u find out what wired to which button? Was it just a case of following the solder point to the select button on the other side. I'll be posting up a tut soon, hope you like it (sixaxis multi-light mod).

[moose1981]

Thanks DarkArchon, I'm glad you liked it and also feel your pain about RSV1. I'm a hardcore Tom Clancy freak, so its mandatory that play it.

As for your question, all i did was pull out the 'ol magnifying glass and a multimeter to navigate the traces. Its kinda tricky, but a little patience goes a long way.

I am very eager to see your light mod tutorial and would like to add that in my travels through the controller, I noticed a solderpiont underneath the "PS" buttuon labeled "led 5"! How cool is that? Maybe you could incorporate an led there, in your mod.

Good luck, and please let me know how it goes.

[InsanityQ]

This mod looks sweet. How did you trim the burned plastic after burning the whole through it? Also was there any plastic residue on your soldering gun?

[moose1981]

Thanks for the comment/question, I just used a regular razor knife to trim the plastic back. Here's a pic.. As you can see, it makes a perfectly round hole, you just have to trim back some melted plastic.

As for my soldering tip, it's seen better days. What I do is just clean the tip with Scotch-Brite before and after everytime I use it.

This is really easy to do, just practice on something else, say your little brothers PS3 controller.

[InsanityQ]

This mod is just too leet lol. I am gonna have to practice my soldering before even attempting any of this but I must say, very nice job it's very impressive.

I think the best way to clean up the soldering gun's tip is with a rough sponge when its hot. Otherwise I think I might end up ruining my soldering gun heh

[faith2063]

Really nice work !

Never thought about it, great idea. I'm not a RBSV2 lovers, so I won't do it, but it's an interesting idea for other future FPS.