Replacement Membranes for Creativision controllers

[Mamejay]

Hi Chesh,
I have been following your work and think its amazing!! So in theory these boards will be made using thin PCB's and installed into the controller as normal. How will each PCB connect? Just VIA soldered wires?
I will be placing a board order soon for some other things and want to include a few of these sets as well. Both my controllers are beyond repairing.

A few hours of measuring, re-measuring, ripping up everything when you realised the connectors were on the wrong orientation and reworking I get:Joystick1.2.jpg
OK I am happy with this! Onto the lower portion which should have the world's most boring schematic. To wit, exactly 1 pin.

Chesh

BTW, has anyone else realised that with the Shottky diode trick, there's nothing stopping us making a full mechanical keyboard using Cherry MX style keys?

[cheshirenoir]

Yeah I was going to just connect them up with strands of ribbon cable. The designs are so that, at least for the joystick sub assembly, you could tack solder to the outside of the board.
No idea if the joysticks will work yet

Good luck with it, if you get yours before me. BTW I was planning on using the 4x4x0.8 "gold" buttons from here
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001317902663.html

John

[cheshirenoir]

OK an update: I've ordered the PCBs and the tactile buttons. Still need to order the Zener diodes but one thing at a time here
The PCB has undergone multiple revisions since my last update. Been doing a lot (and I mean a lot) of work in KiCAD recently, and some of that has rubbed off on the current build. It's four PCBs, designed to be manufactured on a 0.6mm PCB (Which is the same price as normal PCBs from JLCPCB.)
I still need to order a bazillion Shottky diodes, bu that'll have to wait for my next pay packet

I've opened up an initial GitHub for this project: https://github.com/cheshirenoir/CreatiV ... eplacement

John

[Scouter3d]

Thanks to cheshirenoir and his scan i have traced and vectorized the joystick membrane and will try my luck etching one on flex-pcb in the next days...

Cheers, TOM:0)

Joystick_membrane.jpg

[cheshirenoir]

I'm excited that we may have more than one solution coming for the old controllers.

Crossing my fingers for you, TOM.

John

[Scouter3d]

Hi Chesh, yes it is exciting! Maybe the best solution will be a combination of both worlds :0)

[Mamejay]

This is amazing. So funny. I have had the Wizard for years now and never fired it up. The second I do this is when movement happens on the controllers which is exactly what I need. My poor which controllers are totally stuffed.
I hope the PCB's work. Just feel they will be easier to make and be much stronger in the long run.
So do both controllers have the exact same layout?

[kakaboy]

This is brilliant work! Exactly what I feel most of us need about now.

Has anyone ordered the joystick PCB yet?

[Scouter3d]

Hi kakaboy,

the whole project of replacement PCBs is currently in a pre-beta phase i would say... everything is in the making! You choose the perfect time to unearth your wizzard :0)

Cheers, TOM:0)

[kakaboy]

Thanks Tom,

project is very interesting and yes re entering hit the sweet spot!