Bug-zapper Guitar Hero Controller

Just before Christmas (the evening earlier than?) 2006 my sister in-regulation asked me what I'd like for a present. I requested a DualShock-like controller and Guitar Hero II for the Playstation 2 in order that I might construct my own Guitar Hero controller. After Christmas day I spent a while looking round for a toy guitar that I could hack but didn't see anything appropriate. I then remembered that during my childhood I would generally leap concerning the lounge room with the stereo turned up while pretending to play guitar with a tennis racket. Now in Thailand they not only have tennis rackets but they even have high-voltage bug-zappers that appear like tennis rackets. They're nice for chasing down doubtlessly life threatening mosquitos (utilizing one is clearly a case of self denfence) which disappear in a shiny blue flash accompanied by a satisfyingly loud bang. Now you can discover a huge variety of DIY Guitar Hero controllers on the web made from LEGO, actual guitars, and erector sets and even Guitar Hero playing robots.

Given my fond childhood reminiscences, the tennis-racket-esque (and due to this fact guitar-like) shape of the bug-zappers, their ready availability and low value I decide to make use of a bug-zapper for the body of my Guitar Hero controller. I bought a racket with a groovy lightning-bolt motif and started by gutting the handle and removing the existing electronics. Despite being powered by solely two 'AA' batteries it delivers a surprisingly massive kick - though at a really low present. I additionally eliminated the circuit board from the DualShock controller and de-soldered the rumble motors and Right analogue joystick. The printed circuit board (PCB) has what appear to be small test-pads positioned near every of the buttons and i soldered wires for my guitar instantly onto these pads utilizing the mapping within the table below. Some time after my guitar was accomplished I discovered that shorting the Left D-pad button makes the sport think that you're utilizing a Guitar controller. I used two small tact switches for "select" and "back" and Zap Zone Defender Device these had been mounted utilizing scorching-melt glue at the base of the guitar's neck.

Using some facet-cutters I rigorously lower by way of the mosquito-frying mesh to make a gap simply large sufficient for the left joystick and hot-melt glued the board in place. Then by trimming the mushroom off the top of the thumb stick and carefully slicing a vertical slot I used to be capable of mount a plectrum in the highest of the joystick. A small screw by means of the shaft held the plectrum in place. It was a novel touch but just a little confusing as a result of the joystick acts as the whammy bar while you play Guitar Hero with a DualShock controller! The remainder of the DualShock PCB was housed in one-half of a undertaking field which was additionally glued to the back of the mesh. Within the 1987 movie Lethal Weapon, Mel Gibson's character realises that they're dealing with professionals as a result of they used mercury switches. Martin Riggs is examining a twisted hunk of steel as Murtaugh walks up beside him. MURTAUGH: What'cha received? RIGGS: Part of the machine.

Holy cow. MURTAUGH: What? RIGGS: Artwork. This is @! MURTAUGH: Swell. I'm glad you appreciated it. RIGGS: You do not perceive. This is real pro stuff. MURTAUGH: Come once more? RIGGS: C.I.A. That's right of us - mercury switches. I wanted to be a professional and that i also wanted some sort of tilt change within the guitar to activite star energy so I went on the lookout for a mercury change. Having solely been within the country for about six months at that stage my Thai wasn't superb. At the native electronics retailer I spent some time making an attempt to explain what I used to be looking for and after many drawings of thermometers and attempts to appear like Mel Gibson they informed me that they did not have any mercury switches. It is a small Zap Zone Defender Device that you match over your ear whereas driving. Should your head fall ahead it then emits an ear piercing beep that causes you to get up while simultaneously deafening you. I think is a very catchy name.

There was obviously some type of tilt-sensing mechanism inside and certain enough after i opened the case what I noticed was artwork - there was a mercury switch inside. Now we were ready to rock. At first my son was a bit reluctant to strive the guitar because he was afraid of being zapped. I should have left the high-voltage electronics intact and the guitar could be used for operant conditioning. If B.B. King's guitar is named "Lucille" then an appropriate nickname for this guitar could be "Frank", "Dweezil" or even perhaps "Moon Unit". While making the guitar I was surprised at how difficult it was to seek out acceptable buttons - in fact the guitar has now been by three completely different generations of buttons. I discovered these stunning wanting buttons at the identical electronics store that offered the succinctly named "Cure Sleepiness Right away" and thought they could be excellent for this hack.