[G1 Accessories] wakeupkeo:
Update 12.23.09

Link to all pics

Well after two more prototypes and a lot of hard work, I feel that Prototype 4 was the winner. I made a little more adjustment to the top where it wedges in, and of course some coloring for asthetic reasons, and I am through with this project. I have a great final piece, thank you to everyone who helped with advice along the way, and I hope my work helps others save time on their creations.

Project result: a great little gamepad that hides in my wallet until time to play some games! Buttons respond great, have the tactile feel I was looking for, and no longer slides during heavy button mashing! Not easily replicatable but worth the time.

Update 12.9.2009

Hey everyone!

Thanks for all the input! Here is the newest prototype, Prototype 4!

I still think it needs refinement, but i think I made some huge improvements!

After destroying another original housing in trial and error sanding, I have decided against waiting another month for $20 housing.

In this application you will need:

1 CD Case

1 Original Keypad (Some have one, otherwise lets think of some substitutes)

Optional:

Dremel Multitool

Paint

Clear Enamel

Link to the process

Plans for the final prototype 5:

Add quick load and save buttons

Change background to black with grey and red buttons

Try to add a Nintendo logo somewhere

Hope this helps all your efforts out there! People see this and hide their iPhone games!

Edited by wakeupkeo; 18th November 2009 at 08:58 PM:

Link to Prototype 1

OK I have frankensteined a useful gamepad hack for NES, GBA and all the rest. This hack is a DIY craft, and you can customized your version to suit you. This was only my first version after many attempts to crate a workable thumbstick hack for the G1. I actually hope this design will get repeated and improved upon, I have another set of parts on order to do this better the second time.

Hope I can explain what I did well enough to start everyone on improvements...

On to the version one hack. My big problem before was my fingers getting lost on the keyboard during emulators so much that a fast paced game was almost impossible. I tried hacking up nes and xbox controllers to creat a handle that could clip onto the phone and hit the right buttons. No dice after alot of trial and all error. Somewhere along the way after I had already cut up this piece from a white housing, I tried this. I got the idea from old school intellivision, that had interchangable slides over the buttons for each game.

So i figured out which button config I liked, (although now I would do this with eight right hand buttons instead of six) and got to work. Cut out unneeded buttons except some that would stay and get glued for stability of the keypad to the faceplate. On the faceplate, I sanded all the protrusions off, so it was credit card thin and smooth.

Next, I put glue stick glue (the blue stuff) in the underside and pressed my keypad on. this would hold the keypad on for now, and still hardedn to a slick surface and not leave glue on the actual phone.

Then, after it dried, I flipped it over and began the enamel work. I got some nail polish from the drug store, a clear, quick-drying version, and put a coat over the buttons I don't use, to hold the keypad to the faceplate for good. Next, I put thin coats on each game button and let it dry, over and over, until I had a thick bump that was strong, slick, and tactile.

Works great, but the plate as a whole does slide a little on the craziest of games, but now I can play fighting games! So on the next version, I will leave alot more plastic on the top part of the faveplate to make a more secure connection there.

Thoughts? I expect the new parts for my revised faceplate in a few weeks, so I hope to see improvements before then!

Edit: Ok, maybe just hear about some improvement thoughts? Figured this would interest someone, but I guess by the silence that I was wrong... I do plan on moving the directional buttons one over, the select and start one over, and add two more action buttons. And add more to the top part so stay in place a little better. But this version works so well right now, no mis press of buttons, no losing center of direction buttons in a quick game like Tekken and Street Fighter 2 Alpha. I figured I would get some advice for my next and last version, and since the usb host to controller coding seems impossible without technical info from quallcom, this is the best solution to the game controlling buttons I can think of, does anyone have a better idea?