Just before Christmas (the night before?) 2006 my sister in-legislation asked me what I would like for a present. I requested a DualShock-like controller and Guitar Hero II for the Playstation 2 in order that I might build my own Guitar Hero controller. After Christmas day I spent some time wanting around for a toy guitar that I might hack however didn't see something appropriate. I then remembered that throughout my childhood I would sometimes leap concerning the lounge room with the stereo turned up whereas pretending to play guitar with a tennis racket. Now in Thailand they not solely have tennis rackets however they also have excessive-voltage bug-zappers that appear like tennis rackets. They're nice for chasing down potentially life threatening mosquitos (using one is clearly a case of self denfence) which disappear in a bright blue flash accompanied by a satisfyingly loud bang. Now you can find an enormous number of DIY Guitar Hero controllers on the web made from LEGO, actual guitars, and erector units and even Guitar Hero enjoying robots.
Given my fond childhood reminiscences, the tennis-racket-esque (and subsequently guitar-like) form of the bug-zappers, their prepared availability and low value I resolve to make use of a bug-zapper for the physique of my Guitar Hero controller. I bought a racket with a groovy lightning-bolt motif and started by gutting the handle and removing the present electronics. Despite being powered by solely two 'AA' batteries it delivers a surprisingly large kick - though at a very low present. I also 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 seem like small take a look at-pads located close to each of the buttons and i soldered wires for my guitar straight onto these pads using the mapping within the table beneath. Some time after my guitar was completed I discovered that shorting the Left D-pad button makes the game assume that you are utilizing a Guitar controller. I used two small tact switches for "choose" and "back" and these had been mounted utilizing hot-melt glue at the base of the guitar's neck.
Using some side-cutters I rigorously reduce through the mosquito-frying mesh to make a gap simply large sufficient for the left joystick and sizzling-melt glued the board in place. Then by trimming the mushroom off the highest of the thumb stick and carefully slicing a vertical slot I was in a position to mount a plectrum in the highest of the joystick. A small screw by way of the shaft held the plectrum in place. It was a novel contact but a bit confusing because the joystick acts because the whammy bar if you play Guitar Hero with a DualShock controller! The rest of the DualShock PCB was housed in one-half of a project box which was additionally glued to the again of the mesh. Within the 1987 movie Lethal Weapon, Mel Gibson's character realises that they're coping with professionals as a result of they used mercury switches. Martin Riggs is inspecting a twisted hunk of metal as Murtaugh walks up beside him. MURTAUGH: Zap Zone Defender USA What'cha obtained? RIGGS: Part of the gadget.
Holy cow. MURTAUGH: What? RIGGS: Artwork. That is @! MURTAUGH: Swell. I'm glad you liked it. RIGGS: You don't perceive. That is actual pro stuff. MURTAUGH: Come again? RIGGS: C.I.A. That's proper folks - mercury switches. I wanted to be a professional and Zap Zone Defender that i also wanted some form of tilt change within the guitar to activite star power 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 very good. On the local electronics store I spent some time trying to clarify what I used to be searching for and after many drawings of thermometers and attempts to look like Mel Gibson they instructed me that they didn't have any mercury switches. It's a small device that you match over your ear while driving. Should your head fall forward it then emits an ear piercing beep that causes you to wake up while concurrently deafening you. I believe is a really catchy name.
There was obviously some sort of tilt-sensing mechanism inside and Zap Zone Defender USA sure enough once i opened the case what I noticed was artwork - there was a mercury change inside. Now we had been able to rock. At first my son was somewhat reluctant to try the guitar as a result of he was afraid of being zapped. I should have left the excessive-voltage electronics intact and the guitar could possibly be used for operant conditioning. If B.B. King's guitar is called "Lucille" then an appropriate nickname for this guitar could be "Frank", "Dweezil" or even perhaps "Moon Unit". While making the guitar I was stunned at how difficult it was to find acceptable buttons - in fact the guitar has now been by way of three completely different generations of buttons. I found these lovely trying buttons at the same electronics retailer that bought the succinctly named "Cure Sleepiness Instantly" and thought they would be good for this hack.