Project diva homemade controllers

Woooooow, this looks AMAZING :)))

 

Playing PD Mega Mix with my MIDI keyboard. Four blacks keys are used for A, B, X, and Y. White keys are the slider using dedicated arcade mode on the Switch. There are only 19 white keys so the slider is chunky. Piano keys are really stiff so sliding is not easy. The midi keyboard is very light so it moves during slides.

The first part is boring so skip to the part with chain slides. After that the tutorial section shows two hand slides are possible even with the short keyboard.

This is just for fun. Piano keys are too hard to use as a slider but it looks funny.

I cannot post pictures or links to twitch so look on twitch.tv for the user nscontroller. The latest video shows the MIDI keyboard play.

 

Sound really unusually :))) Need to watch this :))

 

Little offtop, not Project DIVA controller, but other homemade arcade sticks I made, just nowhere and no one else to show :))

 

And here it is! First full gaming test of SHINSANWASWITCH, DIY-analog of overpriced OBSA-LHSXF-LN switches for chinese buttons :)
Starting it was not without problems, because it needed to fix some little things and it becomes to works PERFECTLY
Also I think that now button is triggering too early, although it is not particularly noticeable, since the button travel length is not that big, but I think that I'll make a little bit smaller, but it's really hard to understand how much smaller it's needed, so I have to change something by eye :)
So, watch the video :)

 

I am planning on building a homemade PD keyboard controller so I have been scanning the DIY mech keyboard websites. Most of the stuff is too expensive so my plan is to buy a cheap mechanical keyboard from Amazon then devolve it in
to key caps, key switches, PCB, plate, and bottom case. This is much cheaper than buying the parts separately. Then build up keyboard controller by replacing the PCB and hand wiring key switches (maybe Cherry Speed Silver). I splurged in 4 gamer (circle, cross, square, triangle) key caps from techkeys.us.

 

Technically it can work with no questions, but I think that may be there will be not really big difference in feelings in compare with standard keyboard, because you'll play on keyboard in all senses, but if you like this style of playing - I'd like to see what you'll make :)
Then better to make two parts of keys, for left hand and for right hand, like on gamepad (I only now how it's on PSP/PSVita, so I do not know how works slider in Future Tone on PS4), and also buttons for slider, of course, so may be that caps for switches needs really custom design, not only standard playstation buttons.

 

The first iteration is 12 keys. Only 4 will have custom key caps. The rest will use standard key caps. 4 custom symbol key caps, 4 slide keys (probably use left and right arrows, <, and > key caps), 4 macro keys (F1-F4 key caps). I can wire up more keys assuming I like playing this way.

The cheap mech keyboard is a Redragon K552. 87 keys (no number keypad). Socketed key switches for fast disassembly. $35 on Amazon US.

 

So yeah, arrows, playstation buttons, slider burrons, but may be I can propose you to make custom PCB for this and make maximum comfortable accomodation of all button and may be minimum dimensions of this and make everything this on arduino pro micro and you will have to pay only for 12 switches, PCB (and it can be even 1 layered and can be made by yourself at home), I think that remake of some example program of keyboard for arduino will work with any 12 buttons in it (because better to use later something like x360ce where you'll configure all buttons by yourself) and voila :)

 

For a one-of-a-kind project, I see no point designing a PCB and/or a 3D printed
case. Too much work for what should be an easy project. I am mostly concerned
with playing PD without sore thumbs than building. And the Gamo2 K28 is too
expensive.

I am using an ItsyBitsy M0 (SAMD21) but a 32u4 (Pro Micro) probably would work
as well. The repo for the Switch controller firmware is at
https://github.com/gdsports/NSGadget_HID. But my project is a bit different so
I will post my code on github when things settle down. For now there are only
pictures at https://github.com/touchgadget/divaKey/tree/main/images. I am busy retraining
my finger reflexes. I might swap the slide and macro keys just to see if that
works better. This can be done in software so no rewiring is needed.

I purchased the gaming symbols and blue-green (cyan) keycaps but that is
optional. The original keycaps work fine.

The last step is to print some artwork on paper to cover up the blank holes in
the keyboard. I could spend more money on glossy photo paper 11" x 14" and a
new color inkjet cartridge. Or just cut some thin plastic or card board and
leave it blank.

 

When I said about PCB I said not about something difficult, but about something that will be much more suitable for you, because it will be your design. That PCB can be done on one-layer textolite at home (like I did here https://www.projectdiva.net/communi...-homemade-controllers.1465/page-10#post-17233 ) put there all buttons and in result it will be much comfortable to use and service it. About casing too - that's your decisions. I like what you are making :)

 

hi im new to the community. I want to make a project diva FT controller for ps4 but i dont have the sanwa buttons i only have the chinnese buttons instead and i dont know how to connect all the wires. Can sombody help me pls

 

If you are interested in sanwa experince on chinese buttons you can look at my SHINSANWASWITCH switchses https://www.projectdiva.net/communi...of-creating-diy-analog-of-obsa-lhsxf-ln.2325/
But in any case at first you need you need to decide that exactly you want to see in your controller (will you use mechanical switches on buttons, or, as I mentioned above, optical, like SHINSANWASWITCH, will you use slider with touch panel or you'll use just buttons for it), what exactly you will use in case of hardware (I mean, if you want to make only mechanicle buttons controller without slider, so maybe you can simply some fighting board for PS4 and connect eveything to it as simple as possible, so it will be simple DS4 but in other body). But if you want something more complicated - here is no simple solutions (or may be I do not know them, and the only simple solution I discribed above), all this should be discussed separately, depending on what you are planning.

 

i will use slider as button instead i want the real slider so bad but in my place it is hard to buy things to make that slider so i will go with buttons and i will go chinese buttons with mechanical switches on button

 

and i have seen someone extend the touchpad of the DS4 is it really usable to make and use that slider

 

I think that nearly no one have something to buy things where he live, so online shops are helping out. Especially in case of slider, you can buy main elements on aliexpress or other shops and order aditional components in JLCPCB, for example. because slider with PCBs nearly has no issues and really comfortable to use. So if you have this possibility - may be better to look at it. But in case of buttons, as I said, you only need some fighting board for PS4 (for example this, I do not really know, because do not have PS4) and connect all buttons as marked on the board :)


There is other possibility in fighting boards is project Passinglink on github to make your own dualshock 4 using STM32 controller, but it has some nuances. Again, only if you want something special that other boards cannot offer.

 

I cant get any fighting board beacause the shipping fee is so pricy( it is equal as the price of a product or even double to ship to my country) so i am looking for another way

 

There is a thing called aliexpress

 

Then I think there is 2 more or less possible variants: is to use GIMX or to use Passinglink to make your controller work with PS4. GIMX as I know pretty easy to make, but it has one big nuance - it needs another PC (personal computer) to be as connecting link converter between your controller (for example, made on Arduino Pro Micro/Arduino Leonardo) and your PS4. And PassingLink, it's can be already completed controller that can be recognized by PS4 as DS4, but as I know to work fully as DS4 it needs encryption keys extracted from DS4 board version JDM-001, but if you have it you can build your controller pretty easy in case of hardware using STM32F103 Bluepill (that on aliexpress costs $1-2$ or something like that).

This man will not let me lie :)

 

Raspberry Pi works too.