Project diva homemade controllers

Imma wait for Gamo2 controller and dissect it.

I can't believe someone would disrespect another person craftmanship.

 

I pre-ordered the Gamo. I have a feeling this will be the premiere plug and play Diva controller considering the other items Gamo has sold in the past and how quality those were. The premium controller has a premium price tag though, over $700 with shipping to the US for mine with LHSXF Switches and Sanwa buttons but build quality should be pretty great compared to the Zhou I and others have been using the past year.

I also pre-ordered both of the Hori Switch & PS4 controllers for MegaMeeks. So I'll be able to report on those. They had a Twitter video previewing the function of the prototype controllers without completely functioning slider bar, though they say it'll be "just like arcade" on the video at the end.


Since I was already spending absurd amounts of money on Miku controllers I found a recent surge of really cheap listings on Japanese auction sites for the old arcade-sized controllers. ($20-$40) Which I theorize are Japanese selling off their giant cons to fund purchases of the new Hori cons and probably because they can't fit multiple arcade sized controllers in their tiny apartments or something. Either way, I got a bunch and decided to complete a Project Diva controller collection.

* F Mini Con
* F Mini Con (White)
* F2nd Mini Con (Rin & Len Ver)
* Dreamy Theater Big Con
* F Big Con
* FT Mini Con
* Zhou Controller
* Gamo2 Con (Pre-Order)
* Mega39 Switch Hori Con (Pre-Order)
* PS4 FT Hori Con (Pre-Order)

So now I think I'm only missing the X mini con. Does anyone know what is up with that? I've never seen one below $200.

 

No. Hori is gonna crush it because they have SEGA for making the sliding speed via sticks/buttons VERY slow on mega39s and for implementing the native slider mode. If it stays like that, the slider on gamo2 will feel like PPD slider or buttons on switch (not be able to slide fast and go back to buttons like on arcade, instead you have to hold it which might be a problem on harder songs with fast switching, etc. anyway definitely not like arcade) unless they do something afterwards. (just kidding...?)

Nice. Would you be able to share a protocol capture of the switch version using something like SerialUSB? I am interested in the native slider mode protocol for switch.

Since I'll definitely do a v2 sometime later, do you want my v1 controller as your collection? (just kidding for sure)

 

Oh no is that a Switchlabo?

@Zac Wood what do you think?

 

Raw pre-assemble of my controller, will search for a CNC-machine to cut wood and plexiglass for front part of controller, so it will be much easier to install slider then and everything with it.
Immediately revealed flaws, everything that you guys said before about buttons is true :))) I installed springs to 100mm buttons from 45mm buttons and they are much easier to push, but not enough easy, but 45mm buttons now with springs from 100mm now can be pushed only by leg :D
So I really think to buy from rakuten 200g springs, hope it will help and shipping price will be not so high. Also do not really like a little button backlash, I do not know. have it original buttons or not, but I think with 200g springs it will not matter anymore, because it will be easier to push? Because when I press one button and with that hand try to press the adjacent button - it takes some effort. But in any case it will need to get used to, because I confuse where which buttons :D
https://item.rakuten.co.jp/sanwadenshi/ilumb_217/?s-id=ph_pc_itemname

 

Daaaaamn, I'm so totally idiot because I only now understand that 200g strings needed only for a optical switches like OBSA-LHSXF or something like that. And I even more idiot because I only now understand that optical switches like OBSA-LHSXF even exist.
But I think I need to look for a optical switches, because 200g strings from rakuten in on my way from japan..:))))

 

No don't worry the springs are better with all kinds of switchs and buttons, you won't regret it. I used it with generic cheap buttons and MS-O-3 switches before buying the complete set in sanwa.
The OBSA-LHSXF is the switch that is used by Sega for the official arcade. It is pretty expensive but allow an activation with no click and very short button course. But you can find several exemples of good alternative for switches on this forum.
I can't garantee that the optical switch will fit your non-sanwa button. I should be ok but not shure.

 

Nice! I pre-ordered the switch version only because i already have my homemade controller for PS3/4. Really expensive with tax and shipping. It is very frustrating that there is no cross compatibility... I hope to find a way to have PS4 compability with an adaptor or modding. Really impatient to try it !

 

That's inspiring :)))

I making my controller based on this project and this guy used his variation or optical switches, but when I tried to understand everything with it - I didn't understand that he changed standard button to optical, and changed his program radically, so i'll try to implement it and it'll be need to return all changes to the program back
http://pol.dip.jp/diva/

 

I got a "PDAFT VersionUp Kit" manual.
Is this useful for reproducing the original controller?
I will refer to this thread and, I want to connect the original controller to pd-loader.

 

It's the wiring diagram for the whole FT cabinet. As far as the controller and slider goes, it only shows where to plug it in.

The other file appears to be how to swap the old RingEdge system out for the Nu system needed for future tone.

 

I've had a few people ask me via my YouTube video on how to wire the original control panel and slider up so I've made a diagram which covers the main stuff...

 

Have hope to complete it, finally, in days, with slider and optical switches :))))

 

Finally some working prototype of controller. Identified a number of problems, that is need to be fixed, but after all I am delighted with it, because:
- slider is working pretty will (not without small flaws, but it can be endure)
- buttons feels AMAZING because of 200g SANWA springs and "optical switches" (used pretty fast slit optocoupler KTIR0611S, but I saw in times more faster optocouplers, but I think there will be no profit from this). Now pressing buttons sheer pleasure and I used to play over deep night - not even close to standard clicky switches, I think it can be near original.

Now I'm waiting for a "motherboard" from manufacture in China, because I have some problems and issues with board that I made by myself and I wanted to try to order something from there, so I'll not remake it by myself :) That also will help me (I hope) to install LED-strip to slider.

But now will play like this :)

 

Nice home etched board!

What solution did you use for the slider though?

 

I used fully everything from here, but with my very little modifications/improvements (if someone can call it so)
http://pol.dip.jp/diva/
I was afraid about that 2+2mm plexiglass + picture between them will make use of slider very hard, but in result slider sense fingers in distance 1-1.5cm from slider, from top plexiglass part. And that is makes sometimes use of slider difficult due to false positives. I saw in Psoc Creator IDE settings of capacities of fingers for actuation contacts. If I change that settings to some less or more value, will it somehow help with those distant actuation of slider? And what setting I need - less or more? At first glance it seems that it needs "more".



But I see in manual something like "supports parasitic capacitance" (is that what I mean above?) And when value of finger capacitance is less - then parasitic capacitance is less too. Is that means that less value can solve problem?

 

More is the right way. Larger value lets the sensor look for higher capacitance change, or in other words decreases the sensitivity of the sensor, thus helps on eliminating false positives. FYI LKP has this set to 0.7 (!) but YMMV.

 

Thanks for the hint!
But may be I'll try to change settings after I'll receive PCBs for slider, that I made based on PCB from this post https://projectdiva.net/community/threads/project-diva-homemade-controllers.1465/page-6#post-16586

but, as this base board. and my board do not have ground hatch and this will somehow increase parasitic capacitance.

So I improved little board and made ground hatch in front and in back side, somehow as Cypress CapSence (https://www.cypress.com/file/41076/download) manual says, but only KiCad cannot make a 7 mil line, 10 is minimum and in some places it makes solid fill, so I do not know, will it make better then? :)))


Is it OK on your opinion?
But I'll look, what I'll receive with first variant and make decision, will I make second variant with ground hatch or not? :)

And by the way. I also received PCBs from plant in China (design - mine, trade marks - stolen :)))) ) and it's amazing, because soldering on such a board is a pleasure and everything turns out very carefully. I think in future I need to use solder mask on my home-made PCBs too, because it's really making much careful.

 

You can. Change the design rule to allow trace width < 10 mil. Most prototyping PCB manufacturer should do traces down to 5mil just fine, but be sure to check their capabilities to make sure.

I would recommend keeping the ground hatch because the design doc says so. I didn't actually try to do solid fill but just by intuition it's probably a bad idea. Also for big sensors like this using active shielding might help on reducing parasitic capacitance as well. However SEGA didn't use active shielding nor ground plane (?) on the real thing so it probably won't affect much tbh (but they also uses 2 chips).