Hack a Day http://www.hackaday.com Hack a Day http://www.hackaday.com/media/feedlogo.gif Hack a Day http://www.hackaday.com en-us Copyright 2008 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://podcasts.hackaday.com/rss.xmlPlaystation 2 controller analysishttp://www.hackaday.com/2008/06/19/playstation-2-controller-analysis/http://www.hackaday.com/2008/06/19/playstation-2-controller-analysis/http://www.hackaday.com/2008/06/19/playstation-2-controller-analysis/#commentsFiled under:


The people at Near Future Laboratory are trying to spoof the behavior of a Playstation 2 controller using just a microcontroller. They wrote some initial code using the controller info found here, but decided the best way to figure out what was going on, was to probe the interface. They're using a Logicport, which features 34 channels plus two clock channels. They only need six channels because the PS2 implements an SPI protocol plus an ACK line. The post is just a preliminary investigation, but will give you a little insight into how the Logicport works and why you might find it useful.
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]]>controllerdigitallogiclogiclogicanalyzerlogicportplaystationplaystation2spiEliot Phillips2008-06-19T22:30:00+00:00PSP L2/R2 button modhttp://www.hackaday.com/2008/06/14/psp-l2-r2-button-mod/http://www.hackaday.com/2008/06/14/psp-l2-r2-button-mod/http://www.hackaday.com/2008/06/14/psp-l2-r2-button-mod/#commentsFiled under:


This is quickly becoming an unintentional "game controller Saturday". We haven't been covering the PSP much lately, so this is a treat. AcidMods forum member [Electro] put together a quick guide for adding two missing shoulder buttons to the PSP. The L2 and R2 buttons are used while playing Playstation 1 games and are usually mapped to directions on the joystick. This mod jumps the joystick's contacts an relocates the buttons to the shoulders. The switches used in the post seem kind of bulky, but you're free to use anything that fits.

[via Engadget]
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]]>buttoncontrollerengadgethackplaystationps1psppsxsonyswitchEliot Phillips2008-06-14T16:10:00+00:00PSP external controller wiringhttp://www.hackaday.com/2008/05/30/psp-external-controller-wiring/http://www.hackaday.com/2008/05/30/psp-external-controller-wiring/http://www.hackaday.com/2008/05/30/psp-external-controller-wiring/#commentsFiled under:


Acimods contributor [Blizzrad] has just finished one of the cleanest mods we've seen in a while. With minimal modification to the outside of the PSP he was able to add an external PS2 controller. This naturally took a lot of internal modification. The controller and PSP use a 25 pin SMT connector salvaged from a laptop. The controller's connector housing is from a set of component cables. Video after the break plus some wiring pictures.

[Blizzrad] has put together a great wiring guide for the PSP/PS2 controller. It takes a lot of delicate work with 30AWG wire, but he's done most of the hard work figuring out what vias you can use and where you should route wires. We love seeing people take the time to document difficult tasks like this.

[via Engadget]
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]]>controllerplaystationps2pspEliot Phillips2008-05-30T14:30:00+00:00Make your own PS3 laptop (part 1)http://www.hackaday.com/2008/04/24/make-your-own-ps3-laptop-part-1/http://www.hackaday.com/2008/04/24/make-your-own-ps3-laptop-part-1/http://www.hackaday.com/2008/04/24/make-your-own-ps3-laptop-part-1/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Let the how-to's begin: [Ben Heck] put up the first installment of his how-to series on making your own PS3 laptop. Since this one is all about the tear down, you might dig the PS3 design even if you're not interested in making your own portable.
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]]>ben heckBenHeckgaminglaptopps3sonyWill O'Brien2008-04-24T16:02:00+00:00Ben Heck's PS3 Laptophttp://www.hackaday.com/2008/04/10/ben-hecks-ps3-laptop/http://www.hackaday.com/2008/04/10/ben-hecks-ps3-laptop/http://www.hackaday.com/2008/04/10/ben-hecks-ps3-laptop/#commentsFiled under:


[Ben]'s been at it again. This time he's whipped up a PS3 laptop. He built this one just for engadget... and there will be how-to's on it, oh yes, there will. For now, you can wet your appetite for console modding with the picture gallery. It's pretty big, but It's actually thinner than the original console.
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]]>ben heckBenHeckconsolelaptopPS3Will O'Brien2008-04-10T23:48:00+00:00Playstation controller interfacinghttp://www.hackaday.com/2008/03/07/playstation-controller-interfacing/http://www.hackaday.com/2008/03/07/playstation-controller-interfacing/http://www.hackaday.com/2008/03/07/playstation-controller-interfacing/#commentsFiled under: ,


This is an older set of hacks, but I'm surprised we haven't covered them before. The playstation controller is an interesting alternative to normal robotic controls. This PS1 controller to serial interface is based on a Motorola HC68 series micro-controller. This even simpler version only needs some diodes to interface with a parallel port. Probably more interesting is this how-to on using a wireless PS2 controller with a basic stamp II.
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]]>playstationrobotsWill O'Brien2008-03-07T22:10:00+00:00Cheap 360 degree head trackinghttp://www.hackaday.com/2008/02/09/cheap-360-degree-head-tracking/http://www.hackaday.com/2008/02/09/cheap-360-degree-head-tracking/http://www.hackaday.com/2008/02/09/cheap-360-degree-head-tracking/#commentsFiled under: , ,


[Joel] sent in his efforts to build an inexpensive 360 degree head tracking display. He's using a Playstation six axis controller as the key to his helmet tracking system. The demo is short and to the point. He's using the usual Glovepie driver to provide the software interface and what looks like off the shelf hardware on the helmet.

What really grabs my attention is the low cost of getting into VR now. Assuming that you own a computer, you can build your own VR setup for the cost of a Playstation controller and a cheap heads up display. (Remember these?)
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]]>Will O'Brien2008-02-09T11:20:00+00:00Bluetooth headset for PSP/PS2http://www.hackaday.com/2008/01/15/bluetooth-headset-for-psp-ps2/http://www.hackaday.com/2008/01/15/bluetooth-headset-for-psp-ps2/http://www.hackaday.com/2008/01/15/bluetooth-headset-for-psp-ps2/#commentsFiled under: ,


[Shane] put together this funky bluetooth headset hack so he could use his headset with both his PSP and his PS/2. It starts with a Cardo Bluetooth adapter. He added both a PSP headset style connector and a standard 2.5mm plug to a custom pigtail. Then he can use it with either a PSP headset remote or a modified USB PS/2 headset adapter.
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]]>Will O'Brien2008-01-15T23:15:00+00:00PSP Internal Hard drive modhttp://www.hackaday.com/2008/01/03/psp-internal-hard-drive-mod/http://www.hackaday.com/2008/01/03/psp-internal-hard-drive-mod/http://www.hackaday.com/2008/01/03/psp-internal-hard-drive-mod/#commentsFiled under: ,


[Robin] over at acidmods sent in this interesting PSP mod. [PvP] added an internal hard drive (with the exception of a mini-usb cable sticking out the top) to his PSP. The advantage? Laptop hard drives are dirt cheap while sony memory sticks are still pretty pricy. More details should be along soon, but [Robin] assures me that this means up to 200GB of storage is possible for the PSP.
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]]>Will O'Brien2008-01-03T21:42:00+00:00Obfuscate your power switchhttp://www.hackaday.com/2007/12/06/obfuscate-your-power-switch/http://www.hackaday.com/2007/12/06/obfuscate-your-power-switch/http://www.hackaday.com/2007/12/06/obfuscate-your-power-switch/#commentsFiled under:


Just in time to keep your friends from sharing your toys, [l0rdnic0] brings you this simple mod: replace your power switch with a reed switch. Of course, now you'll need a magnet every time you want to use your PSP. Of course, if my older brother did this, I'd build a big electromagnet and start firing it whenever he started playing games.
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]]>Will O'Brien2007-12-06T22:02:00+00:00Pandora's battery (unbrick your PSP)http://www.hackaday.com/2007/08/23/pandoras-battery-unbrick-your-psp/http://www.hackaday.com/2007/08/23/pandoras-battery-unbrick-your-psp/http://www.hackaday.com/2007/08/23/pandoras-battery-unbrick-your-psp/#commentsFiled under: ,


[krazywhiteguy310] let me know about the announcement of Pandora's battery. It'll cost you a Sony PSP battery to pull off the hack, but once you're done, you can use it to jump start your bricked PSP to load up a memory imaged designed to unbrick the PSP. (I haven't tested it, so I'm taking this on faith) Excellent news if you've bricked your PSP.
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]]>pandorapandoras batterypandoras boxPandorasBatteryPandorasBoxpsppsp unbrickPspUnbrickunbrickerWill O'Brien2007-08-23T23:40:00+00:00Force feedback PSP modhttp://www.hackaday.com/2007/07/14/force-feedback-psp-mod/http://www.hackaday.com/2007/07/14/force-feedback-psp-mod/http://www.hackaday.com/2007/07/14/force-feedback-psp-mod/#commentsFiled under:


[F00 f00] sent in his latest PSP mod. By combining a voltage amplifier, a PIC controller and a cell phone motor he ended up with force feedback enabled PSP. He's got the PIC set to enable the motor when it detects certain sound frequencies from the speaker via the amp.

The video is after the break.
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]]>acidmodsforce feedbackForceFeedbackPSPPSP force feedbackPspForceFeedbackWill O'Brien2007-07-14T23:03:00+00:00Virtualcogs open portable gaming platformhttp://www.hackaday.com/2007/07/12/vc/http://www.hackaday.com/2007/07/12/vc/http://www.hackaday.com/2007/07/12/vc/#commentsFiled under: , ,


[David] thought you guys might like this - and I agree. It's an open gaming platform built around a PSP LCD. It's got all the basics, and it's expandable. They'd like to put together an order for a run of boards, so let em know if you want one. If you're lazy, here's the specs:
  • MX21 ARM9 266MHz processor with 64MB SDRAM and 16 MB of FLASH
  • TFT LCD from the PSP (our thanks to Nathan at Sparkfun for helping us out with that)
  • stereo audio CODEC
  • stereo speakers
  • headphone jack
  • microphone
  • couple of joysticks
  • loads of buttons
  • battery pack
  • SD/MMC slot
  • expandable (can add GPS, bluetooth, accelerometers and gyros, etc...)
Most of the hardware is pretty decent, but the battery pack could use some help. Maybe a good surplus li-ion cell phone battery.
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]]>open gaming platformOpenGamingPlatformpsppsp lcdPspLcdspark funSparkFunWill O'Brien2007-07-12T23:17:00+00:00Sunday night game hackshttp://www.hackaday.com/2007/06/24/sunday-night-game-hacks/http://www.hackaday.com/2007/06/24/sunday-night-game-hacks/http://www.hackaday.com/2007/06/24/sunday-night-game-hacks/#commentsFiled under: ,

We got news of a pair of interesting gaming hacks today. [XanTium] let us know the latest on XBox 360 kernel hacking. It's a little catch-22, but if you have the cpu id on your 360, you can downgrade your kernel even if it's been updated. (But, you need to have the old kernel already if you want to retrieve it.)

The boys over at engadget just put this up a little while ago. Thanks to [Noobz] and [Archaemic], it's now possible to run homebrew on any firmware version of your PSP - but you'll need a copy of the game Lumines.
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]]>Will O'Brien2007-06-24T23:05:00+00:00Wireless guitar hero controllerhttp://www.hackaday.com/2007/04/04/wireless-guitar-hero-controller/http://www.hackaday.com/2007/04/04/wireless-guitar-hero-controller/http://www.hackaday.com/2007/04/04/wireless-guitar-hero-controller/#commentsFiled under:


[John] sent in his PS3 wireless guitar hero project. The concept seems popular today. Hopefully he'll write up some instructions - but it looks pretty straight forward - he embedded a normal PS3 controller inside the body of the guitar hero controller. For now you can gaze upon the high res version. Update: He passed along a couple more shots of the project. Update2: Here's the instructables on building your own.
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]]>Will O'Brien2007-04-04T23:57:00+00:00Ultimate dance pad V2http://www.hackaday.com/2007/03/12/ultimate-dance-pad-v2/http://www.hackaday.com/2007/03/12/ultimate-dance-pad-v2/http://www.hackaday.com/2007/03/12/ultimate-dance-pad-v2/#commentsFiled under: ,


[Jared] sent along his latest on inventgeek. The most interesting piece of the project has to be the stainless steel/teflon pressure switch. Otherwise, it's probably every DDR fan's wet dream. Oh, and congratulations on geek 2.0 [Jared]!
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]]>ddr padDdrPadinvent geekInventGeekwet dreamWetDreamWill O'Brien2007-03-12T23:44:00+00:00PSP PS2 controllerhttp://www.hackaday.com/2007/03/07/psp-ps2-controller/http://www.hackaday.com/2007/03/07/psp-ps2-controller/http://www.hackaday.com/2007/03/07/psp-ps2-controller/#commentsFiled under:


[F00 f00] over at acidmods put together this PS2 -> PSP controller. Using some similar techniques to [Ben Heck], he tapped all the control lines on his PSP and broke them out to what appear to be mini-usb connectors. Looking like a matrix subject, his PSP attaches to a dash board suction cup mount. Via pspnews thanks to [wraggster]
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]]>ps2psppsp ps2 controllerPspPs2ControllerWill O'Brien2007-03-07T23:19:00+00:00PSP downgrader for v3.03 releasedhttp://www.hackaday.com/2007/01/30/psp-downgrader-for-v3-03-released/http://www.hackaday.com/2007/01/30/psp-downgrader-for-v3-03-released/http://www.hackaday.com/2007/01/30/psp-downgrader-for-v3-03-released/#commentsFiled under:


While I was on vacation, [Fanjita] and [Ditlew] released a downgrader for PSPs running v3.03 firmware. To get it to work, you'll need an unpatched copy of the GTA:Liberty City Stories UMD. The hack should get you down to v1.5. It's supposed to work on all current PSP hardware. Thanks to [wraggster], [Steve DiRaddo]. [Sean] submitted the same info [via noobz], but they don't appear to have credited the authors. (Unless of course, the authors are part of noobz.)
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]]>psp downgraderPspDowngraderWill O'Brien2007-01-30T09:16:00+00:00PS3 DVR How-Tohttp://www.hackaday.com/2007/01/19/ps3-dvr-how-to/http://www.hackaday.com/2007/01/19/ps3-dvr-how-to/http://www.hackaday.com/2007/01/19/ps3-dvr-how-to/#commentsFiled under:


If you glanced at the PS3 and thought it was too expensive, this might help you justify spending your green. [ken_vs_ryu] put up a mini tutorial on running mythtv under Linux on the PS3 with an external USB capture device. When you consider the cost of a decent machine, video card and blue-ray drive, it's not a bad deal. (I'm not sure how many Plextor ConvertX encoders you can run at once.) To get things working, you'll have to thumb through the Gentoo Wiki for the details on setting up the ConvertX.
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]]>how-tolinuxps3PVRWill O'Brien2007-01-19T11:19:00+00:00Guitar Hero guitar controllerhttp://www.hackaday.com/2006/12/05/guitar-hero-guitar-controller/http://www.hackaday.com/2006/12/05/guitar-hero-guitar-controller/http://www.hackaday.com/2006/12/05/guitar-hero-guitar-controller/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


[Chuck] sent me this How-To on building your own custom Guitar Hero controller. I love the idea - the stock controller is a bit small for me. This one was built for a Child's Play fund-raiser, so maybe you can score it and help get some games to some kids in need.

Remember, there are just 20 more days to get your entry in for the Design Challenge!
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]]>custom controllerCustomControllercustomer guitar heroCustomerGuitarHeroguitar heroGuitarHeroxbox controllerXboxControllerWill O'Brien2006-12-05T11:35:00+00:00