Steel Battalion Controller Mod
By: AlphA

RUMBLE
The Right Block

First, I stole two rumble motors from a spare Xbox controller I had laying around. No wire cutting or desoldering was involved. The motors simply needed to be lifted, and their power connectors unplugged from the PC board. When finished, the controller continued to function just fine without the rumble.


I began with the control stick on the rite controller block. When unscrewing the controller for the first time, you will hear a snap as each screw is loosened. Not to worry- That just certifies that you are the first to disassemble the controller. Before separating the two halves of the control stick, it may help to pry one edge of the rubber grip away from where it is connected to the controller's plastic. There are three lips on either side of the rubber grip. These are wedged in to three small openings on either side of the grip fitting, on the controller.

Separating the control stick can be slightly tricky. You can't simply pull them apart due to the rubber grip holding them together, as shown in the image. I had to separate them just a little. Then, pull away one half on an angle, slightly rotating it away from the rubber grip. Handling that rubber grip thing was quite a challenge. The back of it is covered with the stickiest, messiest adhesive known to man. The stuff never dries and sticks to anything.

NOTE:

If you disassemble your controller grips, you WILL get sticky! I would not attempt to mess with that rubber grip without Label and Adhesive Remover spray. I even had to use it on my hands. Nothing else removes this sticky jell stuff.


There isn't much inside the control stick. However, the placement of the parts is important. Look it over and take note of how everything is positioned.

 

The innards are easily removed without any unscrewing, tugging or clipping.

 

At this point, I wedged the smaller rumble motor between one of the cylindrical screw wells and plastic reinforcement tabs. It was a perfect fit!

 

This is a good time to check the fit. I replaced both sides of the control stick to confirm that the motor would fit when all is reassembled. It was not necessary to screw it together or replace the rubber grip, at this time. I shook the handle a bit to make the weights on the motor move around. You want to make sure they won't be banging against the plastic when the motor is running. It may take a few adjustments to get it perfect. When satisfied, I added hot glue to a few spots around the motor to reinforce it in place. We'll, leave the controller stick off for now. It makes working under the block a little easier.

 

Opening the control block is a cinch. Just remember to remove the padded feet and the screws beneath them. You may need a thin Phillips screwdriver to reach down the narrow screw wells. Also, the ribbon cable connector will not fit through the opening unless you fold the cable at a 90 degree angle, as shown in the image. Careful not to tug too hard.

 

The inside of the controller's blocks are spacious and easy to work in. Perfect modding environment.

Notice, not all of the ribbon cable conductors are in use. This is extremely convenient. It's like Sammy wanted me to mod it!

 

I pulled two of the conductors away from the rest then stripped and tinned the ends. Note: These are conductors 39 and 40 (40 being the one on the very end). You may need something sharp, like an Xacto knife, to get them started, when pulling them away. Then I took two long wires and soldered them to these ends. You may want to mark the wire or use two different colors of wire, in order to know what wire goes where. A multimeter could also come in handy later on.

 

After removing the 4 screws and opening the top of the control stick axis/pivot chamber, I fed my new wires through a small space leading into the chamber.

 

Then, into the shaft leading to the controller stick.

 

Be sure to pull enough through. You want to have a decent amount of slack on both ends. Remember, this controller will be moving around a lot.

 

Then, I stripped, tinned and added leads to the ends. For the leads, I just used spare leads I had trimmed away from a resistor.

 

If you used the two free conductors toward the edge of the ribbon cable (conductors 39 and 40), as I did, they will lead to the two plugs on the end of the ribbon cable connecter. The image illustrates how the conductors relate to the connecter. I confirmed this with a multimeter. Or, you could use a battery, resistor and an LED to test the conductor paths. Use whatever means you can come up with to figure out what wires go to what plug. Keep in mind; these will be traveling to the center controller block. You will want to mark these wires along the way. You'll need to know which is which toward the end of this mod.

 

I insulated the soldered area with electrical tape. Then, I plugged the leads into the rumble motor’s power connecter. This is where marking your wires or using different colors comes in handy. You want to make a note of what wire is positive (RED) and ground (BLACK) throughout this mod.

 

Once everything is in place, it is time to reassemble the control stick. Putting the control stick back together can be challenging. And by "challenging" I mean, pain in the ass. Managing the innards, the sides and that sticky rubber grip may be more fun then you had bargained for. One thing to watch for: Make sure your wires are not blocking any of the screw wells, as shown in the image. These press firmly against one another when the controller is assembled. You don't want anything obstructing them.

If the halves of your controller are very close to coming back together, but something seems to keep them slightly apart,

DO NOT FORCE THEM TOGETHER!

It is very likely small wires are caught between the screw wells. Adding pressure and forcing the sides together will likely damage the wires, in this situation. Separate the sides, check the wires and start over. Taping the wires to the inside walls of the controller stick to hold them in place may be a good idea.


On to the LEFT BLOCK.

 

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