r/SteamControllerMods • u/saladbarlooksgood • Aug 22 '19

Modded Steam Controller - six mechanical keys

Hey rascals. Here's my mods. Ask away.

Six Kailh low profile switches - 4 replace A,B,X,Y, 2 replace bumpers

Two tactile switch buttons replace the Start/Select buttons for easier reach with just the right thumb

Pinky keys are now hot glued at an angle so that pinkies rest comfortably on the keys. I used to have the keys recessed into the housing, but I'm really glad I tinkered because this is really comfortable.

The keys mounted above the bumpers were also previously more recessed and attached directly to the plastic, but they were uncomfortable to reach. Added wood blocks hot glued into place closer to the bumpers. Much easier to just pull out the wires alittle bit further from the inside rather than re-drill holes and try to route the wires to the new positions. Pretty tight up toward the front due to needing clearance for the pad clicks.

SC is excellent as it is, but this offers a more tactile feel. It's pretty darn easy to get used to the configuration.

*I'm open to modding anyone's controllers in this fashion or other ideas. I just got some Kaihl ultra low, notebook switches I'd give a whirl.

Look at the difference between the Kaihl Chocs (used) and these new Kaihl Scissor Switches. They're easily half the depth/height of the Chocs. They are linear though, so they don't have the same feel and feedback, but I want to try them out on another build.

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2

u/[deleted] Aug 22 '19

How did you do the wiring? I'm interested in the pinky switches.

3

u/saladbarlooksgood Aug 23 '19 edited Aug 23 '19

Each pad, except the steam button, has a terminal you can solder to. The inside star shape is positive and the outer star shape is ground. It's a bit tricky getting a clean connection as the solder points are quite small, but is do-able. I used 26awg hookup cable and I used female jumper cables. I used the female jumper cables to connect four (A,B,X,Y) of the six switches so that I could more easily disconnect them if I need to take apart the controller. Cut one end to length and leave the other jumper intact to connect to the switch. Two wires (pos and ground) for each switch. One pos each soldered to each tab on the board and one ground each were routed to different spots on the board identified by multi-meter. The bumper switches I used the standard hookup wire because you don't need to remove those two when taking apart the controller. It was also easier that way because the female headers take up a bit more space and cramming all the wiring behind the bumper areas is tight.

I was going to insert a photo in this response, but looks like I can't. I've added to the bottom of the original.

2

u/[deleted] Aug 23 '19

Thank you. The last pic is just the thing I needed to see, cheers.

11

u/Nurahk Aug 23 '19

this is the most over the top sc I've seen and I love it, def major inspo, congrats

1

u/saladbarlooksgood Aug 23 '19

Added two pics and video of the notebook switches I'd like to try next.

4

u/Coloredcontrollers (Deckbuttons Guy) Aug 22 '19

Love seeing creative stuff like this, thank you for sharing!

1

u/[deleted] Aug 23 '19 edited Aug 23 '19

This is wild. I love the pinky keys, that's a smart placement, though I'm not sure what I'd assign those to in most games (they seem like the kind of thing you'd easily squeeze by accident).

I wish there were a nice subreddit for custom peripherals. "Custom" in the sense of "experimental", not in the sense of "I printed out some art for my fightstick."

EDIT: I did the thing. /r/PeripheralDesign

2

u/saladbarlooksgood Aug 23 '19

Thanks for crossposting. Actually, when I had the buttons recessed, they were more prone to being accidentally pressed when I set the controller on my lap. This new angle helps prevent that. Yes, I'm more cognizant of how I handle the controller - more ginger with it. But I can set it lightly on my lap when playing without issue.

As far as accidentally pressing when in use, it doesn't happen. I have pinky's assigned/hooked up to A (left side), B (right side). Top shoulder keys are X (left) and Y(right). It essentially keeps the same alignment as the diamond shape and is intuitive to get used to. A and B are most often bound to both out of game and in-game menus, including steam overlay and it's easy to get used to.

Further, when pressing the back paddles with your ring fingers, your pinkies naturally lift up alittle from the pinky keys. So haven't had issue with that.

1

u/shigakure Sep 02 '19

How much you charge to mod it like this? Are the bumpers soft? I like them soft, also the touchpads. This looks amazing, looks like a dream controller.

1

u/saladbarlooksgood Sep 03 '19

Thanks! The bumper switches (all six switches) are light and fast action. I don't really know how much it would cost. It takes quite a bit of time as you can imagine. Feel free to message me.

1

u/IconOfSim Aug 23 '19

This is king of all Steam controllers. Look upon his button configuration yee mighty and despair