Just before Christmas (the night before?) 2006 my sister in-regulation asked me what I might like for a present. I requested a DualShock-like controller and Guitar Hero II for the Playstation 2 in order that I might build my very own Guitar Hero controller. After Christmas day I spent some time wanting round for a toy guitar that I may hack but did not see something suitable. I then remembered that throughout my childhood I'd generally leap in regards to the lounge room with the stereo turned up while pretending to play guitar with a tennis racket. Now in Thailand they not only have tennis rackets however they even have excessive-voltage bug zapper for backyard-zappers that appear to be tennis rackets. They are nice for chasing down potentially life threatening mosquitos (utilizing one is clearly a case of self denfence) which disappear in a brilliant blue flash accompanied by a satisfyingly loud bang. Now you can discover an enormous variety of DIY Guitar Hero controllers on the net made from LEGO, real guitars, mosquito prevention device and erector units and even Guitar Hero enjoying robots.

Given my fond childhood recollections, the tennis-racket-esque (and therefore guitar-like) form of the indoor bug zapper-zappers, their ready availability and low price I resolve to use a Zappify Bug Zapper-buy bug zapper for the body of my Guitar Hero controller. I bought a racket with a groovy lightning-bolt motif and began by gutting the handle and removing the present electronics. Despite being powered by solely two 'AA' batteries it delivers a surprisingly massive kick - although at a very low current. I additionally removed the circuit board from the DualShock controller and de-soldered the rumble motors and Right analogue joystick. The printed circuit board (PCB) has what appear to be small test-pads located near every of the buttons and i soldered wires for my guitar immediately onto these pads using the mapping within the table below. Some time after my guitar was accomplished I came upon that shorting the Left D-pad button makes the sport suppose that you're utilizing a Guitar controller. I used two small tact switches for "choose" and "back" and these have been mounted using hot-melt glue at the base of the guitar's neck.

Using some side-cutters I fastidiously minimize via the mosquito prevention device-frying mesh to make a gap simply giant sufficient bug zapper for patio the left joystick and sizzling-melt glued the board in place. Then by trimming the mushroom off the top of the thumb stick and thoroughly cutting a vertical slot I used to be able to mount a plectrum in the highest of the joystick. A small screw by way of the shaft held the plectrum in place. It was a novel touch but a little complicated as a result of the joystick acts as the whammy bar while you play Guitar Hero with a DualShock controller! The remainder of the DualShock PCB was housed in a single-half of a challenge field which was also glued to the back of the mesh. In the 1987 film Lethal Weapon, Mel Gibson's character realises that they're coping with professionals because they used mercury switches. Martin Riggs is examining a twisted hunk of metal as Murtaugh walks up beside him. MURTAUGH: What'cha received? RIGGS: Part of the device.

Holy cow. MURTAUGH: What? RIGGS: Artwork. This is @! MURTAUGH: Swell. I'm glad you favored it. RIGGS: You do not understand. This is real professional stuff. MURTAUGH: Come again? RIGGS: C.I.A. That's right folks - mercury switches. I wanted to be an expert and i additionally needed some form of tilt switch within the guitar to activite star energy so I went on the lookout for a mercury swap. Having solely been in the nation for about six months at that stage my Thai wasn't superb. On the local electronics store I spent a while trying to elucidate what I used to be looking for mosquito prevention device and after many drawings of thermometers and attempts to look like Mel Gibson they told me that they did not have any mercury switches. It's a small system that you simply match over your ear while driving. Should your head fall ahead it then emits an ear piercing beep that causes you to get up whereas concurrently deafening you. I feel is a really catchy identify.

There was clearly some sort of tilt-sensing mechanism inside and sure enough when i opened the case what I noticed was artwork - there was a mercury swap inside. Now we were able to rock. At first my son was a little reluctant to attempt the guitar because he was afraid of being zapped. I ought to have left the high-voltage electronics intact and the guitar could possibly be used for operant conditioning. If B.B. King's guitar known as "Lucille" then an applicable nickname for this guitar is perhaps "Frank", "Dweezil" or maybe even "Moon Unit". While making the guitar I used to be surprised at how tough it was to seek out acceptable buttons - in actual fact the guitar has now been through three totally different generations of buttons. I found these beautiful trying buttons at the same electronics store that sold the succinctly named "Cure Sleepiness Instantly" and thought they can be good for this hack.