Using 3rd Party controller shells for custom controllers?

Portables, case replacements, mods etc, all in here!
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FilthyFill
Posts: 3
Joined: Sat Oct 18, 2014 11:37 am

Using 3rd Party controller shells for custom controllers?

Post by FilthyFill » Sat Oct 18, 2014 11:52 am

Hey all,

Been thinking about doing this for a while but have questions that need answering that only game cube people are gonna know the answers to, so I've joined the forum, ;)

Basically I want to make a custom controller, custom colors, nun chuck analogue sticks, mainly I wanted custom sprayed shells just for some individuality,

However I'm reluctant to butcher completely fine gc controller shells for the sake of custom colors so I was wondering could you buy a 3rd party controller, for example this one:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/White-Game-Co ... 3cc99419de

and then put the inners of an official controller in it? And then be able to swap the inner back into an official shell should I ever want to,

Basically I want to buy a 3rd party controller and just use the shell??

Ive heard the l+r buttons are different but analogue sticks are okay to swap? Anyone done buttons before?

Thanks for your help :D
torturelabs
Posts: 65
Joined: Tue Aug 09, 2011 3:56 pm

Re: Using 3rd Party controller shells for custom controllers

Post by torturelabs » Sun Oct 19, 2014 1:48 am

FilthyFill wrote:Hey all,

Been thinking about doing this for a while but have questions that need answering that only game cube people are gonna know the answers to, so I've joined the forum, ;)

Basically I want to make a custom controller, custom colors, nun chuck analogue sticks, mainly I wanted custom sprayed shells just for some individuality,

However I'm reluctant to butcher completely fine gc controller shells for the sake of custom colors so I was wondering could you buy a 3rd party controller, for example this one:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/White-Game-Co ... 3cc99419de

and then put the inners of an official controller in it? And then be able to swap the inner back into an official shell should I ever want to,

Basically I want to buy a 3rd party controller and just use the shell??

Ive heard the l+r buttons are different but analogue sticks are okay to swap? Anyone done buttons before?

Thanks for your help :D
I think they're a little different in the interior.
I have both official and third party (the one shown on ebay as well)
Will chime in later if no one has answered.

I would assume though, that the plastics on the cheaper controller wouldn't 'hold' even if you swapped official (more sturdy) parts.

Edit:
Actually...
It is possible, if you break the groove pieces shown in image 8 - otherwise there's a 5mm gap if you try to close the case due to rumble size;

http://i.imgur.com/0kNsevE.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/zmpHgwN.jpg (same ol, same ol)
http://i.imgur.com/CiFkJSW.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/Jpf34Ue.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/BGhJO0V.jpg (rumble is bigger on official)
http://i.imgur.com/emNwMDM.jpg (^)

http://i.imgur.com/VIS2Mrh.jpg (notice the indentations)
http://i.imgur.com/TxV5Omn.jpg (extra grooves on 3rd party)
http://i.imgur.com/hMeMY6U.jpg (no grooves on original)

You can choose to swap the L/R triggers, but I would just leave them as they pretty much feel the same and aren't necessarily connected to the circuitry.

What color do you want?
Those 3rd party controllers come in all colors including orange, white, red - gray, purple, black
If you want glossy/matte finishes there is a site that had this one tut, forgot where though...
FilthyFill
Posts: 3
Joined: Sat Oct 18, 2014 11:37 am

Re: Using 3rd Party controller shells for custom controllers

Post by FilthyFill » Sun Oct 19, 2014 9:43 am

Cheers for your reply!

Thanks for opening up your controllers to confirm my beliefs,

So theoretically if I remove those extra groves it should fit in?

And yeah I'd heard that the l+r buttons learnt that bad so I'll see about that when I try this project,

First of all I want to do a custom yoshi controller, green on top, white bottom,

similar to this:

http://zoki64.deviantart.com/art/custom ... -446617490

And I'd also like to do a Zelda controller.

Im probabbly going to buy white controllers so theres minimal sanding involved pre-paint, If all goes to plan, a lot of my friends still play a lot of melee (as do I), and want custom controllers so I'll pass on the 3rd party shell technique,

My controllers should be here Tuesday, so I'll let you know how it goes :)
torturelabs
Posts: 65
Joined: Tue Aug 09, 2011 3:56 pm

Re: Using 3rd Party controller shells for custom controllers

Post by torturelabs » Sun Oct 19, 2014 6:24 pm

FilthyFill wrote:Cheers for your reply!

Thanks for opening up your controllers to confirm my beliefs,

So theoretically if I remove those extra groves it should fit in?

And yeah I'd heard that the l+r buttons learnt that bad so I'll see about that when I try this project,

First of all I want to do a custom yoshi controller, green on top, white bottom,

similar to this:

http://zoki64.deviantart.com/art/custom ... -446617490

And I'd also like to do a Zelda controller.

Im probabbly going to buy white controllers so theres minimal sanding involved pre-paint, If all goes to plan, a lot of my friends still play a lot of melee (as do I), and want custom controllers so I'll pass on the 3rd party shell technique,

My controllers should be here Tuesday, so I'll let you know how it goes :)
That's really cool, yeah that's glossy type paint, seen them before.
Yep, should fit in there no problem.

Also, sorry about the crap quality on the pictures I only had my phone yesterday.
Found my camera, still a little crappy, but slightly better images.
It's less noticeable in the pictures, but the rumble grooves/indentations are indeed two to three times bigger than that of the original controller.
http://i.imgur.com/99BZNyR.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/iWCvlOW.jpg (3rd)
http://i.imgur.com/X36gfSC.jpg (original)

Good luck!
User avatar
alzen
Posts: 186
Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2012 5:45 am
Location: Poland / UK(W.Yorkshire)

Re: Using 3rd Party controller shells for custom controllers

Post by alzen » Sun Oct 19, 2014 6:28 pm

FilthyFill wrote:Cheers for your reply!

Thanks for opening up your controllers to confirm my beliefs,

So theoretically if I remove those extra groves it should fit in?

And yeah I'd heard that the l+r buttons learnt that bad so I'll see about that when I try this project,

First of all I want to do a custom yoshi controller, green on top, white bottom,

similar to this:

http://zoki64.deviantart.com/art/custom ... -446617490

And I'd also like to do a Zelda controller.

Im probabbly going to buy white controllers so theres minimal sanding involved pre-paint, If all goes to plan, a lot of my friends still play a lot of melee (as do I), and want custom controllers so I'll pass on the 3rd party shell technique,

My controllers should be here Tuesday, so I'll let you know how it goes :)
Would be nice if you can post pictures of each step of your paint work! Seems interesting - if I know how to do it I can think about my own paint job :D
Take a look at my YouTube channel - totally dedicated to retro shooters
FilthyFill
Posts: 3
Joined: Sat Oct 18, 2014 11:37 am

Re: Using 3rd Party controller shells for custom controllers

Post by FilthyFill » Sun Oct 19, 2014 8:50 pm

Awesome thanks for the pics again, its nice to know what I'm opening up the controllers to haha,

And yeah I'll post how it goes and how I spray them for all to see,

Should be cool, :D
User avatar
alzen
Posts: 186
Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2012 5:45 am
Location: Poland / UK(W.Yorkshire)

Re: Using 3rd Party controller shells for custom controllers

Post by alzen » Mon Oct 20, 2014 5:58 pm

Waiting for photo tour :). I will also appreciate information about materials, tools and sprays you use.

Good luck.
Take a look at my YouTube channel - totally dedicated to retro shooters
Frankie_Clement
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu Mar 23, 2017 2:18 pm

Re: Using 3rd Party controller shells for custom controllers?

Post by Frankie_Clement » Fri Mar 24, 2017 12:02 pm

They do work!!

I've recently bought one for my PS4 controller from this site - https://www.digizani.com/collections/sk ... s-sony-ps4 - really quick and reliable.
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