A few quick questions/ DIY midi controller

DJ Gear & Hardware Hardware: Controllers, Mods and Gear
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A few quick questions/ DIY midi controller

Hi! I know many people have asked about gamepad to midi controller instructions and the sort and i have read through many of those threads. There are just a few things that i have read around that have gotten me a little confused that i hope someone can clear up for me. I have my school semester coming up and college is taking alot of my time so i wont be able to start my project soon. Just want to make sure i have a clear plan of action before i start my project. The controller will have a 4x4 arcade pushbutton grid along with a shift button, x-fader, 2 rotary pots, and a wet/dry fader. My questions are :

  1. If i am using a gamepad like this one Amazon.com, will i be able to use the directional pad buttons on the left? I thought i would but i have read some threads around saying that you either cant use them or they have issues. I just need a little clarification. If you can let me know the amount of usable le buttons for the controller above, that would be great!

  2. The “mode” button can not be used as a button correct? Because it has to always be activated for my analogue buttons to work?

  3. How would i go about connecting the arcade buttons to the board? some of the game controller i have taken apart have either maze-looking or zig-zags for the button connections. Im practicing on an old ps controller and i am having major problems soldering a lead to each side of them because the zig-zags are so close together. Is there an easier way?

  4. i have seen a picture shared around this forum on how to connect an led to a button. I am still a little confused because i have been told a different way to connect an led and i want to make sure i do it right.

  5. Along the same lines above: If i want to attach an LED to a button, i must know which side of the zig-zag is positive and which is ground correct? How would i determine which part is which?

These are my questions for now and i will probably have some more down the line once i get started. Sorry for the beginner questions, its my first diy project. I just want to do everything right and i would be a fool not to ask all you intelligent people here at dj tech tools! Thank you in advance for your help!

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quick update. I scratched the gamepad idea and i am going with 2 ps1 controllers. I believe i understand my led issue now. But there is a new problem. A major one in fact. I opened up my ps1 controller to test some things out. The problem i am having is that the circuits on the bottoms are completing just by touching the signal without the ground. There must be something that i dont understand because i thought there must be a signal and a ground for it to work. I just touch one of the positive sides of a button with a wire and it works without it also touching the ground. I am really confused. If i cant figure this out then i wont be able to go any farther in my project. Please help!

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The gamepads are slow in performance. Especially if you want to quick fingerdrum on those arcade buttons. I’d say go buy a Livid Brain jr and do it like a boss.

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The Livid Brain was actually going to be my first choice before i found out about the game pad mod. But i think that is a little more confusing for me haha I looked into it for a good few months but as a first project, i know i would end up breaking something and my money would go down the drain. With the livid brain jr, how many buttons and analogue would be possible?

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16 analog and 16 digital. RGB support as well.