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Brokie Board

I’ve been cooking in the kitchen for the past month. I’ve been meaning to make use of my 3D printer to produce a product. After getting back into Guitar Hero, through Clone Hero, I’ve realized the game really relies on the controller that comes with it. While I do own a GH controller, because it’s made for the XBOX 360, it requires a dongle in order to interact with my PC. At the same time, if I wanted to get a plug-and-play GH controller, it would cost +$100, as the only available models are over a decade old, and in high demand within the community. The controller is still any other X-Input, only with the buttons moved to look more like a guitar, with that I had an idea.

The Brokie Board

A 3D printed controller, made to be as easy to repair and modify as possible, that is made for Guitar Hero. Luckily, the hardest part is only product design. A Raspberry PI Pico, flashed with GP2040-CE, can simulate an XBOX 360 controller.

First Prototype

For my first prototype, I simply wanted something with all five frets, and a strum. With that, I developed this:

While I was going to learn a CAD program, I have too much experience with Blender, and decided to use it.
While I was going to learn a CAD program, I have too much experience with Blender, and decided to use it.

Printing out the first model.
Printing out the first model.

After waiting five hours on the print to finish on my slow Ender 3, I finally had a toy to play with.

Alligator clips and very thin jumper cables kept everything running. I would have to repair this after every song.
Alligator clips and very thin jumper cables kept everything running. I would have to repair this after every song.

IT WORKED!

Second Prototype

While I finally had something that was functional, I now had to figure out how to properly interface the keyboard switches with the RPI. I found these hot swappable keyboard switch plug, designed to give a solderable contact to a switch without directly soldering the switch. Question is now, how would I add these plugs to the design? A removable breakout board.

Second prototype is much flatter, to save up on filament, and has a removable breakout bar below.
Second prototype is much flatter, to save up on filament, and has a removable breakout bar below.

The breakout board with the plugs
The breakout board with the plugs

The second prototype was a success! I was able to rip out and plug in different switches with ease, the controller was able to hold itself without needing repairs, and I managed to get my first FC with it.

Live demo of the board.

Going Forward

One of the biggest issues with the board is the strumming. The normal controller has a down and up strum, mine only has one. I need to design a cheap implementation to have up and down strumming, without making a 1:1 copy of the strum bar.

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