Hacking Question Using Joy Con hardware buttons to enter RCM

[tidico]

Hello fellas,

so after I installed the Joycon magnet mod from @TheCyberQuake I had an idea to use a button combination (like HOME + PLUS + R) on the stock hardware buttons on the Joycon to short PIN 10 to GND.
My problem right now is, that when any button is pressed it is already grounded and my electronic skills are not that great and I can't get a solution. I tried different button combination but I get some weird results, like when I press R the switch thinks I'm pressing the HOME button.
Maybe someone knows a solution, I think this is a nice and clean thing if it would work.

 

[xXDungeon_CrawlerXx]

Long time I did something like this, but something like this?
Sorry, I'm not at home atm and I don't have good hardware (fuckin smartphone) to draw something for ya

 

[tidico]

Thank you for your reply, to clear some things up here is a plan how it looks like.
I can't figure out how to wire it properly without shorting buttons which results obviously wrong button detection.

 

[Salazar-DE]

Try this out. The semicircles in the middle are AND gates that I didn't label, how you want to wire those is up to you

Edit: I don't have a growing screwdriver, but what is the voltage across the individual buttons? Wikipedia says the battery supplies 3.7V but that isn't necessarily the signal voltage. Does anyone have a multimeter and a triwing screwdriver to figure this out?

 

[MuppetPaster]

Guys, how would ANDs work, if the pushed buttons are connected to Gnd? To use ANDs, you will have to invert the signal...you can't wire this up with 2 or 3 transistors. Maybe you could use some kind of IC...a Teensy or another small micro controller would definetly work. But i don't know how much space is in a joycon.

 

[Zonark]

Why don’t you just add a physical button to it? And solder wires to those pins to the new button and hold it to activate

 

[tidico]

Guys, how would ANDs work, if the pushed buttons are connected to Gnd? To use ANDs, you will have to invert the signal...you can't wire this up with 2 or 3 transistors. Maybe you could use some kind of IC...a Teensy or another small micro controller would definetly work. But i don't know how much space is in a joycon.

That is what thought. Good point I will do some research.

Why don’t you just add a physical button to it? And solder wires to those pins to the new button and hold it to activate

Because that's the easy way and destroys the original look of the controller and there are plenty of buttons already, so why don't use them if it's somehow possible?
When I get this to work, I'll make a tutorial so others can profit of it and we have a new method to enter RCM.

 

[MuppetPaster]

You could try a Nor Gate(3 inputs)/Gates instead of the And. With it's output you can use a npn Transistor as Ground switch. But i can't promise this will work or if you fry your Joycon via any kind of short circuit.
Also the IC and the transistor may draw current all the time from the battery, even if the Joycon is shut off.

 

[TotalInsanity4]

Not to rain on your parade, but how do you plan on holding HOME + PLUS + R + POWER + VOLUME UP all at the same time?

 

[JacksonS]

You're probably going to have a hard time with that because the buttons don't use common ground. They use a keyboard matrix interface instead.

You can use the Joy-Con release latch by adding some wire and metal pieces. I used a potentiometer wiper on mine so it can fold down and spring back:

 

[MuppetPaster]

You're probably going to have a hard time with that because the buttons don't use common ground. They use a keyboard matrix interface instead.

You can use the Joy-Con release latch by adding some wire and metal pieces. I used a potentiometer wiper on mine so it can fold down and spring back:
View attachment 129192

OK, i haven't opened my Joycon yet...this was just a idea based on the informations in this thread. thank you for that hint.

 

[Zonark]

That is what thought. Good point I will do some research.



Because that's the easy way and destroys the original look of the controller and there are plenty of buttons already, so why don't use them if it's somehow possible?
When I get this to work, I'll make a tutorial so others can profit of it and we have a new method to enter RCM.

I would use the joycon release switch convert it to a button by putting a switch or attaching the wire to the bottom of the button and the spring. Connect the wires to that and blamo new button same look