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2.4.3 Wiring to USB and Test

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PortalMario edited this page Jan 18, 2023 · 1 revision

Wiring to USB and Test

Now we need to make a USB-Connection from the new controller adapter board to the PC. Fortunately, the motherboard that we use, has an unpopulated USB-Header allowing us to route the cables right within the case itself. (So, we do not have to connect the adapter to a real USB port at the back.)

Soldering

First, we need to desolder the original wires from the adapter. I recommend using desoldering braid/wires with flux. Make sure to remove the old solder completely from the board as we need to stick new wires through the soldering points. Don’t forget to clean the board from remaining flux with some isopropyl and a toothbrush.

controller_desolder

Now we remove the isolation and the plastic at the end of six new jumper cables. (female to female) This is a bit difficult as we want the cable to be as long as possible and we need to keep as much of the copper wires within the cable as possible.

On the first unshielded jumper cable we want to twist all tiny wires together as thin as possible until they fit through the holes on the controller adapter PCB. We want to do this with all six cables. If all jumper cables are through the holes, we now bend them to the side so they don’t touch each other giving them a bit of hold inside the hole. Next, we solder them to the board and cut off the wires that stand out of the solder.

controller_solder_1

As you can see, we don’t want to use the second ground connection.

To secure/protect our newly made connection we want to apply some hot glue on both sides of the PCB. This also ensures that no cables touch each other.

controller_solder_2

Connection and Test

Now it’s time to fully test our new controller adapter with the computer. We want to connect our wires to the USB-Header. For this you have to consult the official manual of the motherboard.

Take a look at the following cabling sketch. On the left, you can find the USB 2.0 Header on the motherboard and on the right you see the pin layout of the adapter board like its shown above.

(I drew this for explanation reasons)

controller_usb_draw

So, in the end it should look like this:

controller_usb_mb

Now we connect a controller and power the pc on. If everything works fine, I recommend applying hot glue all around the USB Header with the jumper cables already connected. (They sit very loosely and this prevents them from falling off the header.)

Conclusion

We should now have a wired/soldered direct USB connection from the adapter to the mainboard's USB Header. Also, we tested the new controller setup for functionality.

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