Strange Gamepads

Just a quick post if somebody else finds this useful also. I managed to get a really cheap used Steam Controller. The controller works fine and is in nice condition. Steam Controller The problem is that mine came without the proprietary receiver. I thought that no problem, I can just use Bluetooth. However the controller would not show up on my Windows PC. Then I read that you have to update firmware to enable BLE. Ok, no big deal I thought, I just use Steam client to update the firmware. And yes it seemed like this was possible some years ago, but now there is no way to update the controller from the UI. Luckily there is still command line tool for Windows from Valve to do this. The instructions are in this post in Steam community:  https://steamcommunity.com/app/353370/discussions/1/6516193260178656983/?tscn=1687207374#c6516193260183103338 I just extracted the contents of the Steam_Controller_FW_Update_Tool.zip, connected Steam Controller with USB cable and ran ble.bat. Then I unplug

As I mentioned in the post about cleaning corrosion from Xbox 360 battery holder:  https://strangegamepads.blogspot.com/2019/06/cleaning-xbox-360-wireless-controller.html you should be able to use lemon acid to clean corrosion also. Well yesterday I realized that my lemon juice concentrate is over 6 months past best before date and the latest salsa I made using that tasted already a bit stale. So this would be nice opportunity to check if lemon juice can clean corrosion. I searched for the rustiest screws I could find. Found these parts from my old doorbell. Rusty screws and a bonus spring I put those into a container and added lemon juice until the screws were submerged. Into the container Add stale lemon juice Yummy The spring wasn't completely covered so I propped the container to an angle get everything covered. Everything covered I let the ingredients stew overnight. I shook the container couple of times to get the rust moving. When I opened the lid the smell was interesting.

Another arcade stick find from internet auction. This time the Saitek Titan Series Megamaster VII MX-541 for the Sega Mega Drive (Genesis). I think this was most commonly known just as Megamaster VII. Saitek Megamaster VII Next to original Mega Drive model 1. Quite massive controller. I got this one for cheap since the seller said that there was some problems with the Z-button not working correctly. I thought that should be fixable and this thing deserves to be fixed. Saitek made some quality controllers and this one is no exception. So lets start disassembling. Back of the controller. Chunky suction cups. Back plate is made out of plastic. No metal here like in the Asciiware stick for PS1 I cleaned in this post:  https://strangegamepads.blogspot.com/2019/04/asciiware-arcade-stick-sleh-0002-for.html First thing I noticed was this strange door. What could be the purpose of this. Hidden compartment Well there was absolutely nothing there. Looks like it might be battery holder for 2 AA ba

 I came across this old aftermarket PS1 DualShock controller and it has some hilarious features so I thought I'd post a teardown of it here. The Analogue Controller Plus Dual Jolt So it looks just like a standard aftermarket controller with bit of a weird design but that was kind of normal back when this was made. Actually the build quality is fine. Nice strong plastic. Feels like you could hammer nails with this thing. And most importantly after all these years it still works. There is no manufacturer name anywhere, just the controller name: "Analogue Controller Plus, Dual Jolt". I guess jolt is better than shock? Searching for Ebay listings seems to indicate that this was sold at least under Joytech brand with silver color. Also one unbranded bright red one was for sale. Now I'm bit sad mine is only grey. Back of the controller Nothing special on the back. Just made in China text with CE mark. Most likely China Export, not Conformité Européenne. Trigger buttons The