How-To: Analog control stick for your Sony PSP
by Benjamin Heckendorn 
posted Oct 10th 2006 at 7:43PM
Every so often, that console-modding Benjamin Heckendorn wanders away from his lair at benheck.com to share some interesting projects with Engadget.
History is littered with game systems using far-too-stubby of controller sticks. From the Intellivision's "disc of doom," to Coleco's "shaft of stiffness" (quiet, you!), and even now, in this high-tech age, the Sony PSP's "sliding nub of death." It's unfortunate that the PSP is saddled with that thing -- it's a pretty slick system otherwise, with a library of almost 5 games! (Please don't key our cars.) Well what if you could augment that sliding nub with something more useful, like an actual analog control stick? Well now you can!
In part 1 of this article we'll show you how to wire up an analog stick (from a PS1 / PS2 Dual Shock controller or an original Xbox controller) to your PSP. It's a lot easier than you might think. In part 2 (coming soon) we'll walk you through making a swell "clip on" joystick enclosure for the stick (or you can simply roll your own in the mean time). Ready to do this thing? Get in there!
For part 1 of this project we're going to learn how to attach an analog stick to one of the PSP's internal circuit boards. You can then use this info to build a custom joystick "clip-on" device yourself, or use the steps that will be covered in the upcoming part 2 of this project.
Parts you'll need:
Step 1 - Get an analog stick
Ok let's do this thing! Let's get our new analog stick first. Open your sacrificial game controller case using a Phillips screwdriver and pull out the circuit board. While they all vary slightly, the analog sticks are almost always square metal boxes with a tact switch on one side for the click-down function. You should see two little boxes on other sides, and one side is empty. These two little boxes contain the XY stick-sensing potentiometers (variable resistors, like the volume on your boom box back in the 80's) and are the things we'll be wiring to the PSP.
Here's probably the trickiest part of the project for a beginner - we'll need to remove the analog stick from the controller circuit board. There are a total of 14 pins holding it in (4 frame posts, 4 for the switch and 6 for the potentiometers) All of them will need to be desoldered before the analog stick can be freed of the board. Skip ahead if you can handle this yourself, for everyone else, here's how:
Via desoldering iron - Plug the sucker in and let it heat up, usually five minutes will do it. Squeeze the bulb tight (blow out the air), then press the tip hole over the pin to be desoldered. Let it sit for about 3-4 seconds to heat up the solder, then quickly release the bulb. It should suck most of the solder off the pin. Generally if you can see a black hole around the pin you're good to go. Use a pair of needle-nose pliers or a small screwdriver to push the pin around, breaking it free of any remaining solder bonds. If the pin can be moved / bent you're good to go.
Tip: If you don't get all of the solder out of the hole the first time, it's actually helpful to melt solder back INTO the hole before trying to suck it out again -- new solder can help grab older solder. In fact, I usually add a little new solder to old joints before even attempting to desolder them.
Via desoldering braid - Desoldering braid is actually made from finely woven copper strands. This makes it "super solder absorbent!" To use, set the end of the braid over the pin to be desoldered. Next, press down on it with a soldering iron or other heat source. (A 40 watt iron will work much better than a 15 watt in this case.) Keep the heat and pressure on it for about 3-4 seconds -- you'll see the solder flow up into the braid after a bit. Pull the braid off and check the pin (as described above under "desoldering iron method"). As with the desoldering iron, adding a bit of new solder can often help your work.
Shown below are the pins on the base of an analog control stick, several of them on the right have been desoldered.
Once you have all 14 pins desoldered, rock the analog stick assembly back and forth to break it free of the circuit board. You can also cram a thin screwdriver under it and twist. If you have trouble removing the stick you can snip off the pins, just try to preserve the 6 potentiometer pins as best you can. Once it's removed we're ready to move onto step 2!
Step 2 - Open the PSP
Time to crack open your beloved PSP. The unit comes apart "from the front" that is, you remove the faceplate to get at the guts. Luckily we don't have to go very deep inside the unit to do this hack. Perform the following:
You'll probably want to spend a minute or two gazing at the guts of the PSP. Once you're done with that, take a look at the underside of the faceplate.
You'll see the analog nub circuit board as shown above. Connect 4 wires as follows:
Once you have this wired up you can go ahead and put the PSP back together (simply follow the directions in reverse, or hold this website up to a mirror). It may take a few tries to get the case to snap back together probably, just keep adjusting the position of the wires until they fit. If you arrange them as shown in the photo you should be ok right out of the gate. You may also need to adjust the size of the wire hole.
Step 3 - Wire the new analog stick to the PSP
So now you're sitting there and your PSP has wires dangling out the side... don't worry we're almost there. Let's connect the analog stick using the following diagram and instructions:
Troubleshooting
Possible problems and likely solutions:
Directions are flipped - Check to see if you didn't get the wires switched around, you know A instead of C or something like that. Or you may be holding the analog stick the wrong way, try rotating it.
The new analog stick nor the original analog nub work - Very likely the main PSP circuits aren't contacting the analog nub's PCB. Check that the wires are bent out of the way of the aluminum piece that fits in the middle of the nub's PCB, and that the case is closing fully and tightly screwed. If the case doesn't close fully it can't make contact with the analog stick (.r any of the buttons).
Erratic movement - Check that the case is closed fully, allowing proper contact.
Conclusion
You now have the leet skillz to attach an analog control stick to a PSP. In part 2 of this amazing saga (coming soon to a website near you -- namely this one) we'll describe a way to make your own custom "snap on" enclosure for the stick so it doesn't look like a dangling pile of crap. In the meantime, feel free to come up with your own custom attachments using this mod. Have fun and go nuts!
History is littered with game systems using far-too-stubby of controller sticks. From the Intellivision's "disc of doom," to Coleco's "shaft of stiffness" (quiet, you!), and even now, in this high-tech age, the Sony PSP's "sliding nub of death." It's unfortunate that the PSP is saddled with that thing -- it's a pretty slick system otherwise, with a library of almost 5 games! (Please don't key our cars.) Well what if you could augment that sliding nub with something more useful, like an actual analog control stick? Well now you can!
In part 1 of this article we'll show you how to wire up an analog stick (from a PS1 / PS2 Dual Shock controller or an original Xbox controller) to your PSP. It's a lot easier than you might think. In part 2 (coming soon) we'll walk you through making a swell "clip on" joystick enclosure for the stick (or you can simply roll your own in the mean time). Ready to do this thing? Get in there!
For part 1 of this project we're going to learn how to attach an analog stick to one of the PSP's internal circuit boards. You can then use this info to build a custom joystick "clip-on" device yourself, or use the steps that will be covered in the upcoming part 2 of this project.
Parts you'll need:
- PSP unit (durr)
- A sacrificial analog controller. Useable, tested types include Dualshock (PS1 or PS2) or original Xbox controllers. Third party controllers should also work. If you've ever smashed a controller against the wall in rage and it's still laying around in a junk drawer someplace, it's a perfect candidate -- just use whichever analog stick is the least damaged.
- Some thin wire / ribbon cable, 4 pieces about 6-inches each. I highly recommend IDE hard drive cable as it's abundant and easy to use. The thinner type with a blue plug on one end (used on ATA-33 and higher drives, inside most PC's since 2000) is ideal, especially if it's solid thin wire instead of stranded. Test: If you bend it and it sort of holds the shape then it's solid wire. Also with ribbon cable you can cut off a section containing the exact number of wires you'll need - in this case 4.
- 15 watt small soldering iron with a nice, new sharp tip. A larger, higher heat one (those usually run at about 40 watts) will also work though you'll just have to be more careful not to melt things into oblivion.
- Desoldering iron or desoldering braid. Not as common in a household as a soldering iron, but if you're the least bit into electronics tinkering you owe it to yourself to drop $10 and grab one from Radio Shack. For a cheaper one-time solution you can get desoldering braid for about $4 at the Shack as well. We'll discuss how to use these when the time comes.
- Some solder, the thinner the better. (You're not exactly doing copper plumbing here.)
- Wire snippers, scissors, anything that cuts.
- Small Phillips-head screwdriver. "Jewelers" screwdrivers or the kind that come in glasses repair kits work well.
- X-Acto knives
- A Dremel cutting tool
- Needle-nose pliers
- Small flat-tipped screwdriver
- PCB - printed circuit board.
- Potentiometer - a variable resistor (used in analog control sticks)
Step 1 - Get an analog stick
Ok let's do this thing! Let's get our new analog stick first. Open your sacrificial game controller case using a Phillips screwdriver and pull out the circuit board. While they all vary slightly, the analog sticks are almost always square metal boxes with a tact switch on one side for the click-down function. You should see two little boxes on other sides, and one side is empty. These two little boxes contain the XY stick-sensing potentiometers (variable resistors, like the volume on your boom box back in the 80's) and are the things we'll be wiring to the PSP.
Via desoldering iron - Plug the sucker in and let it heat up, usually five minutes will do it. Squeeze the bulb tight (blow out the air), then press the tip hole over the pin to be desoldered. Let it sit for about 3-4 seconds to heat up the solder, then quickly release the bulb. It should suck most of the solder off the pin. Generally if you can see a black hole around the pin you're good to go. Use a pair of needle-nose pliers or a small screwdriver to push the pin around, breaking it free of any remaining solder bonds. If the pin can be moved / bent you're good to go.
Tip: If you don't get all of the solder out of the hole the first time, it's actually helpful to melt solder back INTO the hole before trying to suck it out again -- new solder can help grab older solder. In fact, I usually add a little new solder to old joints before even attempting to desolder them.
Via desoldering braid - Desoldering braid is actually made from finely woven copper strands. This makes it "super solder absorbent!" To use, set the end of the braid over the pin to be desoldered. Next, press down on it with a soldering iron or other heat source. (A 40 watt iron will work much better than a 15 watt in this case.) Keep the heat and pressure on it for about 3-4 seconds -- you'll see the solder flow up into the braid after a bit. Pull the braid off and check the pin (as described above under "desoldering iron method"). As with the desoldering iron, adding a bit of new solder can often help your work.
Shown below are the pins on the base of an analog control stick, several of them on the right have been desoldered.
Once you have all 14 pins desoldered, rock the analog stick assembly back and forth to break it free of the circuit board. You can also cram a thin screwdriver under it and twist. If you have trouble removing the stick you can snip off the pins, just try to preserve the 6 potentiometer pins as best you can. Once it's removed we're ready to move onto step 2!
Step 2 - Open the PSP
Time to crack open your beloved PSP. The unit comes apart "from the front" that is, you remove the faceplate to get at the guts. Luckily we don't have to go very deep inside the unit to do this hack. Perform the following:
- Flip over the PSP, screen side down. Do this on a soft cloth or mousepad to protect that amazing screen. Remove the battery cover and battery.
- Viewed from the rear, there are a total of seven screws holding the face plate on. Four in the battery compartment on the left, two on the right and one at the bottom edge of the unit near the bar code. Remove all these screws. You may have to peel up some warranty-voiding stickers near the battery to find them all.
- Note how two of the screws are silver colored and shorter. Be sure to put these back in the same holes they came from to avoid problems.
- Flip the unit back over, screen side up. You should now be able to lift the faceplate off. The D-pad, analog stick, buttons under the screen and triggers will come with it. If the shoulder buttons pop out of place simply shove them back in.
You'll probably want to spend a minute or two gazing at the guts of the PSP. Once you're done with that, take a look at the underside of the faceplate.
- Put a small bit of solder on the right side of each of the connection pads (Labeled A, B, C and D in the insert) Keep the solder to the right of the imaginary green line drawn in above. If solder gets too close to the holes the PCB won't make contact with the rest of the unit when screwed back together and your analog stick won't work. If you do get solder on the left side of the pads you can remove it using the desoldering tools.
- Attach a wire to each of the pads and string the wires to the right. In the photo you can see I've used thin, solid strand IDE ATA-33 hard drive wire. This works best and, since it's a solid strand, will stay in any position you bend it.
- For best results, run the wires as 2 sets above and below the center of the circuit board. This allows the raised aluminum piece on the other half of the unit to fit between them.
- Label the opposite ends of these wires A, B, C, and D to match which pads they were soldered to. (We'll use this letter code when wiring the new analog stick) I usually put small pieces of clear tape on wires to label them.
- Make a small cut in the edge of the faceplate in the area circled in the photo. This can be done using a Dremel cutting tool, X-Acto knife or even the soldering iron if you don't mind toxic fumes. All you need is a small groove big enough so the four wires can snake out with the case closed.
Once you have this wired up you can go ahead and put the PSP back together (simply follow the directions in reverse, or hold this website up to a mirror). It may take a few tries to get the case to snap back together probably, just keep adjusting the position of the wires until they fit. If you arrange them as shown in the photo you should be ok right out of the gate. You may also need to adjust the size of the wire hole.
Step 3 - Wire the new analog stick to the PSP
So now you're sitting there and your PSP has wires dangling out the side... don't worry we're almost there. Let's connect the analog stick using the following diagram and instructions:
- Solder the four wires (A, B, C, and D) coming from the PSP to the spots indicated on the bottom of the analog stick. Keep in mind this is a drawing of the stick from the bottom, and we're considering the side of the stick with the button to be the top.
- Attach 2 "jumper" connections as indicated by the red lines. You can twist these wires together with the connections on A and C to make soldering to the pins easier.
Possible problems and likely solutions:
Directions are flipped - Check to see if you didn't get the wires switched around, you know A instead of C or something like that. Or you may be holding the analog stick the wrong way, try rotating it.
The new analog stick nor the original analog nub work - Very likely the main PSP circuits aren't contacting the analog nub's PCB. Check that the wires are bent out of the way of the aluminum piece that fits in the middle of the nub's PCB, and that the case is closing fully and tightly screwed. If the case doesn't close fully it can't make contact with the analog stick (.r any of the buttons).
Erratic movement - Check that the case is closed fully, allowing proper contact.
Conclusion
You now have the leet skillz to attach an analog control stick to a PSP. In part 2 of this amazing saga (coming soon to a website near you -- namely this one) we'll describe a way to make your own custom "snap on" enclosure for the stick so it doesn't look like a dangling pile of crap. In the meantime, feel free to come up with your own custom attachments using this mod. Have fun and go nuts!
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
sahil @ Oct 10th 2006 8:04PM
hmm i wonder if u can tape it to the back that would be kool! this is nice but i am pritty sure that noone will open thier psp just for this. The psp is a dying system
Bob @ Oct 10th 2006 8:41PM
Dying system? Tell that to the Zillions of homebrew developers.
Baldyz22 @ Oct 10th 2006 9:28PM
haha so owned
Jake B @ Oct 11th 2006 10:33PM
Im sorry but who pays 250 dawra for homebrew. I can download homebrew stuff on my pc for free.
Pal @ Oct 11th 2006 11:06AM
FYI, it has surpassed Sega Game Gear sales, which makes the PSP the best competitor ever to Nintendo's handhelds.
kcpasseri @ Aug 7th 2008 1:07PM
dude the psp will live on forever!!
also why would i want a bulky analog stick sticking out of a HOLE on the side of my EXPENSIVE psp? especially when the nub works just fine.
Dull @ Oct 10th 2006 8:41PM
When does the 5th game come out?
Kyle Kinkade @ Oct 10th 2006 8:41PM
Dude, you don't know what the 5th game is? it's the PS3!!! Riiiiiiiidddgggeee Raccer!!!
(*sniff* i own a PS3)
Stu L Tissimus @ Oct 10th 2006 8:41PM
Always been a fan of Benheck's work. (I can't wait to see a portable Wii!) Two questions: First, any chance of seeing an analog stick built in to the PSP instead of externally mounted? I know it's $250, but it looks so deliciously dremel-able.... And as for the second question, any idea if GameCube analog sticks use the same sort of pinout?
eric @ Oct 10th 2006 8:41PM
I have also been a fan of benheck, but you can find on ebay or something, cause in china they sell things to replace the analog on the psp with a raised one, ive seen it b4
Bryan Whiting @ Oct 10th 2006 8:41PM
what is so great about the first post? please, someone tell me. they seem to be just a waste of space to me.
iengima @ Oct 10th 2006 8:56PM
I don't consider the PSP's analog nub bad enough to warrant my rummaging through its innards.
In other news, what's the deal with not letting us comment on the Zune contest entries? Many of the entries are deserving of our praise, and many more of our ridicule.
biofusion @ Oct 10th 2006 9:05PM
because they don't want people discussing the answers
Kemikal Burn @ Oct 10th 2006 9:13PM
@Biofusion
The answers to the contest that started today? Who would want to jeopardize their own chances of winning?
villainy @ Oct 10th 2006 8:56PM
Bryan,
That's what you get for actually using your brain silly! Now you don't understand the joy thats comes from being the first to leave a completely off topic useless post! I bet you don't think "1.x 2. ? 3. profit!" is funny anymore either.
Oh and Ben? May I please bear your children? I don't own or plan on owning a PSP but I thought this was a great idea and the obvious amount of effort that went into showing the rest of the internet how to do it is amazing. I would love to have built my own portable PS2/NES/etc/etc but alas, I am just too good at wasting my valuable free time.
Kay @ Oct 10th 2006 9:05PM
http://www.kako.com/neta/2006-006/2006-006.html
tilt and/or analog can be connected?
biofusion @ Oct 10th 2006 9:13PM
I guess that's a solid point. You just never know, somebody might think it's clever to post the correct answer just to screw with Engadget...who knows :P
patrick @ Oct 10th 2006 9:13PM
I got one of these
http://cgi.ebay.com/Sony-PSP-Crystal-Mini-D-Pad-Cover-case-w-analog-button_W0QQitemZ200035011276QQihZ010QQcategoryZ49230QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item200035011276
It cost me 6 dollars and screws on in like 10 seconds. It works great and is a heck of alot easier than this. Not trying to take any thing away from the guy because I love all of his mods. I just thought someone would be interested in an easier alternative.
JP @ Oct 10th 2006 9:19PM
The stick from an N64 control will work too, with the added benefit of not having the clicking function to be in the way (just go with it) as well as the entire housing comes out, which is much better for mounting, or even just palming.
asdf @ Oct 10th 2006 10:55PM
Will, Will, Will. Youve made some great mods that will never leave my Favourites list (ala, CNC machine, home wiring, among others).
http://www.i-hacked.com/content/view/211/62/
Its been done, and been done much easier. Youre going down-hill Will, and its sad to see that from such a great m0dder.
Phour ZwanZig @ Oct 10th 2006 11:52PM
asdf, and others.. Yah just dont understand what he's doing..
Not just changing the knob itself(slider left in place) This gives you that true analog feel.. no more slide left/right.. instead tilt left/right.. and so on..
And btw.. Ben makes me feel good to be a Wisconsinite..
lizard.boy @ Oct 10th 2006 11:52PM
All the things that stick onto the origonal nub on the PSP arn't quite the same idea. I'm not sure if it makes much difference but you don't get the feel of the analog stick "tilting" as you use it, you just slide the entire stick sideways.
Dekaritae @ Oct 11th 2006 9:15AM
Guy at work has a PSP with a replacement analogue nub. Kinda like this one, but it's flatter.
http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330035989378
homer454 @ Oct 11th 2006 1:06AM
"shaft of stiffness"
LMAO! :D
soopergooman @ Oct 11th 2006 1:27AM
this is a nice mod. anyone into homebrew and modding would appreciate this like I do. Good job.
scott @ Oct 11th 2006 11:05AM
Mental Note: Ben is now my favorite Engadget Blogger. Ben, the humor was just right for me, you get 3 sphinkters up...
tomthedog @ Oct 11th 2006 3:34PM
this is awesome. My psp developed a wandering joystick. Since I opened the unit up before, It was not under warranty (but I needed to let it dry out after it got immersed in diet coke, don't ask).
because of the wander I have not been able to play most games with it, and it has lain in a corner collecting dust.
this so rules !!
M @ Feb 4th 2007 5:52AM
Try using the non-oilbased PCB AEROSOL cleaner, available from most electronics stores for about $10
Be careful with the screen though...
bob254 @ Oct 11th 2006 11:23PM
Can you use the the nub and stick at the same time
acky @ Oct 11th 2006 11:24PM
A padded bulldog clip might be an easy way to mount it.
kcao @ Oct 12th 2006 11:04AM
Great work man, just a thought: for the second part, how about adjusting a detachable plug in the psp side (just like that usb-chip mod I saw somewhere), so that you can take the an-stick off when not using...?? besides, it should be pretty small with 4 pins in ;) what do you say guys?
Gavia @ Oct 19th 2006 4:04AM
Will this still work if I use an 8 Watt Soldering Iron instead of a 15 Watt?
Xolith @ Oct 25th 2006 11:24AM
Wow! How badly could you screw it up though?
David Skulitz @ Oct 25th 2006 7:36PM
hey, this is a great guide. i installed the analog stick and i decided if i could install other things. i had a touchpad from my old laptop it has 8 wires, could you get back to me on how to install the touchpad as an analog stick email me at davidskulitz@yahoo.com
matt @ Jul 12th 2007 1:38AM
does this analog stick mod make it so you can free aim with the psp nub and move around with the analog stick
SC @ Oct 29th 2006 11:33AM
great mod. ive seen what you did with the little chew can. looks very clean. the best part is that its removable. since i have a hard time playing coded arms, would there be a way to make a analog nub for the buttons on the right side? i know it wont be true analog, but would help out a bunch for that game. keep up the mods, muchos kudos
fatman @ Nov 2nd 2006 12:45AM
k it neeeeeeeeds to be on the right side :@
SONY MAKE ONE DAMMIT
and that be cool and ya sony make one that goes in the usb or something and goes on the right side so i can buy it
Gavia @ Nov 11th 2006 11:27AM
Wouldn't be hard to do this for the right side. If you did this as a removable analog stick and you used something like a female mini USB port then just put another one on the right, also be sure to switch the wires for the right side so when u use it on the right side left isn't right and up isn't down.
j-digital @ Jan 3rd 2007 3:45PM
Hey i have a small question, i found this vide http://www.pocketgamer.co.uk/blog/index.php/2006/12/06/another-day-another-psp-mod/ i dont really think its real but after lookign through your step my step guide i was wondering is this would work.if I got a proper psp thumbstick (http://secure.llamma.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=66_59&products_id=580 from here) would i be able to wire it in the same way except fit it internally to the right mirroring the psp? i have not taken appart my psp yet so i dont know if there would be any room at all.i found another interesting dual thumbstick modd at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhRxayDJh54&NR. im a 100% Nub with psp mods, but custom PC,xbox and ps2 modder so im hoping thers not to muc of a jump. any advice or ideas? J
j-digital @ Jan 2nd 2007 12:40PM
Oh yeah im running homebrew, with devhook .51, so i have 1.5 FW but emulating 3.2
pihh @ May 31st 2007 8:51AM
Hey ! first of all sorry my bad english =D ! so .. here is the kuestion ! when you open your psp unit it has the analog device and it is removable! so when you remove it it has some conection pads like the ones you showed in the how to ! so my kuestion is may I sold the analog connection pads or I really have to sold the psp pad connections?!?! I'm kuestioning this because I can buy analog pads for my psp at a low price so it would be less risky to me you see?
matt @ Jul 12th 2007 2:59AM
does this analog stick mod make it so you can free aim with the psp
nub and move around with the analog stick
Andres @ Aug 4th 2007 7:10PM
How do U find Your email address
Aman @ Aug 23rd 2007 9:50AM
i really doubt the anolouge stick will actualy work with a psp..............its allready got a small anolouge stick,very small
twinkie @ Dec 17th 2007 6:01PM
Could i Solder it to the actual Analog on the psp iself? instead of that stupid nub part? please get back to me, i need some help on this
home.grown.twinkie@gmail.com
please dont spam, i get enough