Alpakka: A Creative Commons Game Controller
Input Labs’ mission is to make open-source components and software program for generating gaming controllers that can be adapted to any individual. Alpakka is their existing just take on a generic controller, wanting equivalent to a fashionable Xbox or PlayStation controller but with rather a few dissimilarities. The 3D printed casing has a reduced-poly rely, angular sense to it, but if you really do not like that you can tweak that in blender to just how you want it. Alpakka emulates a standard USB-connected keyboard, mouse, and Xinput gamepad in parallel so should just do the job out for both of those Linux and Windows Computer system platforms. The firmware includes some created-in sport profiles, which can be chosen on the controller.
The twin D-pads, augmented with an analog adhere, is not an uncommon arrangement, but what is a little bit special is the inventive twin-gyro sensor arrangement –which when utilised in conjunction with a contact-sensitive pad — emulates a mouse input. Rest your thumb on the ideal-hand directional pad and the mouse moves, or else it stays set, variety of like lifting a mouse off the pad to re-heart it.
The wired-only controller is based around a Raspberry Pi Pico, which has a lot of means for this style of software offering a quickly 250 Hz update charge. But to cope with no fewer than nineteen button inputs, as properly as a scroll wheel, directional swap, and that analog stick, the Pico does not have enough I/O, needing a pair of NXP PCAL6416A I2C IO expanders to offer with it.
The PCB design and style is carried out with KiCAD, applying a very simple 3D printed stand to keep the PCB flat and the through-hole parts in area although soldering. Other than a few QFN deals which could possibly be a issue for some persons, there is nothing at all challenging about hand-soldering this style and design.
We’re been viewing custom made match controllers as very long as we’ve been hacking, here’s an fascinating take on the mouse-integration theme. If you’re at ease rolling the hardware side of issues, but the firmware is a sticking issue, then maybe look no more than this neat RP2040 firmware project.
Many thanks to [aamott] for the tip!
