[Xboxplaya978] has posted instructions detailing how to add two rapid fire trigger buttons to your Xbox controllers. He got the original plans from Mattie on Xbox-scene, but his site has since gone down. The circuit is based on an a-stable multi-vibrator used to flash LEDs. Halo players have been drawn to this mod because it makes using the battle rifle or covenant carbine a lot more enjoyable.
Related: Xbox 360 Hacks, Xbox Hacks
Not really interesting. Same as cheating, but a bit more work.
no not cheating. like he said, there’s existing controllers with rapid fire buttons, ppl have been doing this all along. i think it’s smart.
Anybody remember Turbografx? All the controllers had built-in 3-speed selectable rapid fire, even on the portable version (TurboExpress), I’m not sure why something like this is an afterthought on systems today.
With most games it doesn’t really help too much – halo included. All weapons have a minimum wait time between firing – in fact, if you trigger too fast, it usually slows down the rate as the extra triggers are sort of like misfires. A much more useable hack for halo 2 and a lot of FPS games is to add two buttons to your controller for A/B so that you can jump/melee without moving your thumb off the right thumbstick.
Tom
Re th0mas:
Instead of making your controller more mouselike, why not just get a mouse?
You’ve got 10 fingers for a reason. I have no idea why console makers assume you shouldn’t use most of them.
the best use of rapid fire is for thoaw games where you have to press one button really fast.. i hate those games.. u know.. like to raise power or sumthin.. yaa.. u know.
Re ivan256:
“Instead of making your controller more mouselike, why not just get a mouse?”
-Because the Xbox doesn’t have mouse support and fakers like the SmartJoy Frag don’t have anywhere near the same feel as a mouse.
“You’ve got 10 fingers for a reason. I have no idea why console makers assume you shouldn’t use most of them.”
-You need something to hold the controller with… Honestly IMO the PS2 controllers that require the use of your middle finger is already too many fingers because I don’t have enough left to comfortably hold the controller and I get cramped too quickly. It’s not often you need to use more then one button at a time. Besides I think any more complexity in the controllers would only further alienate non-gamers.
As for this hack… it’s kind of an old hack… I mean the linked thread up above was created in December of ’04. Also why not just use a 555 timer?
The only thing different between this and the 555 timer is that you can adjust the speed of the shooting rate.
If you want to add a second button to your controller, you can easily do that but this tutorial http://forums.xbox-scene.com/index.php?showtopic=301912
A 555 = a few less parts and lower power consumption. Plus it would probably be easier for soldering noobas (and yes you can adjust their speed as well) :)
you can change the speed using a 555 based astable multivibrator, less total parts involved too
f = 1.44/((R1+2R2) * C)
i always liked the programmable controllers you could get for SNES, awesome for mortal kombat where you could program in the fatalities etc..
good instructions – rough pictures – i like how the buttons are mounted under the controller for a nice stealth mod – maybe find enough room inside the controller if the pcb could be flattened some more and maybe even seperated – nice hack for saving you mashing the buttons – it also helps you play longer I imagine both timewise within the game and physically reducing the stress on your trigger fingers :D
In the link to the topic about it, therte are some schematics for the 55 timer. It is smaller but I couldnt find one when I was looking for my parts so I couldnt use it. I know someone had a pic of how small it was and he had it in his controller. Maybe I will try it too.
Nice writeup. Perhaps some stuff got lost in translation:
Capacitors *_CAN_* be damaged by heat. Electrolytic have a polarity so they *_CAN’T_* be put in backwards.
LED
Actually i’ve looked at the tutorial for the 555 timer idea and they’ve done it using a 556, just reapeated the astable multivibrator on both sides
a 555 would definately be the faster/clearner/easier way to go. I’d probably put a three-way toggle switch to change the astable speed from single shot (off), slow and fast. Maybe use a 556 chip so you can create a burst-mode where you get off three shots for every trigger pull.
13# a resister *cannot* be put in backwards, as it has no directionality. a diode or an electrolytic *can but shouldn’t* because it has polarity. It has the propensity for backwardness, though backwardness is undesirable.
does someone have schematics for a 555 version of this mod that would work? if so, would it be small enough to fit inside the controller case?
#16 Don’t forget to put in a hall effect sensor so the rapid fire will only be active when you are wearing a special magnetic ring lets say. Now that would be stealth.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hall_effect_sensor
If you wanted to get really tricky you could cut the traces going to the pot on the trigger and put in a mode switch, in one position the trigger would work normally in the other position the trigger would be fed through the 555 and it’s position would be used to adjust the burst speed.
#16 (stephen) pretty much any 555 timer in an Astable configuration would work. Here is some good beginners info on building 555 circuits: http://www.kpsec.freeuk.com/555timer.htm
Begginger question:
Could someone tell me where these four wires go to?
1) +5v
2) Gnd
3) Right Trigger
4) Left Trigger
I want to use this device on a 360 controller. Do I buy a 5v battery and hook up 1 & 2 to it?
The triggers on a 360 controller have two leads going to them. As I would think all switches do. Which right trigger lead do I put 3) on? Similarly, which left trigger lead do I put 4) on?
It doesn’t make sense to me that there are four wires that come out of the schematic and go to the triggers. Two wires for each trigger.
I meant to say:
It doesn’t make sense to me that there **aren’t** four wires that come out of the schematic **that** go to the triggers. Two wires for each trigger.
Kevin.
The circuit in the controller can only see voltages, and the pins on the circuit are pulled high by a resister attached to 5VDC, which comes from the xbox, no battery required. What this circuit does is use that five volts to make a circuit that fluctuates between 5 and gnd(also from the xbox). this signal is not sent to the controller. Rather, the fluctuating signal is sent to the two transistors at the bottom of the schematic. These basically work as electrically controlled switches, turning on and off. one side of the button is attached via a mess of circuit board and wires back to ground, so it works the same way, and you don’t have to solder anything to the button contacts themselves.
if you have any questions, email me at benjamin.baker@gmail.com
An update has been added to the site telling you my future plans and experiments.
Nice photo, lol you’re a good photographer
on the topic about rapid fire for original xbox, how much would you want if i mailed you a controller to do that to it tell me a price and ill probably go with it as long as its reasonable
what would you have to do to make it work for a mouse? i am interested in doing it for pc gaming but dont know what ould be different? i just want it for my left button… (i am a noob)
does this work on the xbox 360 controller as well?
I bought a controller ready modded, I tried to do it myself but burned out ne of the fuses
they just say say u cant cant shoot because you need it to shoot for ;)
hartmooremods.net for rapid fire xbox 360 controllers.