First Post

This is my first post about my trombone video game I am making for senior project.  The goal is to make a game similar to Guitar Hero, but instead of a guitar controller, there is a trombone controller.  The trombone has 5 positions that the player moves to match notes. 

This summer, I started working on the controller.  I took apart a run of the mill pc game controller to use the chip for the controller.  Basically, rather than having buttons, I drilled holes in the contacts and soldered wires to them.  The wires run down the slide of the trombone and complete the circuits depending on how far or near the slide is.

 This steel series 1gc controller from Gamestop cost 9 dollars, and is where I got my chip.

 After taking apart the controller, the chip inside looks like this.  I was pleasantly surprised on how small it was.

 Doing preliminary tests connecting the leads with speaker wire.  After this, I decided speaker wire was a good choice because of cost and conductivity.

 Working with limited space in my room.

 The first wires go on.  My camera apparently can't focus that small, but these first joints were probably my best.  I've been struggling with the soldering part.

 This is the drill I used to drill the holes in the board.  It dates from around the 1940's and was one of the first electric drills ever made.  I had to use it because my drill did not hold the special micro drillbits I had to get.  The thing is stinky and it blew a breaker in my room.

 This is the trombone that the controller is made of.  Here I was scoping out where the 5 positions would be.

 More wires going on.  I purchased some helping hands which really facilitated the soldering once I had all the wires protruding from the bottom.  There are a total of 12 wires, 2 for each position and one for a single button, which will mimic the "strum" button on the Guitar Hero games.

 An attempted close up.

 Originally I wanted the chip on the physical trombone, with the wires running down the slide and having the slide be the part that completed the circuit.  The problem was the wires would not fit between the slide and the trombone, because it is a really tight fit.  So, I attached the board to the slide and drilled holes in the pvc.  Now, when the slide is in, all 5 buttons should report as on.  Rather than checking which circuits are connected, I now check which ones are NOT connected.

 The masking tape is temporary; I will hot glue it when I'm sure everything is working.

Well thats about it for what I did over the summer.  The thing seems conceptually feasible after some preliminary tests.  I do need to resolder some of the points, and I will probably seek help from someone more experienced.

Next post I'll post my design document.  It seems to have gone missing on me.