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How to Make a Second Analog Stick on a PSP

The PSP portable game console is popular among game enthusiasts. But it has a flaw that bothers many of them: there is only a single analog stick to use for controlling gameplay. Sony has no plans to make an accessory to use as a second analog stick, so the only way to achieve this is to do it yourself. While not a causal project, making a second analog stick will enhance the gameplay and control of the PSP.

Things You'll Need

Clean cloth
Analog game controller
IDE ribbon cable
Soldering iron
Solder
Desoldering iron
Wire snippers
Jewelers' Phillips head screwdriver
X-acto knife

Instructions

- 1
  Remove the screws from the analog game controller case with the Phillips screwdriver. Pull out the circuit board.
  
  Desolder the 14 pins holding the analog stick to the circuit board using the desoldering iron. Rock the analog stick back and forth to free it from the circuit board.
  
  Remove the analog stick from the circuit board.
- 2
  Put a clean cloth down on a work surface. Put the PSP face down on the cloth. Remove the battery compartment and take out the battery. Unscrew the seven screws holding the faceplate on that are in the battery compartment, near the bar code, on the left and right bottom edge of the PSP.
  
  Turn the PSP face up and put it down on the clean cloth. Lift the faceplate off and put it aside.
  
  Connect four IDE wires to the analog nub circuit board at the corner of the faceplate. Solder one wire to each of the four connectors. String the wires off to the right of the faceplate. Label the wires A, B, C and D to match the connectors that they are attached to.
- 3
  Make a small cut in the edge of the faceplate so that the four wires can exit through it.
- 4
  Reverse the disassembly process to put the faceplate back on and close the PSP.
- 5
  Connect the four wires from the PSP to their corresponding locations on the bottom of the analog stick using solder. The A location will be at the left most corner of the 3 contacts of the analog stick; the B location will be next to A and the C next to B. The middle contact of the three at the right is for the D wire.
  
  Solder a jumper wire from the A contact to the contact below the D contact.
  
  Solder a jumper wire from the C contact to the contact above the D contact.
- 6
  Insert a UMD game disc into the PSP's disc drive. Turn the PSP on and enjoy using the two analog sticks to play games.

Sony PSP