Pocket-SDVX

A mini controller for games such as Sound Voltex, USC, KShoot, osu 4k, etc. Based off of mon's Pocket Voltex and Cammy's pocketvtx!

Although I won't be selling this particular design anymore, I have plans to sell other miniature controller designs soon. Join the discord for discussion and support! https://discord.gg/MmuKd73XbY . I also now have a storefront! https://www.speedylabs.us/

Features

• Super small - About 7" x 4" and a little over 1/2" high (About 1-1/2" including knobs)
• 7 Gateron Red Keyswitches (Start, BT-A, BT-B, BT-C, BT-D, FX-L, FX-R)
• Reactive & HID LEDs
• PBT G20 Keycaps
• Quality Bourns Encoders (VOL-L, VOL-R)
• Solid Aluminum Black 20mm Knobs
• Vinyl Skinned Top & Bottom
• 6 Rubber Feet
• Single Screw Back Panel
• Arduino Pro Micro based
• Acts as a gamepad or keyboard/mouse. While plugging in, hold BTN-A for 3-4s for gamepad mode. Hold BTN-B instead for keyboard/mouse mode.
• USB-C Input

Video Guide

• A really low-quality video guide series I made at 4:00am: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSlCMOwxujV7-DYrM4eC2Sb4_rMR5udEE .
  • Perhaps it will be useful to some of you.

Parts Required:

• 1x 3D Printed Case (1.2mm walls, top, bottom layers; 20-25% infill minimum)
• 1x 3D Printed Cover
• 1x layer1 Vinyl Skin [width is ~169mm (scale the skin proportionally)]
• 1x layer2 Vinyl Skin [width is ~169mm (scale the skin proportionally)]
• 1x cover Vinyl Skin [width is ~165mm (scale the skin proportionally)]
• 7x Gateron Red Keyswitches (or other similar MX-style switch)
• 2x Bourns PEC16-2015F-N0024 Encoders
• 1x 1x1 G20 Keycap
• 4x 1x1.25 G20 Keycap
• 2x 1x2 G20 Keycap
• 2x 20mm Diameter Solid Aluminum Knobs (17-22mm height, 6mm inner diameter hole)
• 1x Arduino Pro Micro
• 6x Rubber Feet (0.8-1cm in diameter)
• 1x Micro USB Male to USB C Female (27cm length)
• 1x M3x5 Screw
• Cat5e Cable (~2 feet, strip it open and take a twist of wire)
• Hot Glue
• Solder
• USB C cable (preferably one with deep insertion)

LED Parts Required:

• 7x 2x3x4mm Square LEDs (choose your desired colors)
• 7x Resistors (High brightness 100Ohm, Medium brightness 220Ohm)

Recommended Tools/Etc.

• Temperature Controlled Soldering Iron
• Hot Glue Gun
• Needle Nose Pliers
• Wire Cutter/Stripper
• Phillips Screwdriver (if you use a phillips head M3 screw)
• Allen Key (for knobs' grubscrew, M3 screw if you have a hex head)
• Rubbing/Isopropyl Alcohol
• Microfiber Cloth (for cleaning w/ alcohol)
• Eye Protection + Safety Mask

General Assembly Instructions

• 3D print case and cover.
• Cut vinyls: layer1, layer2, cover_v2.
• Weed vinyls(remove excess).
• Clean face with rubbing/isopropyl alcohol and apply skin using transfer tape. Apply layer1, then layer2. Then apply cover.
  • Note: Shine a flashlight on the case's corner to more easily see where to line up the skin. I make my skins every so slightly smaller than the actual face for more leeway. The skin's width is ~169mm (scale the skin proportionally).
  • Note 2: Apply to the best of your ability, with even spacing along all sides. The skin's width is ~165mm (scale the skin proportionally).
• Insert Gateron switches and secure each corner of the switch with hot glue on the inside. See video Part 1 for details.
• Using a soldering iron, tin all contacts on the Gateron switches.
• Wire up all the common/ground for the switches and the encoders. See video Part 2 for details.
• Wire up all the switches and encoders with their own individual wire.
• Solder all the wires to the board. See video Part 3 for details.
  • Arduino Pro Micro Pinout
    • VOL-L A 2
    • VOL-L B 3
    • VOL_R A 0 (RXI)
    • VOL_R B 1 (TXO)
    • BT_ST 4
    • BT_A 5
    • BT_B 6
    • BT_C 7
    • BT_D 8
    • FX_L 9
    • FX_R 10
• Plug in your arduino and flash firmware. See video Part 4 for details. Note: If you are running into the "Using OLD HID" error, try enabling verbose compilation output under File > Preferences > Show Verbose Output during [compilation] and uploading again. For some reason, this fixes it for me most of the time.
• BOOT IN KEYBOARD MODE(Hold the second button from the left for 3-4s while plugging it in). TEST to make sure everything works. See video Part 5 for details.
• Plug in micro usb to USB-C adapter cable into the arduino. Slide arduino into its slot and route the USB-C cable. See video Part 6 for details.
• Push encoders through their holes. Mount with washer and nut.
• Bend metal encoder mounting tabs 45 degrees outward. Additionally, bend one of the protrusions slightly inward so it doesn't collide with the micro usb cable.
• Do some cable management. Carefully flatten the cables.
• Hot glue USB-C port.
• Slide in the cover and secure with M3x5 screw. PLEASE be careful, as you are threading into plastic and thus the hole is easily strippable. See video Part 7 for details.
• Wipe circles on the bottom with rubbing/isopropyl alcohol. Apply adhesive rubber feet.
• Mount keycaps. See video Part 8 for details.
• Mount knobs. Use the arduino pin headers as a spacer on each side so the knobs are the same height and don't rub on the encoder nub.
• Flash firmware and setup your desired game. See "Pocket SDVX Guide - Flash Firmware & Game Setup" for details.
  • Arduino IDE: https://www.arduino.cc/en/main/software
  • KONAMI SPOOF NO LONGER NEEDED - JUST SELECT "ARDUINO LEONARDO"

HID LED Assembly Instructions

• Take off keycaps.
• Insert LED through switch.
• Solder negative(shorter) leg to the switch's leg that connects to ground/common. Clip LED shorter if needed.
• Solder resistor(100 or 220 Ohm depending on desired brightness) to positive(longer) leg. Clip LED & resistor shorter if needed.
• Solder other end of resistor to a wire. The other end of the wire will be soldered to the Arduino Pro Micro.
  • Arduino Pro Micro Pinout for LEDs
    • BT_ST_LED 16
    • BT_A_LED 14
    • BT_B_LED 15
    • BT_C_LED 18 (A0)
    • BT_D_LED 19 (A1)
    • FX_L_LED 20 (A2)
    • FX_R_LED 21 (A3)
• Plug in your arduino and flash firmware if it needs to be updated.
• Flatten cables and close cover.

Done. Enjoy!!

Links I used to make the first batch of 10

NOTE: Links dead? See /IMAGES/screenshots/ for an example of what you are looking for!

• Gateron Red Keyswitches: https://kbdfans.com/collections/gateron-swithes/products/gateron-swtich-3pin-or-5pin?variant=35765199373
• Bourns PEC16-2015F-N0024 Encoders: https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Bourns/PEC16-2015F-N0024?qs=sGAEpiMZZMsWp46O%252Bq11WTXwm4kPVvHwmPh3cKfowck%3D
• 1x1 G20 Keycap (BCT): https://pimpmykeyboard.com/g20-1-space-pack-of-10/
• 1x1.25 G20 Keycap (WAN): https://pimpmykeyboard.com/g20-1-25-space-pack-of-4/
• 1x2 G20 Keycap (NEM): https://pimpmykeyboard.com/g20-2-space-pack-of-4/
• 20mm Diameter Solid Aluminum Knobs: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32912465745.html?spm=a2g0o.cart.0.0.43bd3c00dwdyAf&mp=1
• Arduino Pro Micro (WARNING: CONTAINS 10): https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000045084392.html
• Rubber Feet: https://www.ebay.com/itm/50PCS-Rubber-Feet-Clear-Semicircle-Bumpers-Door-Silicone-Buffer-Pad-Furniture/152925672374
• Micro USB Male to USB C Female: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32983342667.html
• M3x5 Screw: https://www.ebay.com/itm/20X-M3-3-80mm-Round-Pan-Head-Phillips-Screws-304-Stainless-Steel-Machine-Screws/302237442873
• USB C cable (WARNING: CONTAINS 10): https://www.aliexpress.com/item/33032210292.html

Links I used for LEDs

NOTE: Links dead? See /IMAGES/screenshots/ for an example of what you are looking for!

• 2x3x4mm LEDs: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000463652201.html
• 100Ohm Resistors: https://www.ebay.com/itm/100PCS-1-4W-0-25W-Metal-Film-Resistor-1-Full-Range-of-Values-0%CE%A9-to-10M%CE%A9/252838503547

Alternate Parts to Consider

• DSA profile keycaps might be a good alternative to G20 if G20 is too expensive or hard to get.
• 20mm knobs can be picked up for much cheaper if you opt for ones that are not all aluminum.
• Can't get Bourns encoders? Sorry, I have yet to find a good alternative.
• Vinyl skin alternative? Print out layer2.png on paper, cut it out, and glue it on. Can also try laminating with packing tape for more durability.
• Cherry MX O-Ring Dampers can be used for a quieter and softer bottom-out. I had to put 2 on FX-L and FX-R each for dampening to work. The rest of the keycaps have 1 O-Ring.

Miscellaneous Info

• The fancy looking knobs I used for Pocket SDVX #14: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07PQ5H6MF/
• I recommend printing the case in a solid dark color so that the pro micro LED doesn't shine through. Then print the cover in a transparent/white color so that the pro micro LED shines through on the bottom, acting as a neat little power LED.
• If the rubber feet aren't doing their job, they're probably dusty. Wipe them down with a little bit of rubbing alcohol.
• Encoders have an initial break-in period. If they are stiff, rotate them for a few minutes to break them in.
• This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Thanks To

• Cammy for helping me build my first minicon. The Pocket SDVX uses a slightly modified version of his firmware.
• Everyone in the Cons & Stuff Discord channel.
• mon for his initial development of the Pocket Voltex.
• The 10 people who purchased my first exclusive batch of Pocket SDVXs! Thanks to you guys, I can get a full-size controller as well!
• CrazyRedMachine for HID stuff

Links to other GitHubs

• https://github.com/camprevail/pocketvtx
• https://github.com/mon/PocketVoltex

Possible To-Do List

• M3 Nut hole on cover
• Increase spacing between BTN and FX
• Tweak vinyl skin aesthetic button size cutouts
• Consider new way to secure back panel

Finished Items from the To-Do List

• Konami Spoof compatible
• HID LEDs [See YouTube guide]
• LED lights [See YouTube guide]
• Actually make a cover vinyl that fits right [use cover_v2.png]

More Pictures