Xplorer usb wired guitar how to#
Xplorer usb wired guitar mod#

Think of them as 'wires' on the board itself connecting components.

traces - the copper conductors on a board.

PCB (printed circuit board) - the often green or brown boards containing traces and electronic components.

Here are some terms you will need to know. If you are unfamiliar with microcontrollers, you may also be unfamiliar with PCBs in general and figuring out which pins correlate to which function. For example, if you want tilt and whammy but only have one VCC you can solder them both to the single VCC pin on the microcontroller. VCC and GND can have more than one wire soldered to them. Analogue pins are labeled on the pinout with A followed by a number. These are the pins you will need to use for whammy, tilt (when using an accelerometer), or your joystick.

Analogue Pins - These pins provide a range of values rather than just on and off.

The are the most common pin on your microcontroller and are usually labelled with just a number. You will use these for strum, start/select and frets. They can essentially only show if a button is pressed or not pressed.

Digital Pins - These pins are the 'basic' pins.

Sometimes this pin is labelled as 3.3V or 3v3 on the microcontroller or pinout.

VCC (voltage common connector) - this is where you would connect to provide power to a circuit.

Every set of functions for the guitar will feature a GND pin.

GND (ground) - the common connection that all electrical components must connect to in one way or another in order to complete the circuit.

Xplorer usb wired guitar mod#

The pins have various functions, but for this controller mod you will need to be familiar with 4 kinds: These are labelled with a pinout (which you can find by googling pinout) and sometimes on the microcontroller itself. Around the edge of the microcontroller, you will see various solder through holes called pins. In this guide you will be using the microcontroller to replace the main board of the guitar. If you are familiar with microcontrollers and pcbs skip ahead to the 'Supplies' section.Ī microcontroller is a small board that can be programmed to perform various functions. If you have no idea what a microcontroller is, start here.

Xplorer usb wired guitar how to#

This guide assumes that you know how to solder, if you do not stop now and go practice soldering. Building a Directly Wired Controller Before you start: