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I'll actually explain this tomorrow. Sorry!
SCM
(If this isn't enough info, just lock it and I'll actually make a good thread tomorrow.)
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Actual Post!
This is really a working prototype of what I'm going to be building soon.
It's a working USB Guitar Hero Guitar designed to work with Frets On Fire. It has 5 fret buttons made out of paper clips and instead of a Strum Bar, a...
STRUM STRING!
If you've been playing guitar for years and then try Guitar Hero, it's really hard to see what the big deal is. It's SO unlike a guitar they should rename is... Overpriced Plastic Toy Hero!
In order to replace a button a USB game controller, you have to find the two leads that it connects to and wire a switch to these; in parallel with the actually button. In this case, I wired one lead to a stripped copper wire running down the middle of the guitar, and the other lead was wired to a guitar pick covered in aluminum tape. (It conducts electricity.) When the pick and the string touch, the current is able to travel all the way through, and the controller things the button is being pressed! Pretty nifty, huh?
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As for the fret board, I put down some aluminum tape to act as ground. Then I wired the other lead from the USB controller to paper clips. When the paper clip touches the tape, the current goes through and the button is pressed. I was really surprised I've never seen this trick on this website. It's a great little trick for making buttons, and if you have the right parts, it's free!
Plans for the FUTURE... (Maybe this afternoon.)
I plan on replacing the paper clips with actual buttons. The paper clips work but lately they've been sticking together, and really messing up the game. Not only that, but they're not the prettiest thing ever.
As for the strum string, I really don't know what to do. It's a great idea, but the wire I'm using needs to be very tightly wound around two posts in the guitar in order to work right. For some reason though, the string becomes saggy halfway through the songs, and becomes almost on playable. Should I be using solid wire? Would that be better? Or, is there an easy way to build some sort of tuning post like on a guitar, so I can "tune" it easier?
As for the body, I'm going to make a wooden Flying V that is about the size of a regular Guitar Hero controller. Maybe bigger. I noticed that a Guitar Hero Flying V is already available though. What other cool guitars can I model it off of? I'm not really a big heavy metal fan, so please non of those guitars that look like they could impale me!
Also, next to the string, the final product with have a strum button in case I just want something easier.
Give me any ideas you have for this!
SCM
