Controller issues on Playstation 2 slim

[Darwock]

I have a PS2 slim with various controllers that exhibit the following behaviour:

Original dualshock 2 - sometimes cuts out and stops responding, occasionally fixed by pressing the plug more firmly into the socket.
Guitar Freaks controller - no problems whatsoever.
Drummania controller - no problems either.
Guitar Freaks arcade style controller - didn't work today, worked after pressing firmly, then cut out half way through the game and hasn't worked since at all.

I basically want to eliminate the arcade controller as being the problem. It seems likely that it is the PS2 since the dualshock is also flakey, but the regular GF/drummania controllers still work perfectly which is very odd.

I connected the arcade controller to my PS3 via a USB to PS2 controller adapter, and although it isn't usable for XMB navigation the buttons do react to being pressed, so I dont think there's a break in the cable.

Any thoughts?

[Digfox]

Not sure - I guess the only way to be 100% sure is try another PS2 (which isn't easy I know). I do remember buying a second-hand PS2 off ebay and both DS2 controllers the dpad wouldn't go left. Was convinced it was the console that was broken.

Unfortunately though upon buying a new controller, I realised the two controllers were broken and the new pad and console was (and still is) fine.

[Darwock]

The arcade controller came to life for about an hour today, after I rubbed the little bit of recessed metal on the plug. Could be coincidence. It was good for a while, them it just conked out midway through a song. I wonder if the contact patch is a little tarnished or something?

[Darwock]

Update to this - the arcade controller completely gave up the ghost on the Playstation. No amount of jiggling in the socket would bring it back. I was terrified that the cable had worn through or something, so I got out that PS2-USB adapter again, installed it on my PC, and downloaded DTXmania to try it out. 100% success.

Given that it seemed to be something about that specific plug/socket combo, I bought a cheap PS2 controller extension cable on yahoo auctions. It turned up today, and hey presto, problem solved. The extension socket recognises the arcade controller plug, and the PS2 socket recognises the extension plug. I've been breaking my personal bests all afternoon with it.

Anyone with knowledge of the electrical side care to speculate as to the cause? The pins are too narrow or something? Well, anyway, I'm happy to have fixed it.

[Darwock]

Spoke too soon. It lasted for a day, now (without having touched the cable since connecting it the first time) no response. It crapped out in the middle of a song. Still works through USB.

I have ordered a different brand of extension cable. If only Elecom (who made my USB converter) made them

[randombs]

Have a look inside the connector at the end of the controller cable. Are the pins all the same length? Maybe one or two got pushed back a bit over time and they're not making good contact with the PS2. Compare them with other controllers that work and you'll get an idea. You might be able to gently pull the pins out a bit with thin pliers.

Extension cables aren't usually made to stringent specifications so maybe they have more metal than Sony puts in their console controller ports and can make better contact with the pins as a result.

I think the recessed metal bit is there to add tension so the connector stays put. Doesn't appear to be grounded or anything like that...

Might be an idea to try cleaning the pins and see what happens. Maybe the PS2's ports have loosened up over time? I take it the extension cable is new so it won't have that problem.

[Darwock]

In my frustration I tried a lot of different things last night - I pulled the pins, I pushed them, I bent them, I brushed the ends with a toothbrush, I scraped at them with a craft knife, I even tried putting wads of tinfoil in with the contacts to see if I'd get a better connection.

End result? It no longer works at all, not even on the PC via the USB converter. Seems I broke it completely. I was pretty heartbroken last night, those controllers are not easy to come by any more. I took a few steps towards opening up the casing to see about replacing the cable, but once you unscrew it it becomes apparent that the plastic halves were melted together after it was assembled. There's no way to get in there.

Actually yes, some of the pins were a bit shorter but I compared it to the cheapo konami guitar and it had exactly the same pin arrangement (and that is working perfectly). Its the tip of the pin that makes contact then? I assumed it was the sides.

[randombs]

Awww, man

I hope you didn't short it with the tinfoil! Might want to check the USB converter still works after that, too.

By casing, I'm assuming you mean the guitar itself. If so, replacing the cable entirely is out but you can easily cut the cable somewhere and wire up another cable instead. You don't even need a PS2 controller because they use exactly the same pins as PS1. I'm sure you can find something for a few hundred yen at a 2nd-hand shop.

I'm sure it's the sides of the pins as well. They'll slide into the sheaths at the PS2 end and should be a tight fit but sometimes the sheaths can stretch or be too wide to begin with.

[Darwock]

USB converter is fine. This is the danger of being an impatient idiot.

On the plus side, the joys of living in Osaka - I made a quick stop to den-den town after work and found one for sale. I paid the expected cost, but it looks pretty darn new. I will try not to break this one.

[randombs]

Another guitar freaks controller? Or an extension cable?

[Darwock]

New controller! Fairly sure I killed it, a new extension is not going to help any more. Maybe I will hang it on the wall as a reminder.

[Darwock]

More to this epic tale of woe...

I wasn't very happy with the state of the new one I bought after all, as the metal finish was quite tarnished, so I swapped out all the cosmetic parts of my pristine (but non-functional) original. In doing so I discovered that you *can* access the internal electronics - when you take off the faceplate of the guitar, you can get into the cavity. The wiring is all attached to the circuit boards by those little white plugs, so all the parts can be removed/replaced.

I have taken out the main circuit board from the broken one - is there any way to tell if I did short circuit it? I don't see any scorch marks or obvious blown components on the circuit board...