DIY projects improvements for my iPega 9167 controller!

 

I've previously written a review on the iPega 9167 controller (here), but after extensive usage, I realised that the review is not really that in-depth. The controller seems to have one more problem that kinda bug me... and I decide to DIY a solution for it.

DIY 1: Portrait Holder

I think it obvious from the photo that the problem is ... the iPega 9167 cannot allow most phones to be use in portrait position. I only realised this when I downloaded DraStic DS emulator! I know DraStic can be layout to be played in landscape orientation too but I'm so used to playing in portrait just like playing on the NDS!

The controller is just make in the way to fit only phone in landscape orientation. So I came up with a simple solution and that is to fill up the space!

It's a fairly simple project because the width of popsicle sticks just happen to fit nicely into the slot of the controller. So I just have to glue them together till they fill up the space!

Do the same for the other side!

And then you just have to make a small extension to prevent the phone from falling forward when titled toward your body. 

Also, don't forget to add a bottom support or you might risk the phone sliding downside... I made a mistake here and ended up having to file 2 openings for the charging and earphone ports. I'm sure there are ways to layout the sticks so that no filing is needed.

Here is a video I did showing how it works:

Well, that is the end of the first DIY project for the iPega 9167! Now let's move to the 2nd one!

DIY 2: Dead Zone "Fix"

In my previous review, I've mentioned that the controller have problem with dead zones... mainly in the diagonal directions.

I've searched up the internet for solutions and found a few. All of them mentioning the need to remove the "yellow plate" around the joysticks.

There are 2 ways of removing the plate:

1) You pry up the plate from the controller body. But doing this, you'll risk breaking the clips that holds the plate down.

2) You open up the controller and remove it from inside. (Here is a YouTube tutorial: link)

Anyway, I went with the 2nd one. It's not that difficult but you do have to be careful. You don't want to break the ribbon cable by accident, that would kill your controller!

Next, I decided to go with moldable plastics and make a plate with more room for the joystick to move around.

Image source: shopee.sg

I've made a video explaining the process and how the moldable plastic works...

Although in the end, the dead zone problem of the joysticks did not go away, it was significantly improved!

Well, these are the 2 DIY projects I did on my iPega 9167 controller! But at the end of the day, although it's not perfect, I still love it!