Progress!
So as mentioned before, the audio interference was taken care of and I like the new lay out better because now if one just wants to use the controller, they have the option to remove the A/V cable all together.
Here is a quick view of both ends of the cable.
I still need to put a covering around the A/V Controller plug to make it look a bit nicer, but as for the unit itself, it's functional and sturdy. The covering over the wires acts as both a junction box for the spliced wires and a strain relief. These A/V cables are all held together using 3/8" heat shrink tube.
In this pic, the plug/jack on the left is the 12V power supply in and the jack on the right is the A/V. Again, only Mono sound, but that's actually fine for what it is. The shrouded 10 pin header is actually no longer needed as with the previous design it acted as a strain relief for the cable. But since it was super glued in there and wasn't in the way of anything, I just kept it. It won't be there for controller number 2. Having all the strain in detachable cords is the best way to go because if it pulls too hard, it will just pop out of the jack, no resoldering or ripped traces. Looking at it now, I should probably use the header for the controller as a strain relief. Something to think about.
I should mention too I was having a problem earlier today when I was trying to get the A/V to work. Once I had everything connected, I was getting power and video but no sound. I ended up taking everything apart, testing my amp, continuity of the wires and everything, but I couldn't figure out what was wrong because everything was checking out. I then tested the A/V jack in the controller and found the both the Ground and the Audio line had continuity with the grounds in the system. Turns out that after I soldered the plug up and closed it up, I bent the pin that the audio was soldered to and it was touching the ground line so I was shorting out my audio. Bent it back and it worked perfectly!
I also got all the controls wired with the exception of the R & L buttons, volume controls and the screen controls. They won't take long though. The issue now those is the responsiveness of the D-pad. It's all in the way I have it mounted, I know for a fact as when it was lose and I was pushing the buttons directly, it was smooth and easy to do. I do like using the original PCB over the tact switches, but getting it perfectly alined is just as difficult when you don't use the mounting from the original controller. Next one I'm going to frakencase in the D-pad from an original NES controller like Bac did. This will ensure that everything will line up correctly and will look better.
Here are just a few more pics of it in it's "ON" state. Couple more weeks and this should be complete and ready for the auction house! Since I am planning on selling this, I am spending much more time on the quality side of things, not letting anything go that I normally would.
But yeah, let me know what you think. I'll be posting how I make out with this D-Pad issue.
