Will it have a new look and buttons？

[cw-taotao]

Hi, will you be adding a d-pad on the left side of the front and shoulder buttons on the top in the future? It's like a “padbox”, but with the main buttons on the back, and not so big, which I feel is more in line with the gamepad.

[MerlinDesigns]

Hi!

A D-Pad might possibly become a thing either in a new version or a new controller (I’m working on an evolution of this but I’m not sure how long that’ll take and it will change the shape a bit).

As of now, shoulder buttons are not planned. I don’t think that would work well with using the buttons on the bottom and I feel like there are plenty of easily accessible buttons. Feel free to modify the design and try it out, though! Let me know how it’s working.

[cw-taotao]

I may not have made myself clear, but what I was trying to say is that adding a D-Pad to the left thumb of the “em-controller” and leaving the front and back of the right hand layout unchanged would make it more like a regular fighting game controller, and reduce the amount of manipulation the right thumb has to do.
Is it possible to add a Type C port housing in a later version, I can get a Type C port 3rd party Raspberry Pi Pico here.
Sorry, I'd like to try to modify the model, but I don't have a 3d printer for trial and error.

[MerlinDesigns]

adding a D-Pad to the left thumb of the “em-controller” and leaving the front and back of the right hand layout unchanged would make it more like a regular fighting game

Agreed! I just haven’t sat down and done any D-Pad design yet. Maybe the Padbox has some good clues how to do it right. Is their D-Pad nice?

and reduce the amount of manipulation the right thumb has to do.

You’ve kind of lost me there. What amount of manipulation does the right thumb have to do other than press two buttons?

Is it possible to add a Type C port housing in a later version, I can get a Type C port 3rd party Raspberry Pi Pico here.

Yes that should be pretty easy if the Pico clone is pretty much identical other than the port. Specifically, if the mounting holes and dimensions are the same. Do you have a link to the one you are talking about?

Are you planning on printing one using a print service?

[cw-taotao]

Is their D-Pad nice?

I don't own a Padbox because both the Padbox and the Em-controller are things I didn't even know existed until I saw them on a video on the internet.
I've used a gamepad, an arcade joystick, and a regular Hitbox to play Street Fighter 6, and ultimately found the gamepad to be the most comfortable to play with, and as you said, no need to have the controls in your lap to lounge on the couch and play.
The gamepad I'm using right now, is similar to one called the Victrix Pro BFG gamepad, with a diamond shaped D-pad, which I feel works well, and rarely misses diagonal triggers than the regular D-pad.

and reduce the amount of manipulation the right thumb has to do.
You’ve kind of lost me there. What amount of manipulation does the right thumb have to do other than press two buttons?

What I mean is that the layout of the em-controller right hand side is a good solution to the problem of the right thumb needing to operate multiple buttons.
Because nowadays fighting game controllers have 6 buttons on the right hand side, and all 6 buttons need to be operated by the right thumb.

Pico clone

Everything is the same except for the type c connector and the power supply being reduced from 800 mAh to 500 mAh.
I purchased it from taobao.com.

Are you planning on printing one using a print service?

Yes, I'm still on the fence, I have all the button axes, but the current Em-controller operation reversed buttons seem a bit counter-intuitive to me, the game's left and right movement corresponds to the Em-controller's buttons being up and down.

[MerlinDesigns]

I don't own a Padbox because both the Padbox and the Em-controller are things I didn't even know existed until I saw them on a video on the internet.

Ah cool. I know the feeling. What video did you see?

What I mean is that the layout of the em-controller right hand side is a good solution to the problem of the right thumb needing to operate multiple buttons.

Oh yeah I get what you mean now.

Everything is the same except for the type c connector

Yeah it mostly looks identical! It’s missing the screw holes around the connector but it should still be fine. If you decide you want to try the Em the way it is I wouldn’t mind quickly changing the port in the shell for you.

the current Em-controller operation reversed buttons seem a bit counter-intuitive to me, the game's left and right movement corresponds to the Em-controller's buttons being up and down.

I totally understand that that seems weird at first and it does take a bit of getting used to. The good thing is: it’s a rotated version of the typical leverless layout but you still use the exact same fingers. That is deliberate to make adjusting between the two easier and because you can easily use your three fingers for the directions. But if it doesn’t make sense, you can always rebind the buttons to something that works for you in the webconfig tool.

[cw-taotao]

What video did you see?

https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1wkpCeCEEy/
https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1UCHpetExh/
https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1LUt4eAEn9/

Thank you very much, but I'm more used to the D-pad input than the hitbox type of directional input, so I'm looking forward to your d-pad version of the em-controller, and maybe keep the em-controller's current buttons and make the position of the 2 buttons for the left thumb the D-pad, and then have them shifted down! .
I found some pictures of the gamepad, this is a picture of its D-pad, I feel its D-pad is better, it states that it is using 60gf microswitches, hopefully this will help you a little bit in making a D-pad in the future.

[MerlinDesigns]

Thank you very much for sharing those videos with me. It’s very exciting to see other people try it out or be excited with it! This really made my day. Due to language reasons, I had a hard time understanding most of it but it was still exciting to see someone so far away having made the controller. Please let me know if they had any insightful feedback.

Also, thank you for sharing the pictures of the D-Pad. That’s very interesting!

[cw-taotao]

Neither the author nor the audience had any particular feedback, all of which was to say that the buttons for controlling direction were a bit counter-intuitive and took time to get used to,But it is very interesting design!

Comments from the video:
Some people say the shape is odd and that it can be tiring to hold.
Some people expressed interest and were ready to go make one.
Some said they wanted a version of the Padbox+Em-cotroller combo, i.e. an Em-controller with a D-pad and shoulder buttons.

The Em-Controller is a great project, looking forward to it's subsequent improvements, thanks for creating it.
I'm also going to go ahead and print and build an Em-controller, because the gamepad I'm using now has a damaged D-pad on it, and the lifespan of this thing is way too short.

[cw-taotao]

15x_ Kailh Choc v1 switches (I use 5x nocturnal and 10x Twilight

Are the 10 Twilight: Linear / 35g here mounted on the back?
The webstore also allows you to purchase Kailh linear button bodies with different operating forces, such as 25g, 40g, and 50g.
Is it recommended to use 20g on the front and 35g on the back? I want keys that are more comfortable to press, but won't be easily triggered by mistake.

I would like to ask what is the best material to recommend for printing?Is Petg or resin ok?

[MerlinDesigns]

Your button choices are up to you and the controller uses hotswap sockets so you can change them.

I like the listed configuration as they are quiet and need little force. I have the 5 nocturnal (20g) switches for the 5 movement buttons (the left side back buttons and the upper left inner button ) as I like these being easy to trigger. The 10 twilight (35g) switches are used for all other buttons (ignoring the menu buttons).

That is my personal preference though and that is due to taste and the desire for the presses to be quiet. I think you can easily go for heavier force switches or even clicky ones. I haven’t experimented extensively. Other choc V1 switches also might be cheaper. The quiet ones come at a premium.

Choc V2 switches might also work but that’s currently unconfirmed and you’d need new button caps. I was meaning to try that.

I have printed the controller in PETG and PLA and my personal one is printed in PLA. The design relies on heat set inserts for the screws. If you print it in resin you’ll have to figure out how to get them into their holes. I don’t think that’ll work without adjustment. I think SLS printing might also work?

[cw-taotao]

Thank you very much for your reply and letting me know about this, I used to use the same trigger strength for all the buttons on the device I was using.

Will the new version use Choc V2 switches? I'm looking forward to the new version, and I'd like to wait to 3d print the new version if it's coming out soon, as well as wait for the Type C connector version of the case.

It seems that PETG material is more cost effective~

[cw-taotao]

Here are the official specs for the Kailh Choc V1 and Choc V2. There is a slight difference in appearance between v1 and v2, but they have the same metal contacts in the same locations and the hotswap sockets are universal.

But I can't find choc v2 keycaps that fit the em-controller.

Most of the Kailh choc V1 switches in our country have been discontinued and are no longer available for purchase, only the 20g pink and 25g purple linear switches can be purchased from the official online store.

The v2 series has a lot more options.

[MerlinDesigns]

Hey, I ordered some V2 switches recently and I’m waiting for them to arrive so I a make sure they fit and design some fitting caps.

The caps are custom because of the size (diameter and height).

Ironically, access to variants of the V2 switches beyond blue, brown, and red is more difficult than I expected where I live.

[cw-taotao]

Looking forward to the new keycaps for v2~

V2 switches in addition to the basic red, brown, blue, the last 2 years kailh and keyboard, hitbox manufacturers made 3 kinds of different trigger strength, key range switches, but their switches are not sold separately to the public.

This year, kailh modified the color of their housings to make 3 different series, and sold them in July, August, and September in our official domestic online store.

Maybe they were just released and not yet available overseas, guess that's why you can't purchase them on your end.

[MerlinDesigns]

Hey,

I just added support for V2 switches to the repository. There are separate keycaps you can print now and the change is reflected in the README. I hope you enjoy :).

Edit: Thanks for posting the data sheet for the switches. I was first trying to design them based on another design but that didn't fit at all and you saved me some time searching.