Smash Wii U Retired de-spring veteran? No more. - Springless Smash 4 Guide

[Dissent]

(GameCube Controller - Springs) + Soldering Iron + Three Small Wires = Smash 4 WiiU Without Springs!

Before doing this, you'll need to remove the springs. It's very simple, so I didn't document it. Here's a guide on how to do that by King.
Important Edit: ENSURE SLIDERS ARE UP, NOT DOWN. Not sure how I let this one slip through and I can't fix the image at the moment. I have also tested this method and it works great. You will likely have to scrape a small flathead/sharp object on the green test rings on the board to expose the copper better. I've added a hasty edit to the picture~

~THE VIDEO BELOW IS VALID BUT USES MORE WIRES IN UNCOMFORTABLE PLACES~

I apologize for it being quick and likely poorly explained, but it's hard enough to speak straight for a camera for 30 seconds... If there is anything confusing or you have any questions, feel free to ask. For those of you that are petrified of opening your controllers, there may be support and options for you within the Custom GCC Discord; http://discord.customg.cc

 

[ryuu seika]

I don't get why you would want to undertake such a mod. Since hitting the end point of the L/R triggers combined with any slider movement in their mechanism registers a full depression, isn't the effect of sticking rods into the spaces in the triggers to prevent all but a little movement essentially the same?

 

[Dissent]

I don't get why you would want to undertake such a mod. Since hitting the end point of the L/R triggers combined with any slider movement in their mechanism registers a full depression, isn't the effect of sticking rods into the spaces in the triggers to prevent all but a little movement essentially the same?

You don't have to hit the end point to register it. The game detects your push in a binary way; lightly pushed or not. You could theoretically stick perfectly sized rods in but that involves designing and producing said rod, this takes approximately 5 minutes of soldering and 5 minutes to reverse. One of the best parts of having no springs is that it places R lower than Z, making sliding to it much easier. I use R for jump, so this is imperative. It's also very hard to break anything, the WiiU adapter detects faulty voltages and shuts off until the controller is reinserted, this is a protection against third party controllers that could blow fuses on the GameCube.

 

[ryuu seika]

Interesting. I play with one finger for R and one for Z and don't like the idea of permanently depressed shoulders myself but I can see how you would benefit and I do like how you actually bother to explain what the solder points are. Thanks for explaining.

 

[Dissent]

Interesting. I play with one finger for R and one for Z and don't like the idea of permanently depressed shoulders myself but I can see how you would benefit and I do like how you actually bother to explain what the solder points are. Thanks for explaining.

Ah, yeah, I was never able to get used to that sadly

 

[Codyyy]

do you know how much it would cost me to ship my controller to you from Florida?

 

[smasher1001]

I am heavily considering sending you a few controllers and tip to do this for me if i don't choose to try it myself. this is a great find, thanks for the share!

 

[Dissent]

do you know how much it would cost me to ship my controller to you from Florida?

If my knowledge isn't too outdated, one way would be about $3 for 3+ day shipping, $5 for less.

I am heavily considering sending you a few controllers and tip to do this for me if i don't choose to try it myself. this is a great find, thanks for the share!

Alright, let me know

 

[KanjiGames]

will this be allowed in tournaments?

 

[Dissent]

will this be allowed in tournaments?

It was allowed during Brawl years because it's removing functionality from a controller and not adding it. Nobody really cares, even turbo controllers would pass because they're basically useless.

 

[Codyyy]

If my knowledge isn't too outdated, one way would be about $3 for 3+ day shipping, $5 for less.



Alright, let me know

awesome, message me your info so i can send my controller out to you :D

 

[Dissent]

So I haven't actually tested this updated, less invasive method here but I see no reason to believe it won't work after poking around my controller some more. If someone wants to test this, that would be awesome, but I'm 99% sure it's works.

Before doing this, you'll need to remove the springs. It's very simple, so I didn't document it. Here's a guide on how to do that by King.
Important Edit: ENSURE SLIDERS ARE UP, NOT DOWN. Not sure how I let this one slip through and I can't fix the image at the moment. I have also tested this method and it works great. You will likely have to scrape a small flathead/sharp object on the green test rings on the board to expose the copper better. I've added a hasty edit to the picture~

 

[smasher1001]

Oooh, an update, noice! A few of my friends have been digging the no springs feel of my controller as of late, might send ya a few more to do some time if thats cool :D

 

[Deleted member]

So does this mod essentially make your triggers work like Wii U Game Pad shoulder buttons? clicky only?

 

[smasher1001]

yeah,its like back in brawl when you removed the springs and they became digital buttons, just smash 4 requires a bit more effort to get the same effect.

 

[Deleted member]

Do the shoulder buttons rest lower because of this? or do they keep the same height? it feels like the controller would be less comfortable if they were too low.

 

[smasher1001]

They rest lower. Try pressing the L/R buttons down until you feel them click, then lift them just enough to where they unclick. that is where they rest. I find it perfectly comfortable myself.

 

[Dissent]

@ S smasher1001 I could do more of them for you if you need!

 

[smasher1001]

Awesome! I'll let them know you're down and i'll msg ya again when I send em out, you da boss! :D

 

[KanjiGames]

@ Dissent I think I'm gonna try this in the next few days but I'm kinda scared because of theese green rings.
I would appreciate if someone colud give me some tipps

 

[Zonderion]

@ Dissent are you still modding controllers? I would love to send you mine. How much do you charge?

Also have you found that they are durable? I had removed springs back in the day for brawl, but it quit registering the button press after several months. I would hate to get used to this only to have it quit working like my other one did and have to revert back to the old button.

 

[Dissent]

Sorry, I have been busy moving among other personal things.

@ KanjiGames The rings are definitely tougher to get solder to settle on than my original method in the video that just uses existing pads, but once you get the hang of it it's not so bad and saves time. You just need to take a small flat head and scrape the rings until copper shows, but not so hard that you're stripping the copper or cutting other leads. Then, you put the soldering iron to the exposed copper and once it heats up, the solder will flow to the pad. You may have luck trying a conductive pen to just draw the traces on the board in to the rings, but as I haven't used one before I'm unsure of their reliability.

@ Zonderion I can do a controller for you and I don't charge anything. I just ask that you include money for the return shipping. Send me a PM and I'll give you my info. I've found personally that they're durable. Back when I went to Brawl tournaments, I used the same controller for several years without springs and had no issue with the triggers. My S4 controller withstood about four tournaments a month from November until last month when my Z button died, but that's because the official Smash 4 GCN controllers are made of a lot of refurbished parts and my Z button was squishy to begin with. I use my R button to Jump exclusively, so I really hammer on them and can attest to their durability.

 

[Zonderion]

Sorry, I have been busy moving among other personal things.

@ KanjiGames The rings are definitely tougher to get solder to settle on than my original method in the video that just uses existing pads, but once you get the hang of it it's not so bad and saves time. You just need to take a small flat head and scrape the rings until copper shows, but not so hard that you're stripping the copper or cutting other leads. Then, you put the soldering iron to the exposed copper and once it heats up, the solder will flow to the pad. You may have luck trying a conductive pen to just draw the traces on the board in to the rings, but as I haven't used one before I'm unsure of their reliability.

@ Zonderion I can do a controller for you and I don't charge anything. I just ask that you include money for the return shipping. Send me a PM and I'll give you my info. I've found personally that they're durable. Back when I went to Brawl tournaments, I used the same controller for several years without springs and had no issue with the triggers. My S4 controller withstood about four tournaments a month from November until last month when my Z button died, but that's because the official Smash 4 GCN controllers are made of a lot of refurbished parts and my Z button was squishy to begin with. I use my R button to Jump exclusively, so I really hammer on them and can attest to their durability.

Thanks for the reply. I actually just changed my button scheme so that I don't use the L and R buttons as much. However, I've got a couple of controllers, so I may still send you one.

I'm playing in a tournament next week. If I decide I didn't do well because of the new button scheme, I will probably get in touch with you. Thanks so much man!

 

[Hitaku]

Would it be possible to do this mod without lowering the shield buttons? Maybe if something was to be inserted into the controller's shield buttons?

 

[Dissent]

Would it be possible to do this mod without lowering the shield buttons? Maybe if something was to be inserted into the controller's shield buttons?

There's a variety of ways you could achieve that, you could put something inside the potentiometer to block it from going lower or a rod inside the button.

 

[Hitaku]

Very nice. If you're still available to assist with the process, I would like to mail a controller out to you. I've sent you a msg to further discuss.

 

[ThaQAtaQ]

Dissent

Have you tested the non-invasive method?
(also I noticed today that the pictures are no longer viewable)

Also a few questions about adding wires:

• When you add a wire connection, I have been having difficulty insert the wire through the holes of the board. Is this necessary for the connection to work?
• Is it safe to have wires without insulation running across the board?

 

[LI_Masamune]

Do you still do this I would like to edit my controller in such a way.

 

[Ben32798237857]

I gave this a try with my Wavebird and thought I'd let people know about my failure and try and get some advice! In case anyone's curious, I know a wireless controller isn't ideal for Smash. I was actually trying to modify this to use for Mario Kart on the Switch. I noticed that when I'd try and hold an item behind me (left trigger) or do a long drift (right trigger), the button would often become unpressed, making those moves useless (the held item would get thrown or the drift would end abruptly). I suspected that maybe it was the analog-ness of the button that was screwing up on the Switch, which only has digital shoulder buttons. Experimenting with it, I found you could very lightly let up on the trigger, while still holding it down, and the game would log it as being unpressed for a moment.

The problem I had was that the new instructions in the photos above wouldn't work. The solder points are just completely different on the Wavebird's board. The instructions from the video, however, would because the Wavebird has all the same spots. Unfortunately, when I finished the triggers didn't work at all! I'm a beginner at soldering, which is part of the reason I took on this project -- to try and get better -- so it's possible I screwed up somewhere. But it seems odd that I'd screw up on BOTH triggers. I'm wondering if maybe some of the solder points are different and that one of you could figure it out.

Here are some photos. The first two are for the right trigger and the next three are for the left. I appreciate any feedback any of you could give me. Thanks!!

 

[Dissent]

I gave this a try with my Wavebird and thought I'd let people know about my failure and try and get some advice! In case anyone's curious, I know a wireless controller isn't ideal for Smash. I was actually trying to modify this to use for Mario Kart on the Switch. I noticed that when I'd try and hold an item behind me (left trigger) or do a long drift (right trigger), the button would often become unpressed, making those moves useless (the held item would get thrown or the drift would end abruptly). I suspected that maybe it was the analog-ness of the button that was screwing up on the Switch, which only has digital shoulder buttons. Experimenting with it, I found you could very lightly let up on the trigger, while still holding it down, and the game would log it as being unpressed for a moment.

The problem I had was that the new instructions in the photos above wouldn't work. The solder points are just completely different on the Wavebird's board. The instructions from the video, however, would because the Wavebird has all the same spots. Unfortunately, when I finished the triggers didn't work at all! I'm a beginner at soldering, which is part of the reason I took on this project -- to try and get better -- so it's possible I screwed up somewhere. But it seems odd that I'd screw up on BOTH triggers. I'm wondering if maybe some of the solder points are different and that one of you could figure it out.

Here are some photos. The first two are for the right trigger and the next three are for the left. I appreciate any feedback any of you could give me. Thanks!!

I once worked on a board that was like this. I didn't take notes because I was at a tournament and in a rush BUT I do recall that the pins on the sides that you cut were swapped. I had to figure this out on the fly with a multimeter and I don't know if it applies here, sorry. I haven't done the mod on any Wavebirds or weird motherboards since then, and I've only done two controllers in the past two years. Despite that, there is a Discord that would be more than happy to assist you: https://discord.gg/PRGkZ6

 

[CaptainKappa2001]

Sorry for posting on a dead thread, but I have a few questions. Would you still be willing to mod a controller, and does the mod work for Smash Ultimate?

Edit: The controller in question is the official SSBU Gamecube Controller. I don't think it's any different than the Wii U one so I'm not sure if that would affect the mod.

 

[The_Russian1545]

I am also curious if this would work the same on a SSBU controller if anybody is still around to answer this question. The board does look slightly different then the one pictured. I have looked for a good guide just about everywhere and cant find one.

 

[Dissent]

I am also curious if this would work the same on a SSBU controller if anybody is still around to answer this question. The board does look slightly different then the one pictured. I have looked for a good guide just about everywhere and cant find one.

I've done it on new Ultimate controllers but there is still a small chance your board will look like a different one than the one in this guide. I've only ever seen one of them and had to figure out the wiring on the spot with a multimeter. I don't have a guide for that board, so if things don't match up I wouldn't attempt this.

You may have luck asking in the Custom GCC Discord.