PlayStation 2 tinkering
A long long time ago my PlayStation 2 (the old 'fat' type) developed a strange fault in which the attached controllers would no longer vibrate. This was bizarre as the dualshock function of the controllers worked when they were hooked up to other PS2s.

For years I played without any force feedback; there was no rumble when shredding tyres in Gran Turismo 4 and in Metal Gear Solid 'Psycho Mantis' couldn't move my controller with his mind despite his insistence that he could, much to my amusement. However one day I decided I would fix this and after a quick trip to Google found it was a common fault - a fuse had blown on the motherboard.

With my laptop on hand displaying an online repair guide I wrenched apart the PS2, fought past years of dust and even the remains of a spider to unearth the motherboard. After using a current tester on various fuses to ensure I would be operating on the correct one I crudely soldered a short length of copper wire to either end as a bridge.

I followed the guide in reverse, fitted everything back together and turned it on. Success! Now I could mow somebody down in their own car in GTA and feel the impact on the bonnet in the palms of my hands!

I still ended up with one screw left over at the end though.
( R.Soul hmmm, Thu 20 Aug 2009, 17:45, Reply)