Exploring the Playstation 4 [PS4] Dualshock Video Game Controller. Similar to Playstation 5 [PS5] Dualsense Controller.

Also, similar to the Nintendo Switch Joy Con, and the Xbox One and Xbox Series X Video game Controller.

Video game controllers are precision devices that give

us access to competitive battlefields, uncharted worlds,

and epic storylines,

and this here is one of their most critical components.

But where is this circular metal object located, and what does it do?

In this episode, we're going to open

a PlayStation 4 DualShock video game

controller to see how it works.

First, we'll go through the components

and then we'll see how the buttons and analog sticks work,

and in the process, we'll learn where this delicate metal disc is located,

and why it's critical in almost all of the console video games you play.

This episode is kind-of a mystery game,

so if you figure out where it's located

and what it does before I reveal the answer,

congratulations, and comment below with

the timestamp of when you figured it out. So, let's get started.

After removing a few screws,

we can take off the plastic outer housing

and see all the components inside.

On top, is the D-pad, the triggers, and several other buttons.

Below each button are conductive rubber

button gaskets, and below that is the flexible plastic contact board that

the conductive rubber presses against.

At the center of the controller is a  touchpad,

along with a small speaker.

Next is the mid-frame and below that,

the primary printed circuit board or PCB.

On the top side of the circuit board are a

number of components such as the microcontroller unit

which are the brains of the controller,

a pair of analog joysticks, the wireless communication microchip,

an antenna, a headphone jack,

an additional E.X.T. port for seldom used applications,

and a set of push buttons.  On the bottom of the PCB are a

set of connectors for flat cables to be plugged into,

an audio codec microchip,

and an accelerometer and gyroscope microchip.

below the PCB is the battery case

and the rechargeable lithium ion battery.

Next, attached to both sides of the mid-frame

are motors with off-balance weights that, when spun up,

cause the controller to vibrate.

Finally, attached to the back plastic housing,

we have an additional printed circuit board,

or daughter-board that holds the microUSB port,

and a multicolor LED with a set of plastic pieces

that guide and disperse the light

in order to illuminate the controller's triangular light.

That's pretty much it for the components.

Have you figured out where this metal disk is located?

If you haven't, here's a hint:

there are 4 of them in every controller.

Let's move on and see how the buttons work.

For each button on this PlayStation 4 controller,

there are 3 parts.  The plastic front face,

the rubber button gasket with a conductive bottom,

and the flexible plastic contact board.

On the contact board are a set

of intricate wires or traces protected by insulating plastic,

similar to the wires that run through the printed circuit board.

Below each button is a gap in the wire

that breaks the path of electricity.

When a button is pressed,

the conductive pad on the bottom of the rubber button gasket presses

against the contact board, and the gap is bridged,

thereby closing the circuit,

and allowing electricity to run through the traces.

When you let your finger off the button,

the shape and design of the rubber gasket

pulls the conductive bridge away from the gap,

and the circuit is broken.

It may look complicated, but it's a simple circuit that just gets completed

It may look complicated, but it's a simple circuit that just gets completed

or closed when you press a button and becomes incomplete

or opens when the button lifts up.

Other push buttons use similar setups,

but with different materials and constructions.

This concept applies to all the buttons

except the L2 and R2 triggers.

Instead of having a gap that gets bridged,

these two buttons use  pressure sensitive resistors.

When the L2 or R2 trigger is pressed, the rubber button gasket

applies a force to the pressure sensitive resistor

and the change in resistance is measured by the microcontroller.

Details on how this works are included

in the Creator's Comments.

Let's move on and explore the analog sticks.

These analog sticks are solder-mounted

to the printed circuit board,

and each one has almost a dozen different parts inside.

On top we have the rubber thumb pad

and the plastic joystick shaft below it.

Next, we have a metal housing

that limits the movement of the joystick.

Inside the metal housing are a pair of plastic

brackets that are perpendicular

to one another called followers.

The function of these following brackets

is to change the up down left and right movements

of the analog stick into a small rotation over here.

Each of these brackets is attached to a potentiometer whose function

in this application is to measure rotation.

If you push the analog stick to the bottom right,

these two brackets will rotate, which in turn will rotate the center

of these two potentiometers.

Let's open one of the potentiometers to see how it works

Voila!

Inside we find that small metal piece we've been talking about

and it's called a wiper.

On this side we have a plastic housing

which contains electrically resistive material

printed in a set of two circles on the inside called a track.

The key concept is that electrical resistance

is proportional to the length of the resistive material,

so if we are able to vary the length of the

electrically resistive material, we can vary the overall resistance,

which the microcontroller can easily measure.

So, when we rotate the wiper, the position where the wiper

contacts the track changes, and thus changes the effective length

of the resistive material that electricity flows through.

Let's follow the path of electricity.

We can see that this metal disk, or wiper, is rotated

by the following bracket. The wiper contacts the track

in different locations than before, thus changing the distance along

which the electricity passes through the resistive track,

thereby changing the overall resistance.

The wiper is specially designed so that

the metal is bent to continuously press against the track

at an exact set of locations.

This allows for precise measurement of movements of the joystick,

which is critical for any eSports or similar video game.

Furthermore, we can see that for clockwise

and counterclockwise rotation of the potentiometer

we use a set of three terminals.

One connects to the wiper, and the other two connect to each

side of the track for measuring left and right or up and down motions.

There are similar setups in each of the 4 potentiometers.

In addition, below the analog stick

is a small assembly that presses on a push button when the analog

stick is pressed in.  Finally, there is a spring

that returns the analog stick to the center

of the metal bracket and returns the analog stick

to its un-pressed state.

That wraps this episode up!

By the way, this type of construction

is similar to other video game controllers,

however of course there is considerable

variation in layout and design.

Thanks for watching!  Comment below with any questions

or thoughts you may have.

Furthermore, we added the creator's comments

to the English Canadian subtitles,

if you're curious for more details, along with an additional puzzle,

we recommend you check it out.

Additionally, if you want to explore and

use these 3D models of a video game controller

you can purchase them on Blender Market

using the link in the description.

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complex engineering concepts!

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Thanks for watching,

and remember to consider the conceptual simplicity,

yet structural complexity

in the world around you!