OpenB0XX v1.

0 Guide
-Written by RedDelta11

Notes
1. Special Thanks
a. Simple Controllers- Without your code and original guide this wouldn’t be
possible
i. Simple Controllers original Recreate the Smash Box guide
b. Hax$- For inspiring part of the layout with the B0XX
c. The Hitbox team- For coming up with the idea of a smashbox
d. Connor- Who made this guide readable
e. Everyone who has hand/wrist issues and still wants to play the games they love
2. Please improve and share this guide, that’s the whole point of this thing.
3. Read the whole thing through multiple times before purchasing parts.
4. I’m not responsible for misuse or malfunction of any part of this guide. ​Use at your own
risk.

The Skills List

1. Very Basic Soldering ability- only have to solder wires together
a. There is a way to do this without soldering, but it is not recommended as the wire to
wire connections will be weak
2. Basic Drilling ability
a. Can you drill a hole in a piece of wood? If you can, you can do this project
3. Ability to saw a piece of wood
4. Ability to read directions and ask questions if stuck
5. Patience

The Parts List

- Links are not the lowest prices out there, these are just suggestions on what to get. You can
probably get these parts cheaper on Aliexpress or Ebay, although many come from china and
shipping will take a while.

For the Wiring

1. Arduino Mega 2560 (can be an original or a clone)
a. https://smile.amazon.com/keyestudio-development-board-compatible-arduino/dp/B01
6JWNYBE/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1504569493&sr=8-3&keywords=mega+2560
2. Logic Level Converter - Bi-Directional
 a. Solderless Option​ (highly recommended- makes life so much easier)
i. If you wish to solder this yourself you can follow simple controllers guide to
doing this, but spending an extra $4 will make this project much easier
3. Jumper cables (make sure there are both male and female connections)
a. https://smile.amazon.com/Elegoo-120pcs-Multicolored-Breadboard-arduino/dp/B01EV
70C78/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1504569617&sr=1-3&keywords=jumper
+cables+arduino
4. GameCube controller (Use a first party one, as the cables on some 3rd party controllers are
different. The controller extenders cannot be used as they are usually unshielded. It can be
broken, you only need the cable that connects to the console to work. The ​Mad Catz Pro
Controller​, works well for this and is what I used)
5. 22 AWG wire
a. https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00QTCBZ4I/ref=sxr_rr_xsim_1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DE
R&pf_rd_p=3008523062&pd_rd_wg=YQbOV&pf_rd_r=7TB6GKV2W8BX3QD02T0V&pf_r
d_s=desktop-rhs-carousels&pf_rd_t=301&pd_rd_i=B00QTCBZ4I&pd_rd_w=Z72hH&pf_r
d_i=22awg+wire&pd_rd_r=EERK970WHWZB7DQWPA81&ie=UTF8&qid=1504569648&sr
=1
6. .110” quick disconnects (minimum needed is 27)
a. https://smile.amazon.com/Baomain-Insulated-Connector-Electrical-Terminal/dp/B0196
2MW2G/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1504569986&sr=8-2&keywords=.110+quick+disconn
ect
7. Wire crimper/stripper
a. https://smile.amazon.com/VISE-GRIP-Multi-Tool-Stripper-Crimper-2078309/dp/B000JN
NWQ2/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1504570144&sr=8-3&keywords=wire+stripper+and+cr
imper
8. 1k resistor
a. https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0185FGTSS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie
=UTF8&psc=1
9. Soldering iron and solder
a. https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01H1IFT54/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie
=UTF8&psc=1
10. 30 Connection 22 AWG .110" Ground Daisy Chain Wire
a. https://www.focusattack.com/30-connection-22-awg-110-ground-daisy-chain-wire/
11. Hot glue gun (optional- but highly recommended)
a. https://smile.amazon.com/CCbetter-Temperature-Melting-Flexible-Projects/dp/B01178
RVI2/ref=sr_1_4?s=arts-crafts&ie=UTF8&qid=1504570368&sr=1-4&keywords=hot+glue
+gun
12. Shrink wrap
a. https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OZSL8UE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s01?i
e=UTF8&psc=1
13. Electrical Tape (optional)
a. https://smile.amazon.com/Duck-299006-4-Inch-Utility-Electrical/dp/B001B19JLS/ref=sr_
1_3?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1504570253&sr=1-3&keywords=electrical+tape
 14. A lighter

For the Box

1. 25 x 24mm screw in buttons, such as the ones you can find ​here
a. I recommend using Sanwa or Seimitsu 24mm screw ins
2. A Drill
3. 15/16” spade bit or 15/16 frostner bit (if you want to use lexan)
4. MDF sheet (At least 8x16- You can get a huge sheet from home depot for ~ $6, check thickness
to ensure the screw in buttons are compatible, mine is ¼ in thick which is just thin enough)
5. Wood saw
6. Sand paper (optional, but you’ll probably need it to ensure there are no splinters)
7. Piece of scrap wood to drill on (optional but recommended)
8. G-clamps to hold down piece of wood while drilling
9. A Box (optional, as you can build your own) with dimensions of 16x8x2 (smashboxx), 16x9.5x2.5
(mine) or similar. As long as its 2in or greater in depth, fits the layout on it, and sits comfortably
on your lap it will work

Assembly
Part 0: The Layout
1. This is my personal layout​ that I have tested for about a month now, it allows for easy
wavedashing, L-cancelling, and minimizes the use of the pinkies.
a. My personal box has the start button on the side, only difference
2. It can easily be changed by changing the code, just switch what pins each one does

Part 1: ​The Wiring Diagram

Note: If you cannot solder at all you can use shrink wrap to hold the wires together, just twist the wires
together and then put the shrink wrap over it. This option ​IS NOT​ recommended as the wires can come
apart if pulled, as the shrink wrap is not very secure. If you decide to do this option further secure the
area where the wires are connected with either electrical tape wrapped around it or hot glue.

1. Please refer to the wiring diagram throughout the rest of this section
2. Cut the GameCube controller cord, the wires are as such
a. Yellow​ ​- 5.5v
b. Blue​ - 3.3v
c. Red​ - data line
d. Green​, ​Black​, and ​White​ are all ground
 i. On some controllers there is no black wire, instead it's an unshielded copper
wire
3. Open the controller using a screwdriver and desolder the wires and remove the plastic shielding
and solder wires to them
a. Alternatively you can cut it, but the newer controllers are extremely fragile so the above
method is recommended
i. there may also be both plastic string and a wire coating around the wires, cut
them both off
4. Solder the 3 ground wires together, then solder them all to the male half of a jumper cable
a. After soldering wire, always cover the soldered section with shrink wrap
5. Solder female jumper cables ends to the red and blue wires
6. Solder a 1k resistor between the red and blue wires
a. Make sure the red and blue wires are not making any direct contact and are only
connected through the resistor
7. Solder one female and one male jumper cable end onto the yellow wire
a. At this point it should look something like ​this
8. Attach the wires as shown in the ​diagram​. Use the female ends of the jumper cables to connect
to the logic converter, according to the diagram.
a. Red- B0
b. Blue- VCCB
c. Yellow- VCCA
d. Jumper Cable (Grey in Diagram)- A0
e. Jumper Cable (Orange in Diagram)- Ground
9. Follow diagram to wire the logic converter, controller, and Arduino together
a. Ground wires all go to the ground (GND) pin on the Arduino
b. Yellow goes to 5v on the Arduino
c. Grey goes to pin 8

Part 2: The Software

1. Download the Arduino Software (IDE)
a. Follow the guide on ​their website​ to set it up
2. In the Arduino IDE go to sketch->Include Library->manage library-> then search for “Nintendo”
and install it
3. Download ​Simple Controllers Arduino sketch​ (v2.0 as of writing)
4. Open it in the Arduino software and upload it to your Arduino
a. Connect the Arduino to your computer using the cable included with the Arduino
b. Go to tools and select the port that the Arduino is connected to (don’t worry if you get it
wrong the first time, the upload just won’t work and you’ll need to try a different port)
c. Hit the upload button (right arrow in the IDE)
5. Test to see if everything is working by going to the Melee versus screen and plugging in the
GameCube cord. If it is working, a hand should appear as if a normal controller was plugged in
 a. If working, you can now cover every connection with hot glue to ensure that it will never
come apart

Part 3: Creating the Wires for the Buttons- ​Diagram​, ​Example

1. You will need to crimp 25 quick disconnects onto the ​22awg wires
a. the wires should be long enough to reach any button on your box, mine are all around
1ft long for reference.
b. The easiest way to do this is to strip the wire a bit, add some solder, and then crimp it
on using the wire crimpers. ​Here is a guide to crimping​.
2. Then solder male ends onto each of the wires that have quick disconnects on them and cover
the exposed wires in shrink wrap

Part 4: ​The Top of the Box

1. Cut your piece of MDF using the wood saw to desired dimensions (my personal top is 16x9.5,
the smashboxx is 16x8. Don’t worry about getting it completely perfect.)
2. Print out the template(s) found below (can be printed using a standard printer if printing the
left and right sides separately)
a. Left side​, ​Right side​, C
​ omplete template
b. This is my personal build, I have the gimp files below if you wish to modify them. I have
smaller hands, but this design should accommodate for larger hands. The worst case
scenario is that you have to make the gap larger between the 4 analog buttons/top 8
buttons and the modifiers/c-stick
3. For the placement on my build there is a 2.75in distance between the two bottom buttons. Of
course, you can customize this to your liking.
4. Using a spade bit, hand-mark the middle of each of the buttons prior to drilling. Don’t be afraid
to really dig into it.
5. Drill the template using the 15/16” spade bit
a. Drilling can be dangerous. I take no responsibility for what happens if you hurt
yourself doing this.
b. Ensure the sheet is clamped down or at least not moving at all. Also place a piece of
wood beneath the sheet while drilling as it will make the holes cleaner.
6. Use some sandpaper to clean the wood (optional but recommended)

Part 5: The Rest of the Box

1. Building a box can be a bit difficult. I would recommend watching a YouTube video about it, or
alternatively find a prebuilt one with similar dimensions to 16x9x2
a. This one​ should work. It will be too shallow, but all you’d have to do is build up the sides
with small pieces of wood. Not the cleanest, but the easiest option.
 2. You will have to drill holes in the front of the box for the USB connection to the Arduino and the
cord from the GameCube controller. You can use a ½” spade bit, or if you don’t care about larger
holes the 15/16” bit will also work

Part 6: ​The Buttons

1. Insert the screw-in buttons into each hole in the MDF sheet
2. Connect the daisy chain ground wire to the buttons
3. Remember those wires that you attached quick disconnects to in Part 3? Grab them and attach
them to the underside of the buttons.
a. Each button will have both the daisy chain ground wire and the ones that you made in
part 3 attached to it
4. Connect your buttons to the following Arduino pins (following the guide below), and​ connect
the daisy chain ground to a ground (GND) pin on the Arduino​. The format shown below is
<OpenBoxx Button> = <Arduino Pin>
a. A = 22
b. B = 24
c. X = 26
d. Y = 28
e. Z = 30
f. START = 31
g. R = 34
h. L = 35
i. RLIGHT = 36
j. LEFT = 38
k. RIGHT = 39
l. UP = 40
m. DOWN = 41
n. X1 = 44
o. X2 = 45
p. Y1 = 46
q. Y2 = 47
r. CLEFT = 48
s. CRIGHT = 49
t. CUP = 50
u. CDOWN = 51
v. DPad Switch (changes x1/x2/y1/y2 to dpad when held down) = 12

Part 7: Attaching Everything

1. Secure both the logic converter and mega 2560 to the bottom of the box
2. Ensure that the GameCube Controller cord cannot be pulled out by securing it on the inside of
the box using electrical tape and tape down the hole it comes out of. This cord needs to be very
secure, as if it is pulled on it could damage the wires if it strains them.
 3. You can attach the sheet of MDF to the top of the box using a velcro, or just be lazy and use duct
tape. Or, you can carefully use screws. Do this last after the buttons are set up.
a. If using screws, predrill the holes and make sure to use small screws so you don’t crack
any of the wood.
b. You really want to have access to the inside of the box, which is why ​you shouldn’t glue
the top down.

Part 8: ​The Finished Product

1. This uses clear buttons to put artwork underneath of the buttons
a. I used a 15/16 frostner bit to drill holes in the lexan, which was relatively easy

Part 9: ​All of My Work​ (.xcf file with all the designs)

1. This is all of the work I did in GIMP for this project, it took about 2 months to finally nail down
the layout. I put a ton of work into this and really hope you enjoy your OpenB0XX. What this
section is really for though is a simple request, ​please help me improve upon this thing. ​I know
what I currently have is not perfect, but if the community were to band together and use our
collective knowledge to improve upon this design there is no doubt in my mind that we can
create a perfect box. That’s why this is called the OpenB0XX, it’s free to build, share, and edit.
2. In this document you will find the various revisions of the OpenBOXX. Some worked well, but
were later scrapped. Others were awful ideas that hurt my hands.

The end. If you have any questions at all please

ask. -PM /u/​Red_Delta11
PS- also if you only play smash games and want to branch out into the rest of the fgc please try out Guilty Gear, it has a
great tutorial that will teach you the basics. There is also a way to turn the OpenB0XX into a hitbox style controller, which
is not included in this guide, but it is not very difficult and can be done for under 25$ (For pc/ps3 and certain ps4 game
compatibility, having support for all consoles makes it more expensive). If enough people are interested in this idea I’ll
make a guide for that as well.
Pss- I don’t do commissions, if you want one prebuilt simple controllers does them