R1 Gamepad

14 January 2026

Finally I've received daughter board with USB-C connector. I put wrong cc1 and cc2 lines resistors so for R1 to detect gamepad I had to use power meter since it has own cc lines resistors.

Anyways - here's short demo

23 November 2025

Finally got the PCBs from the manufacturer: five of them are empty, and one is complete, with all the components soldered.
I ran a simple electrical test before applying power, and everything looked fine. Then I connected the board to a USB power source, and there were no issues.
Quick and dirty test firmware has been complied using QMK and it worked!

I still need to order a second board to make it look pretty, but for the test, I connected the wires directly to J2, connected the board to Rabbit, and played Mortal Kombat: Unchained for a good half hour.

Couple things that made me nervous: 

1. My power meter tool was unable to detect any current draw when I hooked PCB to power source. Seems like un-flashed rp2040 does not really drawing anything.

2. Firmware was unable to detect buttons being pressed until I edited code and changed diode direction to 

COL2ROW even though I don't have diodes at all: every button is connected to it's own GPIO to prevent ghosting.

25 October 2025

I re-evaluated the cost of 3d printing/delivery/taxes and ordered myself basic 3d printer.

All 3d printed parts that I've ordered cost me ~ €115.
Printed I've ordered was ~ €200. 
Most probably it will be used for prototyping not for mass production, but even that can help cut costs.

24 October 2025

Second iteration of the 3D-printed case, I think I’ve finally decided on the overall size and look.

I will rework top part since I want this connection to be secure and reliable but it will do for now.