I've just started a project, my friend gave me this old PS2 controller, so I could "just do something cool with it for $15" So I figured I could spray the case pepper red and wire up some LEDs to + and - terminals that power the vibration motors on the controller. It sounds easy enough. I just opened the controller and picked up some water clear blue LEDs. I'm just worried about voltage issues with the controller are there any when doing this?
-Derek
PS2 Vibration LEDs
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A_Username
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PSX(2,3) controllers use +9v for rumble IIRC, the average voltage drop across an LED is in the 2 or 3v range.
So either the led will fry, or the motor will barely spin because its only getting 3 volts.
But if you put a resistor in there youd probably be ok. like 50 or 100 ohms.
So either the led will fry, or the motor will barely spin because its only getting 3 volts.
But if you put a resistor in there youd probably be ok. like 50 or 100 ohms.
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bicostp
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If you hook up the motor and LED in parallel you won't get that problem.timmeh87 wrote:So either the led will fry, or the motor will barely spin because its only getting 3 volts.
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bicostp
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Yeah, unless you want diode a la flambé. 
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no, if you hook the motor and -just- the led up in parallel, thats what happens.
an (ideal) LED always will have its own rated voltage drop across it, and since the motor's leads are connected to the exact same place in the circuit, they therefore must have the exact same voltage across them. Therefore almost all of the current will run through the LED (remember, an led is just a diode, and it more or less acts like a short circuit in the forward direction), and the motor will only see maybe 3v.
But, I can tell you from experience that hooking an LED up to +9v will fry it in less than 10 seconds, most of the time. It will then probably just be an open circuit (no connection) and the controller will continue to function normally.
If you put a current-limiting resistor in there, of course, it acts differently. The resistor drops a lot of voltage and balances everything out.
an (ideal) LED always will have its own rated voltage drop across it, and since the motor's leads are connected to the exact same place in the circuit, they therefore must have the exact same voltage across them. Therefore almost all of the current will run through the LED (remember, an led is just a diode, and it more or less acts like a short circuit in the forward direction), and the motor will only see maybe 3v.
But, I can tell you from experience that hooking an LED up to +9v will fry it in less than 10 seconds, most of the time. It will then probably just be an open circuit (no connection) and the controller will continue to function normally.
If you put a current-limiting resistor in there, of course, it acts differently. The resistor drops a lot of voltage and balances everything out.
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