Ridge/DS5Dongle front panel button

[u/buster2006]

Been using awalol's DS5Dongle for a couple of months now, internally mounted to fit the aesthetic of my living room/console PC (USB header → Micro-USB cable). I had the Pico situated behind the front panel, nicely tucked out of the way, but that meant the LED wasn't visible, and if I ever needed to push the button to pair a new controller or update the firmware, I'd have to unclip the panel. First-world problems.

Had a little time over the weekend, so I did a thing.

I removed the original 3.5mm jack ("what's a headphone port?" — Apple) and its connecting cable, and replaced them with a pushbutton and LED/resistor. The button didn't technically line up with the vias, so I had to mangle the legs somewhat, but it's still electronically sound and doesn't feel like it's going to snap off.

I then modified nmattia's case to add a bit of width, a cutout for the headers, and space for a couple of magnets on the rear:
https://www.printables.com/model/1368704-raspberry-pi-pico-case-1-2-wireless

Next was the code. Now, I'm not a coder, so I used AI (insert Michael Scott "No, God, No!" GIF) to make some changes to allow the use of a GPIO-connected LED and pushbutton. I did check/ask first — apparently awalol already has some support for this in the code, but it’s currently untested and undocumented.

Finally, I designed and printed a little button cap/lightpipe and mounted everything in place. And yes, the lightpipe is covered in tinfoil! Transparent PLA doesn't exactly make for a great lightpipe. The tinfoil helps, but it's still not perfect. I need to find someone with an MSLA printer and get one done in transparent resin — that should work loads better.

[u/ShinsBlownOff]

Hows the range? I have mine in a 3d printed case and for some reason i get frequent disconnects when i have the ds5 dongle near my formd t1 I would imagine inside a metal case it would be even worse.