Prepare PS2 controller plug - Micha213/BlueRetro-PS1-2-Receiver GitHub Wiki

Removing the plug:

The plug from the controller must be removed from its housing. The easiest method I found:

  1. Clamp the housing on the long side in a vise and exert some pressure on the housing
  2. Push the plug back and forth at 90° to the clamping direction
  3. The retaining lugs should detach easily and you can remove the plug without damaging it
  4. Remove the hose and everything else from the wires

New wire for power:

If you look closely at the stripped individual wires on the plug, you will see that they are very thin. Only the wires for GND (and Shield) are a lot thicker. The diameter of the wire is sufficient to supply the controller with power. However, the ESP32 consumes much more power and the wire is too thin for that. It is highly recommended to replace the wire! A cable cross-section of 0.14 mm² should be sufficient.

In order to solder the new wire to the power pin (8V), you should remove the pin. To do this, first remove the plastic bar that holds the pins in place. You can carefully pry it up with a flat screwdriver. If your plug does not have such a plastic bar, see Type 2 plug below

Then the pin must be pulled out backwards. The easiest way for me was to lock the plug. Then pull on the wire at the back and push it at the same time from the front with a blunt object. It can be a bit difficult to remove the pin. If the pin breaks, you still have a spare pin at 3.6V, as we don't need it.

The hardest thing is done when the pin is out. Now remove the old wire, solder a 6-8cm long piece of new wire, insert the pin again and attach the plastic strip again.

The wire only need to be replaced for the 8V power pin. The wires for GND + Shield (also GND) are sufficiently thick and the thin wires are suitable for the data lines.

Type 2 plug:

There are different variants of the plug. If your plug doesn't have a removable plastic bar like the one above, pulling out the pin is a bit more difficult as you don't have a way to loosen the attachment. The pin therefore sits much tighter. The following written applies to the two connectors marked 2 and 3 in the picture.

I pulled the pin out by placing a small flat head screwdriver on the back of the pin, levering it up and pulling the cable at the same time. It takes a lot of force and the plastic will bend. That's not that bad, just press it back down afterwards.