How to Make a PlayStation (or Xbox) Controller Bracelet
Cut it open., Break it apart., Take out electronics., Snap the board., Clean up., Pull off the button bits., Make holes., Sand them., Cut some wire., Wire the holes., Knot it up.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Cut it open.
It's far too difficult to gracefully open up these controllers so you'll be prying it open.
Slide the blade into the palm portion of the controller below all the buttons and cut through the screws (1 on each palm).
Do this over a non-slip surface and be careful. , Once you have the top and bottom separated on the palms, pull them apart and snap the back of the controller.
You may have to do it one side at a time, breaking the middle of the controller too.
That's fine., Rip out the battery first, then left (L) and right (R) buttons if you can, and the vibrators.
Dispose of these and the pieces of the shell you have taken off already.
Recycle the battery next time you go to a store that recycles them, such as Best Buy––don't throw it in the trash if you have battery recycling in your area., Pull the circuit board apart.
It should break apart in the center so you'll have to pull from each side.
The analog sticks will fall out here.
Once the board is off you should be able to remove the L&R buttons if you couldn't get them before.
Be careful when you remove the rubber backing to the buttons as they aren't secured to anything now.
They will fall out and the PS button is easy to lose., Set aside anything you want to use and discard any bits of mangled controller that you don't need anymore.
Here's where the real work starts., The buttons have little plastic wings to keep them in place.
These get in the way.
Use pliers to peel them off. , (Before drilling you may choose to hollow the buttons.) Use the hand drill to make a hole for the cord.
The buttons are angled so be careful of your drilling directions.
It's easy to drill at a weird angle on these.
Try to find a hand drill with a small enough bit.
The smallest bit big enough for your cord is best. , Use the "fine"
or more rough side of your sanding sponge to grind the buttons down to a reasonable height.
Again, keep in mind the odd angle.
If you want the buttons to sit flat, you'll have to sand one side more than the other for a bit to flatten it out.
Use the "very fine" side of the sponge to smooth the edges of the buttons so that they don't cut your wrist up.
And, you're going to create a bunch of colored plastic dust, so be sure to have newspaper down or use an easy-wipe surface to work on, as shown here. , Cut off about 18 inches (45cm) of bracelet wire.
In this tutorial, we tied a small knot at one end to keep the buttons from falling off.
You're going be cutting the ends off later, so feel free to knot up all you want., Slide the buttons on in the order and direction you'd like.
Leave some room between each button.
Depending on your wrist size, you can tie a tiny, basic knot to keep the buttons from all grouping up in one place.
If you really feel like measuring, you can tie a tiny knot on each side of every button so they don't slide around at all.
This will give the best look, but it's a pain to do., The type of wire used is not good for adjusting, so you will have to either leave it loose enough to put on and take off, or tie it up and leave it on.
The best way to knot these is to make two hooks out of the wire, hook them around each other, and twist the ends up like twist ties.
This holds well, but make sure you have one of those "tiny basic knots" on the ends for when you take it off or if it falls off, so that the buttons don't scatter.
Cut off the ends of the wire and you have yourself a new geeky gamer bracelet! -
Step 2: Break it apart.
-
Step 3: Take out electronics.
-
Step 4: Snap the board.
-
Step 5: Clean up.
-
Step 6: Pull off the button bits.
-
Step 7: Make holes.
-
Step 8: Sand them.
-
Step 9: Cut some wire.
-
Step 10: Wire the holes.
-
Step 11: Knot it up.
Detailed Guide
It's far too difficult to gracefully open up these controllers so you'll be prying it open.
Slide the blade into the palm portion of the controller below all the buttons and cut through the screws (1 on each palm).
Do this over a non-slip surface and be careful. , Once you have the top and bottom separated on the palms, pull them apart and snap the back of the controller.
You may have to do it one side at a time, breaking the middle of the controller too.
That's fine., Rip out the battery first, then left (L) and right (R) buttons if you can, and the vibrators.
Dispose of these and the pieces of the shell you have taken off already.
Recycle the battery next time you go to a store that recycles them, such as Best Buy––don't throw it in the trash if you have battery recycling in your area., Pull the circuit board apart.
It should break apart in the center so you'll have to pull from each side.
The analog sticks will fall out here.
Once the board is off you should be able to remove the L&R buttons if you couldn't get them before.
Be careful when you remove the rubber backing to the buttons as they aren't secured to anything now.
They will fall out and the PS button is easy to lose., Set aside anything you want to use and discard any bits of mangled controller that you don't need anymore.
Here's where the real work starts., The buttons have little plastic wings to keep them in place.
These get in the way.
Use pliers to peel them off. , (Before drilling you may choose to hollow the buttons.) Use the hand drill to make a hole for the cord.
The buttons are angled so be careful of your drilling directions.
It's easy to drill at a weird angle on these.
Try to find a hand drill with a small enough bit.
The smallest bit big enough for your cord is best. , Use the "fine"
or more rough side of your sanding sponge to grind the buttons down to a reasonable height.
Again, keep in mind the odd angle.
If you want the buttons to sit flat, you'll have to sand one side more than the other for a bit to flatten it out.
Use the "very fine" side of the sponge to smooth the edges of the buttons so that they don't cut your wrist up.
And, you're going to create a bunch of colored plastic dust, so be sure to have newspaper down or use an easy-wipe surface to work on, as shown here. , Cut off about 18 inches (45cm) of bracelet wire.
In this tutorial, we tied a small knot at one end to keep the buttons from falling off.
You're going be cutting the ends off later, so feel free to knot up all you want., Slide the buttons on in the order and direction you'd like.
Leave some room between each button.
Depending on your wrist size, you can tie a tiny, basic knot to keep the buttons from all grouping up in one place.
If you really feel like measuring, you can tie a tiny knot on each side of every button so they don't slide around at all.
This will give the best look, but it's a pain to do., The type of wire used is not good for adjusting, so you will have to either leave it loose enough to put on and take off, or tie it up and leave it on.
The best way to knot these is to make two hooks out of the wire, hook them around each other, and twist the ends up like twist ties.
This holds well, but make sure you have one of those "tiny basic knots" on the ends for when you take it off or if it falls off, so that the buttons don't scatter.
Cut off the ends of the wire and you have yourself a new geeky gamer bracelet!
About the Author
Linda Jimenez
Dedicated to helping readers learn new skills in lifestyle and beyond.
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