
English: 
Exploring Video Game Controllers.  By:  Branch Education / Teddy Tablante
Exploring the Playstation 4 [PS4] Dualshock Video Game Controller.  Similar to Playstation 5 [PS5] Dualsense Controller.
Also, similar to the Nintendo Switch Joy Con, and the Xbox One and Xbox Series X Video game Controller.
Video game controllers are precision devices that give
us access to competitive battlefields, uncharted worlds,
and epic storylines,
and this here is one of their most critical components.
But where is this circular metal object located, and what does it do?
In this episode, we're going to open
a PlayStation 4 DualShock video game
controller to see how it works.
First, we’ll go through the components
and then we’ll see how the buttons and analog sticks work,
and in the process, we’ll learn where this delicate metal disc is located,
and why it's critical in almost all of the console video games you play.
This episode is kind-of a mystery game,
so if you figure out where it’s located

English: 
Welcome to the additional puzzle subtitle track.
Welcome to the additional puzzle subtitle track.
Welcome to the additional puzzle subtitle track.
Welcome to the additional puzzle subtitle track.
Welcome to the additional puzzle subtitle track.
Welcome to the additional puzzle subtitle track.
Welcome to the additional puzzle subtitle track.
Email brancheducatepuzzle@gmail.com with your solution.
Email brancheducatepuzzle@gmail.com with your solution.
Email brancheducatepuzzle@gmail.com with your solution.
The puzzle starts now:
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English: 
Exploring Video Game Controllers.  By:  Branch Education / Teddy Tablante
Exploring the Playstation 4 [PS4] Dualshock Video Game Controller.  Similar to Playstation 5 [PS5] Dualsense Controller.
Also, similar to the Nintendo Switch Joy Con, and the Xbox One and Xbox Series X Video game Controller.
Video game controllers are precision devices that give
us access to competitive battlefields, uncharted worlds,
and epic storylines,
and this here is one of their most critical components.
But where is this circular metal object located, and what does it do?
In this episode, we're going to open
a PlayStation 4 DualShock video game
controller to see how it works.
First, we’ll go through the components
and then we’ll see how the buttons and analog sticks work,
and in the process, we’ll learn where this delicate metal disc is located,
and why it's critical in almost all of the console video games you play.
This episode is kind-of a mystery game,
so if you figure out where it’s located

English: 
Welcome to the Creator's Comments!
Welcome to the Creator's Comments!
Welcome to the Creator's Comments!
This is the 3rd time I'm adding these comments,
So hopefully they will be better timed.
I've decided to just space them 2sec apart.
I decided to cover video game controllers because
the PS5 is coming out, and they have an intricate
set of components inside the analog stick.
Also, my brother had a broken PS4 Controller.
The additional puzzle is not in this
subtitle track, but it's in the English (Ireland)
subtitle track.  Maybe eventually YouTube will
create a 'Creator's Comments' subtitle track.
The adding a puzzle to the video element
originated from watching YT videos and 
realizing riddles, puzzles, and mysteries 
add an additional level of engagement on top of the 
basic video itself.  If you ever have any creative ideas
don't hesitate to email me!
I really wanted to model a PS5 controller, but 
the console isn't available yet, and I thought 
it better to complete this episode well before
all of the PS5 videos, so that I don't compete
as much with them. Also the controller
design between Playstation controllers
is all very similar.  Also, let me know what you
Think about starting in this living room backdrop.
I think I'll start using similar settings
for future video intros.  In this intro
there is a sharper focus, than the rest of 

English: 
and what it does before I reveal the answer,
congratulations, and comment below with
the timestamp of when you figured it out.  So, let’s get started.
After removing a few screws,
we can take off the plastic outer housing
and see all the components inside.
On top, is the D-pad, the triggers, and several other buttons.
Below each button are conductive rubber
button gaskets, and below that is the flexible plastic contact board that
the conductive rubber presses against.
At the center of the controller is a  touchpad,
along with a small speaker.
Next is the mid-frame and below that,
the primary printed circuit board or PCB.
On the top side of the circuit board are a
number of components such as the microcontroller unit
which are the brains of the controller,
a pair of analog joysticks, the wireless communication microchip,

English: 
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English: 
and what it does before I reveal the answer,
congratulations, and comment below with
the timestamp of when you figured it out.  So, let’s get started.
After removing a few screws,
we can take off the plastic outer housing
and see all the components inside.
On top, is the D-pad, the triggers, and several other buttons.
Below each button are conductive rubber
button gaskets, and below that is the flexible plastic contact board that
the conductive rubber presses against.
At the center of the controller is a  touchpad,
along with a small speaker.
Next is the mid-frame and below that,
the primary printed circuit board or PCB.
On the top side of the circuit board are a
number of components such as the microcontroller unit
which are the brains of the controller,
a pair of analog joysticks, the wireless communication microchip,

English: 
the video that I do with the grid floor.
Also in this video, I tried to do relatively
seamless transitions between scenes.  But, 
in reality, this video is composed of 5 different scenes.
So, in this video, I make it look
really easy to open up this Playstation
video game controller, but in reality
it's a little bit harder.  There are a number
of brackets that fit into one another.
Also, there's a set of screws holding
down the PCB.  Furthermore, there are 
flat cables that interweave between
the PCB, the midframe, and the 
plastic contact board, and overall
it's probably 10min of disassembly time.
Also, after about half a week of researching
I couldn't find official names for some
of these components.  So I just used my
best guess as to what to properly call it.
Namely the conductive rubber button gasket
and the flexible contact board are best
guesses for what Sony calls them technically.
Additonally, the midframe has a little more detail.
By the way, these models were done by 
a Blender artist, Victor, who is credited
at the end of the video.  I'm trying to 
output a video every 4 weeks, but animation takes
a helluva lotta time.  
I'm not interested in keeping the frames still

English: 
or using stock images, so I don't
every really see the work load going down
but hopefully soon I'll get enough revenue
from the various sources [YT ads, Patreon, YT memberships]
hopefully sponsors that I'll be able to work with freelancers
and get the upload times shorter.
Have you noticed that I switched to 
3 second spacing between comments?  I think
this will fit a lot better than 2 seconds.  
Let me know for future episodes.
Let's briefly talk about another topic:  Namely one of the
goals of these videos.  One thing that I think is
missing, at least in the US [where I live], is a solid
High School / Secondary School curriculum that teaches
engineering.  Currently the extent of the curriculum focuses
on science, math, some computer science, and the engineering
curriculum focuses on prototyping and projects like
build a car that is powered by a mouse trap.
Or build a bridge out of noodles.  These 
are really great ways to teach design, teamwork, and 

English: 
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English: 
an antenna, a headphone jack,
an additional E.X.T. port for seldom used applications,
and a set of push buttons.  On the bottom of the PCB are a
set of connectors for flat cables to be plugged into,
an audio codec microchip,
and an accelerometer and gyroscope microchip.
below the PCB is the battery case
and the rechargeable lithium ion battery.
Next, attached to both sides of the mid-frame
are motors with off-balance weights that, when spun up,
cause the controller to vibrate.
Finally, attached to the back plastic housing,
we have an additional printed circuit board,
or daughter-board that holds the microUSB port,
and a multicolor LED with a set of plastic pieces
that guide and disperse the light
in order to illuminate the controller’s triangular light.
That’s pretty much it for the components.

English: 
an antenna, a headphone jack,
an additional E.X.T. port for seldom used applications,
and a set of push buttons.  On the bottom of the PCB are a
set of connectors for flat cables to be plugged into,
an audio codec microchip,
and an accelerometer and gyroscope microchip.
below the PCB is the battery case
and the rechargeable lithium ion battery.
Next, attached to both sides of the mid-frame
are motors with off-balance weights that, when spun up,
cause the controller to vibrate.
Finally, attached to the back plastic housing,
we have an additional printed circuit board,
or daughter-board that holds the microUSB port,
and a multicolor LED with a set of plastic pieces
that guide and disperse the light
in order to illuminate the controller’s triangular light.
That’s pretty much it for the components.

English: 
prototyping.  But they miss out on topics like
how do electronics work, or how do
computers work, or how do countless other
technologies that our lives depend on - work.
I'm not saying we should teach college
level courses on electronics in high school.
But I do think there should be a scaffolding
of engineering concepts that help better prepare
students for college.  By the way- if you are unfamiliar
with the concept of scaffolding, it is that 
to teach complex concepts like calculus
first you have to teach algebra and before algebra
you have to have a solid understanding of +,-,/,x.
So really the question becomes:
what is the best way to scaffold engineering
in high school / secondary school?  And my opinion 
is that we should be doing better at preparing
the students of today to build the moonbases and 
starships of tomorrow.
Okay!  Let's get back to the video's commentary

English: 
Have you figured out where this metal disk is located?
If you haven’t, here’s a hint:
there are 4 of them in every controller.
Let’s move on and see how the buttons work.
For each button on this PlayStation 4 controller,
there are 3 parts.  The plastic front face,
the rubber button gasket with a conductive bottom,
and the flexible plastic contact board.
On the contact board are a set
of intricate wires or traces protected by insulating plastic,
similar to the wires that run through the printed circuit board.
Below each button is a gap in the wire
that breaks the path of electricity.
When a button is pressed,
the conductive pad on the bottom of the rubber button gasket presses
against the contact board, and the gap is bridged,
thereby closing the circuit,
and allowing electricity to run through the traces.
When you let your finger off the button,
the shape and design of the rubber gasket

English: 
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Hint to the 2nd Puzzle:
Make a spreadsheet, and learn to spell.  If you need help, comment below.
[1]
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English: 
Have you figured out where this metal disk is located?
If you haven’t, here’s a hint:
there are 4 of them in every controller.
Let’s move on and see how the buttons work.
For each button on this PlayStation 4 controller,
there are 3 parts.  The plastic front face,
the rubber button gasket with a conductive bottom,
and the flexible plastic contact board.
On the contact board are a set
of intricate wires or traces protected by insulating plastic,
similar to the wires that run through the printed circuit board.
Below each button is a gap in the wire
that breaks the path of electricity.
When a button is pressed,
the conductive pad on the bottom of the rubber button gasket presses
against the contact board, and the gap is bridged,
thereby closing the circuit,
and allowing electricity to run through the traces.
When you let your finger off the button,
the shape and design of the rubber gasket

English: 
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English: 
pulls the conductive bridge away from the gap,
and the circuit is broken.
It may look complicated, but it’s a simple circuit that just gets completed
It may look complicated, but it’s a simple circuit that just gets completed
or closed when you press a button and becomes incomplete
or opens when the button lifts up.
Other push buttons use similar setups,
but with different materials and constructions.
This concept applies to all the buttons
except the L2 and R2 triggers.
Instead of having a gap that gets bridged,
these two buttons use  pressure sensitive resistors.
When the L2 or R2 trigger is pressed, 
the rubber button gasket
applies a force to the pressure sensitive resistor
and the change in resistance is measured by the microcontroller.
Details on how this works are included
in the Creator’s Comments.
Let’s move on and explore the analog sticks.
These analog sticks are solder-mounted
to the printed circuit board,

English: 
In this scene, the conductive bridge is adhered to the 
rubber gasket- but it is hard to see what is happening
when they are all overlapping in the same location.
Interestingly, in the controller, the L1 and R1 buttons
are active-high.  I really don't know why
Sony engineers did this aside from those are the 
specs of the microcontroller unit.
The L2 and R2 Buttons use force sensitive resistors [FSR]
Previous playstation controllers had all the buttons as force sensitive.
But a lot of games didn't use the analog features of FSRs,
so the PS4 dualshock only has 2 pressure sensitive buttons.
The L2 and R2 buttons are designed to have considerable
distance when pressed compared to the other buttons.
And this is great for games that have acceleration/ decel.
These FSRs [Force Sensitive Resistors] work by 
having the contact pad dome shaped, and when 
you press on the dome shaped pad, you squish
the pad against the resistive material, and this 
squishing like action bridges more of the resistive material.
Think of a ball pressing against a table.

English: 
pulls the conductive bridge away from the gap,
and the circuit is broken.
It may look complicated, but it’s a simple circuit that just gets completed
It may look complicated, but it’s a simple circuit that just gets completed
or closed when you press a button and becomes incomplete
or opens when the button lifts up.
Other push buttons use similar setups,
but with different materials and constructions.
This concept applies to all the buttons
except the L2 and R2 triggers.
Instead of having a gap that gets bridged,
these two buttons use  pressure sensitive resistors.
When the L2 or R2 trigger is pressed, 
the rubber button gasket
applies a force to the pressure sensitive resistor
and the change in resistance is measured by the microcontroller.
Details on how this works are included
in the Creator’s Comments.
Let’s move on and explore the analog sticks.
These analog sticks are solder-mounted
to the printed circuit board,

English: 
Also, on the PSdev website they call it an analog button
and in some areas they call it a pressure sensitive button.
That's why I call is pressure sensitive.
Let's move onto the analog joystick
also called an analog stick.
This assembly is a perfect melding of electrical
and mechanical engineering. First, this analog stick 
is pretty much identical to those used in the Xbox controller.
But they are very different to joysticks used in the Nintendo 
Switch Joy-Con.  Both controllers follow the same principles 
of how potentiometers work, but the Joy-Con uses a pair of 
linear potentiometers, where the wiper moves up and down 
along a linear track.
It's pretty impressive how these components can be
used for every day for years on end, and still stay true
to their sensitivity in measuring rotation.
That being said- let's talk about how these 
components fail- which happens.  Namely let's talk about
Joystick Drift:  If you don't know, it's when 
the joystick not being used, and in the center

English: 
and each one has almost a dozen different parts inside.
On top we have the rubber thumb pad
and the plastic joystick shaft below it.
Next, we have a metal housing
that limits the movement of the joystick.
Inside the metal housing are a pair of plastic
brackets that are perpendicular
to one another called followers.
The function of these following brackets
is to change the up down left and right movements
of the analog stick into a small rotation over here.
Each of these brackets is attached to a potentiometer whose function
in this application is to measure rotation.
If you push the analog stick to the bottom right,
these two brackets will rotate, which in turn will rotate the center
of these two potentiometers.
Let’s open one of the potentiometers 
to see how it works

English: 
and each one has almost a dozen different parts inside.
On top we have the rubber thumb pad
and the plastic joystick shaft below it.
Next, we have a metal housing
that limits the movement of the joystick.
Inside the metal housing are a pair of plastic
brackets that are perpendicular
to one another called followers.
The function of these following brackets
is to change the up down left and right movements
of the analog stick into a small rotation over here.
Each of these brackets is attached to a potentiometer whose function
in this application is to measure rotation.
If you push the analog stick to the bottom right,
these two brackets will rotate, which in turn will rotate the center
of these two potentiometers.
Let’s open one of the potentiometers 
to see how it works

English: 
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English: 
and somehow joystick reads that it is very gently
being pushed in one direction or another.  I considered
adding this element to the video, but didn't want this video
to be a 'how to repair' this issue or that issue in electronic devices.
So, joystick drift most of the time is caused by two issues
1) Is dust, dirt or debris getting caught on the track or wiper
This is fixed by opening up the controller and delicately
opening up the potentiometer and wiping the track and wiper
with alcohol on a Qtip.  It also helps to spray compressed air
on the wiper and track.  The second issue can be
2) the wiper is worn because, overtime used things
wear down.  This can be fixed by again, opening up the 
potentiometer and replacing the wiper itself with one that you 
grabbed from a separate controller, or one that you 
purchased online.  It's a little harder, to replace this wiper, but it 
is doable.  There are a variety of other YouTube videos that 
step you through this process.  On a different note:
There is an entire area of engineering called 
reliability engineering.  And their job is to try to make
components like this one live as long as possible.  

English: 
Voila!
Inside we find that small metal piece we’ve been talking about
and it’s called a wiper.
On this side we have a plastic housing
which contains electrically resistive material
printed in a set of two circles on the inside called a track.
The key concept is that electrical resistance
is proportional to the length of the resistive material,
so if we are able to vary the length of the
electrically resistive material, we can vary the overall resistance,
which the microcontroller can easily measure.
So, when we rotate the wiper, the position where the wiper
contacts the track changes, and thus changes the effective length
of the resistive material that electricity flows through.
Let’s follow the path of electricity.
We can see that this metal disk, or wiper, is rotated
by the following bracket.  The wiper contacts the track
in different locations than before, thus changing the distance along

English: 
Voila!
Inside we find that small metal piece we’ve been talking about
and it’s called a wiper.
On this side we have a plastic housing
which contains electrically resistive material
printed in a set of two circles on the inside called a track.
The key concept is that electrical resistance
is proportional to the length of the resistive material,
so if we are able to vary the length of the
electrically resistive material, we can vary the overall resistance,
which the microcontroller can easily measure.
So, when we rotate the wiper, the position where the wiper
contacts the track changes, and thus changes the effective length
of the resistive material that electricity flows through.
Let’s follow the path of electricity.
We can see that this metal disk, or wiper, is rotated
by the following bracket.  The wiper contacts the track
in different locations than before, thus changing the distance along

English: 
which the electricity passes through the resistive track,
thereby changing the overall resistance.
The wiper is specially designed so that
the metal is bent to continuously press against the track
at an exact set of locations.
This allows for precise measurement of movements of the joystick,
which is critical for any eSports or similar video game.
Furthermore, we can see that for clockwise
and counterclockwise rotation of the potentiometer
we use a set of three terminals.
One connects to the wiper, and the other two connect to each
side of the track for measuring left and right or up and down motions.
There are similar setups in each of the 4 potentiometers.
In addition, below the analog stick
is a small assembly that presses on a push button when the analog
stick is pressed in.  Finally, there is a spring
that returns the analog stick to the center

English: 
A common term they use is called MTBF, or mean time between failure.
And reliability engineers build test stands that operate controllers, 
and measure how long it takes before one of these controllers fails.
There are also other solutions to preventing joystick drift,
like making the analog stick easily replacable, or some type of 
software that can calibrate the controller.  
Sony has probably considered adding these features, but at
some point they evaluated that joystick drift was so rare
that they just didn't need to fix it.
[*Cough* or they thought of it as a way to sell more controllers]
Anywho, let's move on and talk about the process of making
this video.  Particularly, it took me about 
3 days to research, and then another 3 days to write.
Due to working with Victor,
I saved about a week of modeling time.
Once the PlayStation controller was modelled 
I had to rig it which took about half a day.
Then I had to setup the intro scene and animate it 
which took a week.  And then each section took 3 days
to animate.  

English: 
which the electricity passes through the resistive track,
thereby changing the overall resistance.
The wiper is specially designed so that
the metal is bent to continuously press against the track
at an exact set of locations.
This allows for precise measurement of movements of the joystick,
which is critical for any eSports or similar video game.
Furthermore, we can see that for clockwise
and counterclockwise rotation of the potentiometer
we use a set of three terminals.
One connects to the wiper, and the other two connect to each
side of the track for measuring left and right or up and down motions.
There are similar setups in each of the 4 potentiometers.
In addition, below the analog stick
is a small assembly that presses on a push button when the analog
stick is pressed in.  Finally, there is a spring
that returns the analog stick to the center

English: 
of the metal bracket and returns the analog stick
to its un-pressed state.
That wraps this episode up!
By the way, this type of construction
is similar to other video game controllers,
however of course there is considerable
variation in layout and design.
Thanks for watching!  Comment below with any questions
or thoughts you may have.
Furthermore, we added the creator’s comments
to the English Canadian subtitles,
if you’re curious for more details, along with an additional puzzle,
we recommend you check it out.
Additionally, if you want to explore and
use these 3D models of a video game controller
you can purchase them on Blender Market
using the link in the description.
We’d like to thank our Patreon Supporters
and YouTube Membership Supporters
for helping in our goal of exploring
complex engineering concepts!
If you want to help this channel,

English: 
In your comment, explain how this controller is similar and different to a Joy Con, a XBox or a PS5 Controller.
In your comment, explain how this controller is similar and different to a Joy Con, a XBox or a PS5 Controller.

English: 
Following animation, rendering took about 200ish hours
but I render scenes in the evening, so it overlaps
with animating, but there's usually 50 or so hours 
after I finish animating that I still have to render.
If you ever want to get into making videos like this one
install Blender, and then watch BlenderGuru
and Tutor4u to learn some basics on using Blender.
Make a number of animations, and see how far you can get.
Then reach out to me if you have any further questions.
But before asking 'how did you make this?' 
do some research and then ask 'how did you do this
particular thing- I tried these two methods, and 
couldn't get it done properly.
By the way this is what blender looks like!
Maybe at some point I should make my background similar
to the Blender floor- it would be interesting indeed.
Thanks a ton to my YouTube Members and 
Patreon sponsors!!  
Hopefully eventually I'll get sponsered and be 

English: 
of the metal bracket and returns the analog stick
to its un-pressed state.
That wraps this episode up!
By the way, this type of construction
is similar to other video game controllers,
however of course there is considerable
variation in layout and design.
Thanks for watching!  Comment below with any questions
or thoughts you may have.
Furthermore, we added the creator’s comments
to the English Canadian subtitles,
if you’re curious for more details, along with an additional puzzle,
we recommend you check it out.
Additionally, if you want to explore and
use these 3D models of a video game controller
you can purchase them on Blender Market
using the link in the description.
We’d like to thank our Patreon Supporters
and YouTube Membership Supporters
for helping in our goal of exploring
complex engineering concepts!
If you want to help this channel,

English: 
able to turn off the YouTube ads.  I know 
that they are annoyances at times.
That about wraps up these creator comments
Thanks for reading them!!  And thanks for watching this video
Commented by Teddy Tablante

English: 
The puzzle has 61 Characters in it.  It is also found between time 0:10 to 5:20.
The puzzle has 61 Characters in it.  It is also found between time 0:10 to 5:20.
The puzzle has 61 Characters in it.  It is also found between time 0:10 to 5:20.

English: 
subscribe, like this video and share it 
with others.
Thanks for watching,
and remember to consider the conceptual simplicity,
yet structural complexity
in the world around you!

English: 
subscribe, like this video and share it 
with others.
Thanks for watching,
and remember to consider the conceptual simplicity,
yet structural complexity
in the world around you!
