Update 2025-01-04-blue-boss.md

_posts/2025-01-04-blue-boss.md

@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 ---
-title: The Blue Boss (aka Grafting 8BitDo Zero 2 onto legacy Wico Boss joystick)
+title: The Blue Boss
 date: 2025-01-04
 type: post
 author: Beej
@@ -8,28 +8,32 @@ tags:
   - Entertainment
 ---
 
+## Grafting an 8BitDo Zero 2 onto a Wico Boss
+
 Basically looking to bluetooth enable my favorite old school Wico Boss joystick from early-90's Amiga youth days =)
 
-## Points of interest:
+### Points of interest:
 1. speaking of Amiga games, [Future Tank](https://amiga.abime.net/games/view/future-tank) gets the most reps =)
      - tip: make sure you find the version that doesn't have the water graphics bug
-   - sure is nice to have LaunchBox + RetroArch + puae emulating amiga games so smoothly on Android, besides being mobile, old school computer resolutions are tailor made for small form factor screens
+   - sure is nice to have [LaunchBox](https://www.launchbox-app.com/) emulating Amiga games so easily on Android... besides the sheer mobility, these old school computer resolutions are so perfect for small form factor screens
 1. I chose 8BitDo Zero 2 due to it's obvious good intersection of size, price ($20), features & availability
-   - sure would be nice if they threw all of us hackers a bone and broke out some real soldering points though! getting leads soldered to the little traces is by far the most challenging aspect of this approach.
-1. this was the [best reference i found](https://www.reddit.com/r/8bitdo/comments/ighlet/8bitdo_zero_and_zero_2_pcb/) to lead the way on soldering to this controller
+   - sure would be nice if they threw all of us hackers a bone and broke out some real soldering points though! getting leads soldered to the little traces is by far the most challenging aspect of going with this little guy
+1. one of the main reasons i wanted to post is there's not a lot of other examples out there to get a sense of where to solder
+   - this was the [best reference i found](https://www.reddit.com/r/8bitdo/comments/ighlet/8bitdo_zero_and_zero_2_pcb/)
    - sure wish that reddit wasn't closed so i could post some clarifications...
-   - main one being, i found no need to have two commons... i was readily able to combine ground from the left side area joy pad with fire button mapped to 'B' on the right side control pad
+   - main one being, **i found no need to tap into two different commons**... at least on my unit, combining ground from the left side area joypad with my fire mapped to 'B' on the right side control pad is totally operational
 1. i chose to mount the Zero 2 to the outside housing of the joystick so i could use all the other Zero 2 buttons without having to extend any more leads to new buttons on the Boss... 
-   - i could easily see people motivated for a more self contained aesthetic, this was a practical bee line for me to get something working with the least effort =)
-   - therefore i only needed solder 6 connections: joystick left,right,up,down, fire and ground
-1. but boy oh boy, getting those little leads to hold solder sure is a challenge!!!
+   - i could easily understand the motivation for a more self contained aesthetic, this was just the most practical straight shot for me to get something working with the least effort =)
+   - so i only needed solder 6 connections: joystick left,right,up,down, fire and ground
+   - and 6 pins fits perfectly with ubiquitous "[6 Pin JST SM Connectors](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07YWHCPW5/)" as a good sized way to make the 8bitdo detachable if i ever want to move this to another joystick
+1. boy oh boy, getting those little leads on the 8bitdo pcb to hold solder is like playing pin-the-tail on a bumblebee
    - this is where [fiberglass scratch pen](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002RMCFZM) is absolutely crucial
    - on amazon there's not many choices, definitely make sure to get the finest tip you can find for this kind of work
    - hopefully anyone looking here for reference gets a good enough sense of where i chose to tap into leads... 
      - when you zoom in it's pretty obvious one side of each control button pad with the big black intersecting "U" shapes has one U connecting to ground and then MOST of the opposing U's connect to an obvious "[via](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Via_(electronics))" which seem like the optimal place to scratch and solder ... but but not all of them go to an obvious via so you just have to scratch into somewhere along a fine lead... 
      - WARNING - once you have connected magnet wire to a trace lead, be very careful you don't tug the whole thing off... if you look at my joystick right pad you can see i ran into that kind of trouble
 1. **WIRE** - i also used [30 AWG enameled magnet wire](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CK83CR2B) like the reddit post and found that to be a good fit
-1. PHONE = soldering microscope - i think it's a good cheap hack here to use one's phone as a "soldering microscope"
+1. **PHONE = soldering microscope** - i think it's a good cheap hack here to use one's phone as a magnifier
    - i found i didn't need to go any more than 8-10x magnification to work on these small traces very effectively
    - i wound up getting a [$20 articulating magsafe stand](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CP29VTPY) to position the phone above the soldering area... i'm not sure this is the optimal choice but it worked well enough
    - little ["coin" microscopes](https://www.amazon.com/Elikliv-Microscope-Endoscope-Magnification-Adjustable/dp/B07QB79SN6) are amazingly cheap as well and this seems worth trying