YOU CAN TURN GAMECUBE CONTROLLERS INTO REAL SWITCH JOY-CONS
Shank Mods moved real Joy-Con electronics into cut GameCube controller shells — they slide onto the Switch rails and work like normal Joy-Cons.
by Shank Mods
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Built with3D printing
- difficulty
- ●●●●●
- time
- a weekend-plus
- license
- CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
- repo
- repo FINISHED0 stars
●●●●● · a weekend-plus · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 · 0 stars · repo FINISHED
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
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COMPAREE VERDICT
This is a display piece for someone who already does board-level console work. You get the 3D files to remake the shells, but the electrical side — relocating the Joy-Con button lines to the GameCube button traces, finding the right one of several grounds, pulling the stick click up to 1.8 V — is only sketched in the thread, with dekuNukem's Joy-Con documentation and a multimeter to fill the gaps. Shank is blunt: 0402 pads, FFC pins and scratched traces are every soldering point on the project, and there are no second chances if you lift a pad. The result is beautiful and the geometry is careful, but unless you have done Joy-Con shell swaps or Game Boy mods that required trace cuts, this will go wrong before it goes right. The single biggest trap is cutting up controllers before you know you can do the soldering — Shank himself says not to cut your controller in half until you are sure. If you have the skills, the 3D files are solid. If you do not, this is not the project that will teach you.
IN THE REPO
GOOD TO KNOW
- —CAD files (STL and Inventor IPT, version 1.1) are available on BitBuilt under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.
- —No bill of materials and no full wiring diagram — the thread describes the method and points to dekuNukem's Joy-Con documentation for relocation points.
- —The creator says every soldering point is 0402 pads, FFC pins or scratched traces, and he did not write down the full wiring.
- —Licence is non-commercial — you cannot sell these.
- —You need two donor GameCube controllers and a pair of Joy-Cons; the Joy-Con button lines are rewired to the GameCube button traces.
- —No assembly instructions beyond the CAD geometry.
Parts to buy
4 itemsFrom our check of the build. Exact quantities and part numbers are in the creator’s BOM.
Can I build this?
Build at your own risk. Projects involve tools, electronics and sometimes mains voltage — follow the creator’s safety notes.
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Navigation into the creator’s own docs — we don’t rewrite the guide, we route you to the source.
- 1.Read the BitBuilt thread (The official CAD download and the creator's warnings; pair it with his YouTube build video — there is no step-by-step guide)
- 2.Check your soldering setup(If you do not have a hot-air station, a microscope, and experience with 0402 passives, stop here and learn on something cheaper first)
- 3.Print the shells in PLA(Test fit before buying controllers — the tolerances around the Joy-Con rails matter)
- 4.Source two GameCube controllers and one Joy-Con pair(Only buy after confirming the printed parts fit and you have the tools; you are cutting these apart and there is no undo)
KNOWN ISSUES
- You buy the GameCube controllers and Joy-Cons before you realise there is no step-by-step soldering guide — the creator says every solder point is 0402 pads, FFC pins or scratched traces, and the thread only points you to dekuNukem's Joy-Con notes and a multimeter.
- The licence is non-commercial, so you cannot sell completed units or offer this as a commission service.
- Joy-Con boards are not designed to be rewired; you are moving or removing components to fit them in a smaller shell, and a single lifted pad ends the build.
- The 3D files assume you will sort out the electronics yourself — dimensional accuracy is there, electrical guidance is not.
- If you have never done a shell swap that required trace cuts (Game Boy backlights, Joy-Con rail mods), this is not the project to start with.
- GameCube controller prices vary wildly by colour and condition; rare shells cost much more than common ones.
Do I need to modify the Joy-Con boards?
Yes, extensively. You frankencase the Joy-Con boards into the printed parts and relocate the button data lines to the actuator traces on cut-up GameCube controllers — every joint is 0402 pads, FFC pins or scratched traces. The thread gives the method and points to dekuNukem's documentation for relocation points, but there is no full wiring diagram; the rest you work out with a multimeter.
Can I sell these if I make them?
No. The licence is CC BY-NC-SA 4.0, which prohibits commercial use. You can build them for yourself, but not sell them or offer the service for money.
Will the GameCube stick feel the same?
Close, but it is not the original GameCube stick. Shank used Wii U stick boxes (the same as Switch Pro stick boxes) topped with GameCube stick caps, because GameCube sticks have no click button. Note his warning: the original PCB on Wii U stick boxes inverts one axis, so it has to be replaced with the plate included in the files.
What if I have never soldered 0402 components?
Do not start here. Practise on a cheap donor board first — a single slip can destroy a Joy-Con half, and you need both halves working. Shank's own advice: do not cut your controller in half until you are sure you can do the soldering.
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Discussion1
FROM THE COMPAREE TEAM
Shank says every soldering point is 0402 pads, FFC pins or scratched traces, and leaves the exact point-to-point wiring to dekuNukem's docs and a multimeter. If you have done Joy-Con shell swaps or similar mods, what would you expect to be the hardest part of the rewire?
Shank Mods
Shank Mods builds console hardware modifications, often involving board-level work and custom shells. This project was a response to the many fake renders of GameCube-style Joy-Cons: he wanted a pair that actually worked.
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DISCLAIMER
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- Information is provided without warranty and may become outdated as projects evolve. Prices are indicative bands only — always check the creator’s parts list for current costs.
- Building and operating any project is at your own responsibility. Protective equipment, safe workshop practice and compliance with local regulations are the builder’s responsibility.
CompareeTEAM12d agoedited
Practical notes from our verification: the BitBuilt thread provides the CAD files (STL and Inventor IPT) as a downloadable zip under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0, so you can modify the geometry but cannot sell builds. There is no BOM, no full wiring diagram and no step-by-step soldering guide; the creator says he did not write down which ground goes where. What you do get is a short description of the method, a photo of the soldering work, Shank Mods' build video, and a pointer to dekuNukem's Joy-Con reverse-engineering documentation for the relocation points, with the rest left to a multimeter. His warning that 0402 pads, FFC pins and scratched traces are every soldering point on the project is accurate: you are on your own for trace cuts and flex routing. If you do not already know what a lifted pad looks like under a microscope, this will be expensive practice. Correction (4 October 2026): we re-checked this page line by line against the project's own repository, documentation and videos, and fixed errors in earlier versions.