NES Controller Kill Switch [Instructables How-To]

Kill switches, or e-stops, allow guitarists to either add dramatic effects to their music or allow a swift cut between singing and playing (if you’re more Jack White than Tom Morello). In this handy Instructable, we show you how to dissemble your old NES controller and wire it to make the “A” button a kill switch.

Materials
-Electric guitar
–NES controller
-Set of black and red wires
-Small Philips head screwdriver
-Soldering iron and solder
-Gloves
-Scissors
-Tape (optional)

Step One: Take Apart the NES Controller
Remove the six screws from the back of the controller and set aside — you will need them later — and remove the green Printed Circuit Board (PCB) from the plastic.

Step Two: Convert the “A” Button
Grab your gloves and solder the black and red wires to the “A” button terminals, the first and last terminals on the second row of the PCB.

Step Three: Discard the Unnecessary Wires
On the other side of the circuit board, find and cut off the five colored wires that fit into the black tube of the controller. Put the circuit board back in place, making sure the black and red wires you added are free, and replace the screws on the back of the controller.

Step Four: Manipulate the Guitar Output
Take out the screws on either side of the guitar output and remove.

Step Five: Convert the Controller
Solder the other sides of the black and red wires to the ends of the output jack. Hint: There should be three metallic branches on the jack, and you should solder the wires to the branches where there’s already wires soldered. It shouldn’t matter which wire goes where.

Step Six: Final Touches
Screw the output jack back in place, tape the now converted NES controller to your guitar (for style points), and experiment with your new tool—all fixed to slay audiences at your next show, rather than angry mushrooms or dragons.

Visit the Instructables “How To” for further instruction, more detailed photographs, and tips on where to buy materials.