News

Summer Ver4's Shipping !

2012-05-05T13:46:42Z

After a long winter not able to ship as many controllers as I would of liked, I'm gearing up for a BIG summer of Panther XL Ver4's ! If you contacted me previously to get your name on the waiting list, your name is still on the list and I hope to be sending you an email shortly !

All ver4's use USB ver4's have the following features:

1) Electronics with newest firmware compatible with XIM3 Xbox adapter featuring joystick and keystick mods
2) Logitech G400 mouse, mouse speed buttons wired into joystick port cover to adjust mouse speed in game
3) New wiring harness
4) New bearings
5) New 3M Bumpcon rubber feet
6) New button layout with trigger, pinky and thumb buttons wired into mouse for best performance
7) Textured ball for best performance
8) Buttons and shell cleaned to remove the "Sticky Button Syndrome" from the rubber coating breaking down
9) Includes resource CD with all setup programs, howto videos and user specific configs
10) Return Shipping via UPS Ground with tracking numbers, international shipping at extra charge

Prices for Panther XL USB Ver4's as follows

A) Complete Ver4 using a donor Panther XL provide by Steveo where customer sends only payment and gets a complete unit shipped to them - $225 complete

B) Custommer suppilied Panther XL, you ship your Panther XL to me, I rebuilding into a complete USB ver4 fixing and making unit as new I as can and returning unit to you - $200 complete

C) Customer supplies multiple Panther XL's for trade in (at $25 each) and gets one or more than one controller back. I give $25 for each controller but reserve the right to decline the purchase of used controllers if they are too worn to be rebuilt !

As above, I do not have new parts to rebuild controllers so things like a lot of stick play can not always be fixed !

The only way to truly fix the joystick slop is to manufacture new Joystick Gimble parts ! If you have access to a 3D scanner or have tools to blueprint small parts for the Panther XL, drop me a line. Ideally I would like to 3D Print new parts or have them CNC'ed so that they never wear out !

Sorry for not being able to ship as many orders as fast as I would like, hopefully in next few months ALL orders can be taken and shipped !

Panther XL Ver4's are shipping !

2011-12-18T16:32:57Z

The units are going out but the wait list is still long, at this point I am just filling the wait list and not able to immeadiately ship units !

If you would like to get on the list, please use the form in the sidebar to contact me.

The normal price for a complete Panther XL ver4 with shipping and all options (new bearings, harness, top of the line G400 mouse, mouse speed buttons added to outside of Panther XL) is $225. I am also taking trades in controllers at $25 each but reserve the right to reject very worn out controllers.

Panther XL Orders Start Shipping December 1 2011 !

2011-11-21T15:34:58Z

I have confirmed that USB boards will begin to ship to me one week from today, I will begin modding controllers this week and the first batch of 3 to 5 units will go out around December 1st 2011. I should be able to ship 3 to 5 units a week there after with over 50 users on the wait list !

I have sent emails to the first potencal buyers on list and if I dont hear from them in few days I will move to next users on list ! When units are boxed and ready to ship I will require payment but not before !

Still looking to take in trade in's if you have controllers to trade, I can still give $25 per unit, will need to have you ship controllers first, then I mod one of them to return ship. When that controller is done I will request payment. If your paying cash (rather you didn't send cash) or check (certified or money order please) we can include that in the shipment of the trades.

If your not sure your on list or want to be on list the contact form on sidebar how to contact me !

Panther XL Orders, introducing the Ver4 !

2011-10-25T13:15:38Z

If all goes as planned I will have USB boards again in November and be able to fill orders. My plan is to fill orders as I can build controllers, I will build a complete controller and then sell it to whomever is next in line. I may also have one controller for sale on eBay at a time and if your willing to bid against other users you can get a controller without the wait.

In years past the problem with the store is I get orders at the most inopportune times for me. I may get three orders in on a weekend I'm not able to work on controllers. This makes for a lot of friction between me and my family because I'm trying to get orders out and they need me as well !

I will more than likely sell one complete controller, the package will be called the ver4 because of the new firmware, new mouse, new buttons and new button layouts:

Panther XL donor supplied by Steveo
USB ver4 mod with newest firmware (XIM3 Compatible) with Keystick and Joystick modes
Upgraded wiring harness, robotics grade wires never break under joystick movement
New bearings better trackball smooth rolling action
New Logitech G400 mouse twice as fast as discontinued MX518 with mouse speed buttons wired into the the foot pedal port of the Panther XL. This allows mouse speed to be adjusted on the fly !
New wiring layout with mouse buttons wired into the joystick trigger, pinky and thumb button for even faster response. This layout requires two isolated circuits in the joystick portion of the controller and greatly complicates the building of the controller.
Controllers setup and calibrated in Keystick mode, comes with custom CD with all configs and software needed !

I have not finalized the price yet but if USB boards and G400 mouse remain at current price I should be able to sell the ver4 for $225 to $250 complete ! The new features and hardware add significantly more work to the mod and therefore the prices have to increase. This would be the first increase in price in the 10 years of building controllers.

As always, more to come !

Steveo

Panther XL Store is down, no new orders !

2011-07-17T16:31:47Z

Unfortunately I have to take the Pantehr XL store down because Dave the engineer has landed a dream job with a Japanese Gaming company and is currently away in Japan ! So while congrats to Dave, I am unable to sell Panther XL USB's a this time !

It will be sometime in September before Dave is back in the USA and able to fill USB orders. While not ideal, summer is the slowest seasson so if it has to happen now is a good time.

As always, more to come !

Steveo

XIM3 Support Update:

2011-03-06T14:57:58Z

The Panther XL ver3 is working well on the XIM3, one thing that needed to be sorted was the physical mouse speed buttons on the shell of the MX518 were needed to change the mouse speed on the XIM while playing.

I traced out the buttons and was able to find solder points for the up and down speed switches. I also purchased small switches from radio shack and mounted them into the rudder pedal blank so not to drill holes in the PXL shell ! The end result is mouse speed switches on the outside of the PXL that work to adjust the MX518 to work well in the XIM3. Switches would also work to adjust mouse speed in PC games.

Check out the gallery of the addon swtiches, I will be adding switches to users controllers as a upgrade service. User will have to get the controller to me, cover return shipping ($15) and cover parts and labor ($10) and I will installed the switches and return.

On new controllers this will be a $10 upgrade...

XIM3 Support FIXED !

2011-03-04T01:15:42Z

Just sent new firmware to the beta testers and got this back:

I'M PLAYING COD BLACK OPS ON THE XBOX WITH MY PXL VER 3!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
All keys bind!

DOF

I think that sums things up pretty well ! The engineer Dave got the support to work on the second try, beta testers Patrick and Robert got things sorted out and tested and are now playing !

We still have to do some dialing in of the trackball by adding speed setting switches on the shell of PXL, but we are working on that too !

Check back as more will be posted, but if you can get your hands on a XIM3 the Panther XL ver3 with new firmware will work !

Just shows how awesome the Panther XL ver3 really is, a new firmware flash and new features are added to the controller !

Here is a Howto on the Firmware Flash

XIM 3 and Panther XL Ver3

2011-02-28T18:10:59Z

A few users have jumped in and purchased the XIM3 for the Xbox 360 to play games with a USB Keyboard and Mouse. The idea is to use the Panther XL Ver3 in keystick mode + XIM3 Adapter + Wired Xbox360 Controller = Panther XL support in Xbox 360.

It would also be possible to use a Xbox 360 to Playstaion 3 Adapter to play use the Panther XL on Playstation 3 as well !

Not able to get my hands on a XIM3 yet (but one on the way) the other users with them have reported that the WASD movements of the joystick are usable but the other buttons are not. Conflicting report that WASD and Buttons 1 and 2 are usable but not the rest, ether way the problem appears to be in the way the PXL ver3 works.

The PXL ver3 is not just a hardware keyboard, it is 4 hardware keyboards allowing the user get around the 4 button pushes at a time limit of a USB keyboard. With 4 keyboards seen by the OS, more than 4 buttons can be seen at a time allowing the user to run, strafe, jump, fire at same time as one more function. Dont really need to be able to push all 16 buttons at same time but the 4 button limit was a problem.

The Panther XL Ver3 uses a custom made firmware and Dave the engineer will be working on a new firmware this week to try and fix the button issues of the Panther XL ver3 on the XIM3. New firmwares can be flashed by the user with the included flash.exe from the resource CD included with Panther Xl Ver3's.

Also note that the ideal Panther XL for the XIM3 will need to have the MX518 mouse and will need a way to adjust the mouse speed in hardware ! When you use a Panther XL ver3 in Windows the mouse resolution is set by the operating system, but it can be overridden by the buttons on the mouse. With the XIM3 the mouse resolution gets set by the hardware buttons on the mouse. The Panther XL ver3 by default does not have the mouse resolution + and - buttons wired in.

So to have the mouse resolutions buttons wired in we can ether wire them to buttons on the controller or add buttons to the controller. I will be building a test mule to see if one button can be used to cycle though the mouse resolution settings or if two buttons are needed to adjust up and down.

Sum up compatbility issues, ver2 USB not useable, Ver3 USB joystick mode not usable, Ver3 Keystick mode only axis supported, firmware fix may or may not fix. Microsoft mouse units not good performance, Logitech MX518 need to have resolution adjustment buttons wired in.

Check back soon as more info will be posted when it becomes available.

Panther XL 2011 !

2010-12-28T15:10:08Z

Hello all !

Looks like the message board functions of this site are failing to let me know when new posts have been made. I am very much in business and have many nice Panther XL's in stock for purchase toward USB conversions !

The contact form on the sidebar is best place to get a hold of me at this time, with all the spam that is being posted to the comments system the real messages are just NOT showing up under the noise !

Drop me a line and lets get you in a new Panther XL ver3 so you can kick some ass !

Cool Xbox Controller...

2010-11-12T13:58:40Z

Not a Panther XL but a way to make the XBox 360 Controller work better. The N-Control is a shell that goes over the stock 360 controller and makes it so you can push the buttons without taking thumbs off the sticks ! Also makes the triggers that are analog work like they are hair triggers. Very cool product I think...

The video is cheesy at times, not sure if it's trying to be so amateur or if it just is, but the demo of how the trigger belts tighten up firing for a hair trigger.