Making a Psychedelic Cow Controller for “Attack of the Bric-a-Brac"

In this tutorial, we will be building a cowshook-shaped controller for the free game “Attack of the Bric-a-brac" which can be downloaded here: mechbird.itch.io/attack-of-the-bric-a-brac. 

The controller will be made using a keyboard encoder and a soccer ball.

• Soccer ball 
• Cotton balls  
• Pink Balloon 
• Drill 
• Button 
• White Scotch
• Scissors 
• Pink paint 
• White paint 
• Wadding 

Take the soccer ball.  

Split the ball in half using a pair of scissors. 

Take a drill and make 6 holes on the top half ball. 

Then add the 6 buttons to perform a first test. The upper part of the buttons will be visible above the ball.   

Remove the buttons to start covering the ball. Then put tape on the top to cover it. 

Put a first coat of white paint on top. 

Start making cow udders with buttons, cotton, wadding, scissors and black scotch. 

First cut out the end of the pink balloon and fill it with cotton and wadding. Then place the button above the ball at the hole level previously made and tape the whole to hold. Make 6 cow udders with the same method. 

Connect each cow udders to the electrical wires and then run them through each hole in the ball. 

Then turn the ball over and fill it with wadding on the sides of the ball, in order to consolidate them and have a more solid and stable shape. 

Then take a cube of polystyrene in which you will dig a small slot to put the keyboard encoder in. Then with scissors dig small holes to get the cables through. 

Then you connect the electrical wires of the buttons to the console (keyboard encoder).

Finish with a 7th button, on the bottom side, as in the photo below, which will be used to calm the cow during a game. Then also connect it to the keyboard encoder. 

And on the other side make a last hole to be able to pass the USB cable from the keyboard encoder to the computer to be able to play the video game. 

Reverse the ball and paint the ball pink. Make 3 layers.   

Let’s go! You can finally try your controller with the video game.