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How does a wireless controller turn on a console?

Former Member

This might not be the best place to ask this question but I was wondering if anyone knows how a wireless controller is able to turn on a console without having to be connected to it. Simply pressing a single button is able to turn on the console from a distance and I am curios as to how this possible. Thanks to anyone and everyone that can help me. I am interested in creating a retro gaming console out of a Raspberry Pi and I wanted to have wireless controllers. Anything helps, and again, thank you to everyone.

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    regulations stipulate that if power-usage is below a certain threshold, a device need not have a physical OFF switch. The idea is that a slight use of power is convenient to allow useful startup methods like: pressing a key on keyboard of a PC, or as you mentioned on a wireless remote for a console.

     

    So, what really happens is that the console powers down all of the power-hungry stuff, and stays in a "low power" mode, listening for the wireless controller to turn it on....

     

    IIRC, the regulations allow 5W max standby power to allow the power button to disappear completely. PC power supplies allow up to 2A at 5V in standby mode. (plenty to power your 'pi! and completely silent!). They therefore don't qualify for the "no power switch" rules. So you see a power switch on every power supply...

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    I would imagine the RF Module on the console is always on, meaning when any controller that is in sync when powered up sends a start up command to the Module which is able to receive the command and turn on the console. Sorry but that's about as much info on that part of your question as I can give you, Obviously while doing your research for this project you will of found lots of information about people being able to use Xbox 360 and PlayStation Controllers to play games on emulators, I cannot say I know of anybody that as successfully been able to use a wireless controller to turn on and off their Raspberry Pi yet but that doesn't mean it cant be done.

    Don't lose hope yet! I might just be able to help you a little here, I have not tried using PlayStation Controllers so it would be unfair for me to say they won't work, I'm sure with the correct equipment to intercept and decipher the signals and a bit of programming  it could be done with both Xbox and PlayStation Controllers.

    Now unfortunately I don't have any of that equipment or programming knowledge myself and my research had to include finding a way to do what your asking and I believe that I partially succeeded using a recycled Xbox 360 RF Module and a 360 Controller. I connected the RF Module to the Raspberry Pi GPIO, I then found some code online that would allow me to sync controllers to the Module, well to cut a long story short, I can remotely turn on my raspberry pi by turning on my Xbox 360 Wireless Controller with the guide button. I play games on Emulation Station with it and can control Kodi with it(that was until my Pi gave up and stopped working), but the guide button wont shutdown the Pi. I had to make a similar piece of code as used for the sync process above to make it go into a safe shutdown when the power button on the Module is pressed, hence why I say that I have partially succeeded.

    Hope this helps.

    Mark.