Main > Project Announcements
Just joined, here is my current and first project( xbox powered cab)
deepblue:
I'd love to hear/see (pics!) more specific details on soldering or hacking the controllers. I've have a long history of modding my xbox/using XBMC but ditched the hardware for a PC that could support HD a while back.
So I've got a couple of these babies lying around and would love to use in my next bar top project.
I have some Xbox USB to PC USB cables like this http://cgi.ebay.ca/Female-XBOX-Controller-PC-USB-Adapter-Cable-NEW-/380253936633?cmd=ViewItem&pt=Video_Games_Accessories&hash=item5888e69bf9#ht_7127wt_1137 - but I have to guess there aren't drivers to support things like U360's or a GPWiz for keyboard/button support.
So if hacking the controller is all one can do - I'd love more detail on how to do this to allow one to, say, wire in two joysticks and 8 or so buttons.
EDIT - I assume it is something like this (picture borrowed from the BUY/SELL forum, a member provides the hacking as a service there)
I'd love to be directed to a tutorial for how to do this one's self.
Johnathon1978:
Well, I suppose there would be couple ways to do it. You could use a Joy frag Keyboard adapter for the xbox and then hack the key board, kind of pointless unless you are running linux in my opinion. As far as the xbox controller goes, all the buttons on the controller are N.O. Momentary push buttons, even the d-pad,open the conroller,just trace the contacts back to the button of choice and solder to those points. I've heard that the Madcatz after market controllers are much easier to solder as the contact points are larger. Now, the triggers and the thumb sticks are a different story. They're all 10k pots. so each trigger is a 10k pot, and each thumbstick is 2 x 10k pots with a N.O. momentary button as well. For the Thumbsticks, I suppose you could use an analog joystick with a trigger button, you would just need to replace the 5k pots in it with 10k pots, then wire the contacts to the contacts on the controller. As for the xbox triggers, other than adding adding pedals or another forward backward stick, I'm not sure there would be much use for them, I guess it would depend on what you want to play. If you going to be rockin Halo, then you would need to figure a way to incorporate it in. Id say if you could find an alalog joystick with a push button and an analog( pot controled) trigger, then that would be perfect. I'll look for a tutorial if you feel you need one, but its really as easy as tracing the buttons and soldering a button to it.
--- Quote from: deepblue on July 28, 2010, 11:44:47 am ---I'd love to hear/see (pics!) more specific details on soldering or hacking the controllers. I've have a long history of modding my xbox/using XBMC but ditched the hardware for a PC that could support HD a while back.
So I've got a couple of these babies lying around and would love to use in my next bar top project.
I have some Xbox USB to PC USB cables like this http://cgi.ebay.ca/Female-XBOX-Controller-PC-USB-Adapter-Cable-NEW-/380253936633?cmd=ViewItem&pt=Video_Games_Accessories&hash=item5888e69bf9#ht_7127wt_1137 - but I have to guess there aren't drivers to support things like U360's or a GPWiz for keyboard/button support.
So if hacking the controller is all one can do - I'd love more detail on how to do this to allow one to, say, wire in two joysticks and 8 or so buttons.
EDIT - I assume it is something like this (picture borrowed from the BUY/SELL forum, a member provides the hacking as a service there)
I'd love to be directed to a tutorial for how to do this one's self.
--- End quote ---
deepblue:
Hi Johnathan - you lost me when you started talking about Pots. :)
For my purposes I think I'd just want to have a 2P control panel that had an 4/8-way joystick and 3 buttons per player. Tack on 1P & 2P Start and a couple of utility buttons, and my math says I need 12 or so leads to attach to microswitches. If I didn't bother screwing around with triggers and analog sticks, I think I can pull 8 leads from each controller right? (select, start, black, white, red, blue, green, yellow)?
I'm not necessarily interested in running xbox games - I'd prefer classic arcade and emulators. I've setup every emulator known to man in XBMC already when I ran it on the Xbox hardware EXCEPT MAME. The app didn't seem to work, but perhaps I didn't have the latest and greatest port.
Additional questions for you and the group then:
- Is there a stable MAME for Xbox available that will play most "classic" games (think Pac-man, DK, etc.)
- Alternatively, has anyone loaded a MAME or Arcade Linux distro on the Xbox?
Thanks.
Johnathon1978:
You could get that many leads off of it. Pot= potentiometer. By far the most common potentiometer used in arcade analog joysticks is 5k. In order to interface the joystick to an xbox controller, you would need to change the values of the potentiometers in the joystick before it would interface properly with the controller. It may work with the 5k, but I don't think you would get full left to right and forward backward motion if you see what I mean. As far as the Xboxmame compatibility with games, I'm sure you would just have to do your research on the subject, I have it on my xbox, but I only played one game, It was a overhead flying game, I think it was like 1942 or somethin like that. However, if you are only looking for classic games, like frogger, DK and such, there are excellent ports of the Atari that would do the trick if nothing else. I'll look into the compatibility and let you know what I come up with, as far as a Linux detro mame, haven't heard of anyone doing it, I never really messed around to much in xbox Linux because I never saw the point as I have a computer.
You could actually get 2 more buttons out of it, don't forget the 2 under the thumbsticks.
!!!Update!!! Seems the mame ports you can get for the xbox are quite stable. Not sure if I can link to another site from here. Need read the rules.
Funnel:
--- Quote from: IG-88 on July 27, 2010, 09:52:19 pm ---Very nice! :cheers:
Could you give an old timer some instruction on how you did the whole xbox thing? Never had one but thought about trying to get a used one for a mame cab.
--- End quote ---
Hacking an xbox... easy stuff! I usually stay away from modchips and go with the softmods which are real easy to do. IG-88 if u want to softmod an xbox just follow this: http://forums.afterdawn.com/thread_view.cfm/218495 I found a used copy of 007: Agent Under Fire for 5$. And the Action Replay 10$. That was like 3 years ago. Or if you want I can lend the game and the memory card with the save file to you. Cause I owe u one for sending me the coin mechs remember? :)
@deepblue I really don't know how to find the ground on xbox controllers... I usually solder a wire in each contact(easy for me) that's really the "easy" way for me.