Analog arcade joystick to xbox 360, can it be done?

[ShadeValryn]

I've been looking all over trying to find either a premade arcade stick with analog control or someone who's manage to padhack one in, but I have yet to find anything of the sort.  The closest thing I could find to what I was looking for was the Quasicade line of arcades and arcade controls.  Here in a few weeks I'll be picking up a UAII cab kit and quad control panel.  I had originally intended on putting 4 ultrastik 360s in there, but it would be really intriguing if one of the available analog arcade sticks had the known capacity to be padhacked to the analog sticks on an xbox controller for console AND pc use.  I just really like the idea of being able to play castle crashers and scott pilgrim on my ultimate arcade  does anyone know of how this can be done or of any arcade controls available for sale with this capability?

[Mark Thomas]

There is a guy on these forums called HaruMaN who does Xbox 360 hacked pads but I'm not sure he hacks the analogue part of the pad but rather the d pad. Will those 2 xbla games not work off the d pad? Iv never played them so not sure. Hope this helps.

[ShadeValryn]

They do work, I just really need to have analog control for when I'm playing smash brothers mostly. 

[AGarv]

Wasn't there someone who posted a project this year that actually had a hacked Xbox 360 pad mounted directly under their panel, with an oversized extension on the actual 360 thumbstick?  Might be worth searching around and asking him how sturdy it is.

[ShadeValryn]

Hmm, now that sounds promising.  I'll look around for it, thanks.  


EDIT: Found it.  Now hopefully I can pull something like this off with 4 wired 360 pads.  Still, I wish there were some easier way of going about it than jamming whatever fits into the analog stick:
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=118023.msg1252901#msg1252901

[BadMouth]

Never understood why I haven't seen this done yet (and I haven't done it).
It should just be a matter of replacing the pots in an analogue arcade stick with 10k ones and wiring those to the place where the xbox pots are. 
Just make sure they read 5k when centered.

Not sure where to find an analogue arcade stick, but they do exist.
Definitely not paying happ prices:
http://na.suzohapp.com/joysticks/50287600.htm

You might get away with using an old flight stick and having a joystick shaft custom made for it.

[AGarv]

A less perfect alternative is hacking a Madcatz Brawl Stick, it has a 3 position switch that allows the 8-way joy to be either the d-pad, left analog, or right analog stick. Obviously it is not true analog, but it can do in a pinch and saves space on the panel.


http://www.amazon.com/Xbox-360-WWE-Stars-Brawl-Stick/dp/B004M23RAC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1336941212&sr=8-1

Also, wasn't there a Nika fight stick for the original Xbox that had arcade button size pads for the left and right thumbsticks?  Those would look decent on a panel and also work in a pinch.

[ShadeValryn]

You might get away with using an old flight stick and having a joystick shaft custom made for it.

I was thinking of maybe modifying an xbox 360 flight stick.  Thought it might prove to be an easier conversion into an arcade stick than going from a regular gamepad:
http://www.amazon.com/Saitek-Aviator-Flightstick-Xbox-360/dp/B001EYU1W8/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1336960111&sr=8-3

[AndyWarne]

We now have an Xbox 360 adaptor for I-PAC / J-PAC equipped control panels. I have not got around to putting it in the store yet. As all of our console adaptors, it does emulate the analog controls but it acivates them full-on when the joystick is moved in the direction. Most games except flight sims etc are fine with this.

drop me an email if interested: andy@ultimarc.com

[ShadeValryn]

We now have an Xbox 360 adaptor for I-PAC / J-PAC equipped control panels. I have not got around to putting it in the store yet. As all of our console adaptors, it does emulate the analog controls but it acivates them full-on when the joystick is moved in the direction. Most games except flight sims etc are fine with this.

drop me an email if interested: andy@ultimarc.com

That's actually great news.  It is disappointing that I'll only be able to run in castle crashers and scott pilgrim, but that's a small price to pay to be able to have ultrastik 360s in my machine and to be able to play mortal kombat.

[brandon]

Here is one I saw the other day.. I'd love to know if the analog stick are custom or some OEM part we could source.  I think I've seen those joysticks some place before..



http://www.quasimoto.com/controllers-for-home

[ShadeValryn]

Here is one I saw the other day.. I'd love to know if the analog stick are custom or some OEM part we could source.  I think I've seen those joysticks some place before..



http://www.quasimoto.com/controllers-for-home

Yeah, I'd really like to know the origin of those sticks.

[AGarv]

We now have an Xbox 360 adaptor for I-PAC / J-PAC equipped control panels. I have not got around to putting it in the store yet. As all of our console adaptors, it does emulate the analog controls but it acivates them full-on when the joystick is moved in the direction. Most games except flight sims etc are fine with this.

drop me an email if interested: andy@ultimarc.com

Andy, is there a way using this Xbox 360 ipac adapter to quickly switch a single joystick (i.e. 4 inputs) from digital to analog mode?  In other words, is there a way to have a single joystick serve as either the d-pad or the left thumb stick?

[AndyWarne]

We now have an Xbox 360 adaptor for I-PAC / J-PAC equipped control panels. I have not got around to putting it in the store yet. As all of our console adaptors, it does emulate the analog controls but it acivates them full-on when the joystick is moved in the direction. Most games except flight sims etc are fine with this.

drop me an email if interested: andy@ultimarc.com

Andy, is there a way using this Xbox 360 ipac adapter to quickly switch a single joystick (i.e. 4 inputs) from digital to analog mode?  In other words, is there a way to have a single joystick serve as either the d-pad or the left thumb stick?

Yes, the adaptor can be switched into 4 different modes using hotkeys. You can see the principle by looking at the page for the original Xbox control adaptor:  http://www.ultimarc.com/xba.html
I dont have a full list of keycodes vs Xbox 360 controls yet for the new adaptor but the result will be similar.

[AGarv]

If the xbox 360 adapter is similar to the original xbox adapter, it also supports 2 xbox 360 players from a single ipac/adapter combo - very nice solution!

[HaRuMaN]

I hack the MadCatz fightpad for 360 which has a switch that turns the D-Pad into the L-stick or R-stick.  No analog sensitivity, though, just 0% or 100%.  I can also hack the switch which than can be wired to a simple toggle for switching on the fly.

[BadMouth]

I still want to see someone hack into the pots for true analogue control.
Might have to do it myself after I finish my current project.

I have no use for it, but I want to see it done. 

[AGarv]

Has no one ever tried to just wire an analog joystick that uses 10k pots into a xbox 360 hack?  Haruman?

There are some pretty nice looking analog joysticks available on ebay and elsewhere on the net, how likely is wiring something like the following directly into a hack to work?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ALPS-2D-10k-Potentiometer-with-handle-for-Joystick-or-Industrial-use-/330736092116?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4d016843d4

[HaRuMaN]

Hmm.  That analog is interesting.  If the pot values do indeed match, I could de-solder the 360 analog, attach some longer wires, and use that analog in its place. 

[ShadeValryn]

Has no one ever tried to just wire an analog joystick that uses 10k pots into a xbox 360 hack?  Haruman?

There are some pretty nice looking analog joysticks available on ebay and elsewhere on the net, how likely is wiring something like the following directly into a hack to work?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ALPS-2D-10k-Potentiometer-with-handle-for-Joystick-or-Industrial-use-/330736092116?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4d016843d4

Now THAT looks promising.  I might go ahead and try this out, could be a big payoff if it works.

[ark_ader]

Get an X-Arcade.

Not as easy as that unless you have the existing PS2 and Xbox 360 adapters.  But yes you do get analog function.

[ShadeValryn]

Get an X-Arcade.

Not as easy as that unless you have the existing PS2 and Xbox 360 adapters.  But yes you do get analog function.

As in true full-range analog function? I though x-arcades went 0 to 100 percent like most sticks.

[HaRuMaN]

Get an X-Arcade.

Not as easy as that unless you have the existing PS2 and Xbox 360 adapters.  But yes you do get analog function.

As in true full-range analog function? I though x-arcades went 0 to 100 percent like most sticks.

As far as I know, the X-arcade uses 8 way joysticks, so it would be impossible to get something other than 0 or 100%.

[BadMouth]

x-arcades sticks use microswitches.  No way to get analogue input from them, only ON or OFF.
The adapter may register the direction of the stick, but it isn't analogue.

Man I'm tempted to buy one of those 10k joysticks off fleabay to play around with.
Already have a big pile of things like that though  

[ark_ader]

You can get both digital and analog functions to work on a X Arcade.

Works great but I do not use it often.  

Info here.

[ShadeValryn]

But it wouldn't be true analog still since it's just an 8 way joystick with microswitches.

[HaRuMaN]

But it wouldn't be true analog still since it's just an 8 way joystick with microswitches.

Correct.  Its the same as the MadCatz fight pad or fight stick in that regard.

[AGarv]

There seem to be a lot of potential analog joystick candidates here (link and other joysticks at bottom of the linked page):

http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/529126099/2_axis_auto_spring_return_potentiometer.html

I would be happy to try the hack, or even hire Haruman to try it, if there was just a little more technical information about which potentiometers work with the stock xbox 360 controller boards.  Anyone seen something like this elsewhere?  I have done a lot of searching and am coming up empty.

[ShadeValryn]

I also wonder how the ultrastik with buttons attatched would react to being plugged into one of these bad boys: http://www.ebay.com/itm/PS-3-Controller-XBOX-360-XCM-XFPS-Live-Mouse-Keyboard-Adapter-Brand-New-/260966194054?_trksid=p4340.m185&_trkparms=algo%3DSIC.NPJS%26its%3DI%252BC%26itu%3DUA%26otn%3D5%26pmod%3D320909687415%26ps%3D63%26clkid%3D8679140334432005535#ht_1727wt_1164

Just makes one wonder.

[crossbred900]

I'm very interested in this topic because I'm quadriplegic and have no use of my fingers. A couple years ago I posted around a bit trying to find out if there was an analog stick that could be pad hacked, and the Seimitsu ls-64 was the only analog stick I could find. Of course nobody knew anything about it or if it was even possible, so at the time I settled for using a PiiWee board in an old MAS stick I had so I could at least play some Wii games. I still REALLY want to get a stick built with everything I'd need to play any game, 2 true analog sticks, digital stick, 12+ buttons. Has anyone looked into this more?

[BadMouth]

I'm very interested in this topic because I'm quadriplegic and have no use of my fingers. A couple years ago I posted around a bit trying to find out if there was an analog stick that could be pad hacked, and the Seimitsu ls-64 was the only analog stick I could find. Of course nobody knew anything about it or if it was even possible, so at the time I settled for using a PiiWee board in an old MAS stick I had so I could at least play some Wii games. I still REALLY want to get a stick built with everything I'd need to play any game, 2 true analog sticks, digital stick, 12+ buttons. Has anyone looked into this more?

What do you have use of to manipulate the controls?

Ideally, how would the controls be arranged?

Are you looking for something to work with emulators or a modern console?
If a modern console, which ones?

I'm not sure if the PCBs that support multiple systems have analogue inputs.
Easy enough to find out though.
XBox360 pad hack would work on a PC or Xbox360.

[crossbred900]

My hands are in a loose fist shape, I can get them over a standard stick with bat top and I can easily push regular arcade buttons with the sides of my hands / pinky knuckles. Ideally I would like to contoll Xbox 360, PC, PS3, and Wii Classic controllers with my stick. The plan was always to try and find somebody that could do the pad hacks with 12" leads for all the buttons then use screw terminals inside the housing to connect the different pcbs to the sticks/buttons. None of the multi-console pcbs support analog controll, just full on/off.

Here is a rough draft I made for the button layout. I never got around to making a full size print out to test the spacing though.

[BadMouth]

I'm not real sure about the multiple pad hacks.  I guess it's dependent on if they all use 10k pots with 5k being centered.
I'm pretty sure the xbox 360 pad hack would work, but as you can tell from this thread, nobody has actually done it.
 

.....crap, there's only one of those ALPS 10k joystick still available on ebay 

I'm looking elsewhere, but not finding anything.

I have enough amazon credit to get a wired xbox360 controller.
If I find a deal on useable joysticks, I may order everything and do some testing.
I'm not good enough to hack the whole pad, but I could probably get enough done to test the concept.
I'm a bit all over the place with my projects and have too many, so no guarantees.

[crossbred900]

I'm not real sure about the multiple pad hacks.  I guess it's dependent on if they all use 10k pots with 5k being centered.
I'm pretty sure the xbox 360 pad hack would work, but as you can tell from this thread, nobody has actually done it.
 

I didn't really think about the possible resistance differences between consoles. Either way Xbox 360 would be my most desired option because I actually have a 360 here, and I could just get an adapter if I ever get a PS3.

If you actually do some testing I'd really appreciate knowing how it goes. This has been one of those things I've been waiting forever for somebody to figure out. There's so many games I haven't been able to play the past 8 years 

[BadMouth]

I ordered a wired xbox controller and the one ALPs joystick that was left on fleabay.
The joystick is coming from China, so it will probably take a few weeks.

I couldn't find any other joysticks online that were a reasonable price.
I came accross these: http://www.p3america.com/industrial_joystick_full_size_selection_guide.htm
and found them on a few resellers sites, but all of them said "call for price".

I'm guessing they are as expensive as the happ one:
http://na.suzohapp.com/joysticks/50287600.htm

We'll see if the concept works first. 

[HaRuMaN]

Badmouth, if you run into issues hacking the controller, let me know. I'd be glad to help out.

[crossbred900]

We'll see if the concept works first. 

Awesome, thanks for taking the time to do that.

[CoryBee]

Badmouth, if you run into issues hacking the controller, let me know. I'd be glad to help out.

I laughed when I read that and saw your gif display pic at the same time. Good guy Haruman. 

[BadMouth]

The seller must put these ALPS joysticks on ebay in batches of five, with four (2 pairs) being sold quickly.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330825366484

There was just one left on ebay again so I went ahead and bought it because I've found nothing else for a reasonable price and who knows when these will be available again.  So I have two on the way now.  I have no use for them after testing and will pass them along if they'll work.
I'm hoping they aren't too small.  Also curious as to the size of the threads for the top.  I have a pair of JLF bat tops that I'm not using and it would be sweet if they fit.
The first one I ordered seems to be stalled in San Francisco.  Hopefully it will get here in a few more days and all questions will be answered.

HaRuMaN, what can you tell me about the triggers?  Do you know the range of resistance for them?
I know I could just measure after I tear the controller down, but I like to plan ahead.
I'm thinking about trying to come up with some type of analog paddle in place of them (like a pedal for your hand).

[crossbred900]

I'd be more than happy to reimburse you for parts and labor if you end up sending them to me. And non-analog triggers are nowhere near as bad as non-analog sticks.