Arcade Stick for NES, made out of a NES controller Help first time builder

[RussLyman]

Hey guys I was sent to this site from NintendoAge. I have a projected I wanted to attempt and just need some direction and advice. I enjoy building things and have some pretty good knowledge of tools and wiring

I want to make a arcade style stick for the NES. I do enjoy the NES Advantage but that thing flys all around and wont stay in  one spot. I would like something with some weight and buklyness so to say.

I have no idea where or what kind of buttons to order for it. I would only need 4 for start,select, and B and A

I looked on eBay but most kits are like $50 or so. Not sure if anyone had a suggested site or extra parts laying around.

[PL1]

Welcome aboard, Russ.

Here are some reputable vendors that are active on this site. (alphabetical by site)

ArcadeEmulator.net - divemaster127

Groovy Game Gear - RandyT

Paradise Arcade Shop - armi0024 and SusanInParadise

Ultimarc - AndyWarne

Are you planning on making a panel that plugs into a real NES or are you planning on using a PC for emulation?

Depending on what you want to build, there are many other vendors that are worth looking into.

What size/form factor are you thinking about?  Full cab?  Bartop?  Standalone panel/fightstick?  Cockpit? 

1-player or 2-player?

What types of games do you want this build optimized for? (different sticks are better for certain types of games)

Do you have a preference between ball-top and bat-top sticks?

Closing thought: It might be easier (and cheaper) to design a weighted base that attaches to the Advantage via the two exposed screw holes in the bottom, rather than doing a whole new panel build.


Scott

[05SRT4]

If you have a NES Advantage already you could just gut the board and build the arcade stick then just wire it back up. As far as the buttons it all depends on the dimensions of the box for a slime profile you will need a slim arcade stick and buttons.

PL1 listed some great vendors each have a great item selection.

[05SRT4]

Coming from NintendoAge I imagine you have already seen this but if not a good reference. Its not a Advantage but I imagine its the same setup. If you wanted a thinner profile you may want to use thinner push buttons and joystick.

http://www.nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?StartRow=1&catid=22&threadid=19380

[RussLyman]

Thanks for all the info guys and the warm welcome. To answer some of the questions

Are you planning on making a panel that plugs into a real NES or are you planning on using a PC for emulation? - I would like for it to plug into the actual NES

Depending on what you want to build, there are many other vendors that are worth looking into.

What size/form factor are you thinking about?  Full cab?  Bartop?  Standalone panel/fightstick?  Cockpit?  For right now I just would like a standalone fight stick

1-player or 2-player? 1 player

What types of games do you want this build optimized for? (different sticks are better for certain types of games) Manly for Shooters, since there are not too many fighters on the NES that I play. I do enjoy platformers as well. So those are the two type of games I will manly play

Do you have a preference between ball-top and bat-top sticks? I would say ball top. I think it looks cooler.

Closing thought: It might be easier (and cheaper) to design a weighted base that attaches to the Advantage via the two exposed screw holes in the bottom, rather than doing a whole new panel build. Yes I suppose I could do that but I love custom stuff, and I would really like to give the box a sweet paint job.

This will be a nice start off build. My main goal will to build a small table top cabinet that a TV can just slide into from behind. I'm getting married in April and would like to set up the arcade machine at the wedding with Mario Bros on it. I would make some custom art for the side with me and my fiance' dressed up. long story short I do car shows with my custom Mario car. We meet, went to a car show in AR that I attend each year and proposed there. When we got back home I surprised her with a Princess Peach themed car

[thatpurplestuff]

Thanks for all the info guys and the warm welcome. To answer some of the questions

Are you planning on making a panel that plugs into a real NES or are you planning on using a PC for emulation? - I would like for it to plug into the actual NES

Depending on what you want to build, there are many other vendors that are worth looking into.

What size/form factor are you thinking about?  Full cab?  Bartop?  Standalone panel/fightstick?  Cockpit?  For right now I just would like a standalone fight stick

1-player or 2-player? 1 player

What types of games do you want this build optimized for? (different sticks are better for certain types of games) Manly for Shooters, since there are not too many fighters on the NES that I play. I do enjoy platformers as well. So those are the two type of games I will manly play

Do you have a preference between ball-top and bat-top sticks? I would say ball top. I think it looks cooler.

Closing thought: It might be easier (and cheaper) to design a weighted base that attaches to the Advantage via the two exposed screw holes in the bottom, rather than doing a whole new panel build. Yes I suppose I could do that but I love custom stuff, and I would really like to give the box a sweet paint job.

This will be a nice start off build. My main goal will to build a small table top cabinet that a TV can just slide into from behind. I'm getting married in April and would like to set up the arcade machine at the wedding with Mario Bros on it. I would make some custom art for the side with me and my fiance' dressed up. long story short I do car shows with my custom Mario car. We meet, went to a car show in AR that I attend each year and proposed there. When we got back home I surprised her with a Princess Peach themed car

Haha that's awesome man!  My wife isn't as into video games as I am, but it was her idea to have Mario and Peach on top of our wedding cake so at the very least she tolerates my love of retro gaming.  Sounds like you found a keeper!

In regards to the logistics of this, you can get NES controllers on eBay for really cheap... no matter what condition they are in, the internals are most likely pristine and perfect for modding into an arcade setup.  Build your controller housing, then it's just a matter of soldering the joystick and arcade buttons to the gamepad controls and you should be ready to play!

There are also things called "USB NES RetroPorts" for $18 that allow you to connect an NES controller to a PC, so once your arcade NES controller is done you can always have the option of using it with your computer as well.  I'm sure there are cheaper options out there, but the connectors from RetroZone are the only ones that I have used and they are great.

[thatpurplestuff]

Just for ideas, here's an image created by jdbailey1206 of a potential design for a control panel ->
His thread with other ideas is here -> http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,129071.0.html

The NES gray color and strong distinct lines make for a lot of great design possibilities... excited to see what you come up with!

[404]

hate to half way hijack this thread but personally i would use a dinky third party controller but if you happen to be in the market for a nes advantage stick, i have one that's been sitting here for a while. 

[RussLyman]

thanks for the ideas.
I do have 2 advantage joy sticks and a bunch of NES controllers. I paint them and put custom over lays on them so I have extras.

The over lay design is pretty sweet. Not sure why it has 4 red buttons though? Def cool.
I have seen the adapters for the NES-Pc pretty neat. We sell them at the game store I work at.

I am just trying to figure out what parts to get.
I did find some cool led buttons on one of the sites. Not sure if I can wire that to the controller to light up though. it said they have them in 12v and 5v

[PL1]

The single color LED buttons should work.

PROTIP: Buy the 12v LED butons and power them using 5v from the NES controller connector.

They won't be quite as bright as running them on 12v, but they will draw less than the usual 20mA current, making them less likely to cause trouble for the NES.   

If they draw too much current, you can add another current limiting resistor in series.

On my portable/modular panel lighting setup, an additional 11 ohm resistor reduced current draw to ~3.7mA per button according to my wiring diagram/measurements here.


Scott

[opt2not]

No need to hack up anything.

Get yourself a Toodles' Cthulhu board:
http://www.focusattack.com/toodles-cthulhu-multi-console-pcb/

Supports:
PS3
PS2
PSX
PC
Gamecube
Wii through Gamecube controller support (Includes Smash Bros. Mode)
Xbox1 (Not 360)
Dreamcast
Sega Saturn
TurboGrafx-16/PC-Engine
NES/Famicom
SNES/Super Famicom

You can solder an RJ45 jack to the board, or extend wires out to your a mount in the case.  Then it's just a matter of wiring cables for each system you want to play on.

I recently finished adding an RJ45 mount to my Qanba Q3 arcade stick. Made a new panel out of black acrylic, and wired the USB and RJ45 mount to my controller's PCB for multi-console support.





It's really not that hard, and the outcome is that I have a perfect stick for most consoles.

[mgb]

Thanks for all the info guys and the warm welcome. To answer some of the questions

Are you planning on making a panel that plugs into a real NES or are you planning on using a PC for emulation? - I would like for it to plug into the actual NES

Depending on what you want to build, there are many other vendors that are worth looking into.

What size/form factor are you thinking about?  Full cab?  Bartop?  Standalone panel/fightstick?  Cockpit?  For right now I just would like a standalone fight stick

1-player or 2-player? 1 player

What types of games do you want this build optimized for? (different sticks are better for certain types of games) Manly for Shooters, since there are not too many fighters on the NES that I play. I do enjoy platformers as well. So those are the two type of games I will manly play

Do you have a preference between ball-top and bat-top sticks? I would say ball top. I think it looks cooler.

Closing thought: It might be easier (and cheaper) to design a weighted base that attaches to the Advantage via the two exposed screw holes in the bottom, rather than doing a whole new panel build. Yes I suppose I could do that but I love custom stuff, and I would really like to give the box a sweet paint job.

This will be a nice start off build. My main goal will to build a small table top cabinet that a TV can just slide into from behind. I'm getting married in April and would like to set up the arcade machine at the wedding with Mario Bros on it. I would make some custom art for the side with me and my fiance' dressed up. long story short I do car shows with my custom Mario car. We meet, went to a car show in AR that I attend each year and proposed there. When we got back home I surprised her with a Princess Peach themed car

Hey, I know that car. I see it all the time around town. I was driving behind you on route 34 the other day.

If you're looking for a good ball top for a fighter stick, I've got an extra Sanwa JLF that would be perfect. You can have it if you want.
It was just unexpectedly given to me a couple of weeks ago.

[SavannahLion]

Holy crap, there's a NintendoAge!?

No need to hack up anything.

Get yourself a Toodles' Cthulhu board:
http://www.focusattack.com/toodles-cthulhu-multi-console-pcb/

Supports:
PS3
PS2
PSX
PC
Gamecube
Wii through Gamecube controller support (Includes Smash Bros. Mode)
Xbox1 (Not 360)
Dreamcast
Sega Saturn
TurboGrafx-16/PC-Engine
NES/Famicom
SNES/Super Famicom

You can solder an RJ45 jack to the board, or extend wires out to your a mount in the case.  Then it's just a matter of wiring cables for each system you want to play on.

I recently finished adding an RJ45 mount to my Qanba Q3 arcade stick. Made a new panel out of black acrylic, and wired the USB and RJ45 mount to my controller's PCB for multi-console support.





It's really not that hard, and the outcome is that I have a perfect stick for most consoles.

It's a very nice thought but there's a slight problem.

A:The NES and SNES use bone standard CD4021's. They can be had for for about two quarters a piece. However,
B: The original OP has stated he wanted to connect this to an original NES. That means something has to sacrifice the original jack. An extension cord, an old controller, whatever. Given that I have half a dozen NES controllers with ---fouled up beyond all recognition--- up conductive pads (It's been what? 30 years and still no one can make a decent replacement?!) and I'm not a HUGE fan of the system. I imagine the OP would have oodles of bad pads lying around that have good cords and CD4021's inside, it would not be unreasonable to cannibalize such a pad for parts.

I'm just saying...