A conundrum involving USB ports and NES controller

[Boe Junda]

Here's a problem.

I have a NES case that I'm modding. Inside the case, I'm putting a small motherboard (with integrated sound, video, network, and USB). That's the only important detail here. My goal? To create a NES emulator, that can be hooked up to a NTSC TV, that actually looks like a NES, down to the controllers.

As such, I only have one option here, and that is to find a way to wire the NES controller ports to the USB ports on the motherboard. This problem is the only thing keeping me from completing this project of mine. I'm pretty sure I'll have to take the controllers apart and mod them as well to make it work... I can't imagine how an analog device would ever work with USB.

So... does anyone know if this is possible?

[goldberg28115]

I don't know about usb but you could hook them up to the parallel port.  Go to http://www.angelfire.com/games4/jamieweb/
and I have instructions and software to hook up the nes controllers.  You could hook up as much as five controllers to one parallel port.  By the way, I was thinking of doing the same thing, what kind of motherboard are you using?

[Boe Junda]

Heh...

You're going to think this is rediculous. I'm using a mobo I scavenged out of a Dell WebPC. It has no serial or parallel ports. It's USB or nothing, unfortunately.

I just had an idea. I was thinking about taking apart a USB keyboard, and wiring up the ports to specific keys. Would something like that work?

1. Yes, I'm crazy.
2. Yes, I love a challenge.

[u_rebelscum]

Heh...

You're going to think this is rediculous. I'm using a mobo I scavenged out of a Dell WebPC. It has no serial or parallel ports. It's USB or nothing, unfortunately.

I just had an idea. I was thinking about taking apart a USB keyboard, and wiring up the ports to specific keys. Would something like that work?

Yes this would, except you won't get true analog input, since keys are on/off.  The other thing you could do if you want analog joysticks is to hack a USB gamepad or joystick with an "analog" stick.

1. Yes, I'm crazy.
2. Yes, I love a challenge.

Glad you could be one of us.

[CubbieRay]

Would one of those fancy parallel-to-usb converters work? I have seen those things around.

You would then hack the joystick to a parallel version then use the usb converter to plug into the computer. I think there might be a problem with the software interface, however (Maybe).

CubbieRay

[CoreyGH]

Here's how.  Take apart a usb gamepad.  Take apart an NES controller.  put the guts of the gamepad inside your NES.  Wire the buttons and d-pad of the nes controller to the buttons and d-pad of the gamepad, so that pressing A on the controller actually completes the connection of one of the buttons on the gamepad.  you'll have to run the wires from the nes controller through a black cable and into the nes via the gameport so it looks authentic.