1UP's Star Wars yoke conversion... Awesome!!

[OSCAR]

I finally got around to hacking a Star Wars yoke (actually a Turbo Sub, but identical) to a MS Dual Strike.  I followed 1UP

[translucentegg]

oscar,

LOOKS GREAT!!!  

transegg

[nullb0y]

yeah it is sweet i want one/!!!!!!!!!!!!

[OSCAR]

Thanks!  From what I have heard, Turbo Sub was an unreleased game, but I'm not sure about that.  This yoke definitely looks like it hasn't been used before.  The only obvious blemish is the cracked decal.  First I'll try to repair it, but if I can't I'll get a good scan of it so it won't be lost.

[SirPoonga]

I bought a dual strike many months ago, when the tutorial first came out.  I am going o make a twistygrip with it.

I hope this isn't the surprise.

[1UP]

I finally got around to hacking a Star Wars yoke (actually a Turbo Sub, but identical) to a MS Dual Strike.  I followed 1UP

[Yohan]

  This hack seems to work with any analog controls using 5k pots, so you dont' have to gut your hardware.  

Ok I have a question.  If the ORIGINAL or a HACKED version had 100K pots then it could be wired directly to the game port?  I'm asking this because IMHO the Star wars Yoke is about the best controler that you could ask for when playing any racing or flying type game.  I would love to have one but the ebay prices always go really high and I'm always afraid that it will be broken and I will have no clue how to fix it.  So I have thought of trying to build my own.  

Probably just a dream but if I did build my own could I just wire the 100K pots to the game port  (using the right wires in the right places)  and not have any sort of controler of chips involved???

[1UP]

Probably just a dream but if I did build my own could I just wire the 100K pots to the game port  (using the right wires in the right places)  and not have any sort of controler of chips involved???

I think that's the way, but I've never done it myself.  I prefer to start with something ready-made that works, then hack from there.  You should be able to find pinouts for such a thing in the Controls section here.

You might want to look into making a Twisty-Grip.  Dunno where you can get plans nowadays, but you might find some somewhere.  If you get a chance to buy a real Star Wars yoke (or Turbo Sub or STUN Runner), go for it!  You can't get a more solid controller, almost all metal, well worth the money, and instantly adds 1,000,000 cool points to your cabinet!  

[Sasquatch!]

AWESOME job both to 1UP and to OSCAR!

[Analog-X]

Oscar or 1UP, ship me your Yoke, and I just want to test it before I buy one.....I'll send it back honest (Evil Laughter in background)

[1UP]

Oscar or 1UP, ship me your Yoke, and I just want to test it before I buy one.....I'll send it back honest (Evil Laughter in background)

Suuuuure... (Evil MOCKING Laughter in background)  

[Andy]

1UP, I've never been to your site before.  Those are some outstanding "hacks"!  They look so good, I hate to call them hacks, how about "conversions"!      Looks like I'll be adding your Star Wars Conversion to my project.  I have a quick question,  What kind of controls are used for the pedals on most driving games?  I think I smell another application for that hack... opps, I mean conversion!

Andy

[1UP]

1UP, I've never been to your site before.  Those are some outstanding "hacks"!  They look so good, I hate to call them hacks, how about "conversions"!      Looks like I'll be adding your Star Wars Conversion to my project.  I have a quick question,  What kind of controls are used for the pedals on most driving games?  I think I smell another application for that hack... opps, I mean conversion!

Andy

Most pedals are either switch or pot-based.  I'm sure the ones on old games used 5k pots, so that would definitely work!

[Tiger-Heli]

Yohan:

see http://www.arcadecontrols.com/arcade_jude.shtml for hacking a SW yoke to the gameport.

Andy, 1-Up, OSCAR:

I may be getting a Dual Stike today.  (Local store still has a couple left).  Probably be years before I get around to hacking it though.  

One suggestion on the hack:  Instead of solder and heat-shrink, it might be better to use some type of (Molex? DB9?) connector to hook the yoke up to the Dual Strike.  This way if Dual Strikes are no longer readily available and the yoke needs to be replaced (or you want to use the DS board with a different control, like pedals), you could mount the DS in a project box and plug the other control into the box.  Just a thought . . .

[1UP]

One suggestion on the hack:  Instead of solder and heat-shrink, it might be better to use some type of (Molex? DB9?) connector to hook the yoke up to the Dual Strike.  This way if Dual Strikes are no longer readily available and the yoke needs to be replaced (or you want to use the DS board with a different control, like pedals), you could mount the DS in a project box and plug the other control into the box.  Just a thought . . .

I'll cross that bridge when I come to it!    If it gets to the point where the DS doesn't work with whatever OS I'm using, I'll cut my wires and solder them again, or I'll put disconnects on them at that point.  My cab is a dedicated machine, though, and I'm planning to just keep the same hardware running with XP forever.  I've got pretty much all the games I'd ever want to play on it, so when Mame stops working with XP, I guess that's the last version I'll own (on that machine, anyway.)  I'm sure I'll want to make another cab or two down the road, and I can worry about new software/hardware then.

[Mr. Do]

One suggestion on the hack:  Instead of solder and heat-shrink, it might be better to use some type of (Molex? DB9?) connector to hook the yoke up to the Dual Strike.  This way if Dual Strikes are no longer readily available and the yoke needs to be replaced (or you want to use the DS board with a different control, like pedals), you could mount the DS in a project box and plug the other control into the box.  Just a thought . . .

No fair.  I haven't even posted my project yet.  How'd you know  (coming soon!!)

[Lilwolf]

btw, I'm hoping to do the starwars hack this weekend (or next depending on time).... but not to a starwars yoke, but an 5k pot analog flight stick.

And I'm planning on using a plug... why?

I want a starwars yoke... and a T2 gun... and maybe others (like I would love an analog joystick with a ball top or something smaller for trying to get ocnsole games running better)

I will post when I get it working

[1UP]

btw, I'm hoping to do the starwars hack this weekend (or next depending on time).... but not to a starwars yoke, but an 5k pot analog flight stick.

And I'm planning on using a plug... why?

I want a starwars yoke... and a T2 gun... and maybe others (like I would love an analog joystick with a ball top or something smaller for trying to get ocnsole games running better)

I will post when I get it working

You can always use one Dual Strike for each controller--you can even have them all hooked up at once!  They are USB...  The PC sees them all as separate devices, and you can even configure each of them with different settings.

[Tiger-Heli]

btw, I'm hoping to do the starwars hack this weekend (or next depending on time).... but not to a starwars yoke, but an 5k pot analog flight stick.

And I'm planning on using a plug... why?

I want a starwars yoke... and a T2 gun... and maybe others (like I would love an analog joystick with a ball top or something smaller for trying to get ocnsole games running better)

I will post when I get it working

You can always use one Dual Strike for each controller--you can even have them all hooked up at once!  They are USB...  The PC sees them all as separate devices, and you can even configure each of them with different settings.

I know, but they're $15.00 each and discontinued.  They're not real expensive, but if you start needing five of them for various controls. . .   And if the controls will never be used together (like a T2 gun and SW yoke), why not run each control through a single Dual Strike?

Anyway, it was just a suggestion to anyone else considering the hack.  Thanks again for posting the how-to, I wouldn't have even known it was possible otherwise.

[Lilwolf]

I like keeping my hotswappable control panels that way.  

I'm hoping at some point to have support for 2 analog devices for one control panel... but no need yet.  Every analog controller I have is going on a control panel by itself.  And even the ones I'm considering in the future.

[enemyace]

But if you have all the devices running through one Dual Strike, how are you going to save settings for say the gun and the analog joystick if they are different? The OS will see them all as only one device.

[Tiger-Heli]

But if you have all the devices running through one Dual Strike, how are you going to save settings for say the gun and the analog joystick if they are different? The OS will see them all as only one device.

Good point, I don't know if the dual strike will allow you to save settings to a config file and load them from a batch file or not.  Although for my desktop controller, I think I would have the same problem if I used separate DS's and unplugged the gun to plug in the analog joystick.

[Lilwolf]

How does it know that which one I just plugged in?  I don't think it will..

You can save settings... but I don't know about the command line.

I will deal with them as they come.  And if it doesn't work out... I will buy more..

my trouble is that I would be spending more for the joystick then most of the controls it hooks into...

[1UP]

How does it know that which one I just plugged in?  I don't think it will..

You can save settings... but I don't know about the command line.

I will deal with them as they come.  And if it doesn't work out... I will buy more..

my trouble is that I would be spending more for the joystick then most of the controls it hooks into...

I have my machine set up with my yoke plugged in all the time, and my T2 guns get plugged in as needed.  My PC was able to identify each DS separately, and remember the proper settings (button mappings, etc) for each.  I believe they each have a unique hardware ID.  You could alwyas mount a USB hub inside your CP so you can hot-swap controls.  Almost everything in my CP is USB anyway...

If the DS is discontinued, I'm gonna have to run out and get another one!  It's the best controller for playing gun games without a gun, and I 'd like to have another for my regular PC.  (I'm sure it'll still be available on ebay for some time...)

[Tiger-Heli]

If the DS is discontinued, I'm gonna have to run out and get another one!  It's the best controller for playing gun games without a gun, and I 'd like to have another for my regular PC.  (I'm sure it'll still be available on ebay for some time...)

Actually, I think they're still available from online vendors.  Prolly check pricewatch.  E-bay has tons of them "new in box".  Heck, E-bay still has plenty of Wingman Warriors available  

I got the last DS the local computer store had, so I didn't have to pay shipping.  I'll hook it up with a removable connector when I get around to doing my yoke, and if I ever do T2 guns, I'll see how hard they are to find then.  At least I'll have the option of using the same one for both if need be.

[1UP]

Actually, I think they're still available from online vendors.  Prolly check pricewatch.  E-bay has tons of them "new in box".  Heck, E-bay still has plenty of Wingman Warriors available  

I got the last DS the local computer store had, so I didn't have to pay shipping.  I'll hook it up with a removable connector when I get around to doing my yoke, and if I ever do T2 guns, I'll see how hard they are to find then.  At least I'll have the option of using the same one for both if need be.

Though you will need one for each gun!