How can I get this control to work with Mame / PC?

[timboo]

Hi all,

I have found an arcade style joystick 'Battlestation 2' in Australia that I would like to know how I could possibly get it to work with my PC / Mame..I don't mind making alterations etc. It's manufacture date is 1994, so it's a couple of years old now (!), but the controls are great.

That connections at the back have what looks like serial port connections, and there are 3 sections (each with the same kind of serial port connection:

1) NES / Super Nintendo
2) Seg Mega Drive
3) Sega Master System / Commodore Amiga







Then there is a control pin out section with a row of 13 / 12 pins called 'control pin out'

What do / can I do? Many thanks all!  

[Minwah]

From those pictures it looks like the controller must have originally required adaptors to plug into each console/computer.  I seem to remember the Amiga/Megadrive/(maybe Master System) had the same type controller plug, but I think the Nintendo ones were different....

Anyway, it's irrelevant, if you only want to use it with your PC.  I *think* the easiest thing to do would be to disconnect the sticks/buttons from that circuit board, then either connect them up to an IPAC (preferable but more expensive), or hack them to a gamepad (Sidewinder seems to be most popular).  It may even be easiest when doing this to disconnect ALL the wiring to begin with, and start over.  This is all assuming you never want to use this controller as intended for those different systems...

Someone please correct me if there is a better way  

Maybe this is where X-Arcade got the idea from  

[Tiger-Heli]

Someone please correct me if there is a better way  

Maybe this is where X-Arcade got the idea from  

My initial feeling is the same as Minwah's.  I would scrap the current electronics and wire in an I-PAC or gamepad.

Two other suggestions, that control - pin out jack sorta looks like a parallel port and there is some way to connect a controller to the LPT parallel port, but we're on dangerous ground here.

Also, if you have the cables to adapt it to the NES or one of the other systems, I know there are PlayStation to USB adapters and I suppose there might be NES to USB adapters also.

The I-PAC will definitely work and is still probably the way to go, though!!