The NEW Build Your Own Arcade Controls
Main => Main Forum => Topic started by: Hellfromabove on June 19, 2002, 11:18:23 pm
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Hi I am kind of a newbie at this. Don't get me wrong I have been on your website before and all and checked out the forum, it's great. Well I wanted to rewire an official Dreamcast + official regular Playstation controller together on a joystick with an 8-way joystick and 7 buttons for the DC (6 action + start) and 10 for the PSX(8 action + start + select), the buttons on the joystick are microswitch. Well I know this could be done because my friends brother has 2 of these and I see them for sale online. I tried doing this without experience with my DC trying to figure out the spots to wire the wires for the buttons but ended up blowing the DC ports :'( . So what I am begging for
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I'm seeing double from all that 3d green text.
Mameworld has a page at http://www.mameworld.net/pc2jamma/arc_dc4.html for hacking a DC controller to a JAMMA cab, about half way down the page you'll see a picture that may be some help.
Best advice I can offer for the Playstation is get a cheap 3rd party PS1 controller and not an official sony one for various reasons.
Are you wiring these together, like one stick to both controllers? If so I remember people having some problems doing this with a DC and an IPAC. You may need to put a switch between the two.
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I did hack 2 original psx pads... and have a couple of pics on it... you can try the following link and check out the pics... (sorry... still working on the words part...) and also, too busy building the cab, so, really no time now...
I think they are correct... original psx pads' solder points are kinda small... and you need to scratch out that thing covering the contact.... (I was told it will be easier if you solder a 3rd party cheapy psx pad...)
After I did all the soldering, I tested it, and confirmed it works, and then I put elmer's glue all over the circuit board... that way, the soldering connections will not come off easily.... (BUT IMPORTANT !!... once you put the glue on, do NOT test until the glue is COMPLETELY dry !!! cos when its wet, the wet glue will conduct electricity and will short your whole circuit !!! you'll know when its dry since elmer's glue becomes transparent when dry... and is milky color (not transparent when wet... usually I give it 48 hrs to be completely sure.....)
last but not least... on the original psx pad, the trigger button has wires connect to a little separate circuit board... you can just use those wire, for ground, l1, l2, r1, r2, no need for soldering for those....
http://geocities.com/hyiu/Arcade/pics/
good luck...
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sorry... 1 little thing... can you use normal fonts next time ?? its really hard to read....
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This is more of a question to hyiu. The case on that psx conversion looks nice and clean. I have tried other "commercial" sticks (MAS, CigarBob, and am now looking into a SAVstick), but they all don't have that clean look that you have by building that enclosure. Everyone says that if I want that clean look I should build it myself, so now I too am on the road to building a DC arcade control. I like what you did, but I have a few questions.
Are those ethernet cables? If so, what do they plug into, and how did you build the connection that they plug into?
I am going to probrably build a box like your's except with a hole to plug a vmu into. Where did you get the materials for the box?
Thanks for sharing your work.
(by the way, you can read HFA's post easier if you select the text...)
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Hi Rei...
the plastic boxes are from Radio Shack.... then I use knife and cut opening.... (or you can drill too...) those boxes are pretty good... but they are expensive... they're like $5 each !!!! (just plastic box !!!)
ps: they come in a lot of sizes....
those cables are cat5 eternet cables... (network cables) whatever you want to call it.... it has 8 different wires per cable... I use it because of 2 reasons.... I have extra in the house... and unlike plugs with pins... this are more fool proof.... you can bent a pin... but you can't really mess up the plug/snap cat5....
if you look at the joystick pics, you'll see there's a white box... that is actually a dual cat 5 jack... each jack can take 2 cat 5 cable... (16 connections...) for my joysticks... I have 8 buttons, select, start, 4 directions, and ground.. so, that is 15 connections... I made the extra ground also, so, I can have ground on each cat5 line....
http://store.yahoo.com/deepsurplus/catidcdualsu.html
this link is where I bought the dual cat 5....
what is happening is... all the buttons/joysticks are connected to that dual network jack.... (in a particular order).... then I just have to wire the interface (could be sidewinder/psx pad/... etc) in that same order.... then I can just snap them together.... (kind of like a homemade adaptor.....) this way, I can re-use the joystick hardware..... and save some $$...
So far, the pc ones and the psx ones are working perfectly.... when I'm done with my other stuffs, I'll come back and do a xbox one....
btw... a couple of those sticks if you recognized are actually converted from Mas stick.....
hope I answered your question... ;D ;D
good luck....
ps: I've returned the borrowed digi cam.... :P
when I got my hands on it again.. probably after July 4... I'll post more pics..... >:(
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Thanks for the info hyiu. Some background, a couple of questions more questions. This post also has some links that Hellfromabove might find interesting.
I'm heavily into Capcom games, and Dreamcast EMU.
I tried out the MAS stick, and didn't like it. (felt beta) I currently have a CigarBob stick at my house, but it doesn't support the analog controls, and as a result I can't play a few of the emus (specifically DreamSNES) and so I am looking for an alternative, and the Magic 8 ball says to build it myself. If it weren't for the analog not working, The CigarBob sticks are awesome.
Cigarbobs site: http://www.geocities.com/cigarbob0/
(I have the CBC2pS with japanese controls.)
I was going to check out the SavSticks:
http://members.bellatlantic.net/~vze3s8p2/
But it turns out that they don't support analog either. On the other hand, I love the way they have their sticks set up. (....and they have a waiting list right now.)
http://www.the-nextlevel.com/staff/bahn/pics/savstick3.jpg
http://www.the-nextlevel.com/staff/bahn/pics/savstick4.jpg
So my goal is to build something with the 2p desk setup of the Sav sticks in the pics above, but including analog like the MAS sticks.
I am using this as my guide:
http://home.cfl.rr.com/expression/joystick-dc.html
I do like the idea of having a universal interface on the arcade controller like hyiu's pics. It would save money in the long run. Do you have a wiring diagram for that? Or should I just make my own? If I just make my own wiring setup, do you have any advice that would help me avoid simple problems that I don't know are there?
Thanks again.
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To hack the analog of Dreamcast and PSX pads, you need to apply the directions on the Dreamcast2Jamma page dealing with the L and R triggers to each of the four directions of the analog stick.
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Hi Rei:
thanx for your links on your posts... that Sav Stick's graphics is NICE !!!..... if you look back into my pics directory... his design is actually quite similar to my nice stick one... he hides the screws on the joystick mount... but his artwork cover is Awesome !!!... (sorry... don't really mean to compare..... :P )
as for digital / analog.... so far... I have no clue how to hack a analog stick... or do an anaog interface....
like the DC link you have ... that guy is also hacking the direction pad, but not the analog stick.... which means the outcome will be digital.....
like my psx hack.... it'll play fine on vf4... but if you uses it to play a driving game, I bet it'll play, but the control will suck big time.....
when I have more time, I'll play around with an xbox pad.... but the first hack will be mainly back to the digital stick again... cos my friends and I love fighting games....
but I'll see if I can hack the analog buttons... etc...
as for wiring instructions.... I don't really have a diagram.... you can use any kind of connectors you want... (a lot of people simply use printer cables... because 1 plug has a lot of pins.... you'll just have to come up with your conventions... and be consistent with it, then it'll be ok.... but since my hacks are all digital so far... I have not encountered any real pblms.... so, don't have much to share....
but if you have particular questions, you can let me know... I'll try to answer them....
hope I answered your questions... ;D ;D
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To hack the analog of Dreamcast and PSX pads, you need to apply the directions on the Dreamcast2Jamma page dealing with the L and R triggers to each of the four directions of the analog stick.
Tom61:
Looking into the DC2Jamma page, they say just to hack up the analog so that it will be an essentially digital control. Since most of my emus just use the analog pad as a "select" button, would I be able to wire all four directions to one button (select)? Or would it be a better idea to include a switch that lets me use one joystick for both the analog and the digital controls? Maybe combine both of the above ideas?
hyiu:
I do like the graphics on the Sav, and when you order from them, they as for you to email them a 15x10 image of your choice to put on it. Or they can custom make you an image if you want. Makes those cost about 4 dollars more than MAS sticks. Now I'm adding a spool of cat5 cable to my list of things I need to build this puppy. (and buying a spool will allow for future projects)
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you dont need any switches for more than one pad
just put diodes on the end of the wires from each console then connect the wires to the buttons
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if you're going the same way I went... (using cat 5 cables and cat 5 jack...) one thing to keep in mind...
when you split the cable... you'll find 4 twisted pairs of wires.... its like (yellow, white-with-yellow; blue, white-with-blue; brown, white-with-brown; and red, white-with-red) with each main color pairs twisted together....
when I did my first connections, I assumed they'll lined up just the way it is.... (but no.... the first 2 and last 2 are twisted pairs... and the middle 2 are twisted pair.. and the 3rd and the 6th is a pair.... so, the order will be like
red, white-with-red, brown, white-with-blue, blue, white-with-brown, yellow, white-with-yellow.
since I am color-blind.... I was totally messed up on my first try.... just a heads up on this..... other than that... the rest is ok.....
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Looking into the DC2Jamma page, they say just to hack up the analog so that it will be an essentially digital control. Since most of my emus just use the analog pad as a "select" button, would I be able to wire all four directions to one button (select)? Or would it be a better idea to include a switch that lets me use one joystick for both the analog and the digital controls? Maybe combine both of the above ideas?
The idea for the switch is a good one if you can't fit another joystick on the panel for it. Get a "quad pole double throw" switch for that.
For a "select" button, wire it only to the direction that it uses. I remember DreamSNES uses analog stick left for "exit", so if you wanted an exit button, you'd wire the button to the left 'HED'. Hold the Exit button down for a few seconds to go back to menu after that.
I have a few games, such as Skies of Arcadia, that need the analog stick and the digital pad. When I said wire the 4 HEDs up, i meant for a joystick.