I am considering dreamcast.? help?

[Demon-Seed]

Hi
I am starting to plan Demoncade 2 and want to run mame and pc emulators etc...I was going to attempt to use an arcade cabinet this time. I do want to add in support for Dreamcast, PS2 , xbox and ps1. I have read a that dreamcase will work if hacked..anyone have a link to learn what i need to do? also i guess I would need a dreamcast hack too so that i can connect cp to it. now my question is if i make 1 cp can i hook it up to pc and still use the same one for DC, xbox etc?? without unhooking it? a switch or something?? has anyone done it? if so how?
thanks
Jim

[abrannan]

There are dozens of topics on these boards dedicated to this topic, but I'll sum them up for you.  Yes, it can be done with diodes so that the current flows only where you want it.  However, as you add systems and controls, it becomes exponentially more complicated.  The most recommended method is to take a parallel port cable and cut it in half, connect one (i.e. male) half to your controls, and connect the other (female) half to your encoder.  Use another female end for each of your encoders, and either manually swap them when you change consoles (since you'll have to open the cabinet anyway) or use a multi port selector switch, like the ones used to allow two or three people to share a printer.

[Demon-Seed]

Hi
OK I am not that bright. Printer cable gut in half? ok so one end would be a printer port plug the other bare wires? any websites that show this? SO you use a switch.

thanks for the reply
Jim

[TalkingOctopus]

Here are a couple of sites about connecting console gamepads to arcade controls.  

http://members.cox.net/joysticks/

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/jdpyle1/index.htm

[Demon-Seed]

Hi
One guy there made controls hacked in side a box with a db25 connector. is a db25 connector a printer connector? ok my question is how do u install a cp to be able to be mame control panel, dreamcast etc and switch between them? anyone done it?

[abrannan]

Hi
OK I am not that bright. Printer cable gut in half? ok so one end would be a printer port plug the other bare wires? any websites that show this? SO you use a switch.

thanks for the reply
Jim

Not a printer cable, a parallel port cable.  A printer cable will have two different ends (one is a db-25 connector, which connects to the parallel port on your computer, the other is a printer connector, which clips onto the connector on your printer).  What you will want is something more like an extension cable (with one end being a male "pins" db-25 connector, and the other end being a female "holes" db-25 connector), so that you could plug one end into the other end of the cable.  Following so far?  Good.

Now what you will do is connect the two ends together, and cut the cable in half, so you will end up with bare wires at one end, then the male connector, then the female connector, then bare wires at the other end (The two connectors will be connected at this point).  Still with me?  Great.

Disconnect the male/female connectors, and with your continuity tester match each bare wire up with the pin on the male connector.  Label the bare wires.  Now do the same thing with the female connector.  re-connect the male/female, and use your continuity tester to verify that you've got all the labels correct (If you're lucky, each small wire will be a different color, making this step that much easier).  Got that part done?  Let's continue.

Now connect the bare wires from the male cable to your controls, it may help to make a connection map like this:

Pin:     Control      MAME     Dreamcast     PS
1          Ground      Ground    Ground        Ground
2           P1 Up         P1up         Joy1up       joy1up
3
4
5
6           P1b1           L-ctrl       Joy1 A        Joy1 Circle
7           P1b2           L-Alt        Joy1 B        Joy1  Triangle
8           P1b3           Space      Joy1 X        Joy1 X
9           P1b4           L-Shift      Joy1 Y        Joy1 Square

And so forth, mapping out what each of the 25 connectors will do.  

Once you have the male connector wires hooked up, connect the bare wires from the female end to your Keyboard encoder, according to your connection map.  Now, when the male and female connectors are connected, you can play MAME normally.  

Now to move on to extending this system to other encoders:  You will need another female end (For now, you will only need one male end, but I'll touch more on that later).  You can either hack another parallel cable, or buy a female db-25 connector from radio shack.  Connect the wires from the connector to your hacked dreamcast controllers, again according to your connection map.  Now if the male end is connected to your Dreamcast female end, you can play dreamcast through your controls.  Want to play MAME?  Just switch which female cable you're using.  

At this point, you can use a parallel port switch (for allowing several people to share a printer, or one computer to have several printers) to make switching between cables a little easier.  Now all you have to do is select position A on the switch to play MAME, B to play Dreamcast, etc., etc., etc.  

"But abrannan," you say "I've hacked so many parallel cables, and I've got a bunch of male ends left over.  Is there anything I can do with them?"  

Yes, you now have the makings of a modular control panel.  You can use the male ends to connect a whole new CP, maybe this time you'll do twin sticks, so you can play robotron and karate champ.  Just add a column to your connection map, and make sure the controls correspond to the encoder positions you want.  

That concludes today's lesson.

[Demon-Seed]

Hey
That was a great post.....wow I do follow it for most part.. ok a few clarify questions bare with me..

Check continutity...?? not sure what i need or how to do that? i

So there is only 25 pins so does that mean only 25 keyboard presses? I would need to use one for each cp then correct? Cause I would have like 8 buttons per player, the 4 directions, 1 start key, 1 select, and 2 misc keys on the control panel for each player?

So i wire the cp to the connector to male so it would be like this:

1. bare wire from CP buttons CONNECTS to MALE end of DB25 cable.

2. female bare end connects to IPAC??? and then you connect the MALE and FEMALE together? this would let you play PC games through keyboard??

for DC i have the dc control hacked to a female? and instead of 1. connected to 2. I connect 1. to DC male?

Just a little grey there with the connections.....why cant it be connnected to ipac....and hacked once from IPAC to keyboard on pc?? is that cause only 25 outputs?

Swtich-the switch box.. where does it go? confused.......

Anyone have pictures of this anywhere?

ehhe I am trying
thanks very much for the hlp thus far!
Jim

[Demon-Seed]

Ok I found a picture
http://mywebpages.comcast.net/jdpyle1/controls_saturn.htm

but the box has MALE not FEMALE so I am confused now... its the IPAC that confused me


DC with male end.. i get it....
CP with male end I get it.... so u need female to have it work right? so i would have switch box it between?
so would be

CP SWITCH BOX then ipac to pc?
DC to SWTICH BOX-out FEMALE to DC? errr... just need it clarified.
I guess cause the CP has 2 connectors while the consoles only have the male out. thats it.
thanks
JIM

[Demon-Seed]

hello that website with the pic explains it....ia m just confused with the IPAC part.....

like why not hack from the other side of ipack to a a connector instead of before?

like have DC male at one end.
have CP directly to IPAC and the line that is IPAC to PC hack it to male? can that be done not sure why it couldnt....that makes more sense..OK i will shut up i am sure you will explain this...eheh thanks

[abrannan]

Male/female may need to be reversed based upon your individual setup.

Continutiy check can be done with your multimeter.  Set it to check resistance (small Ohm range, like 0-2 ohms) and touch one probe end to a pin on the connector.  To find the wire that corresponds to that pin, touch the other probe to the bare wires one at a time until you get a reading of something close to 0 ohms (All the other wires should give you a reading of infinite ohms, since there is no connection)

The switch box would connect to the DB ends of your cables so it would look like:

Controls-> cable with DB connector -> switchbox -> db connector -> encoder

Your other encoders would connect to the other ports on the switchbox.
If you're having trouble picturing the switchbox, try this:
http://www.cablewholesale.com/specs/40d3-17603.htm

All connectors on the switchbox in the picture are female, so you'd need all male ended cables to connect to it (Which is why I say male/female may be different based onyour individual situation)
But working from this picture, your controls would be connected to the lower left port (labeled input/output), and the other three ports would be connected to your encoders (Ipac, DC, whatever)

Yes, with the db-25 connectors you are limited to 25 total inputs on your control panel.  Well, 24 if you leave one for the ground wire.  That may or may not be enough for your needs.  In my modular setup, I use a db25 and a db9 to give me enough inputs for my needs.  I'll post pictures when I get home tonight.

As for your last question, why not hack from the other side of the Ipac?  It doesn't work that way, each encoder (Ipac, DC controller, etc) takes the information provided by the switches (buttons and joysticks in our case) and "encodes" the information the way that the receiving piece of equipment (Dreamcast, computer, playstation) understands.  You can't just plug a keyboard into a playstation port (USB port on the PS2 notwithstanding) and have it understand the information.  It has to be encoded properly.  Which is why we have all of the various system->system adapters, that will translate the information from one format to another.  
 

[Demon-Seed]

Hello
Ok its starting to make sense. so DB 25 MALE from CP to switchbox input.

then depeniding on switch box I connect where its to go. ie) OPTION A on switchbox connect db hacked to DC. when i want to play dc i switch too A.

the only concern i have is how do u have a switch with more than 25? you would need 2 switch boxes? one for player 1 one for player 2? I dont understand how a 9 pin one would switch if the box is only 25.

You have done this? u have pics? this is helping I just do not see how it can be done without 2 DB25 for my cp.

[abrannan]

More than 25 you really can't go the switchbox route.  With my 25+9 setup, I have two connectors to hookup each time I want to switch.  I don't use a switchbox.  

Actually, I should correct myself.  You can go more than 25 connectors with a switchbox by using CN36 or CN50 connectors and the appropriate switchbox(see: http://www.cablewholesale.com/catalog/switchboxes.htm )
I just found it easier to use DB connectors I bought from Radio Shack.

[Demon-Seed]

Hello
with CN36 or 50 is the process the same? What if I do not use all the wires? would it still work.. like CN 36 say i used 30 wires what do i do with the remaining 6?

thx
Jim

[Demon-Seed]

Hello I think I found it!!

http://www.cablewholesale.com/specs/40d4-02604.htm

what do u think would tha work? so i hack the CP into the in/out and then i can have 4 more things all on switch!! PC, DC, XBOX and one more!

would this work? if so sweet I will try.. do they sell matching cables. do u think this is doable by a newbie like myself....Cabinet one control pannel i have made but this will be a huge feat if i can do it.

Question-I know I can get a convertor to play DC etc on PC monitor.... can I use an ARCADE monitor for DC, xbox etc?? I was thinking about using an arcade monitor this one.. what would be best?

[SNAAAKE]

You asked this question before,so for the last time.
Hack ps1 pads then get CONVERTERS for every system.Couldn't be easier.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3085028712&category=21187

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3085150933&category=4303

However,xbox converters wont work with 3rd party pads.So you gotta hack first party sony dualshock pad.Make sure its "series H".Just look at the controller in the back.There should be a small letter saying A,B,H,etc.

You get "H" cuz thats the only one that has a PCB inside,others use a thin film where you can't solder anything.

[Demon-Seed]

Snake I understand the hacking thing, but what I was hoping to do is have things wired into a switch box. I have been reading and reading about it.. seems tough though not sure if I can do it... I may have to see if anyone is welling to do it for me....anyone?

[Demon-Seed]

With the switch idea. I understand how the box works but can I have multiple things hooked up to a monitor ooutput??? if not then you would have to switch that manually every single time.

ie) you have monitor connected to PC. CAN you have the video plug spliced or shared so its PC to monitor and addatched is XBOX to monitor adapter, and attached is DC adapter?? hmmmm....... not following that part. dam there must be a way to have multiples.

Has anyone done it? any link for me explaining how? how does everyone use multiple consoles and PC? simply?

[abrannan]

With the switch idea. I understand how the box works but can I have multiple things hooked up to a monitor ooutput??? if not then you would have to switch that manually every single time.

ie) you have monitor connected to PC. CAN you have the video plug spliced or shared so its PC to monitor and addatched is XBOX to monitor adapter, and attached is DC adapter?? hmmmm....... not following that part. dam there must be a way to have multiples.

Has anyone done it? any link for me explaining how? how does everyone use multiple consoles and PC? simply?

If you use VGA, get a VGA switch box.  If you're using a TV, get an A/V switch box, or an s-video switch box.

[abrannan]

Hello
with CN36 or 50 is the process the same? What if I do not use all the wires? would it still work.. like CN 36 say i used 30 wires what do i do with the remaining 6?

thx
Jim

Whatever you want to, or nothing depending on your mood.

[abrannan]

Hello I think I found it!!

http://www.cablewholesale.com/specs/40d4-02604.htm

what do u think would tha work? so i hack the CP into the in/out and then i can have 4 more things all on switch!! PC, DC, XBOX and one more!

would this work? if so sweet I will try.. do they sell matching cables. do u think this is doable by a newbie like myself....Cabinet one control pannel i have made but this will be a huge feat if i can do it.

Question-I know I can get a convertor to play DC etc on PC monitor.... can I use an ARCADE monitor for DC, xbox etc?? I was thinking about using an arcade monitor this one.. what would be best?

Yes they sell matching cables, and connectors, and everything else.  
http://www.cablewholesale.com/cgi-bin/search.cgi?text=db37&x=0&y=0&type=all

[Demon-Seed]

hello
so for monitor i can splice it? or do i need a video switch as well?

this is kool.....in case i cant do it..does anyone sell them made? or make em?

[abrannan]

Look up three posts.  Get a video switch box.

[kujina]

More than 25 you really can't go the switchbox route.  With my 25+9 setup, I have two connectors to hookup each time I want to switch.  I don't use a switchbox.  

I dont see why you cant use 2 DB25 boxes for a 4 player control panel?

Great thread by the way.

[abrannan]

More than 25 you really can't go the switchbox route.  With my 25+9 setup, I have two connectors to hookup each time I want to switch.  I don't use a switchbox.  

I dont see why you cant use 2 DB25 boxes for a 4 player control panel?

Great thread by the way.

You could.  But personally at that point you're starting to get into a lot of "bulk" in your cab.