I built 2 arcade controllers a few years ago (2000). They have been collecting dust for a while because I used Microsoft Sidewinder gamepads with midi/gameport plugs at the end and don't currently have a computer with that port (I know, buy a cheap soundcard). I thought it was a good idea at the time to use the Sidewinders because you can daisychain as many as you want and they were easy to solder to. They were fun, but kind of a pain.
I had been looking for a while for a gamepad to replace the Sidewinders. I was thinking of a wireless Xbox pad because I mostly use Mame on that system as opposed to my computer now because it is more convenient, and wireless is always good. But I didn't know how to go about wiring the analog buttons, let alone what to do with the analog sticks.
I somehow happened upon this Wireless Fighting Stick
http://www.amazon.com/Playstation-Wireless-Fighting-Stick-White/dp/B0009XHF1K and decided to take the plunge. The space in my controller boxes is quite limited because I wanted to make them as shallow as possible and not too bulky. They are comfortable to put on your lap and play. I had no reason to believe that this naki stick didn't have a giant circuit board inside, but it was about $20 with shipping from an Amazon reseller, so I went for it. I just bought one of them to see if it was what I wanted. If not, I'm out 20 bones.
Boy howdy was it what I wanted! See those two nubby things to the left and right of the buttons? Those are the analog sticks, which I didn't even know the controller had. One of the analog controllers has its own little circuit board, maybe 1 1/2" square. And the other analog controller has the main board with the hookups clearly marked. That board is about 1 1/2" by 3". After getting the wires how I wanted them on the boards, I hot glued them inside of my controller box and hooked everything up. I have 12 buttons on my controller. For Xbox they are A, B, X, Y, R, L, Black, White, Start, Back, R Analog Stick press, and L Analog Stick press. The battery pack (3x AAA) was detachable, so I hot glued that into the box as well.
The end result is that I now have a fully operational Xbox and PS2 WIRELESS arcade controller and the added bonus of being able to open up the box (hinged) and use the analog controls if necessary.
I have already ordered another stick so I can convert the other controller that I have and I was wondering if anybody would be interested in a tutorial or if anybody just wants to see pictures. I spent a lot of time on the boxes themselves. They are pine, I sanded them for days, put a light stain and polyurethane finish on them.
By the way, the Naki Stick alone is not so great, the buttons are way squishy and the stick is pretty small. My controllers have Happ pushbuttons and Happ super joysticks
-stonefry
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Topic: Just built a wireless Xbox-Ps2 controller (Read 1608 times)
