sega genesis (megadrive) custom pad ?

[mordiskitos]

I'm planning to make a custom megadrive pad, so I could play in my console with an arcade custom controller.
I've been looking the web, and haven't found how to make a 6-buttons custom pad.
The simpliest way is to hack an actual pad, but I don't want to lose my pads. Plus, I just own a 6 button pad, I would have to buy another one (2 controllers in total).

Any advice?

[SavannahLion]

This document might be of interest: http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~chuck/infopg/segasix.txt

The old 3 button controller used a standard 74HC157 which can be easily picked up for $0.50 from Digikey or less if you shop around. It was nice of SEGA to do that, it made the controller compatible with the Atari 2600. 

However, the six button controller resorted to using a custom micro-controller. You don't really have a lot of choices before you. It seems that unless someone created a custom controller board for you (I haven't found one yet, but it doesn't mean it doesn't or didn't exist) you're going to end up spending money. You just have to decide where you want to spend that money. Hacking apart an old 6-button would be your fastest course.  Designing and programming your own controller board would be the most educational.

[mordiskitos]

omg! too difficult for me, I'm not really an electronics expert. This is out of my sight.
Unfortunately, I think my only possibility is to buy some cheap 6-buttons pads on the ebay and hack them.

Thanks man, you showed me the light!!