PS controller to jamma?

[leaveal]

i heard some people make PS2 controller to Jamma converters and mount them on cabinets. i'd really like to try doing that sometime. anyone got links? :D

[2BAD4U]

Well, I know the tekken 5 cabinet has a ps plug and people bring their controllers there. Personnaly, for an arcade I thinks it's pretty dumb since it kinda loses the sens of "Arcade Playing", but if it's for home play, I can understand that cus it's still something pretty cool.

[R2J]

ask shogo. he's an expert in that line of work. I'm pretty sure he'll help you out.

[leaveal]

Rich:
yeah i'll try to pm him again. :B

2BAD4U:
some people just like pads more, and they like arcade competition. i think it would be great if they weren't forced to use controls that they aren't comfortable with.

[Toodles]

the PSX->Neogeo converter can be used to connect to a jamma rig, but you're limited to 4 buttons (six if you include select and start) per controller.

[ShinjiGohan]

I was thinking about that. Best that I could think of is to get 2 PSX controller ports and wire the same pinouts to eachother. One end would receive your normal PSX controller, the other would lead to a hacked PSX controller where the soldered PSX controller PCB button pins would be wired to the controller port on your supergun.

The only problem that I can see is how the PSX determines what each pin on the pinout does since some buttons must share the wires.

One possible solution would be to hack a PSX motherboard since that might have the pinouts to each button.

[Toodles]

The only problem that I can see is how the PSX determines what each pin on the pinout does since some buttons must share the wires.

Its a little more complex than that! All of the data of all of the states of every button, direction, and analog state is sent over a single data wire.
Decoding the dataline of a PSX controller is more complicated that I think anyone would want to spell out. It's been done numerous times, especially by robot enthusiasts. You could take the info on the gamesx page for psx pcb's and try to build a decoder from scratch, but that'd be some work, especially if you want to support everything from ps1 digital through ps1 dualshock and ps2 dualshock 2.

[ShinjiGohan]

which was why I said the idea with the psx hack. So all of the controllers that the psx supports would be compatable with the jamma. For analog support... why? More importantly how would an analog stick convert to the jamma standard of: up, down, left, right?

http://www.geocities.com/kiet5812/minipsxpinout.txt

[Toodles]

You seem to be under the impression that the PCB in a PSX controller works both ways; it doesn't. You can't use a PCB from a PSX controller to decode the data coming from another PSX controller. That pinout you linked to is the pinout of the plastic sheet that detects the buttons to the pcb for encoding, NOT the pinout of the 9 wires where the cable plugs into a playstation (the encoded data)

http://www.gamesx.com/controldata/psxcont/psxcont.htm

Easy way to use PSX controllers on a supergun: PSX->Neo converter. Neo uses one line for each button and direction, and shorts it to ground when pressed, the exact way arcade buttons and arcade pcb's are setup to do. Super easy, which is why most superguns use a neo standard for their controllers.

Hard way A (PIC): Program a PIC of your choice to detect, receive, and decode the incoming data. Include circuit to generate needed clock pulses and drop voltage to the 3.3v normally used by the psx controller (optional), and tune to reduce lag as much as humanly possible.

Hard way B (Logic): Make a serious of lagic gates to detect, receive and decode the incoming data. Include circuit to generate needed clock pulses and drop voltage to the 3.3v normally used by the psx controller (optional)

Both options for Hard ways are not viable except for serious electronics hobbyists or professionals.

[leaveal]

is there a way for a PSX to neo converter to support 8 buttons? (start and select included)

[chippermonky]

is there a way for a PSX to neo converter to support 8 buttons? (start and select included)

shouldn't the question be more like is there a way to make a neo geo support 8 buttons.

[leaveal]

not really.

i was asking about a converter hack, since i wasn't ever gonna use it on a neo anyway.

[ShinjiGohan]

You seem to be under the impression that the PCB in a PSX controller works both ways; it doesn't. You can't use a PCB from a PSX controller to decode the data coming from another PSX controller. That pinout you linked to is the pinout of the plastic sheet that detects the buttons to the pcb for encoding, NOT the pinout of the 9 wires where the cable plugs into a playstation (the encoded data)

Sadly you misunderstand what I'm trying to say. You use the psO controller ports to plug in. Let the PSX itself do the decoding of what each wire does, then solder those points to the stick. Now unless your saying that this specific pinout is not on the psOne. In which case I would be incorrect. However I don't recall seeing thohse pins in my regular ps1 controllers which was why I was led to believe that that might be on the psOne motherboard. But if not then excuse my ignorance.

http://www.gamesx.com/controldata/psxcont/psxcont.htm

Easy way to use PSX controllers on a supergun: PSX->Neo converter. Neo uses one line for each button and direction, and shorts it to ground when pressed, the exact way arcade buttons and arcade pcb's are setup to do. Super easy, which is why most superguns use a neo standard for their controllers.


What is your fascination of neogeo? Not everyone likes or plays neogeo. On top of that why would they use the psx-neo converter if they're going to lose buttons? They might as well just use the damn neogeo pad. Which completely negates the purpose of his post.

I could throw out a couple other possibilities for going about it (like using the ultimarc psx-jamma controller converter, perhaps its possible to send data the other way through it... just a thought).


Hard way A (PIC): Program a PIC of your choice to detect, receive, and decode the incoming data. Include circuit to generate needed clock pulses and drop voltage to the 3.3v normally used by the psx controller (optional), and tune to reduce lag as much as humanly possible.

Hard way B (Logic): Make a serious of lagic gates to detect, receive and decode the incoming data. Include circuit to generate needed clock pulses and drop voltage to the 3.3v normally used by the psx controller (optional)

Both options for Hard ways are not viable except for serious electronics hobbyists or professionals.

Which is why we need to bug sony and/or arcade companies to release some type of jamma to controller converter lol. Namco would be my first guess since they already include the PS to jamma on their board.

I also recall seeing something in the japan auctions said goal or a similar one...

http://page8.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/h42607671

though upon further inspection it seems like d-pad adapter like the A3 one for PSP...

[Toodles]

is there a way for a PSX to neo converter to support 8 buttons? (start and select included)

I haven't heard of anyway to have it support two more buttons, sorry.

Other interface options:
BASIC stamp: http://www.parallax.com/dl/docs/cols/nv/vol4/col/nv101.pdf
http://www.nutsvolts.com/toc_Pages/TOC_Related_Info/Playstation.htm

PIC:
http://sophiateam.undrgnd.free.fr/psx/index.html
http://www.electro-tech-online.com/robotics-chat/15119-sony-playstation-2-controller-pic.html
http://www.webx.dk/robot-crawler/ps-joy.htm

[elvis_a_presley]

i heard some people make PS2 controller to Jamma converters and mount them on cabinets. i'd really like to try doing that sometime. anyone got links? :D

If you can hack a pad into a stick, you can hack a pad into anythnig (including JAMMA).

Diagrams, pinouts and general soldering advice on getting anything you can think of into a JAMMA cabinet here:
http://www.mameworld.net/pc2jamma/

[leaveal]

elvis, the controller stuff in that link is actually jamma to console.

i need some kind of converter that will let me plug a PS controller into an arcade cabinet that runs a game board.

[ShinjiGohan]

This probably won't work but heres a couple ideas if someone wants to play with them.

They have PSX to usb adapters, and usb to serial adapters. Could connecting them all do something? Probably not :-\


Another idea using the PSX to usb adapter is to write some sort of program that would within the OS detect what buttons are being pushed and send the appropriate signal do a specific pin on a serial or parrellel port on the back of the PC. Which could be then connected to the jamma harness and kick harness.

[elvis_a_presley]

elvis, the controller stuff in that link is actually jamma to console.

i need some kind of converter that will let me plug a PS controller into an arcade cabinet that runs a game board.

Console controllers use an encoded signal, whereas arcade systems use a very basic on/off signal.

Your best bet would be to open up your pad, and hijack the button points with some low gauge wire. From there make yourself a simple molex connector attachment to the JAMMA harness.

I have to ask the question tho: why on earth do you want to play arcade games with a control pad? Other than handicapping yourself, I can't see why you'd want to.

[leaveal]

Console controllers use an encoded signal, whereas arcade systems use a very basic on/off signal.


yeah. hijacking the button points would probably work even if i didn't use a controller's PCB. :B

anyway, i don't really want it for myself, but some people do. i'm sure you've heard newbies talking about how they can beat the best players if they could only use a pad and such. i want to let them try.

[buffi]

I built and interface for psone -> jamma with an AVR microprocessor once... think I have a video of the prototype somewhere. It was a rather hard thing to make though :)

edit: Here we go... the prototype video
http://pici.se/stuff/psxinter.avi

I'm using the neogeo-ps2-pad here, works fine with any stick/controller though
This is NOT something anyone can build...

[leaveal]

i'm ready to try. got any diagrams?

[buffi]

Well... no real diagrams are needed. It's pretty much all software based.
Hook up the ps2 i/o pins to some inputs of the micro-cpu and then solder some other i/o pins from the cpu to the jamma pins. The pinouts are easy to google, however the ps2-controller protocol is a bit tricky to get used to.

It's the programming that takes care of just about everything... I don't even think I needed any other components than the jamma connector, a psone connector and an AVR micro-cpu... (of course I used LED's to test it as you can see in the video). The programming took a few days to get working though :)

edit: Also... if you have no earlier experience in programming embedded devices I would do something easier first to get started. I don't think I have the source or even the compiled code for this project anymore since it was quiet some time ago I made this so I can't really help you there.

However I might build a new improved adapter if I get the time eventually :) Got some plans for a kick ass supergun in a ps2-case (I even have a spare case... you can see the controller ports from it hooked up in the video).

[Toodles]

I'd love to see the code for the PIC and know which specific PIC it is so I can start going through the datasheet. In case you're worried, yes, I have a PIC programmer, but I'd have to check if my cheesy little programmer can do that chip.

Edit: Odd questions. How often are you polling for and receiving the controller status? Have you counted up the cycles to determine how much of a delay there is from requesting the status to actual output on the pins?

[buffi]

I'd love to see the code for the PIC and know which specific PIC it is so I can start going through the datasheet. In case you're worried, yes, I have a PIC programmer, but I'd have to check if my cheesy little programmer can do that chip.

Edit: Odd questions. How often are you polling for and receiving the controller status? Have you counted up the cycles to determine how much of a delay there is from requesting the status to actual output on the pins?

Like I said, I didn't use a PIC micro-cpu, I used an Atmel AVR micro-cpu (Mega32 to be exact). The code was written in C and I'll tyr to find it, won't give any promises though.

I don't remember the exact frequency of the polling, but it was way more than needed anyways :) Somewhere over a thousand polls / second if I remember correctly (could be all wrong though... I just remember it being a lot... a thousand doesnt seem so farfetched anyways concidering it's a 16mHz cpu :) )
edit: Or rather, I ran the cpu at 16mHz.

edit2: Here is a guide for making a playstation-controller-inteface in basic stamp. Shouldnt be so hard to understand and program a pic instead.
http://www.parallax.com/dl/docs/cols/nv/vol4/col/nv101.pdf

edit3: Found someone elses C-code for more or less the same thing here (for an ATmega8515).
http://www.lynxmotion.com/images/files/atmel01.c
Much better looking than my code and polls over 3000 times / second :)

[ShinjiGohan]

lol you could start a business on SRK selling those preprogrammed PICs.

[buffi]

Once again... AVR's not PIC's :)

And perhaps I could... look forward to a thread in the market section in a week or so perhaps ;)

[ShinjiGohan]

heh thanks.

I was taking a look at the C program that you posted up and the hardware that it used. The chip was going for $45 on ebay >.<, while some internet stores have it for about 4 bucks for 1.

What I couldn't get a price on was the AVR starter kits.

http://www.atmel.com/dyn/products/tools_card.asp?tool_id=2735

and wasn't sure exactly how I would install the C program code onto the chip (assuming the use of some of the software on the page but still not 100% sure on that).

[buffi]

I buy all my AVR-chips from www.futurlec.com . I believe they are based in Thailand.

Here is the chip used for the code I posted
http://www.futurlec.com/Atmel/ATMEGA8515.shtml
I usually use this one for anything AVR-based though :) The same code should work
http://www.futurlec.com/Atmel/ATMEGA32.shtml

You don't need the STK500 starter kit you linked to, bit ut IS a great tool for learning to use AVR. The electronics club at my college has one and it's great. At home I use a home built programmer using this in circuit programming cable from futurlec at the bottom of this page.
http://www.futurlec.com/ATMegaControlBoard.shtml

And installing the C-code to the chip is a matter of compiling the code using some kind of compiler which works for the chip you use and then downloading it to the chip using your chip-programmer of choice (and the software for it ofc).

edit: Oh... about the price for STK500. I believe it is usually around $100 and software comes with it. Well worth it if you want to develop stuff using atmel micro-cpus.

[leaveal]

that is some awesome shit there. thanks! i'll try and let my friends do that for me, it's really beyond my grasp at this point. LOL

[buffi]

No problems :)
Feel free to PM if you have any questions.
I might do an online guide some time if I've got some spare time. Kind of busy with work now though.

[Grego]

I didnt bother to read this whole thread, but I have done this before with a sx28 microcontroller, when I built my supergun. It doesnt work with analog controllers since at the time I didnt know interrupts, nor did I know the bus clk rate for the ps controller. Im planning on doing something similiar with an hc-11 in the very near future. So if anyone is interested, when I complete it Ill happily post the source.

[buffi]

I started building a bit on a new prototype yesterday (mega32 again) but then I found this.
http://www.tototek.com/pio/main1/SUBMENU/PARTS/LINKS/OS/neoclassicconverter.htm

This should work straight to jamma with just a 15pin connector and cables and is rather cheap. To clarify, the neo geo AES uses very VERY simple input... it's just a pin being connected to GND for each button/stick direction just like jamma.

Gonna order myself two of those to use with my supergun, but still play around with building my own converter :)

[Toodles]

Heh, read the thread. I've been promoting the psx->neo converter since the beginning. :) Leaveal wants support for six play buttons though for SF games, so building his own is the only current option.

[buffi]

Oops, totally missed that :)
Yeah, then it's building you own that is the way to go.