Bacteria's multi-console system project : UNITY

Cut out the button section, installed some rare earth magnets to hold it in place in the controller yet make it easy to replace with a different button section for a different console system. Need to make holes for the reset and start buttons, and of course install a board for the tactile buttons (mushy rubber topped type) for the buttons to work. I can then start doing the wiring.




The 1/2mm or so gap around the button section will not be noticeable when the case backing is in place of course.

 

Making great progress. Reset and Start buttons are installed, the button section contact board is installed and also worked out how to remove the button section - and it works like a dream. Tomorrow will trim off what I need for the contacts on the joystick, wire up the d-pad; then can install those sections too; install the parallel port, then it's just a matter of connecting up the wires. Really happy how this is progressing so far. Should have some photos to show you guys in the next days and should have the controller finished in around a week.

 

How long do you think it will take you to complete the system fully? Are you planning to add some cool graphics to the casing?

 

This is really interesting to me, the question I have and maybe I skipped it but you are doing removable button face for the specific consoles... are all the buttons going to be in the same basic spot just with the number needed or how exactly are you wiring them all together that's the bit that is a bit baffling to me.

 

Yakumo - Hard to say how long it will take as I spend about an hour or so a day modding only and there is lots left to do, however early months of next year should have it all finished. Once the controller is finished i'll have a fully working first system (N64) as that system and base unit are complete already; then it's a matter of adding in the other consoles; some are semi-prepared at the moment, others i'll strip off the old Project Unity system for parts.

The graphics are modest, as indicated on the previous page; but functional. Graphics and case making aren't my strong points, I can do "quite good" but not "great". Going to upload better photos, when it's time to make the in-project videos.

nilats - yes, the button face is removable, all buttons for different systems are in the same 6 spaces, so for example for SNES, can use a red, blue, green and yellow button for the active areas and two black ones for empty ones; NES would have 2 red and 4 black, etc. The most a system uses for buttons (excluding Z and shoulder buttons) is 6 after all.

As to the wiring, on some controllers you use a common ground for button contacts however on others they do not, which means some buttons need their own ones; an example of this is the Jaguar uses 4 separate grounds. To provide enough contacts for each button, joystick, shoulder buttons, d-pad, start and select, with 7 groundings, takes 25 connections, hence why i'm using a parallel cable and ports as that uses 25 connections. If I could have got away with it i'd have had the GameCube and PlayStation using the master controller too, however that would have taken me to 42 connections which would have been no use as the cable from the base unit to the controller would be far too stiff and bulky. Apart from those 2 consoles, all the others going into this system will use the same master controller.

 

Got all but the wiring done, so here's some pics. Sun is shining so the photos didn't come out as good as should, and colours of the buttons come out wrong, but they're good enough as give the idea of what's going on. Doesn't help when the controller has some strings of hot glue on it and also is a bit dusty. Photo 3, you see a small plastic tab, that's to lift off the button holder when need to - simple but effective.



Not easy to do the wiring as a rather restricted space to do it in but do-able. The bottom row of the parallel port was pre-wired as those connections would otherwise be inaccessible.

 

That is one hell of a project.

 

Master Controller is now wired up and ready for testing. When I have checked all buttons function correctly I can screw the controller backing down. Might look a mass of intermingling wires, which it is, however doesn't matter as it's only internal wiring.

 

Man, that pad must take some dedication. I'd probably have given up by now.

 

I enjoy modding, however this will likely be my last major modding project ever, so going to make this system as comprehensive and good as I can. After this project i'll make some commissions if people are still interested in them (ie N64's), and then sell off what systems I have remaining after that.

 

The contact boards for the controller, ie d-pad and also shoulder buttons have been somewhat unusual. Normally you have two semi-circles for button contacts, so when the carbon pad on the rubber tact depresses it makes contact between the two semi-circles and completes the circuit for a button press. Standard stuff. The ones on this old USB controller i'm using has a trace connecting between the two points on each button which then (I presume) increases the signal when the carbon pad depresses for tbe button press - which means in effect when I tested my controller, all the shoulder and d-pad buttons were firing at the same time. I have therefore had to adapt the shoulder pads to use the same external buttons but use rubber topped tactile buttons instead of the contact pad, and do similar with the d-pad (which i'm now doing). Bit of a pain, but getting there.

UPDATE - finished, tested, works fine. A few more testings on different games and i'll screw down the controller halves. As the joystick was a little too sensitive, added a 75ohm resistor to the H and V pins on the joystick, might need to double this though.

 

Done clips to make 2 videos, one for the base unit, N64 first system, and demo of system working - working on the video compiling now, will upload it on Monday so as to space out the videos a little.

Video 1 for the system, the Master Controller - on YouTube:





Hope you enjoy it.

 

Nice, going to watch this later on.

 

Part 2 is uploaded.



Spent time testing the joystick, and in fact ended up changing it for a GameCube style one. Testing on Doom 64 as it is very picky about moving about as far as sensitivity of the joystick is concerned; using 3.6k ohm resistors on the H and V lines of the joystick to bring down the sensitivity, needs marginally more, around 4.5k - 5.4k ohms, testing to find optimum for the joystick to be "perfect".

 

I think the optimum level of resistance seems to be around the 12k ohm mark for a resistor on the H and V lines on the joystick, as it makes the joystick responsive to maneuvers like Mario making tight circles when you want him to, etc. Seems to be about right.

I will probably play the N64 system for some days now before moving onto the next system, otherwise I won't get time to play games! lol

 

Update time. Thought this morning about playing some N64 games when I had some time before going to work, however decided to do some modding instead. Took me 1.5 hours to make the cartridge box, prepare the TurboGrafx section which i'd made previously; next job is to put over the vinyl covering, hot glue the console section to the cartridge part and then only have the wiring to do.


Bear in mind the electronics will be enclosed.

 

Covered the section with vinyl, cut out the holes, applied paint to the exposed MDF where the holes are, secured the boards in place, also the button over the 8P2T switch (for region free mod). Only need to wire it up to the JAMMA connector and 2nd console system will be complete. With any luck, should have it done by the close of the weekend. As you may have noticed, this is the TurboGrafx, ie UK version; which had the CTX chip so native RGB output, which is what I want. I have a CoreGrafx too (a far smaller board) however this TurboGrafx board is ideal for this project.

UPDATE - making good progress, started the wiring, will have it done by weekend so should have YouTube video to post early next week.

 

Wired the TurboGrafx up last night, tested, works fine. Time soon to make another video!

 

Where did you find that switch? It's so hard to find cheap mechanical 8P2T switch these day.

 

Had some for a while. I got a good batch a few years back however mislaid them, this was the last one I had; I bought clear ones later and they were unreliable so no use.

Did a quick video earlier, which is perfectly fine to show the TurboGrafx unit and it working: