Converting Analog inputs to digital (for arcade sticks)

I had a wonderful idea on how to make my nice saturn virtua stick universal. I installed a db-15 terminal on the side, and I have a few controllers installed in project boxes, which plug into this spot, and the in turn plug into their console of choice. This allows me to have an almost universal joystick.

I say almost because there's a few problems I foresee encountering in newer consoles' controllers. Every console n64 and onwards has an analog joystick, and I would like to retain that compatibility. So naturally, I would like to convert the analog, into digital for easy padhacking.

How would I do this? And what about triggers that are analog, or even buttons that are analog like the original xbox? Help would be appreciated.

 

I'm not sure I understand, you want to use a digital joystick in place of an analogue one? Why bother? Both the X360 and N64 have digital D-pads, would it not make more sense to hack to those? Then at least you are replacing like for like.

What is their to be gained from making the analogue stick digital when there's already a digital control on those pads?

The buttons can be tackled in much the same way as any other button hack, just depends on whether you are removing the triggers or not. If you are you need to add resistors. See http://www.slagcoin.com/joystick/pcb_wiring.html#PCB_COMPONENTS_MODIFICATION_AND_REMOVAL

 

Well, some games use the analog stick and not the D-pad, I figure there might be some games that would be fun to use an arcade stick on, that don't use the d-pad for movement. Also, a big part of doing this was for the 5200, I really can't stand the not centering thing, and it's incredibly flaky.

 

You want to look up how the homebrew Vectrex joysticks were made. This is one of the few consoles that had *only* an analog stick and no digital pad. Essentially, most games only required discrete directional control and no precise positioning, so the hacks to convert a Genesis pad involve making the D-pad activate fixed resistance input (using resistors for a crude A-to-D conversion instead of having a sweeping potentiometer.) This works for 95 percent of the Vectrex games.