Just curious, what have some of you done to handle games with different extra buttons? I've been wondering what to do when every single PCB I own uses a different method of connecting the extra buttons. I have SF2CE, NeoGeo, MK1 Bootleg, MK2, and soon CPS2. I have controllers that are a basic SF2 layout, 2 rows of 3 buttons. 123 456 If I just went and connected button 4 (edge) to button 4 (stick) that would suck. Instead I prefer to had NeoGeo button D at the 6 position. But for MK1 Bootleg, buttons 4 and 5 come off the edge connector and I'd want 4 (edge) to go to 4 (stick) and 5 (edge) to go to 6 (stick). And then I need to duplicate block button 2 to reach button 5 so I don't have that button doing nothing. So you can see it's a mess. My idea to solve this is to have 4 switches per player mounted on the back somewhere. One when flipped will link Edge Button 4 to Stick button 6. This would be for NeoGeo. Then I'd have another which links Edge button 2 with stick button 5 for MK's Block button. Another would run edge button 4 to stick button 4 which would be for MK1 bootleg and maybe other things, the last also for MK1 bootleg to take edge button 5 to stick button 6. Complicated enough? I think this is the best solution though. It's the fastest and most efficant way for me to change what wires are connecting what.
I used to wire everything to a jumper block, so people could just plug in connectors between button number to physical button setting so they could have the buttons as they wanted.
But isn't that a hassle having to open up the controller or the supergun to unplug connectors and plug them in different spots? I mean I guess if I needed to I could just unscrew the bottom plate of the controllers and move the quick disconnects to different buttons, but I like the switches idea cause it'd be very fast.
No, you wire the wires from the connector to a socket and wire another socket under it which goes to the JAMMA / Neo connectors on the board and the 8 screw terminal block for the CPS 2/3, etc off board connectors. So you need 6 per player. http://www.maplin.co.uk/module.aspx?ModuleNo=34962&doy=3m7 Then you can use connectors like this to connect between the two sockets (you can get these prewired but I can't find them online). http://www.maplin.co.uk/module.aspx?ModuleNo=45987&doy=3m7 You can use stackable plugs too, so you can plug another lead into the same button and use it with games that force you to press two buttons for shot and missle (Gradius for example). http://www.maplin.co.uk/module.aspx?ModuleNo=1442&doy=3m7 The reason I use this as it means you can wire up the buttons in the way you want. For example on Gradius, I use 4 as power up and 2 as shot and missile. Swap buttons like Jump and bubble on bubble bobble, etc, etc.
I can't really see needing to remap buttons entirely, nor would it be convient though to have to open the controller or the Supergun to do so. It's a nice idea though. For my purposes though I think some plain switches should get the job done for anything I'll ever buy. Now that I actually think about it though, the boards that use the edge connector shouldn't be much trouble but the extra harnesses I'm gonna have to buy soon or buy the correct connectors for which is probably so much cheaper. I figure I could have a CPS1/SF2, CPS2, and KI/MK2/MK3/Midway set of harnesses all ready to go for whatever I need in the end. The goal is pretty much to minimize any hassle when playing games. It would be annoying to go from MK1 to NeoGeo or to SF2 or whatever and have to unplug a bunch of plugs and rearrange them. I find flicking a switch on the back far better.
The best way then is to terminate your video/power/controller with something like a 25 pin connector & then make a 25 pin to neogeo connector, a 25 pin to sf2 connector etc. You have to open the cab up to swap games. The idea of switches sounds very annoying. smf
Switches aren't necessary. I just split the connection. IE: I have the 4 neo geo buttons connected to the edge...but at the very same time I also have wires from buttons 3 and 4 going outside the box...and attached to inuslated quick disconnects so I can connect the Kick Harness from Tekken 2 to it. I use quick disconnects instead of a plug so I can change the buttons around a bit if I want. (Or at least the Kick Harness Buttons, I can easily change the First three by opening up the supergun.) I know you don't want to complicate changing games...but well...you don't want to complicate your entire supergun either.
I've thought of just making different connectors (to the controller I'm guessing you mean) but that seemed far more tedious. Then I'd have to wire up an adapter to sit between the controller and the system. I don't see how a switch seems like such a bad idea. When I put in a game I just flip some switches on the back if I need to, seems pretty quick and painless to me.
Hopefully this diagram will explain what I'm getting at. When you switch boards with kick harnesses, you're going to have to switch out the harnesses no matter what. Say the wire coming off the controller port represents button 4...which on Neo geo goes to the jamma harness, but for many other games goes to a kick harness. I assume you're talking about putting a switch where I have placed the yellow "X" allowing you to switch the button input from going to the Jamma Harness or the Kick Harness The problem is though, you don't really need a switch there. Theres no point of switching one side off...as when you're using a kick harness, theres going to be no connect to the spot on the jamma harness and when you're using the jamma harness for neo geo, theres no kick harness. Just connect two wires to the pin for button 4 (or any other needed button). Having a switch there actually adds one more step to changing boards (flicking the switch)...and more work to the case of your supergun.
Blur, I get what you're saying but you're forgetting what I was saying which complicates things. My Mortal Kombat 1 Bootleg board uses 2 extra inputs on the jamma connector per player and button 5 needs to go in controller button 6's spot and block needs to be also connected to button 5 on the controller. And then what I was saying about NeoGeo is that I'd want button D in the position of Button 6 on the controller. Carefully look over what I'm talking about. The controller face looks like this: 1 2 3 4 5 6 For games that have an extra button harness, no problems at all, I just connect the harness to the terminals that go to 4,5,6. The problem comes with NeoGeo and MK1. The prefered layout for NeoGeo for me is: A B C X X D But on MK1 I need 4 aka D to be under A and it all looks like this: A B C D B E Because there's no alternative connection to block (button 2/B) I need a switch or something to be able to connect button 2 and 5 together. This would also be for MK2 and an authentic MK1 I believe. And obviously button 5/E from the edge is connecting to 6 which doesn't need a switch really I guess. But again here are the layouts I want: For anything with extra button connector 1 2 3 4 5 6 I can easily move buttons 4 5 and 6 to whatever I want. For NeoGeo 1 2 3 X X 4 For MK 1 2 3 4 2 5 So why wouldn't having a switch be needed? I'm not sure if CPS2 or CPS1 connected button 4 on the edge connector and the kick harness (I've heard that but that makes no sense) but if it's unconnected then I could easily just have button 4 from the edge goto button 6, but then for MK1-B I need button 4 to go to 4. And then again remember the problem where the signal from button 2 must also goto 5.
You're much better off with an adapter, especially when you consider that some games aren't even jamma ( although all the ones that you care about probably are ). Switches will be more work, no gain. You need adapters for each game anyway, switches are extra work on top. But if you really want to do it then just do it. Nobody else would, but why do you care? smf
I just like to know what my options are I suppose. It's good to see what others would do. So you're thinking making an adapter that plugs into the MK1 board and splits off the 2 extra buttons and an extra connection to the block button to a kick harness? I hadn't really thought of something like that but it would work. I'll still have to figure out block on MK2 though, I have the manual somewhere but I don't think there's a second signal on it's extra button harness. I'll definitely have to consider the adapter approach. I hadn't thought of that before and that was the whole point of this topic, to get ideas I hadn't thought of.
I made a SNES pad decoder for a Supergun (so I could use CPS fighter sticks) which handled static button remapping (could do dynamic but it'd have to be programmed manually). Still had to make the kick harness adapters *ignore the error in the MK diagram If I were you I'd use logic too like 3 74LS157 MUX to switch between 4 different 4-bit inputs (trouble buttons like 2, 4,5, 6.)
