Hooking PSX controller to Atari Lynx - SUCCESS!!

Yes it looks like a mess of wires. There is Arduino Nano in the middle somewhere. Going by NEC's TG-16 logic, would this make the system a 32 bit system? 8 bits CPU Mikey (with 16 bits support), 16 bits video Suzy, and 8 bit ATMega?? or 40-bits?

Anyway the Lynx has convenient solder spot for the controller and buttons, all of them marked as test points so it was easy to add wiring to the system. Arduino handles PSX controller by decoding the data and then feeding it into the controller. There is no noticeable latency issue. I plan to clean the mess up onto a small pcb with stand alone ATMega chip (chip is about $5, nano board is about $25) and tuck it inside. PSX controller was used because it's 5v tolerant so I won't need to add level shifter. Some analog model and many PS2 controller will have problem though and may not work unless it's on 3.3v source but Lynx doesn't have any 3.3v and I'd still need level shifter between controller and Arduino.

Why external controller on a handheld system? You might ask... eventually this Lynx will be like a console rather than a portable system when the video out board is released (see this thread: Lynx to VGA (it also can have new LCD) I have a beta board coming shortly for testing and I thought why not make it more comfortable to play while it's hooked to a TV? I worked on the code for SNES controller version as well but finished PSX first as the controller is more comfortable than SNES controller.

Video of the test:


Arduino is coded to use Select button to rotate the directional pad 90° for when playing vertical games like Klax and Gauntlet. Lynx was originally designed to be rotated as whole for those games but PSX controller is terrible to play sideway so I added the code to toggle it (defaults to horizontal for most of the games).

Start button is mapped to pause.
Button 1 and 2 has X and Square
Option 1 and 2 has Circle and Triangle button. (could be set to use L and R button instead for convince)
These button assignment can be changed in code or with rewiring.
Pressing 2 buttons (Circle and Start) for reset works like original Lynx, pressing Triangle and Start does 180° flip like original Lynx but not much point in this with my final mod. It is impractical to flip my 32" TV upside down anyway.

I do have a second Lynx that will remain a portable. When the TV out board is finalized and available for general release, I'll have one installed with a new LCD and no TV out support. The new LCD has improved what was not doable 20 years ago: wider viewing angle, sharper and clearer image, efficient LED backlight rather than guzzler CFL backlight, and very cheap & easy to replace if it break. CFL alone is something like half of Lynx's total power consuption. On my Lynx II, I tested at about 150mA with CFL unplugged while LCD is still on, and 300mA with CFL plugged in (both with sound and contrast at minimum setting) I read under 100mA with Lynx backlight off via backlight button as that turns off both CFL and LCD at the same time.

PS yes that Arduino chip + PSX controller can also be used on other consoles. For example, using it plus a 4021 IC can work with NES. Getting 2x 4021 IC works with SNES and VirtualBoy. 74157 (or 3) can work with PC Engine and TG-16 (2, 3, and 6 button mode!) Atari and SMS wouldn't need anything, it could be fed straight on a 9 pin connector. One would need to be mindful of if the controller uses positive or negative logic. Most game controllers are negative logic, that is high when not pressed, low when pressed. Lynx uses positive logic. Changing the code to have negative logic output is very easy.

PS for sheer geekness, I'll see if I can bring my system to test on their TV, and hook it up to a 100" TV. Nothing like having pixels measuring 2 inches (5cm) each to really show off old game's low res display.

 

Sweet! Well done!

 

Nice...

Wow, Lynx on a big screen, I need to get that mod!

 

Strange. Didn't expect this. :boxing:

Closest thing I'd asked about was hacking Xbox controller to Saturn, not much luck.

 

Cool mod!