Sega to SNES Controller Adapter

I've acquired a lead that lets Sega controllers be used on a SNES.

It's a short black lead with the usual SNES controller plug-in at one end and a Sega 9 pin port at the other.

For some reason every Sega pad I've tried (Standard Mega Drive, third party, 6 button & Master System pad) doesn't work right - UP on the Sega pad is equivalent to START but that's it. No other buttons do anything.

Has anyone ever used a lead like this before? I've been told it did used to work.

Does it need cleaning, if so, what's the best method as the 9 pin Sega end looks fine.

I've tried the lead on a PAL SNES & NTSC SNES and its the same with both. Can anyone help?

Thanks!

 

I never knew one of these existed. I will try cleaning it. Also are you sure the end for the sega controller is made for a sega controller? Wasn't there another system that had a similar end?

 

Yeah, like the C64, Atari 2600 and a lot of other systems, I'm sure. Sega controllers (at least Mega Drive) are slightly different from ones on earlier systems, but I dunno if that would make a difference.

 

3DO pads have a similar connector but I've tried a 3DO pad and that doesn't work either. It is definately to use Sega pads on the SNES. I'll give it a bit more cleaning but I'm not hopeful.

 

SEGA Master System controllers have no chips inside but all the other controllers have logic chips to encode the expanded buttons on the 9 wires the cable has. While a Mega Drive can use a SMS pad, a SMS can't use the Mega Drive because the games on SMS can't set up the pad properly.

But then you can use the SMS joystick port to read all buttons on the MD controller if you program the port properly.

An static adapter such as the one the OP described would be "hard wired" for a certain type of controller. Or it's meant to connect an special controller which is based on the same chips as the SNES controller on a SNES.

Some famiclones do use 9 pin connectors for their controllers but their pinout isn't standard.

To conclude this, if your lead is a real converter, it HAS to have a box with a circuit board inside. If it's just a cable then there's a possibility it's just a lead for a specialized game controller like maybe an X-Arcade... :thumbsup:

http://arcadecontrols.com/arcade_X-Arcade_review.shtml

 

Thanks l_oliveira , the lead appears to be just a basic lead with no chips. I've tried an SMS pad with no luck but I'll retry now I've cleaned the connectors.

I'm intrigued as to what pad will work with it. Hopefully I'll get one working properly.

The best I've got so far is with MegaDrive pads - pressing UP on a game such as 'Rival Turf' makes the character jump but also pauses the game! No other buttons do anything

 

A bit of extra info that may help...I also have a lead (with chips) that enables SNES pads to play on the 3DO. I plugged the Sega to SNES lead into this and the same thing happened. UP on the Sega pad started and paused the 3DO game but no more. So I'm now at a loss as to what it could work with.

 

Here's the lead:

 

Have you tried the other controllers that use 9 pins? Atari 2600 used one amongst others.

 

I've now tested the lead with a Python joystick which has modes for Atari and other old computers and the same thing happens.

 

Did you try it the other way around? Maybe it's for playing Sega (or 3DO or whatever) with an SNES controller.

 

That's a good idea but the connectors are only tailored to work one way. I.e. the Sega end is the same as a controller port on a Sega console (so won't itself plug into a console) and the SNES end is the same as the connector on a SNES pad (so can't have a SNES pad plugged into it).

 

Now this is an interesting piece of ... well, cable. Is there perhaps any Snes Accessory that would come with it to connect? I find the idea of Genesis controllers on the SNES to be a bit... strange.

But now that I think of it more, maybe it's for the six button pad, to play Street Fighter or something...?

 

That's a straight cable.

SNES pads use serial data so it has a low pin count on their cables. SEGA and ATARI use parallel so all buttons have 1 wire each. MD is slightly different as it multiplexes some buttons to lower wire count on the cable to 9.

Your SNES is in fact registering ALL buttons pressed at same time because it's just receiving 1 every time you press that button on the pad you connected. Without translation logic it won't work at all.

So I reiterate. That cable is an adapter cable for something like the X-Arcade pad or something similar like maybe that Capcom fighting pad for SNES.

 

I think you are right. At the moment it's pretty useless until I find the right pad/stick to go with it.

 

The only controller i know that uses the DB9 connector and serial data is the commodore CD32 joypad. I find it hard to believe that the used protocol is the same as the snes uses though, and why would anyone want to use a CD32 pad?

Is the cable you have a homemade one, or is it factory produced?

EDIT:
I believe the Sega mouse/Mega mouse also used serial data, maybe thats the purpose?

 

Mega Mouse uses a parallel protocol with 4 bits, similar to what MSX computers use, I believe. But then quoting someone from Eidolon's inn:

 

I have actually tested a CD32 pad using the cable with no luck. It's a factory made cable.

 

Wild shot: serial mouse -> SNES? Mario Paint?

Heck, I don't know.

 

Really? I was sure that I used to play SMS with a genesis pad.