Analog Arcade Joysticks

[Blaine]

Long story short:

My universal joystick is almost done (there's a lot to post about it, maybe I'll do it when it's done). The big problem with it is - there's a lot of games I want to play that only use Analog controls (Super Smash Brothers, Propeller Arena, etc).

So, I'm thinking about making a smaller controller with an analog joystick. Which brings  my question.

I looked at what Happs controllers has as far as analog joysticks goes.

http://www.happcontrols.com/joysticks/50287600.htm

For the click-impaired, it's $126 for an analog control with their Ultimate joystick.

So my question is, since I've never worked with analog controls before -

Is this typical? I mean, the few ones I looked at were all in this range.

I know there's a lot more going on than your standard microswitch stick, but... damn!

If that is the price range, what are my options? Simple physics tells you I can't just slap a stick on a harvested N64 analog (the mechanical advantage would be through the roof, it'd likely snap or at least be like it was set in jello).

Anything anyone has to contribute would be welcome.

Thanks.

[NFG]

There's a wicked difference between analogue sticks for different systems.  Not all of them use the same kind of encoder (optical, resistance-based, etc) and none of them use the same kind of signalling to the host system.  As far as I know no one's ever made a multi-system analogue controller, it's too much of a PITA.

[Blaine]

Well...

hmm.

Okay, here's what my regular controller is like.

It's standard JAMMA hardware wired up to a 15pin DSUB (or it will be, I'm having trouble soldering the DSUB. If I can find a VGA extension cord that uses 14-15 pins then - I'm solid). So the joystick itself is just a collection of switches.

The 15 pin DSUB plugs into an encoder box for whatever console you're going to use it for (I have a GameCube, Dreamcast and NES encoder box built. Basically just hacked up joysticks. Again, same DSUB problem.) and then that goes out to your console.

So the voltage the joystick uses is the same voltage the original controller uses (since it's basically, in a round about way, just microswitches soldered to the controllers contact pads).

So the question would be with the pots in the Analog joystick though. I guess I assumed that most consoles used a similar voltage and read the values as affected by the pots in the analog stick - that my problem would mostly be getting the analog arcade stick to work with the voltage that the console was putting out.

But if they're all using radically different voltages then... yeah, I'd have to adjust (if I could even adjust) the joystick for each console.

Which would be a problem still.

That sorta sucks. SSBM with a decent joystick would be a treat.

[NFG]

They don't all use voltage either.  The N64 is notable for having an optical encoder, like a mouse-wheel or arcade paddle controller.  Just FYI.  =)

[ido8bit]

I can't remember brand names, but some 3rd party N64 controllers used resistance based analog joysticks.  Obviously the designed their own controllers ICs to accomodate them.  

There would be various ways to convert one type to the other.  Off the top of my head you could possibly use a couple of counters and DACs to go from optical to resistive.  Do the reverse to go from resistive to optical?

It may be something that could be done relatively easily with a microcontroller that has analog inputs and outputs.  I haven't gotten into microcontrollers yet, so I still think in terms of building things out of discrete logic.