XBOX Classic Padhack (DB15 Male) Help

[pr3ston]

Hello,

i tried to put a DB15 male plug into an XBOX Classic Controller, so i can use my Neo Geo Stick on it. Sadly the Dpad and the action buttons have no common ground. :/
Anybody can help me with this? I won't sacrifice the controller. Is there a way to use NG Stick without stopping the XBOX Controller from working?


sorry for maybe bad english and thanks a lot

[NFG]

That's a very interesting question.  I ran into the same problem with Xbox 360 controllers - the wired ones had a common ground, the wireless ones did not.   I did the same mod on a Dreamcast controller just two days ago, and it had a common ground, but a panic moment when one button looked like it didn't.  =)

If I were doing the xbox mod you're doing, I'd first check all the button connections and see where they go.  If you've only got two or three different common lines it might be possible to use some diodes to connect all three to the DB15 GND (So that they don't interfere with each other) but you'd also have to ensure they're using a common GND and not some other method...

Now I'm curious too!

[pr3ston]

The Dpad points sadly not connected to ground at all. They connected to 5V. I just tested it :/

[NFG]

Well that's normal, one side of each button will measure +5V, the other has to be something else.   They can't both be +5V.

[micro]

You can always use an analog switch IC like the CD4066: http://www.ti.com/product/CD4066B

10 NeoGeo Buttons and each CD4066 having 4 switches means you would have to use 3 of these puppies. Unfortunately you activate the switch with a high level. But the NG stick will give you a low logic level when the button is pressed. That means you would have to use additional inverters (+ pull-up resistors for each input). Or you find an alternative analog switch IC which uses a logic low level to close the switch.

That sounds to me like you would need to install MANY wires...

I guess it would be easier to find and use a common-ground Xbox controller. According to slagcoin, this type does exist: http://slagcoin.com/joystick/pcb_wiring.html#PCB_DIAGRAMS

[RDC]

The official original XBOX controllers, both the S and the Duke, are common ground controllers. Most 3rd party or knockoff XBOX controllers are Common Ground also. If you're using something there that has voltage for the common line, and/or some weird layout, then you'll need to use switch ICs as micro has suggested. The 4066 are great for that, then also as mentioned you'd want a couple of CD4049 Inverting Buffer ICs and pull-ups on every button line of the NeoGeo.

You could use the much smaller 74LVC1G384, as it is an active Lo Bilateral switch, but you would need to make up a PCB for them and still use pull-ups. After you built something like that up, then you could wire up really any controller that has just switches/buttons in it to any other active controller you wanted, regardless of it's button layout. I made this up just tinkering with the idea after seeing this post, It only does at most 10 buttons, but it could be expanded or shrunk as needed, and as shown there it's roughly only 30mm x 30mm with 2.54mm headers.

http://www.nxp.com/documents/data_sheet/74LVC1G384.pdf





On an XBOX 360 note:

The official 360 controllers have 3 different main layouts, Matrix, CL and CG. The Wired controller has 2 versions, then the Wireless has 5 versions.

Wired Matrix, first ones that were released. The buttons are in a Matrix layout. The Triggers go Lo to activate.
Wired CL, latest and mostly what are out now for new ones. The buttons use a Common Line, 1.8v for all of them. The Triggers go Lo to activate.

Wireless Matrix, first ones that were released. The buttons are in a Matrix layout. The Triggers got Lo to activate.
Wireless CG, CG2 and CG3, all buttons are in a Common Ground layout. The Triggers go Hi (1.6v) to activate.
Wireless Matrix 2, latest version, buttons back to a Matrix layout. Triggers go Lo to activate.

[pr3ston]

thanks to all...

in this case, it really seems best idea is to find another controller...