Sega Joystick to PC... Possible?

[bobcrane]

I saw a nice sega joystick (model MK-1627) at a resale shop.  I've been looking for a Neo Geo stick cheap to modify and use to control my MAME games.

I'm wondering if you know if this sega could be used for the same thing?  Either by making a harness to send the correct signals to the correct path on the joystick input on the PC or by cracking open the controller and hardwiring the individual buttons and joystick areas (left, right, up, and down) to the corresponding keys on a standard PC keyboard.  (I have some of the old keyboards with the huge circ boards in them).

[Tom61]

Yes on both counts, plus you can make a parallel port interface and run a special driver.

http://www.chads.arcade.btinternet.co.uk/S...gun/Genesis.htm <- info on changing the Genesis' pad output to discreet signals, shouldn't be too hard to modify to get it to output the right values for a PC joystick port.

If you have one of the older keyboards with physical switches (instead of mylar membranes), it'd be fairly easy to mod the genesis pad and it together. You need to remove the IC(s) inside the controller and break apart the grounds. Then connect two wires from each button to the bottom of the key on the keyboard (keyboards use a matrix to figure out which key is pressed).

Look for DirectPad Pro and NTPad for Genesis to Parallel diagrams and drivers.

[phreak97]

dont do anything stupid.. you dont need to wreck your sega joystick to plug it into your pc..
look at this:
http://www.emulatronia.com/reportajes/dire...ad/md/index.htm
it is spanish but easy to follow, db25 is a normal printer port plug
db9 is the sega plug (obviously)
the drivers are there too if you cant find them try searching for the psxpad driver(try www.aldostools.com/dpad.html )

[hemphacker]

Just to let you know, Genesis -> USB and Master System -> USB adapters are in the works. But I don't know when it'll be done. Work, school, and lack of controllers (and cash to buy them) is slowing development down. Might be done by next week, might be done by Christmas?

[Scared0o0Rabbit]

if you want to do the parallel interface idea, but are running an nt kernel os go find the ntpad driver.

[Cazed]

The Parallell idea is not quite as beutiful as using the standard joystick port or maybe even usb. The joystick port is quite easy to work with, I am sadly not very familliar with the usb protocols...yet.
But making the joystick compatible with a pc isn't the hardest thing in the world if you have some basic knowledge into electronics.
This way no fancy software is needed, all you have to do is add the standard analog joystick drivers in windows.

/Cazed

[hemphacker]

I'm led to believe that if you have raw outputs (ie. straight from the pots & switches) then you can merely rearrange the wires so that they connect to the correct pins on the game port and describe the controller to the joystick applet in the control panel. So if you want you could probably look into cracking open your controller and wiring it that way. But I'm more in favor of not making controllers useless to the original console, which this method does.

[phreak97]

psxpad is better than ntpad

[Scared0o0Rabbit]

ntpad was the first driver I found that would work on xp with no problems.  Does psxpad use the same interface?  And if so is there any reason you say it's better?

[HeartBurn Kid]

As I understand it, ntpad, psxpad, ppjoy, and Direct Pad Pro all use the same interface.

I tried ntpad after upgrading my system to XP (thus, Direct Pad Pro wouldn't work anymore), and it introduced all sorts of system instabilities and would periodically fail to read my controllers.  I switched to PPJoy, and haven't had any problems since.  My brother had the same problems with ntpad, and he's now using PSXPad with no problems.

Trust me, ntPad is the least desirable driver right now.

[Scared0o0Rabbit]

ahhh ic, cause I haven't had any problems on the 3 or 4 xp boxes I've tried it on.

[phreak97]

ntpad has a small delay.. im a bemani player, i notice.
psxpad does too but hardly as noticable, definately unnoticable on anything other than bemani or bemani sims

[vladnov]

I want to play with my Sega Master System pad on PC, so I�ve built these interfaces:

1 - PPJoy - DirectPad or DirectPad - SMS/Atari

2- PPJoy - TheMaze

3- DirectPad - Genesis (Mega Drive) (This one shows contact signals on PPJoy config screen, but totally wrong and impossible to use)


I know thar this place is for control mod development, and I'm not developing anything.. But anyone here does have another interface that WORKS for my SMS pad?


Btw.
My PC = Win XP SP2
Joystick Drivers used = Directpad (though PPJoy)

[vladnov]

oOps..

This one works:

PARALLEL PORT (DB-25)                          SMS PAD (DB-9)

    DB25:2  <----------------------------------->  DB-9:1      (Up)
    DB25:3  <----------------------------------->  DB-9:2      (Down)
    DB25:4  <----------------------------------->  DB-9:3      (Left)
    DB25:5  <----------------------------------->  DB-9:4      (Right)
    DB25:6  <----------------------------------->  DB-9:6      (Button 1)
    DB25:1  <----------------------------------->  DB-9:5      (Power)
    DB25:18 <----------------------------------->  DB-9:8      (Ground)
    DB25:7  <----------------------------------->  DB-9:9      (Button 2)
    DB25:14 <----------------------------------->  DB-9:7      (?)

In PPJoy, select :
Control type: Joystick
inerface type: Linux DP9.c


Credits: Gary Pierce (Youltar)