NES controller into FB

Ryann · 06-24-2009, 07:34 AM

ok so i have an oldskool NES controller i bought and i want to use it as an alternative to the touchscreen for firing some functions in MDX.. i have the very first model.. looks like this..

Now how about i go about wiring this into the FB? as you can see here the wiring setup.. obviously ill need to use more then one port?

hopefully someone can help me, as different keys will output different voltages.. and well, if i can use all the buttons that would be epic..

Ryann

colin · 06-24-2009, 12:27 PM

They don't output different voltages. I know because I made myself a NES - USB converter. It is all just a shift register. You clock the chip inside the controller and it outputs the information about which button is pressed.

It's a very simple system and with some clever coding you could probably achieve it easily enough. If not, there's a company called ZeroSoft which gives you a schematic and code to make your own NES - USB converter. You can turn it into a mouse or you can use it as a joystick. I think the newer versions let you do both if you do a special key combination.

2k1Toaster · 06-24-2009, 12:37 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by Ryann

hopefully someone can help me, as different keys will output different voltages.. and well, if i can use all the buttons that would be epic..

Ryann

Are you sure about that?

I am fairly certain that the NES controller was a pure digital signal. It latched the button presses to a shift register, then clocked the controller and every button's state was sent back to the NES.

I would say open it up and wire each button (they already have pull up resistors) to an input. That is the easiest way. 1 input = 1 button.

EDIT: Beat to the punch...

That's what I get for having so many tabs open at once!