Famicom World

Family Computer => Famicom / Disk System => Topic started by: satoshi_matrix on April 24, 2007, 04:08:29 pm

Title: controller mod
Post by: satoshi_matrix on April 24, 2007, 04:08:29 pm
When I get my GameAxe, I want to be able to use real NES controller with it. Problem is that the connection for controllers is the same as Famiclones typically use, the nine pin Atari 2600 port. I'm not a electrical genious, but I do know a bit of electronic repair work. Does anyone know if a standard NES-004 rectangle controller can be spliced and have its end replaced with the 9-pin style port? Whats involved? It woud also be cool to use an NES pad with the Atari 2600, Commodore 64 and Genesis.
Title: Re: controller mod
Post by: madman on April 25, 2007, 07:25:26 am
You can use a NES controller on it, for sure.  Just need to put the pins in the correct place, the NES and Famicom use different pinouts.  However, to use a NES pad on other devices, much more is involved.  The NES encodes the controller movements and puts all data on a single pin.  The Atari 2600 uses a different pin for each button/direction, as does the Genesis.  But the Genesis uses the same pin for different signals depending if the pin is high or low.  You could do it, but you'd basically have to wire it up from scratch.  Plus, on the Genesis you'd have to use either the select or start buttons as the C button :(
Title: Re: controller mod
Post by: satoshi_matrix on April 25, 2007, 11:22:47 am
What I'm looking to do is convert an NES pad to be used with a Famiclone I bought that uses the 9-pin layout of the Atari 2600/Commodore 64/Genesis. The controller it came with is pretty crappy (surpise surpise) and I want to use an NES pad with that. The controller has two turbo buttons in addition to the other four. I want to cut off the end of the NES pad and replace it with the end of the Famiclone controller. The problem I have is I'm not sure which leads go where. the NES lead colors are

yellow
brown
red
orange
white

while the clone pad's is

red
yellow
blue
brown
white

The order is different and the colours of the one lead is different. Should I just attempt to wire the corresponding leads together and assume yellow = blue? I'll post some pics of the baords if that helps.
Title: Re: controller mod
Post by: madman on April 25, 2007, 12:06:37 pm
The best thing to do is look here: http://www.gamesx.com/controldata/nessnes.htm (http://www.gamesx.com/controldata/nessnes.htm)

It'll tell you what pins on the NES correspond to which pins on the Famicom.
Title: Re: controller mod
Post by: satoshi_matrix on April 25, 2007, 02:36:30 pm
OKay thanks. I'll have to check that out. I'll probably need some more help so please stay tuned lol
Title: Re: controller mod
Post by: satoshi_matrix on April 25, 2007, 09:24:57 pm
annnnnnnnd I do.

I'll try to make this as detailed as possible.

I'm trying to get an NES controller (NES 004) to work with a Famiclone called the Handy
FamiEight. I gutted the end of an NES pad and found out the pin layout as such:

    1
2 7
4 3
6 5

1 = brown
2 = white
3 = red
4 = n/a
5 = orange
6 = n/a
7 = yellow

(http://img477.imageshack.us/img477/1521/nesleadbackjq8.jpg) (http://imageshack.us)
Here is the back of the NES pad, with the only lead on this side the white ground.

(http://img183.imageshack.us/img183/3030/nesleadfronteu7.jpg) (http://imageshack.us)
Here is the front of the NES pad, with all the other leads.

I also gutted the Famicom pad end and found it in this layout:

1 2 3 4 5
  6 7 8 9

1 = n/a
2 = white
3 = blue
4 = brown
5 = n/a
6 = red
7 = n/a
8 = yellow
9 = n/a

(http://img242.imageshack.us/img242/8954/famileadxn7.jpg) (http://imageshack.us)
The wire layout as found in the opened Famiclone controller

I wired the NES up indentically to the Famiclone layout, but it doesn't work. Any help here?
I'll post pics as soon as I can.

(http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/4016/nesboardnl1.jpg) (http://imageshack.us)
Heres the NES board
(http://img53.imageshack.us/img53/2316/famiboardge2.jpg) (http://imageshack.us)
Heres the Famiclone board

If you need any other pics just let me know and I'll take em.
Title: Re: controller mod
Post by: madman on April 25, 2007, 10:07:28 pm
On what did you base your wiring?
Title: Re: controller mod
Post by: satoshi_matrix on April 25, 2007, 10:51:34 pm
on the layout already there when I first opened the controllers.
Title: Re: controller mod
Post by: madman on April 26, 2007, 06:41:28 am
I don't understand.  How did you determine where to place what pins? 
Title: Re: controller mod
Post by: satoshi_matrix on April 26, 2007, 09:45:40 am
I added pics to my post. Hopefully that'll help.
Title: Re: controller mod
Post by: madman on April 26, 2007, 09:55:49 am
That still doesn't answer how you determined where to put what pins.  Did you just pick a random spot and put a wire there?
Title: Re: controller mod
Post by: Crash Dummie on April 26, 2007, 01:01:28 pm
No: your controller could implode and create a black hole.
Title: Re: controller mod
Post by: satoshi_matrix on April 26, 2007, 01:08:00 pm
I'm not sure I totally understand your question, madman. Do you mean how i determined where to place the leads of the NES controller into the 9pin socet of the Famiclone controller slot? I put the same colored leads from the NES into the slots of the leads that were there in the Famiclone controller when I first opened it. In other words, I put the white NES lead into the slot where the white Famiclone lead was, the brown into the brown, etc. The only one that was different is that the Famiclone's final lead was blue while the NES's is orange. That's how I determined it didn't work. Thats why I'm wondering if I need to modify the board itself or something.
Title: Re: controller mod
Post by: madman on April 26, 2007, 02:11:02 pm
You can't go by the color alone.  You have to make sure the wires carry the correct signal, it's not based on color.  This is why it's not working.
Title: Re: controller mod
Post by: satoshi_matrix on April 26, 2007, 08:46:26 pm
So it seems. How and I determine that? Please explain in as much detail as possible. Thanks for your reponses thus far, I really do appriciate the support.
Title: Re: controller mod
Post by: madman on April 27, 2007, 01:46:39 pm
Get a NES pin out.  Get a Famicom controller pin out.  Match up the pins.
Title: Re: controller mod
Post by: satoshi_matrix on April 27, 2007, 02:19:07 pm
thats what I did! I put the NES leads into the socket of the Famiclone controller in the same pattern that the Famiclone leads were in the socket. It didn't work.
Title: Re: controller mod
Post by: madman on April 29, 2007, 12:10:39 pm
But you went by COLOR, not by the signal on each wire.  A pin out will tell you what signal is on which wire.  You can't just put random wires into holes and expect the controller to work.
Title: Re: controller mod
Post by: UglyJoe on May 01, 2007, 07:28:27 am
Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't we dealing with a Famiclone here and not a Famicom?  The Famiclone controller is using a 9-pin female serial connection (like the 2600, master system, etc).  Wouldn't the OP need a pinout of this controller in order to know where to match up the wires?
Title: Re: controller mod
Post by: madman on May 01, 2007, 08:49:11 am
Yep, he'd need that.  He's just going by the colors of the wires.
Title: Re: controller mod
Post by: satoshi_matrix on May 01, 2007, 07:58:53 pm
I don't completing understand, but would it help if I posted a picture of the front end of the pirate famiclone controller? its leads are labelled as such:

Red wire: VCC
Yellow wire: GND
Blue wire: OUT
Brown wire: 4016
White wire: 4016D

To me it might as well be jibberish, but maybe it means something to you guys.

On the NES pad the only lead that is labelled is Yellow wire: OUT.

Any help?
Title: Re: controller mod
Post by: madman on May 01, 2007, 08:09:24 pm
I don't want to be rude, but honestly if you cannot read pin outs and understand what they mean, you won't be able to do this.
Title: Re: controller mod
Post by: satoshi_matrix on May 01, 2007, 08:28:24 pm
By examinging http://www.gamesx.com/controldata/nessnes.htm, the pcbs and the established leads, I know this much:

NES pad:

  1
  7 2
  3 4
  5 6

1 = brown = ? 1 isn't labelled at all on the database
2 = white = VCC, DATA
3 = orange = clock
4 = EXT
5 = yellow = OUT
6 = EXT
7 = red = ground

But I dont know what to do with this information. I realize I'm an idiot as this. Anything you can help with is appricated.
Title: Re: controller mod
Post by: satoshi_matrix on May 19, 2007, 11:58:59 pm
I'm still looking for some help here. I want to use an NES controller on the GameAxe Color...my last post still stands.
Title: Re: controller mod
Post by: Wenky on January 26, 2009, 07:53:12 am
Hi,

I am a Handy-Famieight owner too.....and would love to use those nes clones with the super synth drums cartridge, miracle piano and midines for making music next to my lsdj/nano-loop-voice gameboy's.....
I think this is the pinout we want to use for the conversion (see attached)
Does anybody have a wire diagram for the nes miracle piano cable for me ??
or could I just use the miracle piano to pc wire diagram that I have ??  (see attached)


Thanks in advance and greetings from worlds highest below sea-level....

Wenky.....

P.S. Could a clock signal from a lsdj gameboy be used too controll the speed of a nes ???? could the wire diagram from a supergameboy 2 converter (link port) be used for this??? any suggestions
Title: Re: controller mod
Post by: Wenky on January 26, 2009, 07:57:13 am
this is the nes - famieight pinout I found