Author Topic: Retro style gamepad with MX switches (Read 6103 times)

MOZ · « **on:** Wed, 23 October 2013, 14:16:13 »

So, having been tied up with uni work and seeing this post from wetto: http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=33130.msg1087619#msg1087619 I had an idea, well here is the brainchild:

Now, how does wetto's post come into this? I looked at the image and thought the ozone gripk was a a retro controller or something, and it struck me, we absolutely need something like this, we really do.

So a couple of quick mock-ups, and we have this.

Now, SA's DSA caps would be perfect for this, and this would be a real cool small project to do. Maybe we can design a couple of variants. I don't know.

MOZ · « **Reply #1 on:** Wed, 23 October 2013, 14:16:37 »

Reserved

Some useful links for firmware:
http://learn.adafruit.com/usb-snes-gamepad
http://www.instructables.com/id/SNES-Teensy-USBPS3-Gamepad/?ALLSTEPS
http://blog.gimx.fr/?b2w=http://diy-machine.blogspot.in/2011/05/teensy-20-cp2102-board.html

Computer-Lab in Basement · « **Reply #2 on:** Wed, 23 October 2013, 14:20:24 »

Oh damn. SNES controller w/MX switches?

Would buy.

Now what would the center buttons be for on the D-pad? Or are they there just to be aesthetically pleasing?

MOZ · « **Reply #3 on:** Wed, 23 October 2013, 14:33:34 »

aesthetically only, just for the fun of it, nothing concrete so far.

Actually I had it mind to have the select/start/middle button on the dpad (if we go for it) on a lower layer than the rest of the keys.

Oh I should post dimensions as well.

Latin00032 · « **Reply #4 on:** Wed, 23 October 2013, 14:38:13 »

I like what I see.

MOZ · « **Reply #5 on:** Wed, 23 October 2013, 14:48:35 »

Updated with new mockup with dimensions.

MOZ · « **Reply #6 on:** Wed, 23 October 2013, 15:05:33 »

Added some useful firmware links.

Latin00032 · « **Reply #7 on:** Wed, 23 October 2013, 15:47:37 »

So, I guess the controller would be fatter than a standard snes/nes controller considering the size of mx switches.

vun · « **Reply #8 on:** Wed, 23 October 2013, 15:51:03 »

Eeeeehhh, while the concept seems cute, and I would totally get this if it came as a DIY package with all parts included, I think the D-pad is pretty much gonna suck for most gaming as rapidly changing direction with MX caps... Probably not going to work all that well.

MOZ · « **Reply #9 on:** Wed, 23 October 2013, 16:03:49 »

Yeah, I don't think it can be used for serious gaming, more like a novelty and fun thing, although tit would be interesting to test with DSA caps and the G20 line of caps SP has.

MOZ · « **Reply #10 on:** Wed, 23 October 2013, 16:08:11 »

Quote from: Latin00032 on Wed, 23 October 2013, 15:47:37

So, I guess the controller would be fatter than a standard snes/nes controller considering the size of mx switches.

The NES/SNES is around 17mm thick, we can get that thickness if you don't include the top switch half and keycap. If you include everything, then it would be around 25mm.

Latin00032 · « **Reply #11 on:** Wed, 23 October 2013, 16:30:58 »

Quote from: MOZ on Wed, 23 October 2013, 16:08:11

Quote from: Latin00032 on Wed, 23 October 2013, 15:47:37
So, I guess the controller would be fatter than a standard snes/nes controller considering the size of mx switches.

The NES/SNES is around 17mm thick, we can get that thickness if you don't include the top switch half and keycap. If you include everything, then it would be around 25mm.

I thought it would need the support of the top switch half.

IvanIvanovich · « **Reply #12 on:** Wed, 23 October 2013, 18:24:07 »

Maybe use a trackball or something instead for the Dpad, and have more buttons on the other side to take care of common a b x y lft rgt etc? Perahps something along the lines of

with more buttons. Shoot for something that would be ok to have in the lap maybe size wise?

MOZ · « **Reply #13 on:** Wed, 23 October 2013, 18:29:27 »

So like a mini arcade joystick, kind of what HORI has?

MOZ · « **Reply #14 on:** Wed, 23 October 2013, 18:43:23 »

How about something like this: https://www.sparkfun.com/products/9032

Also, I'm thinking maybe we can have 2u buttons on the back like flippers.

regack · « **Reply #15 on:** Wed, 23 October 2013, 22:57:03 »

Quote from: MOZ on Wed, 23 October 2013, 18:43:23

How about something like this: https://www.sparkfun.com/products/9032

Also, I'm thinking maybe we can have 2u buttons on the back like flippers.

I have one of these from sparkfun... I made a cherry mx (blue) based Xbox 360 wireless
controller, and used this for the right analog stick. Would need to read an analog signal from it, but I guess it's also possible to translate that to a digital signal.

MOZ · « **Reply #16 on:** Wed, 23 October 2013, 22:58:34 »

Quote from: regack on Wed, 23 October 2013, 22:57:03

I have one of these from sparkfun... I made a cherry mx (blue) based Xbox 360 wireless
controller, and used this for the right analog stick.

You lie, I need to see pics, nao!

Hak Foo · « **Reply #17 on:** Wed, 23 October 2013, 23:53:20 »

ML might be a better choice; gamepads are typically short-throw.

MOZ · « **Reply #18 on:** Thu, 24 October 2013, 00:33:57 »

I'm not aware of a source for switches, otherwise, I had given it a thought as well.

MOZ · « **Reply #19 on:** Thu, 24 October 2013, 00:53:23 »

Hmm, so I found some on onlinecomponents. SP does do keycaps for these, quite low profile as well. Hmm, now I'm starting to lean towards these.

regack · « **Reply #20 on:** Thu, 24 October 2013, 18:14:03 »

Quote from: MOZ on Wed, 23 October 2013, 22:58:34

Quote from: regack on Wed, 23 October 2013, 22:57:03
I have one of these from sparkfun... I made a cherry mx (blue) based Xbox 360 wireless
controller, and used this for the right analog stick.

You lie, I need to see pics, nao!

Well, it's kind of ugly, because it's hacked together, and it's not really in standard xbox 360 layout - I pulled all of the controller buttons off into a keypad-like WASD grid, and brought the right-analog stick off to the side to operate more like an arcade stick. The buttons worked great, but the analog stick mounting really didn't work as I had hoped, and I stopped playing with it.

I should note, the problems I had weren't with the analog stick device itself, but with sensitivity in the controller.

I'll get a pic in a bit. It's a really ugly hack job and nothing like what you're probably thinking.

MOZ · « **Reply #21 on:** Thu, 24 October 2013, 18:31:42 »

Anything bro, anything and everything is good.

regack · « **Reply #22 on:** Thu, 24 October 2013, 19:45:33 »

See, it's pretty terrible looking...

Here's a closeup of some of the awfulness...

So the WASD (which is not really WASD, but more like QWES, because I don't actually like WASD) is actually the left analog stick - there's no subtle movements there, it's full-on or full-off. The other buttons are just... buttons. The left and right triggers are converted from analog to just full-on or full-off and I brought them over to the thumbstick.

My next plan if everything went well, was to bring all the switches through a matrix, run that into a Teensy, then be able to use software to change the keymappings, so I could move the ABXY and D-pad keys wherever I wanted them, to change with the game. I didn't get there, because the thumbstick idea didn't really work out the way I wanted. Increasing the height to make an arcade stick, with buttons introduced additional dead-space at the center point of analog stick. I thought I might be able to come up with some way to improve response but I sort of lost interest.

MOZ · « **Reply #23 on:** Thu, 24 October 2013, 20:05:06 »

Aah, this is quite different as compared to what I am going for. This is a Orbweaver replacement.

regack · « **Reply #24 on:** Thu, 24 October 2013, 20:07:11 »

Quote from: MOZ on Thu, 24 October 2013, 20:05:06

Aah, this is quite different as compared to what I am going for. This is a Orbweaver replacement.

Yes, sorry, I didn't mean to derail everything, I was just trying to say that the little analog stick thing from sparkfun was cool

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Author Topic: Retro style gamepad with MX switches (Read 6103 times)