making a nintendo controller work on pc....

[jamort]

OK so I spent a couple minutes today researching this and I couldnt find a guide to doing it but i did find a guide to make a nes controller work so I'm feeding off that... I was originally planning to usethe parallel port but i didnt know that my computer didnt have a parallel port.. so now ive got to use the usb and the question is how is the data transfered... I know the red wire on the usb is power and the black is the ground but is the other stuff that looks like the inside of a coaxial used for a tv.... is that how the data is transfered?
thanks
CJ

[SmAsH]

well... the inside wires of a usb cable are:+5V -DATA+ -DATA- -gnd
which controller were you planning to use? ill have a look around.

[jamort]

Im using the 64 which only has one data wire and a power and a ground aseen in the picture below... Im not worried i have four cotrollers so theres rooms for mistakes i was going to try to build my own circuit for the controlls as i had seen in some of the older controllers but the circuits are more complicated in this...
well heres a link youll see what i mean by the one wrie data transfer scroll down to the controller when you get there...
http://www.howstuffworks.com/n64.htm/printable

[Razor Concepts]

Best bet would be to use a microcontroller with USB support (like Axon or Arduino). Have the microcontroller read the data coming from the N64 controller. Process the data however you like, and output that data in whatever form you want through the USB on the Axon/Arduino.

Now if you mean "making a controller work on a PC" as in emulating a gaming joystick, that would be a lot harder and you will need to purchase the right USB chips to emulate a USB joystick. Basically too much work, this is something a team of EEs would do to develop a real product.

[jamort]

I'm trying to take the controller straight to usb.. I read were it was done easily with other controllers.... the it auto loads in game devices....  I knew how to do it on the parallel port but im not sure about usb which is my problem'

edit:
looks like i found the answer to my main problem
http://ezhid.sourceforge.net/n64pad.html

[awally88]

If you mean Super Nintendo:

http://www.instructables.com/id/SNES-to-Parallel-Port/

http://www.raphnet.net/index_en.php //Has snes->usb, plus a heap of other video game controllers

http://repairfaq.org/REPAIR/F_SNES.html    ->SNES protocols

[jamort]

nope ive already seen those but im reading something now that says that if you usb your going to have to use a microcontroller.. and if you use parallel port you dont have to.... so i may just get a usb parallel port convertor... i read the second sight listing and they actuallly do have a usb to nintendo 64 converter... shame on google for me not gettnig any really useful results

[SmAsH]

dude, if you get this working you have to make a tutorial for it...
i have a spare 64 and controllers lying around that nobody every uses...

[sonictj]

if you want to mess with a Wii remote download GlovePie.  You can easily interface a wii or ps3 controller.  Just Google GlovePie.  I was able to use a wii remote for infrared robot vision. Here is my video of my robot using the wiimote http://www.societyofrobots.com/robotforum/index.php?topic=7653.0

[jamort]

http://www.raphnet.net/electronique/gc_n64_usb/index_en.php

theres the tutorial that im reading off of and i might try tomorow except for i dont think i have an atmega 8 so i might have to change it a bit.... but i just dont quite understand why with a parallel port ive seen no conversion needed and usb there is...

[jamort]

if you wan to mess with a wii remote download GlovePie.  You can easily interface a wii or ps3 controller.  Just google GlovePie.  I was able to use a wii remote for infrared robot vision. Here is my video of my robot using the wiimote http://www.societyofrobots.com/robotforum/index.php?topic=7653.0

I've already interfaced a wii remote to control my computer

[SmAsH]

but i just don't quite understand why with a parallel port ive seen no conversion needed and usb there is...

usb and parallel ports are totally different ports and use different signals to operate.

except for i don't think i have an atmega 8 so i might have to change it a bit....

well, cant you buy one? i mean, you can try changing mcu's but it may not work...

[jamort]

I actually happened to find a couple i didnt know i had... im trying to start using a laptop versus a microcontroller now... i thin its almost worth using the parallel port becase it liooks a lot easier all you have to do is hook enough of the powers together to get 3.5v or so and then put the data feed into a data in... would make more sense to me to do it this way

[SmAsH]

microcontroller would probably be easier but there seems to be more tutorials headed toward pc.
i think microcontroller would be an awesome tutorial... especially if with the mega8... then you could use it with the $50 robot tutorial as an add on to it. that would make heaps of people happy!

[jamort]

Yeah I guess it would be similar to using the wii mote exact same joystick i believe... another thing is that you can use a gamecube controller for it too...

edit... hmm i found a ps1 controller now lol cant believe what i have in this box in my closet i wonder if this will be better to use because of people being able to get access to the ps controlller easier?