Making combination buttons

Okay I've a question that I hope someone can help me with.

If I want to make a button on my cabinet give me the effect of pushing two different buttons when I push it is there a simple way to do that. It seems like I would not be able to split the wires and run them to a common switch.

I'm not sure if it is possible really. I know in some console games you can use the extra buttons for combination button pressess so I thought the came could be done on an arcade cab.

Example being of what I would like to do is change a four button fighter like samurai showdown to a six button fighter as I have a six button cp. So that my extra buttons would either be a+B or C+d.

I don't want to mess up my wires to test such things out so any input would be very helpfull.
Thanks.

Well it appears it could be done with some ttl logic and some relays. Or, if you are hardcore, use a micro controller to make it full programmable.

It's possible and has been done before. I've read discussions about it in the past. You will need to use diodes, I believe.

If you hook a, b, and your button for a+b to the same a and b wires with no diodes a press of any of the three buttons will always be a+b because you are grounding both a and b wires. With diodes you can keep the signal from traveling back to the b button when all you want to press is a.

I see. Well getting high tech now. Humm, I'll have to do some looking into this as it may be beyond my limited amount of technical skill.

Thanks

Umm, not really. Do you know what a diode is? It's pretty simple really, it's a little tiny device which looks like a resistor and acts like a one-way street for current. The idea is that you run a wire from the non-common side of both the A button and B button and connect both of those to the non-common side of the button that will be used for A+B. You must put diodes in these connections, which are like one-way signs pointing towards the A+B button. The ground is the same for all the buttons of course. Pretty easy, maybe I'll hit MSPaint and draw you a diagram if you want.

Okay now you are speaking my low tech language.

I'll sneak off to the raido shack and see if they have any of these diodes.

Yes diodes. I like the sound of that.

Okay so monday then I'll see about getting me some of them and see how it goes.