Joystick for Genesis /MD

Electric Grave

So Many Posts
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For Games.
15 Year Member
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Jan 29, 2004
Posts
20,259
Just got through finally finishing my dedicated SEGA GENESIS stick


View attachment 42510


Man getting this project done took way longer then it should have. Would have been done sooner but i refuse to
sac a quality/working controller. Luckily I ended up getting hooked up with a cheap ass Chinese 6 button
controller that somebody was gonna trash.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/291926460937

One look at it and I was actually also gonna toss it too since the dpad had already broken off and it seems like
a horrible controller in general but as i held over the trash bin, a light bulb went off.

PCB was pretty straight forward. i was able to recognize all the signal and ground by sight and got the first try.

I used a TEKKEN 6 wireless shell since i like the compact shells better for non fighting games.
i used low profile PS-15 seimitsu buttons to save space. Case is super shallow. Used grey cuz thats all i had on hand. Im gonna order some blue and black and try to get this thing looking as SEGA as possible.

Wanted to go with the 6 button layout but initially my plugs didnt fit. Will most likely convert to 6 on the next go round.

Both 24mm buttons are start buttons. the far right 2 of the 8 buttons arent wired to anything and obviously the xbox button and the small button in the top left corner are just there to keep the dust out.

Dremmeling the metal to widen the holes was really the worst of it. Fuck i need a better dremmel.

I kept the stock joystick since using anything larger requires some nasty case modification. I did change out the stock switches for CHERRY. The stick has a SUPER short throw which to me, makes it great for shmups and beat em ups but really shitty for fighting games. Luckily thats not what this is for :)

all in all im pleased. No pics of the inside since its fucking mess :P

Will definitely tidy up the wiring after i have my fun with it.

Good effort! I suggest some plugs, 2 30mm and 1 24mm. I'm still on the 3 buttons or bust but I'm always eager to see new projects!
 

GohanX

Horrible Goose
20 Year Member
Joined
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Posts
12,490
GohanX turned me on to the Hyperkin 6button pads... they're good. just need some breaking in.

Muthafuckas should pay me royalties I've sold so many Hyperkin pads... (8bitdo too)
 

Wachenroder

Galford's Poppy Trainer
Joined
Dec 13, 2010
Posts
2,626
Good effort! I suggest some plugs, 2 30mm and 1 24mm. I'm still on the 3 buttons or bust but I'm always eager to see new projects!

thanks man :D

Yeah i ultimately only wanted 3 buttons but i cant bring myself to not activate all 6 buttons if im already using a 6 button pcb. The first 2 PCBS i tried on this project were both 3 buttons PCBS but they both had problems. I honestly wasnt completely convinced this one was gonna work either. thats why i ended up just running through it.

Would have plugged one of the start buttons but i dont have any 24mm plugs. need to place an order on some more 24mm and 30mm plugs along with the blue and black buttons to finish it up.

in any event, i did play some Trouble Shooter and Arrow Flash last night before bed and man im liking those WAY better then on pad.

EDIT:

I noticed that the joystick keeps getting stuck at certain angles and while its good over all its a little unreliable.

Spent about an hour unscrewing and repositioning everything and over and over to see what hell the problem could be. So it turns out the Matsushita switches that come with the Hori stick actually sit a tiny bit lower then the Cherry switches I have. I couldnt tell at a quick glance but after really looking at them i can see it. I guess i'll be using those stock Matsushita switches for the time being....which I dont mind since i actually like them.

EDIT 2:

NOPE the MATSUSHITA switches are actually worse. Spent about an hour undoing everything just to have to redo back to how it was lol

the upside is cleaned up the wiring some and fixed some other minor issues i was having.

So far i have been able to play SF2, TMNT, SHINOBI 3, TROUBLE SHOOTER AND ARROW FLASH with almost no issues

good stick :)
 
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DanAdamKOF

Iori's Flame
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Jun 15, 2002
Posts
8,250
So was the pad common GND? I had a few 3rd party Genesis pads but all were non-common GND, and since it was for a stick I was (essentially) dual-modding I ended up using an official 6-button pad for its PCB (on the plus side it's gotten me playing my Genesis a lot more so that's a win).
 

Wachenroder

Galford's Poppy Trainer
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So was the pad common GND? I had a few 3rd party Genesis pads but all were non-common GND, and since it was for a stick I was (essentially) dual-modding I ended up using an official 6-button pad for its PCB (on the plus side it's gotten me playing my Genesis a lot more so that's a win).

yup there is a ground point on one of the unused pins. just daisy chained everything from there.
 

gtmartini

Rugal's Thug
Joined
Feb 23, 2017
Posts
92
If you need a joystick for shmugs that needs only 3 buttons, I suggest you get one with 3 normal buttons and 3 rapid fires. So you can use on those games that you can charge or rapid fire a shot. This way you don't need to keep pressing or selecting between turbo or normal. I have one similar to this in the picture since 1993, and it still works great (I just changed the d-pad rubber) sega gen 3 plus turbo.jpg
If you want go arcade stile, I suggest you the sega arcade stick 3 buttons.
If you need a 6 buttons do for the original sega with turbo or the arcade stick pro 6 buttons
 

Electric Grave

So Many Posts
No Time
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15 Year Member
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Good idea!

I was thinking of hacking a maxy pad...as in NES MAX, I was gonna make a custom CP with 2 30mm and 2 24mm buttons for normal and turbo respectively like the maxy pad does. This pad you mentioned sounds like a cool candidate for that job. Ive been thinking of making a 3 stick button set up.
 

Wachenroder

Galford's Poppy Trainer
Joined
Dec 13, 2010
Posts
2,626
If you need a joystick for shmugs that needs only 3 buttons, I suggest you get one with 3 normal buttons and 3 rapid fires. So you can use on those games that you can charge or rapid fire a shot. This way you don't need to keep pressing or selecting between turbo or normal. I have one similar to this in the picture since 1993, and it still works great (I just changed the d-pad rubber) View attachment 43009
If you want go arcade stile, I suggest you the sega arcade stick 3 buttons.
If you need a 6 buttons do for the original sega with turbo or the arcade stick pro 6 buttons

i think i actually have one of those. either it didnt work or it worked and i couldnt bring myself to sacrifice it cant remember which.

now that you mention, i think thats gonna be the next one i use. its a good plan
 

Wachenroder

Galford's Poppy Trainer
Joined
Dec 13, 2010
Posts
2,626
Just got through finally finishing my dedicated SEGA GENESIS stick


View attachment 42510


Man getting this project done took way longer then it should have. Would have been done sooner but i refuse to
sac a quality/working controller. Luckily I ended up getting hooked up with a cheap ass Chinese 6 button
controller that somebody was gonna trash.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/291926460937

One look at it and I was actually also gonna toss it too since the dpad had already broken off and it seems like
a horrible controller in general but as i held over the trash bin, a light bulb went off.

PCB was pretty straight forward. i was able to recognize all the signal and ground by sight and got the first try.

I used a TEKKEN 6 wireless shell since i like the compact shells better for non fighting games.
i used low profile PS-15 seimitsu buttons to save space. Case is super shallow. Used grey cuz thats all i had on hand. Im gonna order some blue and black and try to get this thing looking as SEGA as possible.

Wanted to go with the 6 button layout but initially my plugs didnt fit. Will most likely convert to 6 on the next go round.

Both 24mm buttons are start buttons. the far right 2 of the 8 buttons arent wired to anything and obviously the xbox button and the small button in the top left corner are just there to keep the dust out.

Dremmeling the metal to widen the holes was really the worst of it. Fuck i need a better dremmel.

I kept the stock joystick since using anything larger requires some nasty case modification. I did change out the stock switches for CHERRY. The stick has a SUPER short throw which to me, makes it great for shmups and beat em ups but really shitty for fighting games. Luckily thats not what this is for :)

all in all im pleased. No pics of the inside since its fucking mess :P

Will definitely tidy up the wiring after i have my fun with it.

Made another one of these. the PCB i used this time is identical except the damn cable is like 3ft,. Basically unusable. I ordered some extension cables.

This go round it was a lot easier since im more familiar with the shell. Much cleaner mod this time.

5079699a0d02b2b8fb63389e87e4870d739145bcef409741b0c673fffa8fa61f.jpg
1.jpg

I'll probably put some sweet Genny themed art on it in the future.

I ordered a few of these pcbs so i'll probably keep making them just for the hell of it. Not enough good Genesis sticks out there.
 

Wachenroder

Galford's Poppy Trainer
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Posts
2,626
And I just finished 3 button genny mod. i used low profile seimitsu again since the case is so shallow

the stock parts are surprisingly really good. id have kept them intact if wiring them up wouldnt have been a pain in the ass.

did keep the joystick though. easily the best stock hori joystick i have ever tried (hayabusa being the obvious exception)

The internal pic was before i realized i needed to switch from OBSF to low profilie seimitsu.

I really wish Sanwa made low profiles too.



8d0beaed-cb19-527f-9f12-9402f7dc986f.jpga734de41-49b8-5f1d-9e0c-7260d6ff9c22.jpgbed4056d-8c0c-5ed1-9494-a1b8c3621577.jpgdd91a047-b569-5a48-82c3-f77f9d432a7a.jpg
 

Wachenroder

Galford's Poppy Trainer
Joined
Dec 13, 2010
Posts
2,626
Goddammit i need to stop!

Super cheap PS3/PC beater shell salvaged and turn into yet another Genesis stick.

Normal Seimitsu buttons, Hori joystick pulled for T5 joystick (not those horrible switches though T5 hori has the worse ever. I switched those switches for better ones)


00303_iuoEn58OjqU_1200x900.jpg00808_lounBwsQpxQ_1200x900.jpg
 
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MCF 76

Vice's Love Slave
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Damn man you are cranking these out, looks awesome.
 

Wachenroder

Galford's Poppy Trainer
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Dec 13, 2010
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Thanks guys I appreciate that

whelp finally got around to doing the VF4 stick. That whole line of buttons at the top panel are wired for start :lolz: Gotta use every part right?

I ended up using an old madcatz 3 button pad this time since its all i had on hand. Pretty damn easy and much better then saccing an OEM controller Kept the layout stock. Only thing I did was grind down those stupid metal tabs so i could replace the Hori buttons for Sanwa. The stock Hori stick is decent. Not great but good enough for Genesis.

I believe I could have added a JLF pretty clean in this case but eh....I would have had to cut away some plastic and do some drilling and for this sort of Genesis stick? I don't think its necessary.


Spoiler:

IMG_20180107_223423.jpgIMG_20180107_230142.jpg


i got one more Hori VF 3-button Saturn stick coming. I'll do that and I think one more if all goes well then i think im done.

This was actually going to be my last one but realized that I prefer the Saturn Hori so i'm gonna let this one go.
 
Last edited:

Wachenroder

Galford's Poppy Trainer
Joined
Dec 13, 2010
Posts
2,626
Alright one more for the road.

Thanks Wyo for supplying the board. Way better then the crappy Chinese clone I used for the other one.

So yeah I got that second 3 button Hori.

IMG_20180118_011631.jpgIMG_20180118_011522.jpgIMG_20180118_011437.jpgIMG_20180118_011506.jpgIMG_20180118_011604.jpg

The green ones joystick isnt quite as good as the blue but its still pretty good all things considered.

Now as far Genesis sticks for my collection goes, i'm content.

I do have exactly two more arcade sticks coming and coincidentally two more genesis boards on hand (again thanks Wyo) that i might as well use but after that I dont plan on doing anymore.

I'm swimming in these things now :loco:
 

wyo

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Nice work man, glad you're putting them to good use :)
 

Wachenroder

Galford's Poppy Trainer
Joined
Dec 13, 2010
Posts
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Thanks man. The controllers you sent are pretty easy to hack. I did have some issues this time trying to wire the mode button to sit next to the start button but i just couldnt get it to work. When i had it wired to the "select" button, XYZ wont work. The controller is considered to be in 3 button mode. Im guess its a NC circuit?

Anyway said screw it and went with 2 start buttons again.....maybe I should get some 24mm button plugs.

For the stick, this time I switched it up a bit. I bought some JLF switches from FA during the sale and tried them in place of the stock switches. Unlike the Cherry Switches from my previous mod, these actually fit the joystick housing pretty much perfectly so im not getting any weird elevation problems. Also these switches in general are a big improvement over the stock ones. They feel great.

Pretty much one last step away from adding an actual entire JLF....which I might i'm opposed to. Id rather make good use of the stock parts do as little damage to the casing as possible. Maybe at some point i'll do it.

Also i learned form this mod that im a little too rough when cleaning the top metal plate. That little blotch of discoloration on the bottom right is from scrubbing the adhesive off. i noticed my error right there but it was already too late. Next time will go alot better.

00H0H_cBpQcIyJYPu_1200x900.jpg00B0B_6Gc9Ir71MsF_1200x900.jpg00R0R_4jL4qCKuOtT_1200x900.jpg


Also that bench RGB monitor is fucking great for testing out these joysticks.
 
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