2 PCB's in one stick - Possible?

You’re talking about the red wire that goes from the 5v directly into the console-cable? Then yeah, you’re right.

Nice…

-Tha Hindu

it bans you because of the IP Address.
just make a new account on a different computer :tup:

…Is there a way someone could delete that account name so I could use “Rybread” instead of “Rybread1986” or something equally undesirable?

I use a DB 25 switch to wire the PCBs to the stick. its vary easy this way and you can have the 2 PCBs hooked up to the systems at the same time.
all you have to do is to switch the switch to A or B, and 1 PCB will always stay on neutral. heres a DB25 switch


you can take the switch out from its box, its small enough to easily fit inside a stick.
and put it on the side of the stick from inside out so all you have to do is switch from A to B depending on what system you want to use.
also you can upgrade in the future to a 3,4 or 6 way switch if you want to add more PCBs to the joystick

osotagari - Excellent idea. I already have a rough schematic of how I’d do that in my head, but I’m curious if you had made a wiring schematic for reference that you could post up on this thread. If not, that’s fine, I think I’ll be fine.

Thanks again.

That’s awesome. I think I would go with the 4-way.

I’m a single-pcb n00b still, I can’t find any guides for using this type of thing on gamepad pcbs.

Edit: I ordered 1 4-way. Hopefully I can make the ultimate stick with it :wink:

hey i was wondering if this was possible with 3 pcbs?

I am trying to connect my saturn, PSX, and Dreamcast in the same arcade box… (i already have extra controllers lying around, so id rather use them then buy some adapters)

THANKS!

why you must connect a wire between +5v and GND of two PCBS?
simply cut all wires of the stick and buttons and putting new wires for the otrer PCB directly doesn’t work?

like this:

http://stifleur.free.fr/connections2.JPG

Other question, the stick (HRAP 3) only have 5 wires, wich is wich?
sorre for my bad english.

I have no clue and would really like to know :wink:

Moreover, if the 2 pcbs are powered at the same time, one of them (or both) won’t like it…

It’s in the Sanwa FAQ but i’ll provide a direct link to the connexion diagram:

That’s why they say not to have both plugged in at the same time…

And don’t forget this god-like post: (the answer to my original question regarding an ‘idiot-proof’ switch set-up.)

Thanks, now i’ll kill for a perfect guide for add a PSX PCB to the HRAP3, i can’t find images of the HRAP3 USB PCB and where the +5v and GND wires go…

Also a tuto for the DB25 (includind where to solder, etc…) will be interesting.

Today add the Seimitsu to the pad, now only need know how to add the PSX PCB to make my perfect stick.

If you’re wiring both PCBs to the buttons/ground at the same time, both sticks have to be powered because it’s essentially 1 large circuit. Having 1 unpowered but still connected will lead to the stick not working/acting wonky as the unpowered stick screws up the electrical circuit.
Now, of course, if you wire the PCBs to a switch that only connects to the buttons/ground 1 at a time, then you avoid this issue.

The other thing you can do (which is what I did) is cut both PCB cords and wire them up to a DB9 (or larger depending on what you need).

You solder both PCB’s ground and +5V wires to the same pins on the DB9, which ensures both PCBs get power. Then you wire up the rest of the controller wires to different pins, like this:

PIN
1 xbox/ps2 ground
2 xbox +
3 xbox -
4 xbox/ps2 +5V
5 ps2 data
6 ps2 command
7 ps2 att sel
8 ps2 clock
9 ps2 ack

Then you sacrifice a couple of cords and wire them up to connect to the DB9.

More work but clean and absolutely removes the possibility of plugging two in at once!
Here are pics of mine - I wired up the cords to a terminal strip so that I can easily remove/replace the PCBs if I need too, but you could just as easily wire them up directly to the DB9.

how would you manage to fit the DB 25 stick into the hrap3 easily though?

i’m looking to do the same sort of padhack as rybread and i’m wondering about this, it seems like you’d need to cut out a hole in the faceplate for it

Something needs to be made clear.

  1. Both PCBs should be powered.
  2. The power going to the PCBs should only be coming from one console.

If you connect the power and ground lines of the PCBs together, like in TMO’s picture, then both PCBs will be powered no matter which cable is plugged in. If you plug in both cables that way, then you’re connecting the power lines from two different consoles together, which is a bad idea.

Wasteful. The only advantage using a “25 pole, single throw” switch like that is if you are using systems that don’t use a common ground and you dont know how to get around it. By making sure they’re all powered and common ground, you can connect as many PCB’s in a stick as you like, and not require any switching of any kind.

Wasteful? How about personal preference.

My personal #1 reason for wanting to know how to use the switch was to idiot-proof the stick (what if the stick is used in a house with a big family with random-friends who pass through). Some of them might get the funny idea of controlling more than one game at once. You never know. I’m making a stick for a friend, and he’ll want to use it on multiple systems (his situation at home currently matches the above potential chaos).

From a buyer’s perspective, I think they would rather have a rugged fail-safe multi-platform stick. It’s not much more cost in parts either. Especially when you factor in like 3-4 pcbs.

I have a “A” Made in Korea Dual Shock 1.
is it pcb apropiate for make a stick?

http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/2302/dsc00363st3.jpg

http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/6263/dsc00364gy2.jpg

How connect the ground and the +5v (where is it?) to the usb pcb?

It should be on the other side. You should be able to trace it’s connection to a (usually red) wire (the red wire in the main console-cord).

If you need more help with the 5v thingy, post a pic of the other side.

Edit: Ooops. You did post a pic of the otherside lol. The 5v may be hidden by that white flat-wire.

It’s your stick; do whatever you want with it. But it is wasteful and inelegant.

This may sound rather dickish, and I apologize if it does, but I’m betting that the reason someone might want to go this route is because it is simple. You dont have to know any electronics to understand what those switches do, and how you can use them to connect the stick and buttons to one of two or more selectable PCBs, completely disconnecting it from the others. Simple, and easy to comprehend, and in case of any problems, should be easy for you to troubleshoot because its easier to understand; the switches connect the two points on the PCBs, and the PCB is just a mystical black box that does whatever it needs to. I get that, and I do see the appeal.

The thing is, with a little electronic know-how to understand how the PCB’s work, and in particular how it detects the buttons, it becomes silly. With multiple common ground PCBs, there is no need to run two wires for every switch to a box, and then run two wires to each PCB for each switch. For a stick, start, select, and six buttons, thats twelve microswitches, taking up almost all of a DB-25 connector. With two PCB’s, thats 6 wired connections for each switch, for 72 wired points; three PCBs, 8 wired connections per switch for 96 wired points. (# of connections=# of microswitches * (number of PCBs+1) * 2). Yuck. That’s a rats nest and a half.

With multiple common ground PCBs connected like in TMO’s picture, that number drops rapidly. Same 12 microswitches with two PCBs takes 26 connections. Three PCBs: 38. (That’s counting the ground line that is daisy chained on all of the switches as one.)

How is adding more things to the stick for the human to do (the system select switch) going to make things more idiot-proof?

There’s no reason the stick can’t be made protected against the possibility of connecting to multiple consoles. I haven’t been bringing it up because some people’s eyes glaze over when it is mentioned.

All of the PCBs in the setup described must be powered, right? But you only want that power to come from one source, right? So, you have a ton of options to make that happen. For a two PCB setup, a toggle switch can be used to select with PCB cable is supplying the power. Better yet, if they are all 5v systems (no PSX or PS2), you can skip the switch altogether and have each power line from the console going through a diode. viola, for 10 cents in parts, the consoles and PCBs will be protected against someone pulling a stupid.

I would agree. The problem is you’re assuming that our setup is somehow not rugged or fail-safe.

With the additional wired connections, I’d say it would be more expensive, especially with labor costs. My point is that it is extra work and cost with no benefit over the methods described.

tape the cords together right near the console plugs to make it literally impossible to plug it into two consoles simultaneously.

ps tell em why you mad toodles