The official Cthulhu and ChImp thread - Try our new Dreamcast flavor!

[System_1]

Fightstick Problems

Hello everyone, I have a custom fightick using a cthulhu, however I have run into a problem. Everything was working up untill yesterday when it started registering that left was always being held down.

Additionally pressing right does not cancel out the left, left always registers.

I attempted to update the firmware but the program does not recognize it (I am holding down start and select when I plug it in).

I have a feeling I may have accidentally let some of the usb connections short.

What should I do? I have a feeling I need to get a new microprocessor…

[Toodles]

Hello everyone, I have a custom fightick using a cthulhu, however I have run into a problem. Everything was working up untill yesterday when it started registering that left was always being held down.

Additionally pressing right does not cancel out the left, left always registers.

I attempted to update the firmware but the program does not recognize it (I am holding down start and select when I plug it in).

I have a feeling I may have accidentally let some of the usb connections short.

What should I do? I have a feeling I need to get a new microprocessor…

I doubt you’d need a new chip; if the computer sees the cthulhu at all, that’s a pretty good indication that the chip is working.
You didn’t mention if it was an MC or a PS3 Cthulhu; the firmware update is only for MC Cthulhu’s; Holding down start and select when plugging in a PS3 cthulhu won’t do anything.

What I’d do in your place is remove all of the wires from the cthulhu except for the USB cord. Plug the cthulhu is all by itself. If the stick shows as centered, then it was forced left by the wiring you removed. If the stick shows as left, then something on the cthulhu is forcing it left. Check the voltage on the left screw terminal. If its low (say < 2volts) then there’s a short on the board [or you failed to mention the other pcb’s it was dual’ed with]. If its high (say >2 volts), well, it won’t be.

[System_1]

I doubt you’d need a new chip; if the computer sees the cthulhu at all, that’s a pretty good indication that the chip is working.
You didn’t mention if it was an MC or a PS3 Cthulhu; the firmware update is only for MC Cthulhu’s; Holding down start and select when plugging in a PS3 cthulhu won’t do anything.

What I’d do in your place is remove all of the wires from the cthulhu except for the USB cord. Plug the cthulhu is all by itself. If the stick shows as centered, then it was forced left by the wiring you removed. If the stick shows as left, then something on the cthulhu is forcing it left. Check the voltage on the left screw terminal. If its low (say < 2volts) then there’s a short on the board [or you failed to mention the other pcb’s it was dual’ed with]. If its high (say >2 volts), well, it won’t be.

Ok, I actually have a PS3 Cthulhu so that explaines that. I attempted to remove all the wires, problem still happened. The left terminal also registered less than 2 volts. The board looks fine, I didn’t get a premade kit, but as far as I can tell I didn’t make any mistakes soldiering. And it worked before.

I appreciate the help though, I’ll continue messing around with it. Is there any chance I can flash the current chip? Or order a new one if I cannot fix it?

[Toodles]

It’s not the chip. The voltage on the screw terminal proves it.

[System_1]

It’s not the chip. The voltage on the screw terminal proves it.

Ok, well, I don’t have any extra PCBs hooked up, and there don’t appear to be any shorts. I checked the resistance of the Left pin and the GND and it had a resistance of zero (this is with the board powered off, and all connections to buttons severed). Is this supposed to be?

[Phreakazoid]

Ok, well, I don’t have any extra PCBs hooked up, and there don’t appear to be any shorts. I checked the resistance of the Left pin and the GND and it had a resistance of zero (this is with the board powered off, and all connections to buttons severed). Is this supposed to be?

edit: read you removed all connections before and checked the voltage. Somehow your Left pin is shorted to ground, check your solder job.

[tet]

Looking forward to the new ChImp board being available.

An LED controller board has also been laid out according to Kaytrim’s requirements. I’m looking forward to seeing what we can make that thing do; as it is, it can control either up to 11 buttons, or 8 buttons and one stick, and since its fully programmable, we can make it dance. Right out of the gate, I would expect to have the LEDs slowly get brighter when pressed, and slowly dim back down to off when released. Any maybe a quick little pattern when turned on.

Is there any update on this LED board? I’ve been looking at doing a light-up mod and this sounds like a great solution.

Thanks for all the great work on these boards Toodles!

[Toodles]

Looking forward to the new ChImp board being available.

As soon as I can, I’ll have them together and out as soon as possible.

Is there any update on this LED board? I’ve been looking at doing a light-up mod and this sounds like a great solution.

Thanks for all the great work on these boards Toodles!

The board is made, but the code needs to be finalized and tested. As soon as I can get that done, I’ll have it out and available. Trust me, I want these out at least as much as you guys do.

Speaking of which, if anyone else who has received the v2 chimp betas (it’ll say ‘Chimp Beta v2’ when plugged into a pc), please take a moment to test it out on a 360, and without touching the Guide/Home button, press Start and Select repeatedly to verify it brings up the in game menu on a 360. Spektrum already verified his works, but I’d like confirmation.

[mahzilla]

As soon as I can, I’ll have them together and out as soon as possible.

The board is made, but the code needs to be finalized and tested. As soon as I can get that done, I’ll have it out and available. Trust me, I want these out at least as much as you guys do.

Speaking of which, if anyone else who has received the v2 chimp betas (it’ll say ‘Chimp Beta v2’ when plugged into a pc), please take a moment to test it out on a 360, and without touching the Guide/Home button, press Start and Select repeatedly to verify it brings up the in game menu on a 360. Spektrum already verified his works, but I’d like confirmation.

Not sure if I have the v2 Chimp, but I’ll try to have my joystick modded together and tested this weekend.

[souji5]

Just got my chimp kit assembled and soldered up to a madcatz.
Left a good share of excess wire:lol:, everything appears to be in working order for ps3 and pc (still have to test for 360)

http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/1518/chimpl.jpg

[Phreakazoid]

I’ll be popping my 2 betas into 2 different 360 TEs early next week, after a basic test for functionality that’ll be the first thing I do and report back.

[System_1]

edit: read you removed all connections before and checked the voltage. Somehow your Left pin is shorted to ground, check your solder job.

Thanks for the help everyone. I redid some of the connections, but nothing seemed to be bridging, and the board is completely disconnected. Now however the left button to ground has a resistance of about 200 ohms (and the issue still occurs)… im gonna take a guess that that’s the resistance of the resistor array.

I also noted something interesting, if I apply use my positive terminal on my ohmmeter to check ground, and the negative terminal to check the left button I get 200 ohms, if I reverse it I get 0 ohms. If this is applied to other terminals they register 3000+ ohms, then 0 ohms like with the left button. Unless there is a diode somewhere on the board should it not matter which terminals go where? I may just be a noob electrical engineer.

Either way my board is pretty clean as far as soldering goes, I do think at one point my USB connection might have bridged because I used braided wiring and I noticed one had frayed a little and it could have touched another USB terminal. I replaced it completely.

EDIT: Update, Additionally I removed the chip from the board, and now the ground and the left terminal reports no bridging when using an ohm-meter. Does this not prove that it’s the chip?

[PHATAL_PHD]

just used your Cthulu board in my first custom PS3 stick, and it works like a charm.

Pardon the stupid question, but what is the Chimp Board?
Is that just an easier way to wire up a multi-console stick?

[Gummo]

just used your Cthulu board in my first custom PS3 stick, and it works like a charm.

Pardon the stupid question, but what is the Chimp Board?
Is that just an easier way to wire up a multi-console stick?

its been answered countless times. Its the Cthulhu and Imp combined in one board with auto system switching.

[System_1]

Pardon the stupid question, but what is the Chimp Board?
Is that just an easier way to wire up a multi-console stick?

Thanks for asking this question.

[mahzilla]

just used your Cthulu board in my first custom PS3 stick, and it works like a charm.

Pardon the stupid question, but what is the Chimp Board?
Is that just an easier way to wire up a multi-console stick?

Chimp is the PS3/PC version (not the MC version) of the Cthulu board and Imp board combined into one board.

[mahzilla]

Hi, I’m using the MC Cthulu and Imp in a Xbox 360 TE stick.

When I tried to play PS1 version of Street Fighter Alpha 3 in a PS2 console, every input (start, select, dpad, and attack buttons) seem to have some sort of turbo mode on!

Did anyone have this problem or any idea what the source of this problem might be?

[System_1]

As soon as I can, I’ll have them together and out as soon as possible.

The board is made, but the code needs to be finalized and tested. As soon as I can get that done, I’ll have it out and available. Trust me, I want these out at least as much as you guys do.

Speaking of which, if anyone else who has received the v2 chimp betas (it’ll say ‘Chimp Beta v2’ when plugged into a pc), please take a moment to test it out on a 360, and without touching the Guide/Home button, press Start and Select repeatedly to verify it brings up the in game menu on a 360. Spektrum already verified his works, but I’d like confirmation.

Do you have an estimated time of release once the beta has concluded? I’m really looking forward to this new product.

[mahzilla]

Hi, I’m using the MC Cthulu and Imp in a Xbox 360 TE stick.

When I tried to play PS1 version of Street Fighter Alpha 3 in a PS2 console, every input (start, select, dpad, and attack buttons) seem to have some sort of turbo mode on!

Did anyone have this problem or any idea what the source of this problem might be?

the directional inputs and the four face buttons work fine in the ps2 boot menu configuration btw. Street Fighter Alpha Anthology for ps2 does not register any inputs.

[Toodles]

even after replug?