Because the question has been answered tons, and you could have found it by JFGI.
http://justfuckinggoogleit.com/search.pl?query=dreamcast+controller+pinout
Swerve, do NOT use a first party dreamcast controller. Find a third party one with six face buttons (buttons C and Z) and use that. Or, get the PCB from inside an Agetec ‘green goblin’ stick. The first party pads have lag on the triggers that can’t be avoided.
Okay, I’m going to explain exactly what I’m doing so I don’t leave anything out.
When the multimeter is in “Auto” mode, I get the following readings:
Pin 1 = 2.4 kiloohms
Pin 3 = 4.0 ohms
When I hit the “Range” button on the multimeter, I see it cycles through M (mega), k (kilo), and then just ohms. In this case (just ohms), Pin 1 reads zero resistance. Pin 3 still reads 4.0 ohms.
I’ll try to determine the second part of your question after you tell me which mode I should be measuring in! =)
I’m sorry, I should have been clearer. I didn’t know there was an auto setting on the multimeter. If yours was like mine and had a 200 ohm setting, the pin 1 would have show infinite resistance. The pin 3 resistance of 4 ohms is what we’re looking for; that pin is connected directly to the pin your other probe was touching (I assume the middle, VCC, pin of the PSX cable). The resistance of 2.4kohms on pin 1 is perfectly normal and can explain if you want, but it doesn’t matter. For now, we can be sure VR1 pin 3 is connected to VCC. Put the multimeter probe on VR1 pin 1, and check to see the resistance between it and one of the pins next to the middle pin of the PSX cable. Go ahead and post whatever they read, but I expect one to be showing almost no resistance (like the 4 ohms you got above), and the other to show infinite resistance.
Go ahead and keep it on auto mode; that’s pretty sweet thing to have.
I did google it and saw that site that you posted before, but I didn’t know if the 2 line is easy to follow back to the PCB on the Mad Catz pad or if the end terminal for that line is close to other lines.
anyway, once I disassemble the pad, I’ll make a website about it (maybe collect the other pad pictures, too).
thanks tho
Okay, staring at the cable end head-on (with the Sony logo on the top), then Pin 4 (to the left of the middlest pin) reads 3 ohms.
Pin 6 reads 22 megaohms.
It’s a nice multimeter, though obviously completely wasted on me!
Just to make sure we’re on the same page, there is 3ohm resistance between PSX pin #4, and VR1 pin #1. Perfect. VR1 pin #1 is an easy spot to get true ground.
Now, check the resistance between the ribbon cable pins 10, 11, and 12, to your VCC and GND points. We’re especially interested in the ones with the uber low single digit resistance.
Exactly.
To GND (Pin1 of VR1):
10: 2.36 kohm
11: 7.95 kohm
12: 2.36 kohm
To VCC (Pin3 of VR1):
10: 0.5 ohm
11: 5.59 kohm
12: 0.5 ohm
Perfect. One last one on a lark; check the resistance between any of the buttons, like ribbon pin 1, to ground and VCC, WITHOUT the ribbon cable connected.
Looks like infinite resistance (24 megaohms) from any button to either VCC or GROUND.
Ok. What about between two buttons? What’s the resistance between ribbon pin 1 and ribbon pin 2?
Zero resistance w/o ribbon. About 30k with ribbon.
any idea on how to hook up my new p360 onto my mas?? looked everywhere lol smh
I’m betting that the zero reading is your multimeter’s way of showing infinite resistance; whatever reading you got without the ribbon has to be more than you would get with it.
At any rate, I’m sure you figured out that it is using a common high line of sorts. If you wanted to use that pad with a p360, it’d involve some chips on extra boards, like the ‘p360 on xbox360’ boards I made when we didn’t know of any common ground xbox360 boards. It just wouldn’t be worth it.
One thing that would be make things easier is knowing if the start, select and analog buttons would work with 5k ohms resistance to VCC. Solder a small wire to the ‘start’ pin on the ribbon cable, and leave the other end free hanging with a few inches length. Plug it in, and touch the end of the wire to one of the regular button pins on the ribbon cable, like pin 1. If the start button activates, then you can use a common wire for all buttons and directions. Feel up for it? (Note, this test requires the ribbon cable to be IN.)
I gotta go take a test. Back in an hour and a half or so.
I’m not sure about the rest of the community, but I’m only using a standard microswitch joystick (Sanwa JLF series).
I’m up for it. I’ll post the results.
Eek! Hope I didn’t keep you from studying! Good luck!
duuuude… you haven’t read any of the responses to your questions.
Unless you know how to work a MAS PCB (that’s the green circuit board inside the MAS Stick), you’ll need a Mad Catz dreampad off of ebay so you can find out where the 5 volt line is and still attach the other buttons easily. You’ll also need a soldering iron and some solder.
take a picture of the greenboard inside your MAS if you can’t find the 5v line. It’s also the blue line from where the DC line connects, but hopefully it has a clean connection point on the PCB.
everyone else is gonna tell you do look up the info yourself, esp. if you don’t ask any specific questions.
Thanks a lot… i have a green goblin stick!
Here are my results.
I loaded up Street Fighter and started testing. When I touch the other end of the wire to any other button pin, I get the same jab punch. Doesn’t matter which button I choose (I tried all of them), I just get a jab. Interestingly enough, when I touched the wire to the d-pad pins, Ryu would seem do the motion and jab (jump and jab, crouch and jab, etc.). But it seemed inconsistent (sometimes he just jabs).
When I touched the wire end to VCC (Pin3 of VR1), it activated the Start button (menu came up). When I touched it to GND (Pin1 of VR1), nothing happened.
Also, there were times when I was testing the buttons that I missed and the wire slid between two button pins. Surprisingly, that activated the Start button, too.
Not sure if that helps or just confuses you more but those are the results!
Update:
The buttons and d-pad SEEM to work okay, as long as the ribbon is in and I use the pin 11 ground. While following the SpiffyShoes method, one of the first things he has us do is cut the ribbon. After cutting the ribbon, I could only get Start, Select, (and presumably Analog) to work by using the ground at pin 10. But I just tried using the other buttons with pin 11 with the ribbon IN and they seem to work. I’m going to do some more experimenting…
Update 2:
Tested with and without ribbon. Works with. Doesn’t without. I appreciate all the help Toodles but it looks like this could be as simple as just leaving the ribbon in the board. Unless you want to help figure out how to wire it so that the ribbon is no longer needed, but I’m guessing you probably have better things to do! I am curious, though… =)
dev:no offense, but if this isn’t a particularly popular problem (is it?), perhaps it’s better to use PM instead of making this thread even larger with all of these posts? Perhaps just post the end results if it becomes resolved?
I think it’s hard enough for people to find something in this forum, and if you use the Search function, you still have to go through 49 pages just for this thread to find the keywords.
Just a suggestion.
Hacked my first PS1 pad today.
Put it into a DC arcade stick…
You guys rock… Thank you very much.