will this work with the wii classic control?
Not at the moment. The type of technology it uses is well supported by the chip in the UPCB, but I need some more information on how it communicates before I can implement it. I already have a Wii CC UPCB cable made ready to test, too, but I gotta snoop a real one has it runs first.
I know, Accent Core is out for Wii. I want it too. But I dont have the proper tools to snoop the i2c traffic yet. Once I do, bet your ass it’ll be in.
Guilty Gear on Wii works with Gamecube controller.
not wireless
Update us with DC and 360 progess. Great work. I can see it’s time consuming too.
Any news to report would have been reported here. DC is probably going to be 2009 or later before done, unless there are others who step up to the plate and help. Native xbox360 will prolly never happen. So, same answer as written in the first post. Niether of these are a high priority at the moment.
First, lets get the big picture out of the way so my rambling text will be underneath:
http://marcuspost.com/downloads/upcb/FullUPCBSchematic_12.png
That’s the current planned changes for the next Rev of the UPCB board. The input DB-15 connector, the one used for making it work like a Neogeo-whatever converter is gone; I don’t see anyone but me using it. If there’s room on the PCB when I finish getting it laid out, I’ll put it back, but if I can save room without it, I might as well.
The piggyback connectors have both been expanded from 16 pin connectors to 20. The additional four pins are being taken up by two extra buttons (RA0 and RA1 in the schematic), the neo-geo system select pin RB4 (more on this in a sec) and the piggyback select line for that system. If anyone ever wants to get kinky with it, the piggybacked controller can be set to check that line; it will be low when its not in use, and high when it should be used. With a little creative electronics, it could be made so that the piggybacked controller didn’t draw power except when hooked up to that system. Pretty out there, but I had an extra pin and it seemed the right thing to do.
The addition of the RB4 line should work kinda neat. For Xbox360 piggybacking, I didn’t have a line to run for the guide button. The only time the RB4 line is used is when connecting to a neo-geo system or project box. For everything else, its just left there pulled high. I realized I could use that as an additional control wire. I’ll be setting up the piggyback code so that if Start and Select are both pressed, the RB4 line will be pulled low; if the RB4 line is wired to the Guide button, up comes the guide; if your really into making it top tier, you could also run that wire to the bank select pin on a large dreamcast VMU.
The button connector has also been expanded to 20 pins, to accomodate the two extra buttons. If you are using the two extra button option, you can wire all eight play buttons and the start and select button off of one ribbon cable.
And of course the bass ackwards output connector has been flip flopped so I dont have to manually wire up the ribbon cables like I had to in the past.
I’ve been seriously thinking about ditching the power LED and the two status LEDs. The code for them is practically nonexistant; I’ve only really been using them for debugging. If those pins could be used for pulse width modulation so I could do a nice slow fade in and out like the power button on Apple laptops, I’d so do it, but those functions aren’t available on those pins. There’s no real harm in leaving them in, except for wasted space on the PCB.
I’m also seriously debating getting rid of the option for a ribbon connector for the stick and just using a 1x6 connector like the instructable shows. It saves a quite a bit of space on the PCB. Anyone using a stick that doesn’t use common grounds, like Happs Competition and Sanwa JLW, will have to daisy chain the grounds themselves with wire.
Please note, none of these changes introduce anything different from how the first revision does. If some of these options, like the RB4 for the Guide button, sound appealing, you can do this with the 1.0 revision just by running a single wire. Let me know and I’ll find the particular spot to add the wire.
I was toying around with the idea of going all surface mount for the next revision, since the board would be smaller, and possibly cheaper to get assembled. I’ve since discarded this idea. The space being used is mostly for the big ass connectors; going surface mount would barely save any space, and would make testing and rework a bitch. Sorry Vapulus, I know you wanted smaller ones. The plan right now is to get a small order of these made for testing, and once tested, get the quotes for assembled units.
So, any feedback? Any suggestions on what should or shouldn’t be in the next revision of the PCB?
I love through-hole soldering. Fuck surface.
Everything sounds good.
Just wondering though, does it save you space to change the button connector from 18 pins to 20 pins? And would it still save space if you increased to a 22 pin connector to allow for the programming button to be hooked up to the same place? I am fine with it how it is now with the programming button being in a separate area, but it might be easier for other people to hook up if its all in the same spot. If you can still save space by making it a 22 pin connector then it might be something to think about, otherwise I wouldnt change it.
As far as I can tell, 22 pin IDC connectors aren’t made; the next step up is 26 pin, otherwise I’d love to. I could put in a couple of solder jumpers so that one of the ground lines that go with the two extra buttons could be set as the programming button, but whoever installed it would have to manually daisy chain the ground on a couple of buttons if they wanted both the programming button and the extra buttons.
I was planning on including the 2 pin cheap headers and a two pin female connector in any full packages; connectors like the ones I used in the UPCB+HRAP instructable.
I also think I’ll be fitting in another 6 pin connector that may not be used for a long time. See, my plan for Dreamcast support was to use a separate, very speedy and pretty cheap dsPIC, and an optional i2c eeprom for VMU emulation. I could have the main PIC talk to the baby pic via the two UART lines so that the main PIC took care of the on-the-fly button mapping and any recording as usually, and let the baby PIC take care of the actual Dreamcast talk. This is all hella down the road, but if/when I got it handled, the baby Dreamcast board could just connect to the six pin connection, and I could put spots for the two small chips on the main UPCB board once I get it finalized; no sense in doing it now because I havent even begun to work on it, but putting in the spot for a 6 pin connector should take care of all of the connections needed and take up very little space.
As long as you do that then I think it will be fine.
http://marcuspost.com/downloads/upcb/UPCB12a.png
Looks like I will have room for the input DB15, so added it back. Put in the six pin connector for possible future Dreamcast daughterboard. Added an onboard switch for the programming button (selfishly added so going into the bootloader would be easier when not installed in a stick) and solder jumpers so one of the button lines could be made either the programming button, or a ground line.
Last chance for input before I try to smoosh it into a board design. The tactile switch is just silly and will prolly be removed.
Psh, don’t be sorry. I’ll support this project wherever you go with it. I just want you to make the board so I can order a couple and make a new 360-friendly stick (or two). =)
The boards I was working on will be ordered with the Rev 1.2 test boards. These are the ones made to work with the DOA4/EX2 PCBs. If that’s what you have ready to go, then I should be able to accomodate you. If you don’t have a PCB ready to go, I can try to guide you through piggybacking the GameStop common ground pad that was found. No PCB from me needed, at least it shouldn’t; I havent tested it yet. Except for the pad itself, you should have everything you need in the left overs bag that came with your UPCB; ribbon cable, ribbon cable connector. Add in a D-Sub connector and hood and little soldering and it should be done.
Just out of curiosity: if I were to piggyback a wireless 360 PCB, would that still work? Or do only the PCBs of wired controllers work?
#1 getting it to work would require some electronic wizardry much harder than piggybacking with the gamestop pad.
#2 It COULD be done, but even with the aforementioned OMFG difficulty, you’d be turning on your xbox every time you pressed Start 
Too damn hard, and not worth it. Plus, since it has to be powered when the stick is in use, even when not using the xbox itself, youd drain batteries like mad.
Will there be a batch getting fabbed in the next while, and if not, what’s everyone doing instead of waiting for PCBs? I’ve got a couple sticks in the works I would LOVE to put these in.
I JUST got done with my finals, and am now on Xmas break from school until Jan 22nd. I have the schematic for the next revision of the UPCB done and shown above, I just need to get it laid out on a board and ordered. Two weeks after that, it’ll arrive and I can assemble and test before taking orders. If you’re looking for a kit, I can probably help you out with the extra boards in the test order, but most people want preassembled ones, and I can’t take orders on those until I get the board tested and get quotes for assembly.
Any UPCB owners with a PS3, please PM me. I think I figured out how to kill two birds with one stone with the PS3 support. It prolly still wont work for BC games yet, but I think I can get proper VF5 support.
Pardon my ignorance but would I be able to use the UPCB to connect a 6 button ps2 SF anniversary pad to a hacked xbox 360 pad? In other words someone would be playing on the ps2 anniversary pad but the input signals are sent to the 360 via the hacked 360 controller. Is that something this the UPCB could do? (this would be hot for the friends that come over to play streetfighter that love pads)
If you replace the PCB in the stick with a UPCB, piggy back a 360 controller and make cords for PS2 and the 360, then yes you can do it.
The UPCB really is a wonderful thing. On my one stick I have it set up for the PC, PS2, SNES, and soon I will have an NES cord as well. And of course there are no bulky project boxes.