Joystick from scratch: howto

[superfrog76]

Hi folks

So after that the last working joystick that I have is dead (a quickshot 2...strange enough it survived to my competition pro), I have decided to get a new one.

The problem is that you can't find many joystick for the Amiga, and even less, a new one, so I decided to go fro the handmade solution.

I've got an arcade stick (looks like a Sanwa, I think this is how you spell it), and various buttons; all of them are with microswitch, and pretty much, identical to the arcade stick and buttons; quite sturdy too.

Now I am planning to buy a cheap 9 pin serial cable, so I can cut one end and use it with the stick and buttons, but I do not know where to get a box that could be used as container for the joystick.
I have found an old wood shelf, which seems to be big enough to be cut and make a wood box with it. Altho I have no clue how to do so If you know where I could look at, to make a nice joystick box (or where to get one already made), I would really appreciate

The wiring is pretty simple, but now my question is: how can I make a stick that would be usable for the Amiga and also on the PC, when I use MAME? Is that even possible?

Anyone attempted to do so? In the worst case I will get an arcade stick just for the pc, but I would like to have as less stuff as possible on my desk, so one arcade stick for both was the ideal.

Thanks!

[superfrog76]

Thanks for all your reply!

So far I have  figured out that the build is pretty easy; once you get a serial cable and few switches, it is pretty straight forward.
Got a box from the local electronic store and added the stick and buttons; tomorrow I will solder the switches with the serial cable  and see if it is good or not.

I like the idea of the adaptor, once I have the joystick done, I can use that one to connect it to my pc and play finally the mame games with a real arcade stick!

There are joystick on the market, altho most of them are used; the issue is that I don't really want to pay 50 USD for a competition pro clone; I mean, that's a 4th part of the price of the amiga! In my days a joystick would cost me 10-20 bucks at most. Making one from scratch cost for sure less, and you know what kind of component you put in it. Other than a real competition pro or a Konix Navigator, I wouldn't buy a cheap imitation made in China, for a load of green

I thought of buying a good arcade stick, but the real good ones were $100+ and most of the electronics was integrated on the stick, so I just gave up on the idea to retrofit an arcade stick for PC or PS3/Xbox for the amiga. I am a beginner and I do not have the skill to de-solder boards and find where to make a small soldering point.

Attached a picture of what I have so far: the stick was 9.99, the buttons 1.29 each (they have a led inside, so they light up if you want...I am not sure if I can use the LED with the 5V coming from the joy port), the box was $6, so in the end, I paid barely $22 (I had already a serial cable to cut); while the cheapest arcade that you may find is about $40, and looking at the reviews; they crack after few months of use.

[superfrog76]

The zip stick is the one like the competition pro, but in black and yellow?

[superfrog76]

So far the joystick is working fine, I will order one of these adaptor and try it on the pc too

Now that I know how to make one, I will try with a MarkII, with 6 or 8 buttons probably, so it will be totally compatible also with games like Street Fighter.

Also for the case, I will try to make one from scratch; I've used one of the electronic project box, found in an electronic component store; or go for the acrylic custom made case (which is easier, there is a store that makes them right down the street).

I have found a design for an Xbox controller, but it involves removing the main board of the controller. At this point I will be hunting for a broken arcade joystick, which works with PS3/PC and Xbox; in this way I will just use the circuit board (will be interesting to find out the connections thou).

Altho from what I understand, the Amiga support only 2 buttons (and not all games support it), so the other 4 basically will just be unused.

[superfrog76]

Got one too, altho it won't recognize any other button except the first.

I have connected the 2nd and 3rd button to the mouse buttons wires; so I would expect that it would work.

Anyway, it is cool that at least one button works

[superfrog76]

Yup, it is good because it is simple, but at the same time is a downer if you want to use one controller for your various console and computers

Usually the arcade games has at least 2 or 3 buttons, which means that if the converter does not carry the signals, it is basically not really useful as joystick for mame or other arcade games I wish I knew about the fact that it support only one button, so I would save the money and purchase something else. If you want to play any game that uses more than one button, you are screwed

[superfrog76]

Oh BTW, when making an Amiga stick, one very handy thing is to use a button that also triggers the "up" direction. It makes a LOT of games easier & more pleasant to play.

I was about to ask....most of the games has the jump set to the up position; while if you route it to a button, you are in fact setting a jump button

Just be careful to not put it as second button otherwise if you play a game that is like Hybris or SWIV, you may accidentally kill yourself hitting something