Make your own controller by Failure

[TÐZ]

XBOX TO PC CONTROLLER

I am aware that the xbox360 controller is compatible with pc's after you download the drive to allow it to work. But incase you don't have a xbox360 controller, but have the original xbox controller... this guide is for you.
It allows you to use the xbox controller for mugen and those emulators you so desperately play night and day, day and night. So here is a quick and painless tutorial on how to make one.... All you need is a
few simple "Gamer's" Household items... ^_^
[align=center]
Materials

XBOX Compatible Game Controller
Male USB Adapter Cable
Wire strippers (or Scissors)
Electrical tape (or Shrink Wrap)

VERSION ONE: THE XBOX-PC MOD
You can see that I'm using a Male-Female USB extension cable for my male USB adapter. We're just going to chop the adapter off and discard of the cable.

Make sure you use the right end (circled in the above picture). We're going to do the same thing to the Xbox cable, too.

Cut the Xbox adapter off right at the base, leaving yourself some room to splice on the new one. Cut the USB adapter off at least 4 or 5 inches away from the adapter. Now strip off about an inch of casing from the end of each exposed cable that we'll be connecting. There will be a lot of thin silver wires and foil wrapped around a few smaller, colored wires. The silver casing is the shielding, but unless you want to try and preserve it just cut it away to expose the colored wires.

Using your wire strippers, pull away the casing on each of the colored wires to expose the bare wire. Now you can proceed to actually splice the wires together. Each wire of the USB adapter should match up to a colored wire on the gamepad. The Xbox controller has one additional yellow wire, which you can just ignore. You can use either heat shrink casing or electrical tape to cover up the bare leads. Heat shrink is more permanent and professional, but for simplicity I just used some electrical tape on each of the smaller wires, then wrapped up the entire thing tightly, making sure the bare leads did not cross.

You can see the ghetto-fabulous mod I've done above. The cable shown here detaches from the Xbox controller, which is why you don't see it actually leading to anything. ^_^ Feel free to be as fancy as you want - some heat shrink (shrink wrap) will look nice and hold up better, so now that I know it works I'll probably redo the mod when I get to the second controller.
If everything went well, we should be able to set up the device and start using it. The first thing to do is snag the XBCD drivers (Download Here), and run the installer file.

Once the drivers are installed, plug in the controller and it should detect and install the drivers:
"XBCD XBox Gamepad".

Now go to Programs -> XBCD -> Setup Utility and set up your new gamepad!

And that's it! Not bad for a ten minute mod. More to come when I get some extra controller parts...
[/align]

Enjoy, for now!

-Failure


PSX/PS2 TO PC CONTROLLER (sorry no actual images as of yet)

This playstation controller is significantly more difficult than the xbox version, but still fairly workable. The easiest approach involves using the parallel port to plug your adapted PSX/PS2 controller into the PC. It requires more advanced use of a multimeter and diodes.(see figure1)

[align=center]
Materials

PSX/PS2 Compatible Game Controller
Soldering Iron
Multimeter @Radioshack
Male DB-25 connector (see figure2) @Radioshack
(5) Diodes (type 1N914 or 1N4148) @Radioshack
Small piece of extra bare wire (1inch long or so)
Paper and Pencil (for notes on the wires)
*Optional* Playstation controller extension cable

FIGURE1: Pin map for the PS2 Controller

If you don't have the extension just do it to the main cable close to the plug
First, cut one end of the playstation extension cable, strip the sheathing, exposing the wires in a similar way to the xbox adapter. This time, you'll see one wire without any insulation on it at all. Ignore it. If the controller is dual-shock compatible, you'll see 8 other wires. Otherwise, you'll see 7.

Unfortunately, there isn't any easy way to know which wire connects to which connection on the other end of the extension cable, so grab the multimeter. (if you don't have the extension, chill...) We are going to find out to what hole of the female connector is connected to which small wire. Take the female connector of the cable and put the pin in each one of the holes to make contact and, using the multi-meter on resistant setting, write down to what hole corresponds each wire of the other end. So stick the pin on hole 1 then touch the ends of the wires until you find the one that matches the corresponding hole. Don't be to worried if you don't find a wire for each hole there are only 7 or 8 wires and 9 holes.

Well, we now have written on the paper the relation of the holes from the 1 to the 9 and to what cable color in the other end corresponds to each one of them. Keep this paper in a safe place that you will need it later.

Take DB-25 connector and tin-plate the ends where we are going to make the connections, that are 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 18 and 19. Look to the attached figure considering that the part that is seen in drawing is the part where we are going to solder. The pins where we are going to make connections are in red. The pins in blue are those that we will use if we connect a second pad.

FIGURE2: This is where the cables will be soldered

Now for the delicate part. Take the 5 diodes and it cuts the ends that are on the side opposition to the mark (what marks? see figure3 for the correspondence with the drawing in the picture and the real diode) leaving more or less half centimeter. Now we take the soldering iron and tin-plate the end of each diode taking care that you do not taking too long doing it or you can damage the diode by the heat.

FIGURE3: The diodes you need and to cut

Next we will take the DB-25 connector with the corresponding tin-plated ends (you did do in the previous section) and solder the short ends of each one of the diodes in ends 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 of the DB-25 connector. Remember that you must weld the 5 diodes in the correct direction. It should look like figure4. (seen below)

FIGURE4: The DB-25 connector once the diodes are soldered.

And we are now in the last of the mechanical part. Going by the diagram of the circuit on the paper where you wrote down the corresponding wires of your extension to the holes of the female connector. Solder the corresponding pin to each of the wires from the extension.

The wire that corresponds to hole 5 of the connector you have it to weld to the other ends of the 5 diodes. Solder the wire to the end of the central diode and solder the 5 diodes together as it appears in the circuit. using a spare piece of wire. If you pay attention, hole 6 of the female connector must go connected to pins 18 and 19 of connector DB-25. Solder the corresponding wire of the extension to any of the two pins and connect the two pins together.

Once done you need to plug it in and you'll need a driver to activate the mod you just created. Download the Direct Pad driver here as it comes highly recommended.

Once the pad and the DB-25 connector are connected to the parallel port, Open the Control Panel and double click on Games Controllers.

Click on Add >> Add Other >> Have Disk >> and then browse to where you unziped it. Click OK...

It should now be listed in the section with your other controllers.

Now to configure the driver to use it with the PSX pad. On the Configure tab select the Controller Type you want (PSX digital or PSX left/right Analog) You can go through the other settings and tabs to completely change everything but for the first time you should leave most of it alone. Maybe except to Calibrate the controller.[/align]

This one is WAY more time consuming and a little costly (depending)... but it is worth it if you like the feel of the PSX/PS2 controller.

Well thats that

-Failure

[Sgt Hartsock]

or you can you just forego all that crap..and use an xbox 360 controller! 



it already HAS a USB cord, PERFECT for the PC!





your computer will recognize it as an XBox 360 controller and it'll work pretty good, I speak from experience

[MirageAtoli]

or you can you just forego all that crap..and use an xbox 360 controller! 

it already HAS a USB cord, PERFECT for the PC!




your computer will recognize it as an XBox 360 controller and it'll work pretty good, I speak from experience

What kind of drivers are required for either of these solutions?

[Sgt Hartsock]

none for the 360 controller..just plug it and wait for it to be installed. 360 controller FTW!! 

[nick09]

THIS FTW!NO NEED TO INSTALL ANYTHING!


you hook up ps1 and ps2 controllers with it.

btw, an radioshack product.

[Sgt Hartsock]

ya but you're not going to be able to use bumpers I don't think

anyway, the 360 controller is awesome, trust me

[Barbary]

If you want to use a PSX/PS2 controller, walk/run/drive down to your local Radio Shack and get the 9 dollar converter there. Works wonders.

[nick09]

ya but you're not going to be able to use bumpers I don't think

anyway, the 360 controller is awesome, trust me

well i don't have an xbox nor an 360 controller....

so i use ps2

[Sgt Hartsock]

that and you don't say "an" next to numbers that don't start with a voul...jesus man...learn your grammar!

anyway...like I said, even if you don't own a 360, you might might want to pick up a 360 controller anyway, its ready to use right out of the box, plug in, wait for recognization & installation, and you should be ready

who know? you might want to get a kickasss 360 someday. and if you do, you'll be ready with the controller, won't you?

[Super Senseless Violent Man]

that and you don't say "an" next to numbers that don't start with a voul...jesus man...learn your grammar!

It's the internet  why would you buy xbox360 for a controller...
just use the PSX/PS2 converter like nick09 said, it' cheap on eBay!

[Sgt Hartsock]

why would you buy xbox360 for a controller...

because it works...same way the PS2 works like he said as well..I just prefer the 360 controller

that and you don't say "an" next to numbers that don't start with a voul...jesus man...learn your grammar!

It's the internet 

and if you look like a dumbasss online..you look like a dumbasss to the world & anybody who reads it...so don't slack off 

[TÐZ]

THIS FTW!NO NEED TO INSTALL ANYTHING!


you hook up ps1 and ps2 controllers with it.

btw, an radioshack product.

I couldn't find that in radioshack, I'll keep looking in other ones. 

[Sgt Hartsock]

if you don't find one, you can always get a 360 controller, if you do, I can help with it real easy

[Spidermew]

THIS FTW!NO NEED TO INSTALL ANYTHING!


you hook up ps1 and ps2 controllers with it.

btw, an radioshack product.

With this can 2 people use controllers and fight eacother at the same time?

[AceWonder20]

THIS FTW!NO NEED TO INSTALL ANYTHING!


you hook up ps1 and ps2 controllers with it.

btw, an radioshack product.

With this can 2 people use controllers and fight eacother at the same time?

Yep

[Sgt Hartsock]

wonder if that'll work with the 360 controller, it being USB as well?

[AceWonder20]

wonder if that'll work with the 360 controller, it being USB as well?

The adapter has controller 2 outlets sharing the same USB plug. 

[Sgt Hartsock]

interesting, might work then, hmm...

[failure]

you know your local walmart now sells a usb adapter for under $20 and i believe up to 2 can play at a time it supports the following console controllers :

• PSX/PS2
• XBOX
• GAMECUBE

i was aware that the xbox360 controller is pc compatible but i'd rather keep my 360 stuff to my 360.. and seeing as how i dont play my normal xbox as much i converted that into a server and used the controllers for mugen..

but i only made those guides as i love to modify and build things... i've even converted my xbox memory card to a usb memory stick it holds up to 512mb instead of the normal 8mb or 16mb that the xbox memory card holds and its backward compatible back to the xbox and back to the pc... which is great for softmodding the xbox ^_^ told you i love to modify!!!

[Sgt Hartsock]

holy crap...F(beep)in GAMECUBE into the USB hub? damn..that's crazy...loved that console but I didn't imagine it being able to able plugged into the USB hub..

[Founder of SonicX]

Creating that is to complicated imma just use my old fateful...........

[Sgt Hartsock]

well you don't have to have create anything..just got a controller with a USB plug & go from there

[nick09]

well you don't have to have create anything..just got a controller with a USB plug & go from there

ok i get it......ok?

if someone wants to create something they can.....

[Sgt Hartsock]

no dude..I'm talking to the other guy who thinks creating is too much work 

[eternal]

or you can you just forego all that crap..and use an xbox 360 controller! 



it already HAS a USB cord, PERFECT for the PC!





your computer will recognize it as an XBox 360 controller and it'll work pretty good, I speak from experience

I tried hooking it up and it didnt work for some reason..