Need advice for a PCE stick

[ultrageranium]

Hello,

I recently decided to remove the dust from my PCE and play some shmups after years of contemplating the idea. The problem is that I only have the standard pads to play and this is getting tedious after the first stages of anything I've been trying. I imagine that this question is coming quite often, however I'd still like some advice from more experienced players. Looking around this forum it seems that I could have several options:

- Be lucky and find a XE-1 PRO HE (can you mod a XE-1 PRO FC into a XE-1 PRO HE by the way?)

- Be lazy and get a Hori Multi Fight, although it seems to be considered as very low quality and not using the same arcade grade as other Hori fight sticks for single systems

- Be adventurous and try to mod a SNES Topfighter stick that is lying around (untested) using a spare PCE pad (are there any tutorials on such cannibalising techniques?)

- Be very adventurous and mod the Topfighter with new components like in this thread http://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=12611 The default stick seems sturdy but the feeling seems to be really tuned for fighting games, there is quite some effort needed to quickly jump from one position to its opposite for instance (sorry I do not know the term for that, if exists)

Any guidance would be super welcome!

Thanks!

[SunJammer]

with the scarcity of good PCE sticks, the best methods would probably be:

-padhack inside an existing stick: the best resource i know of is this tutorial at Slacoin

-MC Cthulhu wired for PCE: pinout can be found here under "Part 5: Pinouts for more cables"

-use an existing playstation stick with one of these converters from tototek

[McCracAttack]

-use an existing playstation stick with one of these converters from tototek

I've used these with a PS2 stick and they are certainly the path of least resistance. Because a Playstation controller has so many more buttons they even bother to map turbo variants of the buttons. For example, X for button 1 and O for button 1 turbo. If you're not sure which way you want to go the tototek adapters are a safe first step.

[ultrageranium]

with the scarcity of good PCE sticks, the best methods would probably be:

-padhack inside an existing stick: the best resource i know of is this tutorial at Slacoin

Ah great! I stumbled upon this site a long time ago when I was looking into DIY Arcade sticks but could never find it again.

-MC Cthulhu wired for PCE: pinout can be found here under "Part 5: Pinouts for more cables"

A nice so I could try that on the Topfighter thing.

-use an existing playstation stick with one of these converters from tototek

I've used these with a PS2 stick and they are certainly the path of least resistance. Because a Playstation controller has so many more buttons they even bother to map turbo variants of the buttons. For example, X for button 1 and O for button 1 turbo. If you're not sure which way you want to go the tototek adapters are a safe first step.

Stupid question then, which PS2 sticks would you recommend then?

[Fudoh]

The Tototek adapter works fine. I usually use a Hori HRAP2 SA on my PCE. For the PS1/2 there are so many sticks available, so it's really up to your personal taste. Anything from a slimline Namco Arcade stick to a full blown HRAP SE/SA.

[ApolloBoy]

If you wanted to, you could make one from scratch using a 74HC157 as the basis. Here's a GameSX page on it, including information on adding rapid fire: http://www.gamesx.com/controldata/turbocont.htm

[kamiboy]

After less than a month of prowling Japanese auctions I found a XE-1 PRO HE for 2500 yen. Apparently it doesn't take that much to get lady luck to lift her skirt for you, that coquettish harlot, provided that you go straight to the source.

Of course my stick is still, at least theoretically, on some container boat on its way to me, along with a few other boxes of Japanese goods totalling a sultan's sum. So lady luck might show her fickle nature yet. But, the deuce I say, why not try to achieve the seemingly impossible for a month or two before compromising.

Also, Fudoh, I thought you owned a PRO for the PC Engine, then what the deuce are you using a PSX stick on it for? Or is this ale clouding my memory?

[Fudoh]

yep, two XE-1 Pros on my possession. Depends on where I sit. The Hori is a stick which needs to be put on a table, while I use the XE-1 as a pad replacement. I don't place it on a table or my onto my lap, but I hold it in my hands - so it's not exactly great for prolonged playing sessions.

[kamiboy]

Why wouldn't you put the XE stick in your lap or on a table though? It is clearly not designed to hold as a pad.

[Fudoh]

don't know, never did. I always felt it's small enough to be hold in my hands. Or maybe since I was coming from a C64 (when I got my PCE in '88) and there we had the Competition Pro, which you were also meant to hold in your hands.

[kamiboy]

Ah, you crazy Germans and your strange fetish for commodore computers.

[ultrageranium]

But, the deuce I say, why not try to achieve the seemingly impossible for a month or two before compromising.

That's actually a good advice. So far I just tried for a week (Yahoo! only). I will try to look a bit longer and come back either with good news or compromising good news.

A friend of mine is in Tokyo right now, however I would not know where to guide her except giving the ref of stick. Any idea where such things could be found in akihabara?

If you wanted to, you could make one from scratch using a 74HC157 as the basis. Here's a GameSX page on it, including information on adding rapid fire: http://www.gamesx.com/controldata/turbocont.htm

Nice. Bookmarking all these.

[kamiboy]

The more well known retro gaming places in Akiba are Super Potato and the Game stores. There are at least 3 Game stores in Akiba though, then there are a whole bunch of other smaller obscure stores that sell retro game and hardware.

I noticed that neither had a very good selection of obscure hardware. Another good bet would be the Hard Off stores, but in either case I think you should get lucky to find an obscure piece of hardware like that on first visit.

Also, as far as online sources go try MBOK and Rakuten also. I found that stick via an MBOK auction, which is prolly why I got it without a fuss.

[ultrageranium]

The more well known retro gaming places in Akiba are Super Potato and the Game stores. There are at least 3 Game stores in Akiba though, then there are a whole bunch of other smaller obscure stores that sell retro game and hardware.

I noticed that neither had a very good selection of obscure hardware. Another good bet would be the Hard Off stores, but in either case I think you should get lucky to find an obscure piece of hardware like that on first visit.

Also, as far as online sources go try MBOK and Rakuten also. I found that stick via an MBOK auction, which is prolly why I got it without a fuss.

Thanks for the advices kamiboy, I will start monitoring these!

As for Akihabara, I will pass the information, fingers crossed

[ultrageranium]

As promised, some update and new questions...

So I tried to monitor Japanese sites for a XE-1 PRO HE and I haven't seen any. I did find many other variants, but the HE was nowhere to be found. As a result I ended up looking into alternatives and I decided to go with a Playstation Namco Arcade Stick (NPC-102) as my first non-default controller. I believe I can easily upgrade it with small joysticks like the Seimitsu LS-33 if needed, so that could be a smooth introduction into modding sticks as well.

I'll look into that later, for now I am wondering what are my options to hook up the stick to the PCE. I did find the ToToTEK adapters, as suggested by SunJammer, however I would eventually like to connect the stick to my other consoles and I am bit in a need of an advice:

- I have an AV Famicom (so with NES joypad ports) and I cannot find a TTK adapter for it, is there another manufacturer that does a PS2>NES adapter?

- With a PCE, a MD, an AV FC, a DC and one day I hope a Saturn, this is going be a whole box of adapters needed and it might get pricy on the long term. The MC Cthulhu seems like the right direction to cover several systems, but there is no MD support (from what I read, the RJ45 has not enough wires for a MD/Genesis controller), so not possible to avoid any adapters. Are there alternatives to this board?

Thanks!

[Fudoh]

- I have an AV Famicom (so with NES joypad ports) and I cannot find a TTK adapter for it, is there another manufacturer that does a PS2>NES adapter?

Tototek has a PS2 to Famicom adapter which goes into the side port of your AV Famicom. The original FC XE1 connects to the same port by the way.

[kamiboy]

A few weeks back my Micomsoft sticks arrived, a PRO for the PCE and two regular XE's, one for MD/X68000 and one for the old Super Famicom.

They are a nice piece of kit. Unfortunately decades of exclusive pad usage means I play like shit using these. It is going to take a lot of practice to get my skill level up to par with these lovelies.

[ultrageranium]

Tototek has a PS2 to Famicom adapter which goes into the side port of your AV Famicom. The original FC XE1 connects to the same port by the way.

Aha! Oh dear I'm such a controller noob... Thanks!

Unfortunately decades of exclusive pad usage means I play like shit using these. It is going to take a lot of practice to get my skill level up to par with these lovelies.

I was hoping the Namco stick would help me pass a brickwall at Download, but I have not taken into consideration the adaptation phase...

[PC Engine Fan X!]

I just use two of those NEC Turbo Sticks for the TurboGrafx-16 with an reverse TG-16 to Duo controller adapter + Turbo Tap...easy as pie. Now with an reverse Duo to TG-16 controller adapter, it's doable to use any PCE controller on the TG-16 indeed.

Or score one of those slick PC Engine based "Hori Fighting PC" joysticks and watch your scores go through the roof. It's a serious PCE arcade stick bar-none. With a metal base and outer top joystick covering that's metal based also, it's a world-class PCE arcade stick with the usual 6-button setup (a switch to switch from "2-button mode" to "6-button" mode) and still be able to use it with the cool PCE Super CD-Rom2 game of Forgotten Worlds (both the JPN NEC Avenue and USA TTI released counterpart as they both have built-in support for the NEC Avenue Pad 3 setup -- 3-button configuration).

On the USA TTI version of FW, it's possible to use a Duo pad (or a Turbo Pad with TG-16 to Duo controller adapter) & press the Select button to fill in for the 3rd button when playing a serious session.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[ultrageranium]

Necrobumping my own thread!

Update: So in the end I kept using the Namco Arcade stick with several ToToTEK adapters. I found the form factor really fitting my tiny setup and way of playing. However, now I think I'm ready to try tuning a bit the joystick itself. I'm aware options are limited but I'm thinking installing a JLF following kowal's guideline and then also add his replacement actuator.

Does anyone has experience with this mod and how they think it improves the default Namco stick?

Thanks!