piggybacking hacked pcbs in custom stick???

charlie chong · Post by **charlie chong** » Thu May 21, 2009 11:42 am

i'm working on a multi console custom stick at the moment and was wondering whether you can attach more than 1 hacked pcb to the buttons and stick at the same time. i've just got a hacked saturn pcb in there at the min but would it be possible to wire in a 360 hack and a dc hack as well as the saturn and it still all work ok?? i could work out a plug and play molex solution but i would rather have them all wired up and in the base at the same time if possible

heres the stick anyway

also does anyone know a mounting plate for semitsu with the mountings like the sanwa stick in this??? there are 2 holes in the middle of either end in the mounting plate . s shaped semitsus have the holes in the right place but aren't long enough to fit!

Gwyrgyn Blood · Post by **Gwyrgyn Blood** » Thu May 21, 2009 1:01 pm

2 PCBs is definitely possible, but you need to make sure to connect the voltage lines between them up. For example, with a dual PSX/360 you need to wire together the +5V lines between the two pads.

For other dual setups, it's going to depend on the system. You should check the SRK pad hacking thread and dual-PCB thread for more info about it.

Post by **Dave_K.** » Thu May 21, 2009 1:11 pm

Gwyrgyn Blood wrote:2 PCBs is definitely possible, but you need to make sure to connect the voltage lines between them up. For example, with a dual PSX/360 you need to wire together the +5V lines between the two pads.

I don't think this is a good idea, or that it even works. Have you tried this? You also run the disk of blowing one or both control ports if you have two consoles plugged in at the same time.

Its a real hassle to setup, but the only safe way to keep them isolated (and connected at the same time) is to put a diode in each and every switch/button connection. This way grounds and voltage can't leak back to the other pad.

charlie chong · Post by **charlie chong** » Thu May 21, 2009 1:34 pm

i think its safe to join the 5vs as long as both controllers aren't connected at the same time. i'v looked on srk now and it seems as tho working out a universal plug n play system using molex connectors is probbly going to be the best option as i don't think i can piggyback all the pcbs i want to use together.

Gwyrgyn Blood · Post by **Gwyrgyn Blood** » Thu May 21, 2009 2:11 pm

Dave_K. wrote: I don't think this is a good idea, or that it even works. Have you tried this? You also run the disk of blowing one or both control ports if you have two consoles plugged in at the same time.

Yes I have built a few sticks doing this, and that's how it's supposed to be done. I have heard of and seen the diode thing but only a long time ago, related to DC pads.

But yes, you do not want to plug in both cords at once, that's a bad idea. Also like I said, chances are you will have to do different stuff with different combos of PCBs, especially for older systems.

Charlie- There's a universal PCB out there that can work for a lot of systems, don't know if it does Saturn or not though. You can always use the 'project box converter' style if you don't mind having having a bunch of external PCBs for different systems.

LuckyDay · Post by **LuckyDay** » Thu May 21, 2009 4:20 pm

Yeah, wiring up the 5v between two pads works just fine...

...But you should also remember to wire up the ground between the two also...

Universal pcb here:
http://forums.shoryuken.com/showthread.php?t=131230

Multi-pcb thread here:
http://forums.shoryuken.com/showthread.php?t=146124

thchardcore · Post by **thchardcore** » Thu May 21, 2009 7:26 pm

I did this 5 years back or so, just put a DPST switch in line with the 5v and you will be fine. I had PSX and Xbox on a single agetec.

Ex-Cyber · Post by **Ex-Cyber** » Thu May 21, 2009 11:26 pm

You generally shouldn't connect positive/negative rails from multiple supplies together; what tends to happen is that one supply ends up getting overloaded by trying to power both systems. If the stick is wired in such a way that there is only one physical connection for any given voltage (e.g. a single connector + adapters for each console), then you should connect the supply lines together, because it's really only one line, but if it's possible to connect to more than one supply (e.g. each pad PCB keeps its native connector so the stick has one connector for each console), then each supply line should be kept separate.

powerfuran · Post by **powerfuran** » Fri May 22, 2009 11:21 am

also does anyone know a mounting plate for semitsu with the mountings like the sanwa stick in this??? there are 2 holes in the middle of either end in the mounting plate . s shaped semitsus have the holes in the right place but aren't long enough to fit!

Not sure I understood correctly, but I would make this in 2 steps (actually that's what I'm working on for my Virtua stick, exactly like yours).

-Move the joystick higher, for example in line with your B button, and drill a new hole for the stick. This makes more room on the bottom, to place the pcb(s) more comfortably.
-Compare the seimitsu LS 32 s plate and the sanwa JLF plate, to find the holes that match. If they don't match exactly, just work out a solution by drilling a bit the holes, to enlarge / making them fit properly. Then create two holes to place the new mounting screws accordingly. When the stick is mounted, all you need is a couple of nuts for spacing the plate in order for it to sit at the correct height and a couple of locking nuts and you're good to go

charlie chong · Post by **charlie chong** » Fri May 22, 2009 11:52 am

i'm not sure about drilling through that metal plate to make new holes when i don't have a drill at home

is drilling through metal hard to do??

heres a diagram to explain what i mean(obviously not done to scale or perfect shape)

i might try fabricate my own plate out of wood or plastic.. not sure if plastic would hold up tho

powerfuran · Post by **powerfuran** » Fri May 22, 2009 12:19 pm

Wait, I see two holes for the stick, weren't they made by you?

Well, to drill holes in metal yes, you will definitely need a drill, and with it it takes not more than 2 seconds per hole.

As far as the mounting plate holes, you can try and see if you have enough room in the sanwa plate for drilling two holes in correspondance of the holes in the seimitsu s plate. Otherwise I see no other solution than getting a seimitsu flat plate. In that one the four "external" holes should match pretty much exactly with the sanwa, but I have no chance to confirm that.

You should look for these info in Paik4life sanwa/seimitsu faqs at srk:
http://forums.shoryuken.com/showthread. ... 289&page=2

charlie chong · Post by **charlie chong** » Fri May 22, 2009 12:29 pm

i was lucky and the case had already been modded to allow a sanwa to be mounted.i'll take a look at that thread thanks!