Need help with this schematic

[tz101]

OK. I am thinking of building my own PC to 5200 controller adapter. This page: 5200 Controller Adapter seems to have all the information I need.

 

Being an amateur at electronics, I am a little confused by the schematic shown. Can someone with more knowledge tell me what is going on between pins 3, 6 and 4 on the joystick connector? Are they being bridged by capacitors? If so, how exactly does that equate to the real world? Are the wires between those pins and their counterparts on the 5200 DB15 connector stripped bare in the middle and the capacitors soldered between?

 

Any information is greatly appreciated.

[BigO]

A capacitor is being connected from 3 to 4 (Ground) and from 6 to 4 (ground). This adds capacitance to offset the quicker charge rate caused by the smaller value pots in the PC joystick.

 

 

Without modification, the current flows through the potentiometers in the stock controller to charge the capacitors inside the console. The total charge time varies with the position of the potentiometer. The pots in the stock controller are 500K. The ones in the PC joystick are more like 100K.

 

The way it's connected to the 5200 in the schematic, you're connecting an external capacitor from 5200 pin 10 to ground and from 5200 pin 11 to ground. You're putting an external capacitor in parallel with the capacitor internal to the console on the left/right and up/down inputs.

 

The effect of this is to cause those inputs to charge more slowly due to the resulting larger capacitance. This increased capacitance is offset by the lower resistance in the PC joystick thus bringing the overall charge time back to somewhere in the neighborhood of the stock controller.

 

Without the external capacitors in parallel, the PC joystick won't work with the 5200.

 

You can safely play around with the values of those capacitors to see the effect if you want.

Edited August 25, 2010 by BigO

[atariksi]

A capacitor is being connected from 3 to 4 (Ground) and from 6 to 4 (ground). This adds capacitance to offset the quicker charge rate caused by the smaller value pots in the PC joystick.

 

 

Without modification, the current flows through the potentiometers in the stock controller to charge the capacitors inside the console. The total charge time varies with the position of the potentiometer. The pots in the stock controller are 500K. The ones in the PC joystick are more like 100K.

 

The way it's connected to the 5200 in the schematic, you're connecting an external capacitor from 5200 pin 10 to ground and from 5200 pin 11 to ground. You're putting an external capacitor in parallel with the capacitor internal to the console on the left/right and up/down inputs.

 

The effect of this is to cause those inputs to charge more slowly due to the resulting larger capacitance. This increased capacitance is offset by the lower resistance in the PC joystick thus bringing the overall charge time back to somewhere in the neighborhood of the stock controller.

 

Without the external capacitors in parallel, the PC joystick won't work with the 5200.

 

You can safely play around with the values of those capacitors to see the effect if you want.

 

What about the polar capacitors vs. non-polar capacitors.

[atariksi]

OK. I am thinking of building my own PC to 5200 controller adapter. This page: 5200 Controller Adapter seems to have all the information I need.

 

Being an amateur at electronics, I am a little confused by the schematic shown. Can someone with more knowledge tell me what is going on between pins 3, 6 and 4 on the joystick connector? Are they being bridged by capacitors? If so, how exactly does that equate to the real world? Are the wires between those pins and their counterparts on the 5200 DB15 connector stripped bare in the middle and the capacitors soldered between?

 

Any information is greatly appreciated.

 

Bohoki has made some and they work great and with my A2600 touchpad adapter as well. Order from him unless you like tinkering on your own.

[bohoki]

OK. I am thinking of building my own PC to 5200 controller adapter. This page: 5200 Controller Adapter seems to have all the information I need.

 

Being an amateur at electronics, I am a little confused by the schematic shown. Can someone with more knowledge tell me what is going on between pins 3, 6 and 4 on the joystick connector? Are they being bridged by capacitors? If so, how exactly does that equate to the real world? Are the wires between those pins and their counterparts on the 5200 DB15 connector stripped bare in the middle and the capacitors soldered between?

 

Any information is greatly appreciated.

 

Bohoki has made some and they work great and with my A2600 touchpad adapter as well. Order from him unless you like tinkering on your own.

 

yea i make them and i do a fairly decent job

 

first off that schematic is what i used and its not so much a scematic as it is a physical diagram

 

 

it looks complicated and kind of is but here is a couple improvements ive done #1 when you construct the device treat it as 2 projects

 

the upper pins for the 5200 controller buttons

 

and the bottom row as the adapter

 

first attach the capacitors at the end where you plug in your pc joystick not the 5200 plug side (cause you will be removing and inserting it alot and don't want to break them off

 

second when soldering the capacitors to the solder cups on the plug connect one capacitor from pins 5-6 and the other one from 3-4 and use a gob of solder to bridge across 4 and 5 cause i've been through so many pc joysticks and some have 4 for the pot common and some have pin 5 for the pot common(on the gameport in the pc these are connected

 

also if you feel like it you can on the pc plug of the adapter jump pins 10 to 2 also 14 to 7

so that way if you have a 4 button joystick button 3 will be button 1 and button 4 will be button 2

 

also find a little pushbutton solder a couple wires to it and attach it to pins 4 and 7 on the 5200 side so you can press start without needing to have a 5200 stick to press start

[BigO]

What about the polar capacitors vs. non-polar capacitors.

None of the capacitors involved need to be polarized.

[bohoki]

What about the polar capacitors vs. non-polar capacitors.

None of the capacitors involved need to be polarized.

 

 

sorry had to run

 

here are more tips

 

the first one i made out of parts from a busted vcr search the board over for little candy like capacitors for ones marked 204 or 224 the legs will be very short but solder wires to them to make them long again

 

if there are not 204 or 224 marked ones search for the ones marked 104 and use 2 of them in parallel because 104+104=204(just trust me)

 

also to get a 15 pin female end to stick to the 5200 you need to cut off the metal shield and glue the innards together (i just plastic weld them with my soldering iron\

 

also since plug covers are expensive and dont work on the 5200 end anyway just use lots of hot gluegun glue(you can see my button i added)

 

oh yea one more thing the 15 pin male to attach to the 5200 controller you need to take some needle nose pliers and make little bends on the shield so the controllerplugs locking lugs fit

do for the top center one and bend the bottom 2 little bends on the bottom to make room for the 2 bottom lugs(you dont need to make 2 individual pockets for them just 2 bends so the bottom will bend out and accept them

 

trying to think of any other little thing oh well maybe i'll think of it later

 

oh yea i glue the 2 ends together (why have a y cable flopping around possibly breaking a wire inside

 

i also give the wire a little downward bend to take most of the weight off the plug to 5200system jack

 

i just use whatever 8 conductor eithernet wire i have laying around(one length for the top one length for the bottom and that one gives be 2 wires i dont need which i use to attach the little pushbutton)

 

my first one was a mess and took me like an hour

 

i've got it down to a science now and it still takes me like 15-20 stripping 32 little wires 8 wires 2 times both sides also stipping the shielding very careful to not nick an inner wire

 

the components are fairly cheap i get the 3 plug ends for about $1 each the 2 capacitors are about 50 cents the push button i get from a vcr control board(behind the front plastic) hot glue gun glue is fairly cheap like 10 cents a stick and i use a whole stick now i really goop them up

 

but then you get to use lots of different pc joysticks and pads

 

 

here is my current gamepad assortment

 

Edited August 25, 2010 by bohoki

[bohoki]

i've been through so many pc joysticks and some have 4 for the pot common and some have pin 5 for the pot common(on the gameport in the pc these are connected

 

 

sorry brain fart there i said "pot common" instead of "button ground"

[tz101]

OK, Bohoki, what would charge me for one of these with the start switch you speak of? Include shipping in the cost.

[bohoki]

OK, Bohoki, what would charge me for one of these with the start switch you speak of? Include shipping in the cost.

 

 

$10 delivered but i would like to see a pic (or description) of the joystick you want to use as there are some that will not work there was a zone of time around win98-preusb days when they made a bunch of 15 pin gameport joysticks and pads that act as a serial device and are windows driver based

 

some examples wingman "extreme", thrustmaster "fusion"

[tz101]

I actually have a few. One looks exactly like one two-button pad in your picture. Another is a Tandy analog 2-button model from the 80's. It has a switch on the bottom to switch between IBM and Apple systems. Interestingly, it also has centering/non-centering switches for x and y directions on the bottom much like the 5200 Wico sticks. One other I have is a game pad from the 90s that has grips similar to Playstation1, called Wingman Precision, made by Logitech. It appears to be a 2-button pad with trigger-type buttons at the top.

[bohoki]

I actually have a few. One looks exactly like one two-button pad in your picture. Another is a Tandy analog 2-button model from the 80's. It has a switch on the bottom to switch between IBM and Apple systems. Interestingly, it also has centering/non-centering switches for x and y directions on the bottom much like the 5200 Wico sticks. One other I have is a game pad from the 90s that has grips similar to Playstation1, called Wingman Precision, made by Logitech. It appears to be a 2-button pad with trigger-type buttons at the top.

 

they ought to work(probably not the logitech) then pm me for details

Edited August 26, 2010 by bohoki