Ghetto Keyboard Controller for N64

[felipe_9595]

So, you want to play with a keyboard in the N64 but you dont have 200 bucks to spent on the adaptor??? I have a 40 bucks solution for you.

Materials:

-Raphnet GC to N64 Adapter ($30)
- 10-14 Buttons (5$. Upgrade: Arcade Buttons)
- A GC Controller (We only need the board, so a cheap one will do it, $5)
- UTP Cable (2 meters should be enough)
- A Soldering Iron and minimal soldering skills
- A triwing Screwdriver
- A Shoe Box (Upgrade: Arcade Stick Case)
- Silicon bars or Liquid Silicon (To isolate the soldering and the buttons to the box)

Pros:
+-Incredible Cheap
-No Delay

Cons:
+- Incredible Cheap
- Build quality is poor (Without an Arcade Stick Case)

Lets get Started:

Take apart the Gamecube Controller using the triwing. We are going to focus on the board so we can throw away the case and the rest of the insides. Take the UTP cable and take it apart. You will see 8 trenzated coloured cables. This are the ones we will use for soldering (Cheaper that buying special cables, after all we only need the copper lol). Cut the cable into segments of your desired length and with a knife or your teeth peel away the plastic to reveal the copper. We are going to solder this cables to the board:

After soldering the cables to the board, we are going to solder those to our buttons. One of the cables is the signal and one is the ground, it doesnt matter were we solder those in our buttons as long as they dont touch each other. Put the controller board into the box and cut a hole to pass the cable. Put the buttons in your shoe box in the position you most like, and then secure them with the silicon. And that's it!! To configure the mappings, go to http://www.raphnet.net/electronique/gc_to_n64/index_en.php#2 and map the buttons accordingly.

As a personal reccomendation, i soldered my movement buttons to Dpad Down, left, and Right and soldered my Up Button to the L trigger, because when you press left and right at the same time while holding up in a GC Dpad, the up input retriggers itselfs, resulting in failed pivots utilt, etc.

Results
(Really really ghetto looking, but it works perfectly):

If you have any questions, leave them below!!








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[MrMarbles]

dude this is amazing good job!

 

[nickthename]

This is about as struggle as it gets, wow.

You've pretty much made a super ghetto n64 Hitbox. I wonder if raphnet could make some sort of direct adapter from circuit buttons to n64 and cut out the gcn middleman.

 

[felipe_9595]

This is about as struggle as it gets, wow.

You've pretty much made a super ghetto n64 Hitbox. I wonder if raphnet could make some sort of direct adapter from circuit buttons to n64 and cut out the gcn middleman.

Karajan said on FB that it should be possible.At least for me, i don't know how to do it hahaha

Btw i forgot to say i built this for a National tournament we have tomorrow, been testing this heavily and so far works perfectly.

 

[KnitePhox]

you can wire up a keyboard instead of a box and have "the real thing"


a suggestion to mark areas on the box with a pencil/pen/marker before you make the holes such that they fit in a natrual feeling position THEN make the holes; maybe use a ruler and pencil if you want them straight


great stuff felipe

 

[felipe_9595]

you can wire up a keyboard instead of a box and have "the real thing"


a suggestion to mark areas on the box with a pencil/pen/marker before you make the holes such that they fit in a natrual feeling position THEN make the holes; maybe use a ruler and pencil if you want them straight


great stuff felipe

I actually tried to do that but failed miserably ( i did the opposite, pressing left wrote "a" in my PC, lmao)

I marked them in that way btw, i just put my hand in a confortable position and put the buttons there :3

 

[DiegoSSB]

je 77 nooblipe

 

[Capos]

Wow, really interesting idea. Cool stuff.

Btw i forgot to say i built this for a National tournament we have tomorrow, been testing this heavily and so far works perfectly.

My first thought was "I hope someone uses this in a tournament and the opponent has the biggest confused look

 

[Sedda]

the struggle is real

 

[Zantetsu]

Pros:

-No Delay

I hate to nitpick, but there is 5ms of delay with the GCN -> N64 adapter.
http://www.raphnet-tech.com/products/gc_to_n64_circuit/index.php
Although it's less than 1 frame by a third, this would still mean on average you'd experience 1 frame of delay around 33% of the time or so. Very hard to notice.

 

[felipe_9595]

I hate to nitpick, but there is 5ms of delay with the GCN -> N64 adapter.
http://www.raphnet-tech.com/products/gc_to_n64_circuit/index.php
Although it's less than 1 frame by a third, this would still mean on average you'd experience 1 frame of delay around 33% of the time or so. Very hard to notice.

That's not how it works lol, on average you experience 1/3 frame of delay, 100% of the time, not the same hahahaha

 

[Zantetsu]

That's not how it works lol, on average you experience 1/3 frame of delay, 100% of the time, not the same hahahaha

No, I believe you can experience a frame delay at times. Real life obviously doesn't have frames, but lets say you press a button with 4ms left in the current frame. With 5ms of frame delay, your button press won't be recognized until the next frame, and then activated the frame after. With no frame delay, your button press would have been recognized within that same window, and activated on the next frame. Given the fact that a frame is around 16ms and 5ms is roughly a third of that, it's safe to assume around a third of your inputs will have a frame of delay.

If I'm wrong though, please explain why, I'm willing to know more on the subject.

 

[Fireblaster]

No, I believe you can experience a frame delay at times. Real life obviously doesn't have frames, but lets say you press a button with 4ms left in the current frame. With 5ms of frame delay, your button press won't be recognized until the next frame, and then activated the frame after. With no frame delay, your button press would have been recognized within that same window, and activated on the next frame. Given the fact that a frame is around 16ms and 5ms is roughly a third of that, it's safe to assume around a third of your inputs will have a frame of delay.

If I'm wrong though, please explain why, I'm willing to know more on the subject.

Your logic doesn't work because you made several assumptions and only applied them half the time.

If we're going to be super technical as you described and assume that the CRT displays the image as SOON as the game processes the frame and sends it out, and since the game runs at 60 fps, that means there is a 16.666.... (or 50/3) ms wait time between each frame. This means that if your inputs can happen anywhere during this time frame, you will have input lag anywhere from 0 to 16 ms for any input you make. If an input device has 5 ms of lag, then that simply means that your inputs will have anywhere from 5 to 21 ms of input lag. 0-16 ms to 5-21 ms is such a miniscule difference that it really doesn't matter. Some different kinds of CRT's have much variation (5 ms) in their display delay.

 

[Zantetsu]

That makes sense when you put it that way, thanks for the clarification.

 

[MasterSplinter]

Is this controller basically so you can input better DI?

 

[felipe_9595]

Is this controller basically so you can input better DI?

Easy pivot utilts

 

[nickthename]

He's kinda right, if your inputs are evenly distributed, the 5/

Is this controller basically so you can input better DI?

Some players get very used to playing on keyboard from emulator, and have a tough time transitioning to console. Adapters let them play, but are very expensive, so this is a cheaper substitute. But yes. it does also make strong DI easier.

 

[InBomb]

New life goal: Make hitbox for 64.

 

[DiegoSSB]

New life goal: Make hitbox for 64.

that already exists

 

[InBomb]

that already exists

It's not about being first. It's about--I want it, so why not.

 

[Shears]

Couldn't this be done with a 64 controller? Just solder the buttons to the 64 board. I guess you would need to figure out a way to map d pad to direction or use the buttons to control the potentiometer output.

 

[felipe_9595]

Couldn't this be done with a 64 controller? Just solder the buttons to the 64 board. I guess you would need to figure out a way to map d pad to direction or use the buttons to control the potentiometer output.

Original N64 controllers don't use potentiometers and i have NO DIEA how the laser-thing-stick works for the N64.

I will try with a superpad though.

 

[Shears]

Original N64 controllers don't use potentiometers and i have NO DIEA how the laser-thing-stick works for the N64.

I will try with a superpad though.

Isn't that how the analog stick works? Moving it turns a potentiometer that changes the voltage drop determining direction and magnitude.

Admittedly I do not know all the details of the 64 board and have not looked into what the gears in the stick turn exactly.

 

[felipe_9595]

Isn't that how the analog stick works? Moving it turns a potentiometer that changes the voltage drop determining direction and magnitude.

That's how most of the analog sticks works...

Cept for the 64 one, it uses a laser system which breaks up a laser inside, then counts the number of lasers to check where is the stick.

Most 3rd party controllers use potentiometers though.

 

[KoRoBeNiKi]

this is very nice

 

[DiegoSSB]

This is the final result he he he

 

[Morin0]

@SheerMadness

 

[tatatat0]

I know with the keyboard you can enter almost TAS level SDI, is it the same for that?

 

[Zantetsu]

I know with the keyboard you can enter almost TAS level SDI, is it the same for that?

I've got the gamecube adapter they speak of and by assigning your inputs to the dpad, you get some incredible DI. I believe it's identical to how keyboard DI on emulator would be (if the range is properly configured to match console).

 

[nickthename]

I know with the keyboard you can enter almost TAS level SDI, is it the same for that?

Have you seen TAS DI? I've never heard of a keyboard player getting anywhere close to that.

 

[tatatat0]

Have you seen TAS DI? I've never heard of a keyboard player getting anywhere close to that.

I can do near TAS DI on the keyboard.

 

[Capos]

Just tried to find the video comparing U and J DI using TAS and Samus' charge shot, but couldn't.

 

[felipe_9595]

Dropping to say, i am still using this perfectly lol

 

[tatatat0]

Your image links seem to have broken.

 

[Indefa]

felipe_9595
Like tatatat0 said, your image links have all broken Any chance of fixing them? I'm considering doing something similar to this.

 

[Morin0]

I only have the results

 

[KnitePhox]

felipe_9595
Like tatatat0 said, your image links have all broken Any chance of fixing them? I'm considering doing something similar to this.

dont really need links. need raphnet gc --> n64 adapter, a gamecube controller, some wire, some switches/keys, a triwing screwdriver, a soldering iron, solder, flux and finally patience/time

 

[Morin0]

Don't forget the Movistar box