Wireless N64 controller?

Includes but not limited to: SNES, Genesis, Sega CD, PlayStation 1, Nintendo 64, Dreamcast, Game Gear and I guess the Virtual Boy.

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Positron
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Wireless N64 controller?

Post by Positron » Tue Apr 15, 2008 7:30 pm

Has anyone made a wireless controller? Are there any sites that show how to do this?

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Post by HBN » Tue Apr 15, 2008 10:48 pm

I've looked. Nobodies done it. Sorry.

I'd do it myself, but as near as I can figure, it'd be all-but-impossible. Not to mention big.
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Post by timmeh87 » Tue Apr 15, 2008 11:41 pm

Nothings impossible.

But it will either be really hard (do it all yourself) or pretty expensive (buy a premade solution). And either way it could get bulky fast. (need batteries, hardware)

You can get radio modems from Digi (formerly Maxstream). They have a nice looking $20 model. You would need two, obviously.

From there you may actually be able to directly send the data over the modem, depending on how it works (need to register to look at the datasheet). If not, a quick microcontroller circuit will patch things up, this page may be of use.
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Post by Positron » Wed Apr 16, 2008 2:37 pm

I had an idea today that I could just take the analog signals from each button (14 total, including the four from the D-pad), and the signal from the Joystick (not sure how it works, I am assuming it uses potentiometers) and sending those signals via wireless, then reconverting the analog signals to digital using a PIC then use the PIC to simply turn on or off the each buttons and to send the correct Resistance values to the joystick using the origional controller board which I will house in the unit itself. It's alittle strecth of an idea but i should be able to do it. This seems easier to me than trying to convert the N64 signal directly to wireless then back again.

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Post by timmeh87 » Wed Apr 16, 2008 11:10 pm

Um how much do you know about wireless networking... that dosent sound easier to me. at all. Actually I dont think I even understand what you said. Whats your strategy? Multiplexing all the buttons into one wireless channel using your own made-up protocol and then converting it back to button presses on the other side with a PIC, then feeding that through another actual controller?

Or were you going to use 14 different wireless transmitters? :roll:

If you can find a module that acts as a transparent link between two points (transparent meaning that it sends/receives exactly what you put into it as if it wasnt there), then there is absolutely no need to try to do anything fancier than directly hooking it up. And you definitely are going to have to buy some kind of module - no offense, but if you dont know how a potentiometer on a controller works, you are not going to be making your own homemade transmitter. It is a very very tricky thing to do, even the shape you make it matters.

Also AFAIK the buttons arent analog anyways. And first party controllers do not use potentiometers. Third party ones do though.
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Post by HBN » Wed Apr 16, 2008 11:15 pm

timmeh87 wrote:Also AFAIK the buttons arent analog anyways. And first party controllers do not use potentiometers. Third party ones do though.
Yeah, what the hell are those things? They work like the scroll wheel on a mouse.
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Post by Positron » Thu Apr 17, 2008 6:58 am

It is true that I do not know much about wireless networking. I do, however, have extensive knowledge in electronics. What I meant was that I could simply make a new controller board that has pushbutton switches and the input for the joystick. The signal from these switches then goes to a transmitter of some sort. The receiving signal is converted to 1/0's by a PIC which turn on or turn off each individual switch inside the unit. To me, this sounds much easier than trying to figure out how to transmit the N64 "data" itself. I know how a potentiometer works, it is not complex, frankly I am offended by this insult. Also, I know that the controller uses the LED's instead of the Pot's. I would hope that someone who has knowledge in even basic electronics circuits knows how a potentiometer works. Also, what do you mean by "Shape"?

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Post by timmeh87 » Thu Apr 17, 2008 9:32 am

What I mean is that you arent going to be able to just whip up "a transmitter of some sort". Theres laws regulating what frequencies you can use, and as such, many of them are taken. Others are unused because of natural interference. Then you need to design a circuit that will opearate at the chosen, extremely high frequency. This takes a lot of time and math. Perhaps computer simulation if you are on the ball.

What I mean by 'shape' is that so much crazy interference and parasitic stuff that it matters how you design the PCB. Putting certain parts too close together, or making certain wires too long can cause everything to not work as previously painstakingly calclated.

You have to pick a modulation technique and then design the hardware around it. You will need multiple high-frequency oscillators, phase detectors, clock frequency extractors. I'm in third year computer engineering and they are still drawing black boxes around these components without explaining how they work. If you are using a digital modulation technique theres even more stuff you need.

Furthermore, unless you have some kind of multiplexing scheme, you can only send one useful signal per transmitted frequency. You cant just hook each button up to the same transmitter, how would you differentiate between which button is being pressed? How do you handle multiple simultaneous presses? So lets say you use a PIC to multiplex it all together and assign arbitrary binary codes to combinations of button presses and joystick position. Well then you are back to square 1, as the controller ALREADY DOES THAT.

Seriously man, read the link I sent you on how the controller protocol works, it takes about 5 minutes to read and understand, vs 5 months to design a working wireless transmitter

Im not trying to be mean, just realistic.
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Post by Positron » Thu Apr 17, 2008 9:56 am

Ok, thank you for all the usefull information. I now understand where you are coming from. I will be shure to look at the links you sent me. Thanks again. Also, what does AFAIK mean? It is probably obvious.

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Post by HotDog-Cart » Thu Apr 17, 2008 2:21 pm

AFAIK = As Far As I Know
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Post by timmeh87 » Fri Apr 18, 2008 7:52 pm

Yes. A gamecube to n64 converter. This sounds like a nice easy project to attempt.
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senior project; wireless controller

Post by davyheinz » Tue Sep 16, 2008 6:58 pm

If anyone is still manages to see this, I am planning on creating a wireless controller for an n64 by taking a broken wavebird's wireless technology and implementing into a standard n64 controller that had its wire cut, thus rendering both useless as of right now and making them perfect to experiment with.

I'm going to get a mentor to help with the technical stuff, but im just wondering how plausible it is, especially for someone like me. If i fail, at least I still have documentation of the make-up on an n64, and the tried-and-failed attempt that could yield some results.

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Post by Nurd! » Tue Sep 16, 2008 7:34 pm

Weird,I was just looking for Wireless N64 controllers yesterday.

I heards DOCS made some a long time ago, and that they didn't work very well.

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Post by hailrazer » Tue Sep 16, 2008 7:35 pm

Nurd! wrote:Weird,I was just looking for Wireless N64 controllers yesterday.

I heards DOCS made some a long time ago, and that they didn't work very well.
Yea I have 4 or 5 of them but I've never tried them out.
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Post by Nurd! » Tue Sep 16, 2008 10:02 pm

Do you have pictures?

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