PSP-Style Joystick Mod

[Frozener]

After researching portables for a long time now, I've become really interested in learning the limiting factors and difficulties of making a small N64p. Clearly, after RCP wiring or board trimming the length and width are two dimensions that cannot be easily altered. And after expansion pack relocation, the depth of the portable is only really limited by the size of the joystick. Now the Gamecube joystick is fairly large and the N64 ones are even bigger, so I began to wonder how a smaller joystick could be incorporated. I read about a few cases where a PSP joystick was tested, but ultimately these attempts were abandoned because of pot resistance issues. So I began searching around for an alternative, and what I found was this:



The Genius Maxfire Pandora Pro USB gamepad (Review). I noticed that it had a very small profile and a PSP-style joystick, so I took a chance and bought it. It was very easy to open, just inserted a flat-head screwdriver in the hole on either side and popped the case apart. Then I desoldered the joystick from the board and determined that this was most likely the pinout:



The 3rd-party controller I used to test this mod was the Boomerang 64 by Nuby. This controller is very rare, but valuable for portablizing because it has 3 separate board (one for the D-pad, Mainboard, and other buttons). In any case, it had 4 input wires for its joystick. So I wired up the joystick like so:



And it works!!! It actually works quite well. The joystick quality is much better than that of the PSP, and it is slightly more sensitive than the original N64 sticks (which is a good thing IMO). I haven't been able to test with another controller, but I would suspect that it would with a controller like the one used in this guide.

Obviously this is a great space-saving mod for experienced portablizers who wish to slim down their designs. Look at the size comparison!!!


Sorry for the blurry pic.

It's literally 1/3 the size of a Gamecube joystick or smaller! I think that, with an expansion pack relocation, you could make an extremely thin portable using this baby. Since my skills have not quite reached that level, I'd be interested to see someone incorporate this in their design in the future. Anyways, that's all for now. Hope you enjoyed this mod.

[andrewdorsey]

Cool!!! How much was it and where did you get it?

[JariV]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Genius-3161006010 ... 563700011c" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[zenloc]

Siiiiiiick!!!. You are 100% certain that the joystick is fully functional. Moving it a small bit is walking slower and all the is is really fast.

I might use a couple of these for my new miniture 64. Still a psp joystick would be cheaper. Pity the resistance is a problem.

Nice find!!

[JariV]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Genius-3161006010 ... 563700011c

Oh, cheaper here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000OE07AA/ref ... B000OE07AA" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[collinE]

Great job, man. I'm glad you took that leap of faith.

[Frozener]

Thanks everybody!!!

Siiiiiiick!!!. You are 100% certain that the joystick is fully functional. Moving it a small bit is walking slower and all the is is really fast.

I might use a couple of these for my new miniture 64. Still a psp joystick would be cheaper. Pity the resistance is a problem.

Nice find!!

Ran some tests this morning and the joystick is definitely fully functional. I always test my joystick replacements on the character selection screen of Super Smash Bros., and this joystick performed just as well as a Gamecube or PS2 stick. Moving the cursor around is very fluid and natural feeling. In Ocarina of Time you can make Link creep slowly, walk, and sprint. The range of motion feels really good and the dead-zone is relatively small. I hope you all have as much success with this mod as I've had! It's truly awesome.

[weaver]

This would have been perfect for my project that's almost complete. It would have saved me some cash since I ended up using 2 360's controllers because 1 broke.

[zenloc]

Thanks everybody!!!

Siiiiiiick!!!. You are 100% certain that the joystick is fully functional. Moving it a small bit is walking slower and all the is is really fast.

I might use a couple of these for my new miniture 64. Still a psp joystick would be cheaper. Pity the resistance is a problem.

Nice find!!

Ran some tests this morning and the joystick is definitely fully functional. I always test my joystick replacements on the character selection screen of Super Smash Bros., and this joystick performed just as well as a Gamecube or PS2 stick. Moving the cursor around is very fluid and natural feeling. In Ocarina of Time you can make Link creep slowly, walk, and sprint. The range of motion feels really good and the dead-zone is relatively small. I hope you all have as much success with this mod as I've had! It's truly awesome.

Perfect! Thanks for the indepth testing. I just bought a couple. I'll post me testing results but I think it will be the same. Just hope my superpad will work with it

[Frozener]

Which superpad do you have Zenloc?? I have both the two-pronged and more common three-pronged versions, and I could test it later today.

[palmertech]

Is it a sliding pad, or a tilting one?

[zenloc]

I also have both of them. Could you test them both?? If it's not asking too much

Also I would also like to know if it slide like the psp or that it tilts.

[Frozener]

It's a sliding joystick. I know some people hate that, but I don't really mind. It would be much better for a C-button or D-pad conversion than a tilting joystick because it's easier to push it perfectly sideways or up/down. If you read some reviews they're generally quite positive in regards to the joystick.

[Frozener]

CONFIRMED! This joystick works with the two-pronged superpad.

Here's the pinout:



You're in business Zenloc.

*edit*

Further testing has shown this joystick to be compatible with the three-pronged superpad as well. The only difference is that the VCC line is no longer joined, and is split between VC1 (X-axis) and VD1 (Y-axis).

I only have the Yobo controller to test before we can definitively say that this joystick has ULTIMATE COMPATIBILITY with most, if not all, 3rd-party controllers. Cheers

[thewise1]

If only I could find a place to buy one. (there's only one om ebay but it's $23) (and buying it with the cap)