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Dreamcast Twin Stick Controller re-wired to work on Naomi VOOT?

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Yubm12

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Is it possible to wire up a Dreamcast Twin Stick Controller to play VOOT on an actual Naomi cabinet? I saw this video of someone wiring a IO board into a Dreamcast fight stick and got me thinking about the Twin Stick.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZUpZCrzK_o


I'm not really electronically proficient, so hoping someone can help me out on this quest to play VOOT at home.
 
kazuo said:
Is there any reason this wouldn't "just work" with a maple adapter? I would just try it, but my twin sticks are in storage at the moment.

https://www.arcade-projects.com/threads/naomi-maple-adapters-available-from-mitsurugi-w.13/

As I was looking up the relevant link, I saw someone mention that it doesn't work with Monkey Ball... so probably won't work with VOOT, either. :/
Click to expand...
Yea. The maple buss doesn’t work that way unfortunately. I have one and use it for keyboard support for typing of the dead, but it won’t solve my VOOT needs.
 
The inputs for voot are just directions for p1/2 and buttons. I am using saturn sticks on my repro VOOT panel. I might still have the mapping somewhere or can reverse it from my panel. The stick itself has a board that maps the digital controls to the DC/Saturn protocol. So you have to grab the signal directly from the stick and buttons.
 
nnap said:
The inputs for voot are just directions for p1/2 and buttons. I am using saturn sticks on my repro VOOT panel. I might still have the mapping somewhere or can reverse it from my panel. The stick itself has a board that maps the digital controls to the DC/Saturn protocol. So you have to grab the signal directly from the stick and buttons.
Click to expand...
How hard is this project for a first timer? Any help would be super appreciated!

Also, any idea if this would work for steering wheel/pedals? I’d love to play some crazy taxi too! Just want to maximize my pi force.
 
It depends on how reversible you want to do the mod. Ideally you would source the connectors that mate with the ones from the sticks. If you don't have an I/O board yet, you need that one also. The connectors for the I/O Board Inputs are JST RA. They are quite hard to source atm. You should be able to use dupont connectors though.

There is a guy on Yahoo Auctions that sells all sorts of driving setups and they are all based on the DC wheel (picture below). I think there was a thread on this forum where somebody did that mod.
i-img1200x687-1627906755ogxwd026.jpg
 
i have a full Naomi cabinet. I can't figure out how to access the IO board, but from what i can see, i think it's a Sega IO.

Pardon my ignorance, but will I need JST RA or this type of connector if I already have an IO board in the cab:

sega-cp-harness-pinout.jpg
 
Yubm12 said:
Is it possible to wire up a Dreamcast Twin Stick Controller to play VOOT on an actual Naomi cabinet?
Click to expand...
Open up the twin-stick, remove the control PCB, wire the joysticks and buttons for the cabinet just like you would if you were wiring normal arcade joysticks and buttons.
done.

kazuo said:
Is there any reason this wouldn't "just work" with a maple adapter?
Click to expand...
The only games you can play using a controller on the maple adapter are those games that explicitly support it. VOOT is not one of those games.
the only thing supported via the maple adapter on VOOT is the VMU; controllers (and twin sticks) will not work.
 
twistedsymphony said:
Open up the twin-stick, remove the control PCB, wire the joysticks and buttons for the cabinet just like you would if you were wiring normal arcade joysticks and buttons.
done.


The only games you can play using a controller on the maple adapter are those games that explicitly support it. VOOT is not one of those games.
the only thing supported via the maple adapter on VOOT is the VMU; controllers (and twin sticks) will not work.
Click to expand...
Do you have any more info to share how to "wire this up like a normal arcade joystick"?

I've never done anything like this before.
 
Yubm12 said:
Do you have any more info to share how to "wire this up like a normal arcade joystick"?
Click to expand...
No to be dismissive, but that's a bit like me saying "just drive to the store" and then you saying "can you share info on how to drive to the store?"
If you google around you will literally find thousands of results on how this works but here are the cliff notes:

Buttons have "micro-switches" which have 3 electrical prongs on them.
Common (or COM)
Normally Open (or NO)
Normally Closed (or NC)
imagine this is 3 wires and when the microswitch is NOT pressed COM is connected to NC, and disconnected from NO (hence where they get their names). Then when the switch is pressed COM is disconnected from NC and instead connected to NO.

Buttons have 1 micro switch that is pressed when you press the button.
most Joysticks have 4 microswitches, one for each direction: up, down, left and right , this includes VOOT sticks.

Now typically for buttons and Sticks NC is not used and left disconnected. Sometimes the microswitch on joysticks and buttons wont even have an NC prong.

Typically Ground is connected to every COM pin (such that all the COM pins are wired together) and then the NO pin of each button and each joystick direction is wired to a specific pin on the interface device (in this case the control panel connector diagram you found earlier). Some buttons with only 2 pins wont have them labeled because with only 2 pins it doesn't matter which is witch.

Hopefully that answers your question.
 
twistedsymphony said:
No to be dismissive, but that's a bit like me saying "just drive to the store" and then you saying "can you share info on how to drive to the store?"
If you google around you will literally find thousands of results on how this works but here are the cliff notes:

Buttons have "micro-switches" which have 3 electrical prongs on them.
Common (or COM)
Normally Open (or NO)
Normally Closed (or NC)
imagine this is 3 wires and when the microswitch is NOT pressed COM is connected to NC, and disconnected from NO (hence where they get their names). Then when the switch is pressed COM is disconnected from NC and instead connected to NO.

Buttons have 1 micro switch that is pressed when you press the button.
most Joysticks have 4 microswitches, one for each direction: up, down, left and right , this includes VOOT sticks.

Now typically for buttons and Sticks NC is not used and left disconnected. Sometimes the microswitch on joysticks and buttons wont even have an NC prong.

Typically Ground is connected to every COM pin (such that all the COM pins are wired together) and then the NO pin of each button and each joystick direction is wired to a specific pin on the interface device (in this case the control panel connector diagram you found earlier). Some buttons with only 2 pins wont have them labeled because with only 2 pins it doesn't matter which is witch.

Hopefully that answers your question.
Click to expand...
thanks for taking the time to write this up. I really am thankful for any and all help. I hope I didn't come off as snotty use quotes. My intention was just to learn more.
 
yes, you can use the same plugs that your panel connects to. Those are AMP UP connectors. Can you take a picture of your stick with the bottom plate removed?
 
nnap said:
yes, you can use the same plugs that your panel connects to. Those are AMP UP connectors. Can you take a picture of your stick with the bottom plate removed?
Click to expand...
The stick is in it’s way to me. I’ll take pictures when i get it.

I’m considering using this JVS Bridge instead of the AMP connectors so I’m just swapping the USB plug on the front of the Naomi instead of undoing these connectors every time.

https://tucsonlogic.com/

Am I understanding this correctly. I think this will work.
 
yes, that could work. There are some pictures of the sticks here:
https://www.arcade-projects.com/threads/virtual-on-oratorio-tangram-repo-panels.8174/

the left stick is Player 1 Up/Down/Left/Right/Button1/Button2
the right stick is Player 2 Up/Down/Left/Right/Button1/Button2
Button 1 is Shoot, Button 2 is Turbo. The game also supports Button3 on the Player 1 input side for Quick Messages.
Start Button goes to Player 1 Start
 
Yubm12 said:
I’m considering using this JVS Bridge instead of the AMP connectors so I’m just swapping the USB plug on the front of the Naomi instead of undoing these connectors every time.
Click to expand...
that JVS Bridge may not work.
VOOT supports an illuminated Start Button as well as the Vs Billboard system, as such it will only boot with an IO board that includes output ports for lamp control (even if there are no lamps connected, it's just how the game was programmed)

I really don't see how unplugging 2 amp connectors is somehow that much more difficult than 1 USB port, not to mention official VOOT control panels just plug into the Amp connectors. Not to mention adding another PCB under the control panel and running another USB cable from the NAOMI up to the control panel area is just adding more unnecessary stuff.
 
twistedsymphony said:
that JVS Bridge may not work.
VOOT supports an illuminated Start Button as well as the Vs Billboard system, as such it will only boot with an IO board that includes output ports for lamp control (even if there are no lamps connected, it's just how the game was programmed)

I really don't see how unplugging 2 amp connectors is somehow that much more difficult than 1 USB port, not to mention official VOOT control panels just plug into the Amp connectors. Not to mention adding another PCB under the control panel and running another USB cable from the NAOMI up to the control panel area is just adding more unnecessary stuff.
Click to expand...
My intention was to just use the Dreamcast sticks as-is just wired to work on the Naomi - so essentially putting the dreamcast sticks on top of my 2p 6button CP when I want to play VOOT. The idea is to get the flexibility to play more games on the original hardware, but without the hassle of swapping out CPs. I don't have space to really store multiple CPs/have a dedicated cab.

My concern with the AMP connectors is how to get the wiring harness out from under the CP without crimping the wires since I won't be swapping actual CPs.

I was thinking of just gutting the Dreamcast Twin Sticks, wiring the sticks/buttons to the JVS Bridge, then running USB to the open service door. Good to know that VOOT requires the lamp control. I'll have to rethink my plan.
 
I see, I thought you were building a VOOT panel.

Do you already have the twin sticks?
 
twistedsymphony said:
I see, I thought you were building a VOOT panel.

Do you already have the twin sticks?
Click to expand...
yea - i see now that my initial request wasn't as clear as I thought it was.

I ordered a set of sticks - they are en route.

Thanks again for the info regarding the power draw from the IO. Unfortunately, the JVS Bridge maker has let me know this won't work for VOOT then.
 
So instead of using AMP connectors, I'm trying this open source project called OpenJVS

So far I've got a racing wheel with shifter and pedals working with Crazy Taxi and Jambo Safari. It's AWEWSOME!

I'm still waiting on my raphnet adapter to try Virtua ON, but I have high hopes it will work!
 
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