Posted by Brian Lewis on September 25, 1999 at 22:14:45:
Just finished making up a Dreamcast2JAMMA harness -
with all the stuff I've got going on at the moment it'll
be a while before I get to write it up for the site...
So thought I'd post up a quick bit of info on the Dreamcast controller
(as it's been the subject of a few posts recently.)
The standard Sega controller uses a simple common ground setup for
all it's digitial controls (pad, buttons A,B,X,Y), so for the digital
controls it's as simple as wiring in just about any other console controller.
But - it uses Hall Effect sensors for it's 2 analogue buttons and analogue controller.
(Hall Effect sensors work by detecting changes in magnetic fields)
From a JAMMA point of view (all digital controls) it's fairly easy to wire in.
You can force Hall Effect sensors to act like digital switches by connecting the
appropriate pin to ground.
On the Dreamcast pad, the 2 analogue button sensors are marked HED5 and HED6,
to get them working as digital buttons in a cabinet -
just connect that the following pins (marked 'x') so that when the appropriate button
is pressed in the cabinet the pin is connected to ground
HED 5
xo
[]
oo
HED 6
xo
[]
oo
As for 3rd party Dreamcast controllers -
Mad Catz Dreamcast controllers work with standard variable resistors
rather than Hall Effect sensors for their analogue controls
- so they're easier to rewire to use an analogue joystick.
Be warned though - the Mad Catz pad does bot use a common
ground for it's standard digital controls.
So it's a complete pain to wire into a standard JAMMA cabinet.
Brian
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