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Custom PCB for Wireless Sega Genesis Controller for Wii

All > Tech > Hacks/Mods > Custom PCB for Wireless Sega Genesis Controller for Wii by emptyset

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This is a refinement of the first controller I made. Instead of cramming everything into an existing controller, I created a custom circuit board to replace the original. This has several benefits, namely, that the controllers Sega produced had several revisions of circuit boards on the inside, but the same model number on the outside. The first version could only fit if you used a controller with a surface mount board. This revision is compatible with all models. I made this controller a few months ago, so this guide is made entirely after the fact, thus picture choice is limited.
Here is a zip containing the code and images to make the board: http://www.fileden.com/files/2007/4/3/951084/Genesis%20Controller.zip

If you intend to have the board produce professionally (I recommend www.batchpcb.com) download these gerber files which can be submitted directly to BatchPCB: http://www.fileden.com/files/2007/4/3/951084/Genesis%20Gerber.zip

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This is the schematic of the new design. The Sega Genesis can only read half the inputs of the controller at time, so there is a muxer in the original controller to switch between both sets of buttons. This design eliminates the need for a muxer because there are 8 buttons on the controller and 8 inputs on port b of the PIC16F84. All buttons are held high by pull up resistors, and brought low when pressed.

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This is version 2.4b of the circuit board I made. It is also the version I am currently using. It has several shortcomings though. The location of the resistors interfered with the buttons. As a quick fix I put them on the underside of the board. This works well enough but is not a very elegant solution.

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This is version 2.5a of the design. It is the professionally produced version pictured at the top. I would recommend you produce this board, because it should eliminate any need to move components around.

Pick whatever method you want to use to fabricate the board. I prefer ammonium sulfate, because you can see the progress of the etch better. If you are unsure feel free to check here: http://www.mgchemicals.com/downloads/appguide/appguide1206.pdf

I won't be detailing the methods of fabrication as there are plenty of guides out there describing the process, and I don't have my equipment. Both versions are two-sided boards. The holes marked outside the border are for alignment.

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After etching, you should cut out the board as close to the outline as you can. DO NOT DRILL THE HOLES ACCORDING TO THE LOCATIONS ON THE FABRICATED BOARD! Instead, you should completely desolder the original board and use it as a guide for location and diameter of the holes. The ones on the new design are just a guideline.

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After fabrication, feel free to use a tinning solution to prevent oxidation. Regardless of whether or not you decide to tin the whole board, you must tin the contact pads for the buttons. To do this, mask off the edges of the pads and coat the pad with flux. Apply a thin layer of solder to the whole surface of the pad. This will ensure that you will have good contacts with the button pads.

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Go ahead and populate the board. I recommend using a socket for the PIC. R2 to R9 are 1k and should be mounted vertically if you are using the newer version of the board. R1 can be replaced with a jumper if your LED has a built in resistor. Polarity is as follows (looking at the top) SW1[+ +] BATTERY[+ -] 3.5MM[+ -] LED[- +]. Crystal is 4mHz. TRANSMITTER[ANT VCC DATA GND] I would solder the antenna directly to the transmitter and ignore the pad on the board. Antenna length should be 17cm for 430mHz or 23cm for 315mHz. Don't bother with a fancy spring like I did on the first iteration.

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I had to modify the 3.5mm jack to fit in the controller. It is super glued onto some spare chunks of pcb to raise it up to the right height. Do the same for the switch. Note the orientation of the battery.

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After everything is soldered in place turn the controller on and check each contact to make sure everything is in working order.

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If everything works correctly, put the controller back together and enjoy some classic VC games!

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Comments:

Posted by gqcustoms 1 year ago ( 20-Jan-2008 12:58:14 )

I know from reading this write up that your busy at school and far from home, but I was wondering if you would be able to design a custom CB for the SNES and NES. I don't mind paying you for your time if money is an issue. Also, where did you get that plug you used for the transmitter?

Posted by emptyset 1 year ago ( 20-Jan-2008 22:17:55 )

I got the plug from http://www.allelectronics.com. It is just a 3-pin connector with .1" spacing. I'm going to see if I can get access to some of the fabrication facilities on campus, If I can I might do an SNES one for fun, but no guarantees on time. It takes a long time and a lot of troubleshooting to get all the holes, and pads lined up. If I get one made I'll publish it here. I don't really have any interest in doing an NES controller though. Mark Feldman has published a method for a wireless NES here: http://www.ppl-pilot.com/nes_asm.htm If you are really interested in a custom circuit board, There are lots of good tutorials at http://www.instructables.com I pretty much learned everything I needed to know from there. Look for Eagle tutorials.

This comment was edited at 2008-01-20 22:19:28

Posted by gqcustoms 1 year ago ( 20-Jan-2008 23:38:32 )

I look forward to seeing a SNES PCB. It's funny though, my main interest is in a NES PCB. I am very familiar with Mark's site. I'm actually in the process of mass producing these controllers so when I saw this write up of yours, It really made me want custom PCB's. I'm familiar with making PCB's but have very limited design and building time. That's why I asked if you were interested in designing them and I would produce them. Hopefully I will be able to learn enough at Instructables to be able to design a NES one. Thanks for the info.

Posted by nosuchthingastwo 1 year ago ( 21-Jan-2008 18:35:57 )

Thanks emptyset! This looks like a very elegant solution and I'm looking forward to putting it together.

Posted by nosuchthingastwo 1 year ago ( 22-Jan-2008 13:17:56 )

I was looking at getting the PCB fabricated at batchpcb.com since I haven't etched a PCB before, but they require the file in gerber format (which is apparently exportable from Eagle). Is there any chance you could post an Eagle or gerber format file that I could use?

Posted by emptyset 1 year ago ( 22-Jan-2008 15:20:05 )

I'll try to get some files posted by Wednesday.

Posted by emptyset 1 year ago ( 23-Jan-2008 15:58:42 )

The gerber files have been posted. The page for the receiver/charger will be up in a few hours.

Posted by nosuchthingastwo 1 year ago ( 24-Jan-2008 13:37:44 )

Thanks for posting the gerber files! When I submit them to batchpcb, it asks for the name of the software used to create the drill file as well as some measurements. I took what I assumed to be the default - eagle pcb and 2.3 trailing zero suppression. Do those sound right?

Posted by emptyset 1 year ago ( 24-Jan-2008 14:23:45 )

Yes that is right, you only need to select eaglepcb, don't worry about the other stuff. Also before you submit, I need to find out if they will route to the printed border. Otherwise you might get a rectangle board back.

Posted by nosuchthingastwo 1 year ago ( 22-Feb-2008 13:50:26 )

Were you able to find out if they route the board correctly? I was also somewhat concerned that the board might come back with drill holes in it, which you said were just guidelines. Thanks again for your work!

Posted by emptyset 1 year ago ( 22-Feb-2008 18:21:29 )

Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner. I can assure you that the boards won't come back with mounting holes, and I'm confident that they will be routed properly. I included a note in the comments to route all boards to the printed border. I decided to have some produced myself, and they should be in my mailbox within a week. As soon as I get them, I'm going to post pictures and a more detailed construction guide. Keep an eye on this site next week, as I'll be updating it quite a bit.

Posted by emptyset 1 year ago ( 29-Feb-2008 02:21:57 )

I got the boards in the mail today. They actually sent me twice as many as I ordered. I'll get pictures up Friday evening. If you still haven't ordered yours go ahead and do it. They came out great.

Posted by nosuchthingastwo 1 year ago ( 02-Mar-2008 21:24:00 )

Awesome! I'll submit my order now.

Posted by nosuchthingastwo 1 year ago ( 30-Mar-2008 14:16:34 )

I finally got my boards in the mail last Friday - I ordered 1 and received 4!!

Any extra construction tips before I get to soldering? Can't wait to see this puppy work!

Posted by emptyset 1 year ago ( 30-Mar-2008 22:32:28 )

The only advice I have is to make sure all your components are in good working order. It's damn near impossible to desolder from these boards without lifting traces. Its a good thing you have plenty to work with. Be sure to take some pictures of the finished product!

Posted by nosuchthingastwo 1 year ago ( 04-Apr-2008 14:54:03 )

A couple of notes as I'm constructing:

1. The latest version of the PCB (2.5a) still has a problem with the resistors interfering with the A button area of the controller. I mounted the 2 offending resistors on the other side of the board to make it fit.
2. A trace that runs along the bottom of the PIC from the TX circuitry to the uP is very close to my bottom-center drill hole, but as long as you're careful drilling it shouldn't be a problem.
3. I have to place the battery above the board as opposed to your placement below it. I removed 2 padded strips that came on the battery (presumably to keep it from rattling in an ipod) and even with that extra space it was completely flush with the bottom of the PCB. However there is ample room on the top side of the controller, even given that I'm using a socket for the PIC.

So far so good, I'll post some pics when done!

This comment was edited at 2008-04-04 14:55:01

Posted by jumper 44 weeks ago ( 30-Dec-2008 02:39:53 )

If possible, could you please re-post the "Genesis Controller.zip" and "Genesis Gerber.zip" files please? I got to the party VERY late, and the links to the files are dead. Thank you!