Nice to see the old DB9 joysticks being kept alive. Back in the 90s I designed an interface for using Atari Style DB9 joysticks on the PC, that was before USB existed and the PC compatible joysticks were pretty much all analog sticks using the DB15 connector often found on sound cards. Those were good for flight sims etc, but useless for action games, so being able to use some of the older DB9 Atari style joysticks on the PC was really great.

I built the same thing to connector about a year ago now to connect my NeoGeo AES stick to the MiSTer FPGA. I laughed as I did the same with the grounds. Great vid as always

For mounting the board, a trick i have used in other places is to screw some plastic 5mm hex standoffs to the board, put a dab of superglue on the bottom of the standoffs, then put it in the case where you want it and hold it down for 20 seconds. You then get perfectly placed screw holes for your board.

Wow, that 'busy music' is amazing! Thanks, great video, Jan!

OMG Jan! Haven't even watched a second of the video yet and I'm SO happy both for the length and for the content! This new year, new rules, new algorithm triple threat has killed my feed! THANK YOU!

I could watch your videos for hours! Always dissapointed when the video ends.. Thanks

That's got to be the best filing/cutting/hole making job I've ever seen you do Jan. You've taken it to a new level. Fantastic job!

Amazing, this is exactly what I've been looking for. Going to attempt to make one this week!

Perfect video topic... just what I needed.... please more of this greatness

I've done this, but never thought to make a video about it. Good job!

Nice and proper solution. Old joysticks feels best.

I built the same thing ages ago for my Spectrum emulator. Those boards are realy good.

Just needs a blinking LED on the top and it'll look like "The Internet" from The IT Crowd :)

Nice work! When I got my C64 Mini, I hated the feel of the crappy joystick it came with. So, I modified it with a DB9 port wired directly to the circuit board in the joystick contact lines. Now I can use original C64/Atari joysticks with it, and probably with Vice on the PC if it’s a standard USB joystick interface, and also it doubles as an extension cord so I can sit farther back from the TV. (Of course, my preference is always original C64 hardware!)

Hi Jan, you could have just removed the crimp pins in the connectors and swapped them over rather than un-soldering and turning the sockets around. There is a little tab on the back that just needs pushing with some tweezers or small screwdriver to release the pins. Great video as usual.

Nice and straight forward. I wasn't aware that this is available as some sort of a kit already.

Great job! And good idea for my project. Thx!

This is a great idea😁 Thanks for the great video🤘

I'm here for the famous "Jan was here" moment :))) cheers.! Nice work.

Bravo Jan Beta. Sehr gut!!!! Ich sehe deine videos und immer sage zu mier na er ist super!!!.

very nice Jan!

Awesome job, as always, my nerd brother! Danke für ein tolles Video :)

Nice to know that I am not the only one who reads the directions, only after it doesn't work the way I Know it should be put together!

Great video, realy enjoyed it :D

I used your link to get those strippers! I kept seeing them in your videos and meant to get some like that. Great video.

Jan sei eccezzionale,eccezzionale!,non ho parole,sei un genio.ciao.

I would guess you only needed one of the ground cables (connected together on the pcb already)

I was doing the same adapter as you on my own (connecting a DB9 to a Zero Delay USB Game Control Board but then realized the "common ground" of the fire buttons and direction is not ground at all. It is really +5V and it is hardwired to the +5V of the USB connector. That's why in the directional connector it says VDD and not GND. This means you soldered the common +5V to the GND pin 8 of the Atari connector. and the same +5V to the VCC pin 7 too. This has no consequences in a simple joystick without autofire because it is just switches inside and the pin 7 is not connected. So for the joystick it is the same if the switches are shorting to a +5V signal or to GND and the joystick will work. It also doesn't affect to joysticks with a false autofire where the autofire switch all that does is keep closed the fire signal as if the player has the finger on the fire button all the time. But the real autofire joysticks such as the famous Quickshot II use an active circuit with a 555 timer to simulate rapid presses of the fire button only when the player actually keeps pressed the fire button and this ones use the pin 7 and expect to have +5V there and 0V at pin 8. Since you have +5V in both pins (they are in fact in short circuit), I am surprised the 555 chip or the board didn't blow up. Also, when you reversed the 3 fire connectors with the wires already soldered to the DB9 connector, I think you just linked all three buttons together so no matter what fire button you press, you are going to press all three of them. It works fine in the C64 emulator because it only uses one fire button (and also, most old school joysticks had all the fire buttons internally connected anyway).

I like your laptop stickers.

I think it was one more misstake of Commodore to not put at least a cheap two-button Joystick in the Amiga's package, because that lead to nearly all people buying single-button Joysticks like the CompetitionPro and prevented the game developers from making more games with multiple button support, which would have been a crucial improvement for games like Streetfighter II - although the Amiga was capable of that. Regarding the adapter: It isn't so obvious that the USB controller used in such an adapter is really fast enough or humans not to detect the lag. You remember that horrible USB-Competition-Pro, that terrified retro gamers about ten years, ago? ;)

Jan, thank you for the link, very kind sir. I have quite a few 2600 controllers I have been converting myself, the main problem I am finding is the internal structures have broken and do not press the switch domes anymore. I tried a few 3D printed replacements but they were pretty lame. I will be trying to make a few in reinforced resins and see how that goes!

A nice project, indeed, and quite economical. I never even considered this for my Mini. And sadly, I still don't own a TAC-2, for shame. 🤦‍♂️

Hi Jan, interesting to see, I've also been toying with the best way of using some DB9 joysticks with my TheC64 and Raspberry Pi. Does that board take as long to be recognised when connected to the Pi?

to be honest i think it is better to have the print so big it makes it easier for every to see keep up the great content

Hey Jan. NIce to meet you. what about using the paddles aswell? I didn't understand the part you explain it. I'd like to use atari joysticks with on button and the paddles. (the classics) Can you instruct me? thanks and congratulations for the video

Great, thx!

Hi Jan, thanks for this 👍. I’ve watched it a few times over but not being experienced with electronics I find it a little hard to follow/see exactly what wire is going where (including the couple of amendments you made towards the end). Is there any chance you could draw a simple diagram of which parts of the board lead to which wire so that I could attempt this project? At least that way if my black/red wires are supplied backwards it won’t matter 😃 (I’m building it for my full size Thec64)

Super - vielen danke!

hey Jan. why did you not do the double joystick version and check if that works on theC64 mini/maxi after the last update, because i want to put that in the maxi on the correct spot. and connect it to one of the remaining internal onboard usb ports. and replace the side usb ports to the back and then with the right side up because all ports are upside down in the mini and maxi. hmmm ps. why did you not just slide the pins out the connector with the use of a small needle. to switch the arround. lol

Hi Jan, Love your videos! FYI, there is a common confusion around the plug sizes for VGA and the joystick connector. DE is the little one, DB is the larger size used for parallel. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D-subminiature#/media/File:DSubminiatures.svg

Nice job, Very creative . I wonder, How did you decide that the black wires are the ground ? I have similar wires and the colors are blue and white How can I discover which of the colors is the ground ?

Just make sure you never connect it to MSX or a Sega Master System if you don't want to short VCC to GND :)

It's a little easier if you buy a 9-pin joystick extension cable and then cut it in half rather than soldering and mounting a D9 sub connector. Also makes the joystick cable effectively longer.

Hi Jan. Don't you have TheC64 Maxi?. I would be very nice to implement this board you are using inside of it and having a DB9 connector on it.

Always good to have options these days especially since some of the old connectors are goin' away or are long unused. Love to see you do these DIY type of thin's but then that's what it's all about in a way. As I was watchin' past the test with the emulator where you had lag, there is the usual emulation lag but could it be laggin' because of the extra step of converting all the signals through the adapter then to the computer or is the lag still negligible even with that? Love the stickers on the laptop by the way.

I've done exactly as you show using the same encoder, same wiring (but no button 2, just button 1) with all the ground connections for all buttons and directions (I had to use the 4 sockets: AU, AD, AL, AR for joystick) connected together in one bunch and soldered the grounds as one connection to pin 8 (ground). I get buttons registering but the joystick movements also just show buttons being pressed - no joystick movement being shown in Windows. What have I done wrong please, Jan? It must be something simple. I have done this twice now and I still can't figure it out. I'm no technician or electrician, so apologies if you think it is a silly question, but your help with this would be very much appreciated. It has to do with the common ground, I think.

A nice mod to consider is putting a usb hub in the box with a usb memory stick for extra games

I have done my own Atari Joystick to USB converter using Arduino Micro PRO (ATmega 32U4). It can work with digital (Atari) joysticks, as well as with Analog PC (Gameport) joysticks.

Moin. Do you know if SEGA used the same pin layout on the 9pin connectors of the MasterSystem and MegaDrive? Because I still have an original 3 button controller at home as well as the MegaDrive Mini. In case of the Commodore 64 I have equipped myself an original C64 with a Keyrah v2h in favor of its semi-dead mainboard which should do about as well as your adapter on the THE C64, I suppose.

I built the same thing a couple of years ago but with my build I put monetary switches on the Case cover for all of the buttons. At one point I added two more ports for NES, SNES and PC. I wonder where that box went.

Thanks for this video. It's on my todo list to do the reverse of this, because I'm not a fan of the old joysticks and mice... would love to use modern controllers and mice on retro computers. Especially ball mice (like the atari ST mouse) and old school atari joysticks were the worst. :)

On the old joysticks, would it work to add a new button and wire it to the joystick 'up', so you could hit the button to jump? (And still be able to use joystick up if you wanted to.)

@Jan Beta How do you choose your music and avoid KZfaq copyright strikes? It has always plagued me in the past.

Gonna try something similar with my arcade supergun ;)

I could use something like this to refurbish a DDR metal dance mat I modded back in the early 2000s to run off the guts of a USB gamepad. That solution was a bit flaky and messy. Maybe I could just revisit it too and strengthen all of the connections and cut off any unnecessary PCB.

The CPC joystick (your Competition PRO has this mode), has second FIRE button on the same line as Atari Joysticks have 5V, but that is not a big problem. 5V is used only to power Auto-Fire circuitry and it doesn't need much power, so you can power this pin via the 4k7 pull-up resistor, and in the same time use it as input. Regular pins have 10k pull-ups, but 4k7 should be no problem, and it should be enough to power auto-fire on most joysticks. You can go even lower, as low as 1k, should still be ok.

Great video. Thank you. I have a zero delay board lying around. I'll give this a go. Does joystick autofire work?

You focus on lag and emulation during testing. But the only question should be if your setup is as fast as the usb stick that comes with the c64 mini (or any other compatible usb stick for that manner). Is it? Great video btw :)

Just what I needed to know; because if this works with the C64 Mini, it should work with my 'Maxi' and I can use all the empty space in the left hand end, put it all internally with a discrete row of small push buttons for the menus. Thank you. :)

Cool, you have the same drill I have! 😛 😁

Does anyone know an option to do it the other way round? Connecting an USB-Controller to an Atari-style input socket?

Hi! Ist es vielleicht auch möglich, einen Adapter von USB auf 9 Pin zu basteln? Die Preise für originale Competition Pro sind ja retromäßig abgehoben... Wenn man jetzt einen günstigeren mit USB Stecker nutzen könnte, wäre schon praktisch. Hi! Is it possible to maybe build an adapter from USB to 9 Pin? Prices for genuine competition pro have been skyrocketing with the retro trend... If you would be able to use a cheap one with USB plug, that would come in handy.

OH common JAN WHY ? 27:20 you just push pins and take cable out of connector and switch places between them , you don't de-solder whole receiving connector x3

about Atari, do you know a trick to ad an non Atari hard disk? steel using my 1040 STE special for music with Cubase 1.2 as MIDI sequencer...

Interesting - thanks for the video! Did you know that you can achieve similar results using an arduino such as the pro micro (£5 UKP), and the joystick code that comes with the IDE (no programming skill required). This might be useful if you need something that will fit inside the joystick itself.

Sinclair did their own "Version" that wasn't compatible with the standard... Cos they thought they could sell terrible proprietary joysticks, which were weak and broke like twigs

Kennst du / jemand eine Quelle, wo man solche Adapter (passend für TheC64 Maxi/Mini) fix und fertig kaufen kann? Basteln ist nicht meins, und Löten oder Elektro noch viel weniger. Bin auf der Suche, da der TheC64 Joystick nichts taugt (uns ist ein Stick gebrochen, da die Schraube die Kräfte nicht ausgehalten hatte, die beim verkrampften Pit Stop 2 spielen auftraten). Speedlink hat zwar einen Competition Pro, der ist aber nicht für Linkshänder geeignet und kann am C64 Maxi auch nicht konfiguriert werden (Feuertasten 1 und 2 sind anders als beim Original Competion Pro nicht identisch - der verbesserte Joystick vom C64 Maxi ist zwar für Linkshänder geeignet, ansonsten aber wie erlebt nichts wert, da die Schraube die Schwachstelle darstellt). Bin für jeden Tipp dankbar!

Klasse Idee., ich möchte mir so etwas auch "tinkern" und habe daher gleich mehrere Sets bestellt (falls ein Retro-begeisterter Kollege auch Spaß daran bekommen sollte, doppelt hält im Zweifel eh besser ;) ). Das Flachbandkabel ist da aber leider in keinem Angebot abgebildet, nur das USB-Kabel natürlich und die vielen 2-.Pol Stecker. Mal sehen, ob das trotzdem dabei ist, sonst wird eben selbst gebastelt ;)

I have looked many times to try and find what the chip is used with these zero delay and also the super cheap usb snes controllers you can buy for a few pounds/euro. It would be great to have access to them so they could be used in many projects, but htey are all just encased in the black blob.

Just tested the 'Retronic Design Universal D-SUB9 Joystick adapter to USB' on the C64mini and it didn't work. Update: I have updated the firmware of the C64mini to v1.6.1, Tac-2 now works! :D

that custom ic blob on the bottom of the pcb (specifically where they had that made for something that won't sell millions of units) is somewhat more interesting than a converter to 'usb'. lol.

Is 5.15V normal for USB, or even within spec? Every USB port I have measured have had within about 1% of 5V, how shitty is the regulator in that macbook?

Funny, I was thinking about doing the opposite. Those old VCS controllers are just so frustrating. I'd rather build a controller using arcade parts and connect a DB9 to it. ;-)

I always felt it was shame that we could have had a analog 5 button joystick with just the Atari connector.

I prefer the Epyx and the Tac-2 joysticks.

you could put a 3 select switch to switch from c 64 to other systems

Atari joysticks are pull-low when activated. The PIA chip datelines are set high initially. The Zero-delay USB encoder is the opposite, or pull-high activated (Not common Gnd but common Vcc). A switch does not care but Vcc to Gnd shorts do. Be careful about pin 5 and 9 as joysticks/pads have various usage and work differently. I found this out when adding a power connector to run led buttons; hen, it's not common ground. At 25:00 mins it is NOT common ground. It was staring in everyone's face, the wire colour coding , and board markings, all indicate common power +5v. We have all been brainwashed into thinking everything is common ground, like automotive wiring. Oops, NO, NO, NO! Wonderful Chinese engineering. I used an Atmel micro-controller, atmega32u4 5v. They work in the same way as an ATARI console, pull-low activated.

Rule #1 of connecting unknown circuits: Red is black and plus is minus. Nice project.

Nice video Jan, as I'm sure you know there are always more than one way to get an outcome you might be interested in what Jarno Lehtinen (mcgurk) did for a similar outcome using a 32U4 based board (e.g. a pro micro) and a couple of DB9 adapters directly mounted on it with a small number of wires - the megadrive page has some good physical examples of how small a footprint you can make it without even needing a PCB or protoboard - github.com/mcgurk/Arduino-USB-HID-RetroJoystickAdapter/tree/master/megadrive however he does describe many other classic control variants in that project repo

What is the switch for?

I wonder if anyone has done a neat little open USB to DB9 adapter yet. Should be quite simple. I might have a go at that if noone did yet!

You connected many wires to the ground pin of the db9 connector. Why? All ‘switches’ share a common ground on the pcb so just one wire would be enough. Could have saved you a lot of work! So only the white wires were needed one for each switch just one wire (red/black that was kind of confusing) does the pcb expect a high or a low signal? One more thing, this encoder has terrible delay, try the slightly more expensive xin-mo controller next time it is so much better. If you want, I can send you one as a donation to the channel.

Floppies next to speaker, be careful :-)

Will this work with modern games?

beware that some of the USB joystick adapters out there are comming with the (red and black) cables mounted wrong in the plug, ground (black) and plus (red) are switched around... that costed me a little time to figure out in my last project, because i also made a common ground and the damn thing wouldnt work....

1977 ftw

👍

Could make up a bunch of adapters and sell them for 20-30 Euros each! Make much $$ on this idea!

Jan, I hope you don't mind me saying, but please stop using the term "ground" when talking about negative connection. In this video you refer to the negative connection as ground and in other videos you refer to earth / ground as ground. There is a very distinct difference and for the novice it could be very confusing and also dangerous. I still love watching all you videos and always look forward to your next upload.

"Stop telling women to smile" Right on Jan 👍

You should of just used a "D15-USB Adaptor" that are out there, or at least a D15 Male to Zero Delay Encoder It works for you, that's all that count's

I'd considered going this route, but I went a different way for my MiSTER project, using a cheap ATMega32U4, a male 9 pin jack, and a SPDT switch from the directions here (works with Atari-based joysticks, and MegaDrive controllers too): github.com/MickGyver/Mega-Drive-Controller-To-USB-Adapter This is most likely how I'll mod my 1UpArcade Galaga machine to use a Pi for other games though.

I have such conventer in usb enclosing 10 times smaller than that why so big pcb? ;)husak.pl/images/usbjoy.jpg

Dr A from The Back Office Show has made a universal joystick adapter. I'm not sure if you'd like to link it or not but it's a full on solution to what you're asking.

I would use an ATMEGA32u4 .

Great minds think alike -- I finished a *wireless* solution to the same problem yesterday. ;) See github.com/hugovangalen/RetroUSBJoystick As the Arduino can expose more than 1 joystick to the USB host, I've planned on adding support for 2 joysticks at a time.

“quop quop quop quop quop quop* _every quop is a joystick appearing at the beginning of the video_

Please consider using words other than dieeeeess and dieeee.

Those usb controllers suck I’ve been through like 3

Fight the Cistem, huh? Didn't take you for a trans activist.