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Xbox 360 Controller Stuffed in Pac-Man Plug and Play

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Some early/classic arcade games, such as Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, and more used a 4-way joystick instead of an 8-way one like most modern and fighting games. Why not just use an 8-way joystick with Pac-Man?  I ask because when you are playing a game and hit a certain angle on a joystick, it ignores the move instead of going to the closest of 4 directions; thus causing you to freeze and miss turns etc. during the game. It's  almost impossible to play. This is NOT cool. This is why you might not be able to climb the ladder right away while playing Donkey Kong. I needed a dedicated, 4-way joystick for these great classics. So I made this: An XBox 360 Controller, stuffed in a Pac-Man Plug and Play because it is a 4-way joystick and compact. I used a Guitar hero controller instead of a traditional wireless controller because the circuit board is smaller and can be used for more compact applications. It sounds like a weird genetic experiment, but believe me, this proje

Wireless Spinner Paddle

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If you are like me and have your computer connected to your TV, you don't like visible wires on your game controllers. They are unsightly, and people can trip on them because the wires run across the floor while you play your favorite games. That's why I have wireless controllers. This has been quite a challenge with some controllers that just aren't available in wireless format. One thing I could not do is play Atari paddle games or Arcade games on my PC that required or played best with spinners. So I built my own wireless controller, using an Atari paddle controller and a wireless optical Logitech mouse with a unifying receiver. Why use an optical mouse instead of the tried- and-true mechanical mouse? Because the wireless technology in the newer optical mice is much better. Why a unifying receiver? Because you can add another controller, and still use the same receiver. You can do this, and not waste a USB port. How Does it Work? The optical-style mouse doesn

Welcome

Seems I m always doing projects. Sometimes it is because it is much cheaper to build it myself or sometimes they simply don't make the crazy idea I have in my head. My mind is always asking what if. My projects are a combination of research and just trial and error. The goal of this blog is to help me document my projects better and share with all of you the method to my madness. I don't have any special training so if anyone knows how to do something I don't I welcome everyone's input. I hope everyone can benefit from my blog and enjoy it as much I do writing it. Thank You - Jason