Saturday 29 March 2014

Modifying a Logic3 Arcade Controller designed for a Nintendo Wii to work as a Joystick on Retro Computers


A while ago I bought a Logic3 Arcade Controller designed for a Nintendo Wii from eBay for a reasonable price.


Having finally got around to opening it up and looking at the internal wiring, an idea formed in my head.

You see, there are a number of different joystick "standards" used on retro computers. The most common connection is a digital joystick known after the manufacturer that used it, now known as the Atari 9 pin "standard".

But some other manufacturers used either different connections (Amstrad with their Sinclair +2, +2A, +2B and +3) or instead used a analogue system. Acorn fitted an analogue system that used a 15 way D socket to their BBC B computer (also fitted to the successor 8 bit "BBC" models) and to the Plus 1, an expansion for their Electron computer.

So, could a circuit be put together so that a single modified Logic3 Arcade Controller could be used on a computer or games console with an Atari 9 pin D compatible connector, a Sinclair +2, +2A, +2B or +3 and an Acorn BBC or Electron computer fitted with a analogue 15 way D socket?

Well, not at first sight. But...
If a 25 way D connector (of which I have a few spare) was fitted to the Logic3 Arcade Controller, I could make up adaptor leads :-)

So on went the thinking cap...