Classic Arcade Controller Keyboard Hack

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Classic Arcade Controller Keyboard Hack

This is a recently finished project with myself and my kids to create a controller to play classic arcade games using a computer.  The controls are wired into a board pulled from an old PS/2 keyboard.  It took some time, lots of googling, lots of wire, and only a little bit of solder, and now we can button-mash like the old days.  It's massively heavy, but it can more or less fit on two people's laps, sitting on a couch, playing with the computer hooked up to the TV.  So far, its been a hit.

Website: http://scramtronic.tumblr.com/post/19669062600/classic-arcade-controls-ps-2-keyboard-hack
Members: 3
Latest Activity: Aug 16, 2012

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Comment by Oliver Gingrich on March 21, 2012 at 2:21pm

Thanks Phillip.  Bluetooth would be awesome - that might be my first upgrade.  In fact, around the time that I was working on this, Make magazine (vol 28 to be exact) had a project that used an Arduino and a bluetooth shield exactly in this way.  Here's the online link I found. 

http://makeprojects.com/Project/Coffee-Table-MAME-Console/1378/1

The only changes to my setup would be replacing the keyboard controller with different electronics.  You'd still probably use the barrier strips for ease of connecting.  And sitting on the couch playing old low-res games on a modern flatscreen is a blast!  Good luck. 

Comment by Phillip Seibel on March 21, 2012 at 2:07pm

That is awesome!! Would it be possible to use Bluetooth or some type of wireless keyboard with this setup? I'm totally envisioning using this joystick on a PC hooked up to a TV while sitting on a couch with the wife and/or kids.

 

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