3600 Controller
OK so yesterday I had my Facebook status as saying I was “being frustrated by potentiometers” – a rather normal day for me, really. For whatever reason this prompted one of my friends to suggest I build an Xbox 360 controller inside of an Atari 2600 controller shell. And I thought “That’s dumb enough to work!”
A mere 5 hours later I had what you see above – the 3600 controller! This is an Atari 2600 controller with wireless Xbox 360 controller guts inside of it – batteries too. The big red “fire” button is “A”, other buttons are attached to the top:
Granted this wasn’t a pay project (rather a UPP – un-paid project!) but it was a nice break from what I was doing. It isn’t usable for standard Xbox 360 games but adequate for many Arcade games and other low-level tomfoolery.
For the sure-to-be thrilling story of how I did it, check after the break. I kind of did a cheat to get controller guts into this small of a shell…
Oh you can also download this pulse-pounding demo video of the controller in action.
Note: despite the mention of Facebook, I prefer to limit it to people I know / acquaintances, so please do not be offended if friend requests go ignored.
The bottom of the controller. The “guide” button is recessed so you won’t accidently hit it during an intense round of whatever it is you’re playing. Small, precisely drilled holes flank it to expose the fabled “Ring of Light”.
The 3600 controller was accomplished by using the guts of not a normal 360 controller, but those of a Guitar Hero 3 controller, of which I still have several laying around, many months after the fact.
There’s a lot of stuff inside this guitar but all we really need is the “brains”, the circuit board on the upper left. This will easily fit inside of an Atari 2600 controller and give us pinouts to the most useful buttons.
Also shocking is that I have innumerable Atari 2600 joysticks laying around. (If you are in the Verona, WI area and want free crap, by all means, stop by!) I decided to use the original circuit board for the joystick, and mount the Xbox 360 stuff below it.
Base of the joystick with the batteries installed. It took me a whole episode of Law & Order to Dremel out the surfaces enough for the batteries to fit with the top of the joystick installed. See, I’ve got a TV on my workbench and that’s how I time things – by how many episodes of Law & Order it takes. Or, in the daytime, Charmed, not that I would ever admit to watching it…
Original joystick PCB attached to the PCB of the guitar controller. I used thin ultra ATA wire to make these connections so the whole thing would be easier to cram together. The D-pad from the guitar is mapped to the Atari joystick. Although the standard D-pad on an Xbox controller is all but unusable (sorry MS) most arcade games still map to it, making it – or rather the pinouts – worthwhile in this application.
Here’s both sides of the joystick with the guitar PCB, batteries and everything installed. It’s all fairly compact, though because I stuffed the back full of components the top half of the joystick will have to be secured into place by side-mounted screws in the final unit.
Close-up of previous.
Well that’s all I can say about this project. Catch you next time…
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January 8th, 2009 at 3:12 am
Me rickey podcast! Me rickey podcast!
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January 8th, 2009 at 7:26 am
Bwahaha! CLASSIC!… Literally! =)
I thought it would take a few days to hash out… or at least to source a 2600 joystick. I should have known better =)
Totally awesome =)
January 8th, 2009 at 7:49 am
dude just amazing is all i can say
atari = sweeeeett
January 8th, 2009 at 10:03 am
This is the kind of mod I love – straightforward, fun, not necessarily practical at all times but still useful some of the time, and done in a day or two. I live for that kind of stuff.
I plan on attending MGC, so maybe I can help you unload some of that “free crap” you mentioned…
January 8th, 2009 at 11:03 am
Source a 2600 joystick? Ha! Have you ever been in my basement?
Yeah this was a fun quick project though I stayed up WAY to late working on the site entry.
-BEn
January 8th, 2009 at 1:31 pm
Hmmmmm, I wonder why you were frustrated by poteniometers….. ;)
Pretty impressive mod in a little package!
January 8th, 2009 at 11:10 pm
[...] benheck.com:[QUOTE]OK so yesterday I had my Facebook status as saying I was “being frustrated by [...]
January 8th, 2009 at 11:37 pm
[...] benheck.com:[QUOTE]OK so yesterday I had my Facebook status as saying I was “being frustrated by [...]
January 8th, 2009 at 11:56 pm
[...] benheck.com:[QUOTE]OK so yesterday I had my Facebook status as saying I was “being frustrated by [...]
January 8th, 2009 at 11:56 pm
fantastic, all in 5 hours and with the distraction of charmed !!!! ;)
January 9th, 2009 at 1:15 am
[...] benheck.com:[QUOTE]OK so yesterday I had my Facebook status as saying I was “being frustrated by [...]
January 9th, 2009 at 2:13 am
Where is RB and LB?
January 9th, 2009 at 7:13 am
Nice Mod :) I would’ve used a competition pro … :)
January 9th, 2009 at 8:03 am
All I can say in Bring on the XBLA Dig Dug / Pac Man and all those other classic arcade games … this is perfect I would love to get one :)
January 9th, 2009 at 9:14 am
That is just plain kick-ass. The video was great too. Nice TV, by they way. How well does it work for Pac-Man CE? So when does mass production begin? Think of all the MGD you could buy. :)
January 9th, 2009 at 9:22 am
I would be really impressed if you figured out how to add a left thumbstick to the Microsoft Wireless Wheel.
January 9th, 2009 at 9:43 am
AWESOME JOB! i love the way people think of knew idea’s everyday. Great job!
January 9th, 2009 at 10:27 am
[...] Benjamin J. Heckendorn—that’s BenHeck—transplanted the brains of an Xbox 360 controller into an Atari 2600 shell. The result is this, the 3600 Controller. [...]
January 9th, 2009 at 12:23 pm
[...] en het binnenwerk van een Guitar Hero gitaar gebruikt. Hoe dit tot stand is gekomen kan je op zijn eigen website bekijken, en deze man is toch wel een grote held te [...]
January 9th, 2009 at 12:30 pm
[...] can manage to crank out in just five hours. This time it’s a wireless Xbox 360 controller stuffed inside an Atari 2600 controller. The guts are from a Guitar Hero 3 controller. It’s a fairly compact board and [Ben] used [...]
January 9th, 2009 at 1:01 pm
Um, one question – where’s the sync button?
January 9th, 2009 at 1:49 pm
Cool little project. I especially loved the video and the creative editing. It was extremely amusing.
January 9th, 2009 at 2:22 pm
I wonder if the reverse of this could be done. A atari controller in a 360 shell?
January 9th, 2009 at 3:13 pm
The sync button is on the insides, with the batteries. RB and LB aren’t there, and by time I started working on this TNT was doing a Law & Order marathon.
Now all we need is CHARMED: THE MOVIE directed by Robert Rodriguez of course.
January 9th, 2009 at 4:01 pm
[...] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Post tags: Atari 2600, Ben Heck, Button Controller, Cakes, Candles, Engadget, Favorite One, Fri, Guide Button, Guitar Hero, Guitar Hero 3, Guts, Joystick, Landfills, Nbsp, One Button, Video Controller, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox Controller Posted in: Gadżety | | [...]
January 9th, 2009 at 4:06 pm
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January 9th, 2009 at 4:17 pm
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January 9th, 2009 at 4:45 pm
[...] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Read the original article here [...]
January 9th, 2009 at 4:55 pm
[...] Benheck creó el contról 3600 para el Xbox 360, así es. Se tratá de un contról de Guitar Heroes “version 360″ déntro del contról del Atari 2600. Y creánlo, tiene todas las fúnciones, desdé el botón de Guía (guide button) á los LB, RB.. [...]
January 9th, 2009 at 4:59 pm
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January 9th, 2009 at 5:15 pm
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January 9th, 2009 at 5:56 pm
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January 9th, 2009 at 6:08 pm
It might be useful (if you ever care to do this again) if you could make a switch somewhere that lets you swap out what button the big red button represents.
A lot of games use primarily one button, but it isn’t necessarily the A button (although its probably the most likely used).
Awesome hack Ben!
January 9th, 2009 at 6:16 pm
Awesome! How about into a Coleco controller? There are enough buttons on them.
As for Charmed…well, let us take a gander….3 chicks (2 quite hot) usually in skimpy tight outfits and almost Baywatch levels of running. I’M IN! Wife watches for the plot, I watch for the clothes.
January 9th, 2009 at 6:28 pm
What inspires something like this? Were you sitting there playing Pac-Man Championship Edition one day and think to yourself, “Something’s missing. I know! I need a stiff rubbery joystick that I can chew on every now and then! To the Ben Heck Workshop!!!”
You’re a sick man, Mr. Heck. Sick sick sick.
January 9th, 2009 at 6:46 pm
[...] BenHeck Related PostsMissile Command Hits Xbox 360 Atari sent out word that they have launched Missile [...]
January 9th, 2009 at 7:07 pm
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January 9th, 2009 at 9:00 pm
[...] Read a2a_linkname=”Ben Heck crams Xbox 360 controller into Atari 2600 joystick”;a2a_linkurl=”http://www.frenzytech.info/2009/01/09/ben-heck-crams-xbox-360-controller-into-atari-2600-joystick/”; This entry was posted on Friday, January 9th, 2009 at 9:52 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site. [...]
January 9th, 2009 at 11:10 pm
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January 10th, 2009 at 12:04 am
[...] benheck.com:[QUOTE]OK so yesterday I had my Facebook status as saying I was “being frustrated by [...]
January 10th, 2009 at 2:09 am
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January 10th, 2009 at 5:02 am
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January 10th, 2009 at 5:32 am
[...] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments aaaaaa<a href="http://inkandvirtue.com/2009/01/10/ben-heck-crams-xbox-360-controller-into-atari-2600-joystick/" >Ben Heck crams Xbox 360 controller into Atari 2600 joystick</a> [...]
January 10th, 2009 at 6:11 am
[...] Source Share and Enjoy: [...]
January 10th, 2009 at 8:44 am
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January 10th, 2009 at 9:26 am
[...] it’s definitely a very good thing that hackmaster-in-chief Ben Heckendorn has found a way to cram an Xbox 360 controller into one of gaming’s most iconic input devices, the classic [...]
January 10th, 2009 at 12:29 pm
[...] Via: BenHeck [...]
January 10th, 2009 at 12:30 pm
lol a poor xbox controller RIPPED APART YAY!
January 10th, 2009 at 1:07 pm
[...] mundo, por no haber jugado nunca con un mando de Atari 2600, un tipo apodado Ben Heck ha creado el 3600 Controller: un mando de Xbox 360 metido dentro de una carcasa de Atari 2600, con todo su amor negro, retro y [...]
January 10th, 2009 at 1:53 pm
[...] 3600 Controller [Benheck.com] [...]
January 10th, 2009 at 3:06 pm
[...] can manage to crank out in just five hours. This time it’s a wireless Xbox 360 controller stuffed inside an Atari 2600 controller. The guts are from a Guitar Hero 3 controller. It’s a fairly compact board and [Ben] used [...]
January 10th, 2009 at 9:33 pm
In true classic Atari fashion, this project involves wood.
January 10th, 2009 at 11:53 pm
[...] 3600 Controller [Benheck.com] [...]
January 11th, 2009 at 12:12 am
[...] 3600 Controller [Benheck.com] [...]
January 11th, 2009 at 7:30 pm
[...] Ben Heck ¡Bigpoint.es, tu portal del juego, jugar gratis y ganar 10.000 euros! Accesorios, Ben [...]
January 11th, 2009 at 10:33 pm
Man, I LOVE mods like these! Nice job, seriously. It’s the quirky “but why?” mods that I really dig. And yes, it’s a good break from the EXPECTED monstrous mods.
January 12th, 2009 at 5:05 am
i love this mod…i’m curious to see what you could do with the Mad Catz Xbox Live Arcade Retro Stick. The joystick has to much play and i would like to see a little bit more of and old school influence. Any ideas Ben?
January 12th, 2009 at 1:40 pm
I just wanted to let you guys know that I watched Port Washington, and it was Awesome!
It looks great, its funny, original, and inspiring.
I want to make movies after watching it. The editing is fantastic!
Thank you for working so hard and presenting it to the world for free!
I encourage everyone who hasn’t watched this or other of Ben’s films to watch them.
He isn’t just a mad genius with gaming systems.
Marc Lenard
Mobile, Alabama
January 15th, 2009 at 2:57 pm
[...] Full story: benheck.com [...]
March 3rd, 2009 at 1:36 pm
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March 21st, 2009 at 7:24 pm
Nice Mod. Do you know where or how the star power is triggered on a wired xplorer contoller? I want to make a street fighter stick and need the LB to do so. I have figured out that its the star power trigger.
April 9th, 2009 at 6:21 am
As a Newbie, I am always searching online for articles that can help me. Thank you
April 23rd, 2009 at 7:01 am
[...] See the Step by Step build of the 3600 controller build reddit_url=’http://www.retroist.com/2009/04/23/want-an-atari-controller-for-your-xbox-360-the-3600-controller/’ reddit_title=’Want an Atari Controller for your Xbox 360? The 3600 Controller’ Tags: Atari 2600, Benjamin J Heckendorn, Joystick You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed. [...]
February 14th, 2011 at 6:03 pm
[...] to be smaller, better, faster, stronger (our work is never over). You might say his latest project, Modding an Xbox 360 controller into an Atari joystick, is pointless or that he had no reason for doing it. But why do we do anything? Why do we climb a [...]
April 13th, 2011 at 2:42 am
[...] 3600 Controller [Benheck.com] This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged 3600, controller, mod. Bookmark the permalink. ← Microsoft Wants Radiant Silvergun For XBLA Please Oh Please Week in Games: Burned Out [New Releases] → [...]
April 23rd, 2011 at 2:15 pm
People completed a number of nice items right now there. I did so research online to the issue and located most people may agree along with your site
September 9th, 2011 at 12:56 pm
um… is this not a lot too difficulty to handle with the buttons on the front?
February 27th, 2012 at 5:56 pm
i’m interested in your project, i have an arcade stick without a xbox 360 pcb but i have the same as yours, could you help me with a wiring diagram, actualy with your pictures i can’t find the good solder points for my own arade stick, thank you very much