To hack, or not to hack (I'm 13373r than Shakespeare)...

Fanboy · Post by **Fanboy** » Thu Feb 09, 2006 8:19 pm

I just recently got a MakoPad 64 for my N64, and for those of you that are unaware, that is a controller that uses potentiometers rather than what nintendo usually uses (not sure, sorry). I just want another opinion, the thing is way comfortable, but it would be way easier to hack (that's right, one of my original N64 projects still works). So, What do you think?

vb_master · Post by **vb_master** » Thu Feb 09, 2006 8:25 pm

Um.... great. Why did we need this topic?

Fanboy · Post by **Fanboy** » Thu Feb 09, 2006 8:28 pm

I want to know if people think I should hack the thing or leave it the way it is...

daguuy · Post by **daguuy** » Thu Feb 09, 2006 8:30 pm

hack it to do what? it would be good in a portable

Post by **Gamelver** » Thu Feb 09, 2006 8:32 pm

you could replace the joystick with a PS2 one, if you want. the pot values might not be the same, but if they are, just wire the PS2 analog stick to the N64 board. I dunno

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Fanboy · Post by **Fanboy** » Thu Feb 09, 2006 8:33 pm

Well, actually, I was going to make a blow-drier out of it

... Of course I want to know if I should hack it to make it portable! My idea for the N64p is that it has all the controller ports on the back, and the internal controller will have an external plug that goes into the port, so if I want to use another controller, I just unplug the internal one... I think Houdini did something similar with hs SNESp...

superdeformed · Post by **superdeformed** » Thu Feb 09, 2006 9:39 pm

Pretty much all of the non-official N64 controllers use potentiometers. In this case, I honestly suggest you find a different controller to use. I had two mako pads and both of them stopped functioning properly after about a month of use. Neither of them would stay centered (even after resetting the center position), and something actually broke off of a potentiometer in one of them. I never had much luck with anything made by interact, and after those controllers I completely gave up on them

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timmeh87 · Post by **timmeh87** » Fri Feb 10, 2006 12:12 pm

im curious why everyone wants controllers with pots. whats wrong with normal ones?

blackbox_dev · Post by **blackbox_dev** » Fri Feb 10, 2006 1:53 pm

if you have one with pots you can easily fix the a-stick by replacing the pots if they are broken, and they use less wires then one with photodiodes. other controllers from psone and ps2 use pots so you can replace the a-stick with those from other consoles as well.

superdeformed · Post by **superdeformed** » Fri Feb 10, 2006 3:12 pm

timmeh87 wrote:im curious why everyone wants controllers with pots. whats wrong with normal ones?

The potentiometer-style analogue sticks will (usually) last a lot longer and can take a lot more abuse than the one in the official N64 controller. Because of the spring set up, and the fact that all of the joints inside of it are plastic-on-plastic, the official stick wears itself down and eventually gets too loose to use easily. The only advantage of the official stick over a potentiometer stick is that the official one can be more accurate, but that's about it.

Aside from that, it's almost impossible to find a used official controller with a stick in good condition, and a new one costs $25 from nintendo.com. I for one really can't justify buying a controller that costs more than the system

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JAY · Post by **JAY** » Fri Feb 10, 2006 4:07 pm

You could just buy a replacement joystick. I got mine for $0.01 per joystick, plus $5.00 shipping. $5.05 for five new joysticks isn't a bad price, although I wish that I had ordered more of them right away.

Fanboy · Post by **Fanboy** » Fri Feb 10, 2006 4:14 pm

Wierd enough, my clear blue N64 controller has the most perfect, non-wobbly joystick ever

... And it's used

! I'll be postin' some mockups of my N64p later. Man it's 1337.