Idea: The ultimate NES zapper mod

[EleManT24]

First post ftw!

I've been lurking on here for a while, researching the art of portablizing and contemplating possible projects I could do. (You guys do amazing work, btw!) My inspiration has shifted between standard portables, laptops, all the usual stuff, until I came up with an idea I was absolutely sure was original. Unfortunately, with the help of the handy search function, I see I'm a week or two late.

The idea has been remarked upon briefly, but I'll go ahead and restate it in a new context. I remember playing a first-person shooter in an arcade several years ago that had guns that "kicked." I don't remember which one, but I think it involved zombies. (Doesn't narrow it down much, I know.) I thought that was the coolest thing, and it has only just occurred to me that this could be applied to my love of the NES. A piston-like device could be rigged up easily enough, which would produce this effect.

However, that's not what I need help with. I also want to make it completely wireless, with a trigger guard so I can do those badass draws and finger spins you always see in movies, and maybe even carry it in a holster. Unfortunately, I don't know very much (nothing, actually) about how to do something like that. The Satellite is the only wireless accessory I know of for the NES, and I have no idea if the controller end of the Satellite could be functionally modded to fit the zapper, how it would perform while moving as opposed to directly facing the receiver, or how I could even start a game without another controller, unless it's possible to use separate transmitters for the different controller ports. I don't really want to stick a whole separate controller in there too, as this thing is probably going to be crowded enough already.

Btw, my plan is to mount the homemade force-feedback device inside, under the rear sight (where the firing pin would be) and have the IR transmitter mounted below the grip where the cord used to stick out. That is if it's even possible. Then, add the necessary batteries to run the thing and that's pretty much it. Any help/advice/ideas are appreciated. Thanks.

[XCVG]

The NES controller protocol is fairly simple:

http://www.gamesx.com/controldata/nessnes.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.gamesx.com/controldata/snesdat.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

As you can see building the start-thing is pretty easy. Transmitting the zapper data I have no idea.

You'll want to use a microcontroller and an Xbee module. The first uC in the gun encodes and a second one in the receiver decodes.

Also I don't know if there is enough room inside the zapper to fit everything.

[Life of Brian]

Rigging something to buzz or kick whenever you pull the trigger should be simple enough. Actually, that sounds like a pretty fun project. I suggest just trying to get that to work first, and then worry about making it wireless. Like XCVG, I have no idea how to make your own wireless transmitter but I am sure the Internet knows

[EleManT24]

Thanks for the replies. Like I said, I can rig up the force feedback fairly easily. That's all mechanical, really. The toughest part would be finding a suitable motor to run it. But I've never owned a satellite, and can't even find a good photo of the internals. If it turns out I'd need to somehow build my own transmitter (as is likely the case) it might be more trouble than it's worth.

[XCVG]

A satellite is way to big and somewhat rare. You might be able to transmit the signals directly with an Xbee.