3DS Sliders... Quick question!

[thedrew]

I know you guys have heard it a million times about the 3DS sliders. I just can't seem to find a specific answer after reading through the forums for a couple years, so thought I'd ask the pros. Can you use 3DS sliders on a 3rd party gamecube controller or any 3rd party controller? I've seen them wired to an official gamecube controller directly, I've seen something about RDC's boards, I've read about programming a micro controller to convert from digital to analog, etc... What do I need in order to wire the sliders successfully to a 3rd party controller? And if I need to program a micro controller, then which one do I use and what programmer and code do I use? I'm sorry if I'm all over the place, just a bit confused if you couldn't tell haha.

I'm new to these forums but have been a member of benheck and modretro for a while.
Thank you very much!

 

[Stitches]

The sliders will work with most any board that uses 10k pots in the joysticks, the caveat is you won't get the fullest range from them. That's what the microcontrollers are sometimes used for, and what the GC+ was designed to solve. They'll work fine with a 3rd party board most likely, but some games that use the full joystick range for controlling might be a bit janky.

 

[JacksonS]

And if I need to program a micro controller, then which one do I use and what programmer and code do I use?

If you are dealing with a GameCube controller specifically, I'd just use the GC+ as Stitches said.

If it's a different controller, you can sort of do what RDC did with his converter. He used a PIC microcontroller and a separate DAC. You'd probably need to communicate with the DAC via I2C or SPI. You could use any microcontroller that has 2 ADCs and some I2C or SPI interface.

 

[Shank]

What is your end goal?
If it is to make a portable or a custom controller that uses 3ds slider, a GC+ is a much cheaper solution than purchasing a converter like one RDC makes, even if you have a 3rd party one laying around.
If your end goal to use a 3ds slider with a specific 3rd party controller, then a converter may be your only option.

 

[thedrew]

I just recently read someone referencing the GC+ a couple days ago, but wasn't sure what that was or paid much attention to it. I just found my way to the store here after reading you guy's responses on the forums and purchased one to try out. I've never seen this done here on the forums, but I wanted to make a Gamecube/Wii wireless video interfaces (WVI) rather than a full portable and will be making a WIP to go along with it, so I appreciate the responses to help me through the journey. So my last question is does the GC+ replace the gamecube controller entirely, therefore can be wired directly to the gamecube's/wii's controller port?

Thanks guys, really appreciate it.

 

[Stitches]

So my last question is does the GC+ replace the gamecube controller entirely, therefore can be wired directly to the gamecube's/wii's controller port?

Thanks guys, really appreciate it.

Correct, the GC+ is a complete GC controller replacement and can be wired to the same data lines as a stock controller.

 

[thedrew]

Perfect, got all the answers I need and all of the confusion cleared up! Appreciate you guys!

 

[Stitches]

Perfect, got all the answers I need and all of the confusion cleared up! Appreciate you guys!

You're very welcome. This gamepad type project will be very interesting to follow, I look forward to seeing the worklog