HOWTO: Modding a Genesis/Mega Drive 6 button pad for use with an X68000

[TheRogue]

Ok everyone, I thought I would do everyone a service here. Finding the X68000-to-SNES/MD controller adapter for playing games that require more then 2 buttons on the X68000 is next to impossible, and so is playing SF2/Fatal Fury with a regular 2 button pad. So, brought to you for the very first time ever (at least to my knowledge, it's probably been done in the Japanese community many times before, but not that I've seen) a simple, 5 minute mod to allow the ubiquitous Genesis/MD pad to function as a 6 button X68k pad. Pass it around, spread it around the web all you want. This mod can be attempted by anyone with even the most minimal of soldering skills. It requires 3 wires to be cut, crossed, and re-soldered. That's it, that's all.

Step 1: Open up your 6 button Genesis/MD controller and expose the printed circuit board

Step 2: Locate the small white molex connector that connects the controller cable to the board
NOTE: In every 6 button controller I have ever opened, the wire colors have always been the same. In case yours are different however, the wire number takes precedent over the color. For example, if I asked you to cut the orange wire (#5 in the photo,) yet your #5 wire was green and your #7 was orange, you should cut the #5 wire anyway.



Step 3: Cut the black (#1), grey (#7), and white (#9) wires directly in the middle, so an equal length remains on both sides. I will now refer to the half of the wire connected to the white connector as the "controller side" and the half of the wire connected to the cable as the "cable side".

Step 4: Re-connect the wires in the following way:
NOTE: The copper wire inside the genesis controllers is of very poor quality and breaks easily, so I recommend wrapping each solder joint liberally with electrical tape immediately after making the join or the wire is apt to snap.

Cable side - Controller side
Black (#1) - Gray (#7)
Gray (#7) - White (#9)
White (#9) - Black (#1)

Step 5: Make sure that all your solder joints are insulated, then close the controller up. You're done! You have a pad that works with the Fatal Fury games, the Street Fighter games, Atomic Runner Chelnov, and any other game requiring more then 2 buttons, with the exception of games using FM Towns-style start/select (as in sending up+down for start and left+right for select). A lot easier then looking for one of those pesky adapters, isn't it? Good luck and good gaming!

[blue lander]

I was lucky enough to get an adapter with Super Street Fighter II. Seems to work fine with both the FM Towns and the X68000

[TheRogue]

Yes, if you are lucky enough to get that adapter, then you wouldn't need this mod (unless you wanted to play multiplayer) but for those who didn't, this mod will work for the FM Towns as well as the X68000, I forgot to mention that. Any game that is compatible with either the Capcom adapter or the Chelnov adapter will work with this mod. Right now I'm working on an update to this mod that will put a switch on the back of the 6 button controller. With the flick of that switch allow the 6 button controller to function as the dual d-pad controller used with Crazy Climber and Libble Rabble on the X68000. The ZYBC buttons will function as the second d-pad with X and A functioning as A and B. I know it will require quite a bit of re-wiring, and it won't function as well as the original, but it's better then having two great X68000 titles left unplayable for those without the 2 D-Pad controller.

[blue lander]

I'm still trying to hunt down a 2 D-Pad controller. Even the X68000 version of Libble Rabble is still pretty damn expensive on YAJ.

[an_turtar]

I was lucky enough to get my Libble Rabble with controller for 1500 yen, but it can get quite expensive. There is an FM Towns version of Libble Rabble on Yahoo Auctions at the moment, which includes the same controller. Starts at 5000 yen though.

I've bought 6 SFII's, and three had the adapter (average cost: 550 yen). I've had three Garou Densetsu 2's, and two had the joypad (300 yen for each of the three), and Chelnov cost me 1200 yen with the adapter. Pac-Land with the controller cost 1400 yen, but you can use a joystick with this if it's unavailable (still better to have it though).

The Cyberstick cost me 2000 yen unboxed, and I've bought two XE1-ST2's, one for 2000 and the other for 980. The Capcom Power Stick Fighter MD cost me 980 yen locally, again unboxed.

Hopefully that will give you an idea of the kind of costs involved.

[Ed Oscuro]

Arasoi will be happy to see this - he's been looking for his Panasonic "jelly bean" controller and was considering modifying a Genesis controller so he can play Space Manbow right.

I actually have X68000 / MSX controllers (including the ST2 and the Cyber Stick, just a loose one unless I bought a boxed one and forgot) coming out my ears. Sitting right next to me are a couple six-button FM Towns pads, supposedly rare, that came with an uncommon title. I've got the Garou Densetsu controller, got the adapter in one of the Capcom games.

Did Pac-Land, Chelnov, or any other games come with a special controller in the box? The boxes look too small to fit anything in. I know Pac-Land's box advertises the Pac-Land controller (I'd love to get one, great game), but I always assumed it was sold separately. I did not know of the Libble Rabble controller either (nor did I even know the game used two sticks until recently anyway); isn't there some other game that could use it?

Controllers included, I still have to say the most unexpected cool thing that I've seen in a X68000 game is the standard (battle flag) inside Genpei Touma Den.