Introducing project kajitsu: Usb-jamma controller based on raspberry pi... Oh, and its free!

[Dragon Warrior Jasen]

What is Project Kajitsu?

Project Kajitsu (Kajitsu is Japanese for Berry) is the brain child of Mike Wolak and Jasen Hicks based on the $35 Raspberry Pi B+ Model. The goal was to use the Raspberry Pi with a custom Pi Hat / Linux kernel and turn 2 ordinary PS3 or XBOX360 controllers into 2 Discrete JAMMA compatible controllers. We succeeded.

Who did all of this and why?

All of the software, hardware, and testing associated with Project Kajitsu was done in house between Jasen and Mike. We undertook this project to bridge the gap between modern consoles and arcade games of the past. One of the fun benefits is that you can also control things like robots or other gadgets looking for 5V or 3.3V logic inputs!

Why the Raspberry Pi?

The Raspberry Pi B+ released in July 2014 opened the aperture on how much you can do with the Pi because of the expanded GPIO. It now has 40 pins instead of 26 with only a few being set aside for specific uses (power, ground, i2c, serial bus). This means we can use two controllers on the Pi and create enough discrete outputs for both Player 1 and 2 on a SuperGun. Think… only on device to handle two players!

What controllers are supported, and is there lag?

In the first release, RC12, Wired XBOX 360 and Wired PS3 Controllers are working with no lag. With more testing and getting additional hardware other PCBs will be added in future releases. Our goal isn't to use all the controllers on the market but the main ones. Want to tinker? We’ll be releasing the source files at a later date so the community can tinker and experiment.

What about Bluetooth?

Bluetooth is an awesome technology that adds a little bit of freedom to your gameplay. Unfortunately, initial testing has shown the pairing sequence isn’t as simple as the plug and play usb version and requires more testing and tinkering on our part before we add that functionality. When we do add it, PS3 and Wii controllers should work with Project Kajitsu.

Tell me more about this Linux you are running…

Our custom light weight Linux operating system image boots our USB-DISCRETE App in less than 3 seconds! Mike Wolak has fine tuned the Pi image to behave more like a high speed micro-controller vs. an underpowered desktop computer allowing nearly instantaneous startup times.

What/When can I download?

Today, you can download the BETA RC12 version of our Custom Linux Kernel and the EAGLE Board files associated with our two Project Kajitsu Pi Hats. Beta V0.1 is fully tested, V0.4 is being made for testing. Links are embedded in our original post here: freecade.org/project-kajitsu/

These files are provided as BETA files only. We are not responsible for any damage to your Pi, Pi-Hats, or SD Cards. We have used them with a lot of success so far. If you are interested in the schematic files for the Project Kajitsu Hats, we will make them available at a later date.

Part Lists:

3x 74HC245DW Buffers
2x 3.9K 0805 Resistors
1x 0805 LED
2x 1K 0805 Resistors
3x .1uF 0805 Capacitors
1x 100nF 0805 Capacitor
1x i2C EEPROM
1x 0805 Diode
4x 3pin .100 headers
2x 12 position .100 screw terminals
1x 2 position .100 screw terminals
4x Jumpers

1x Raspberry Pi B+
1x Micro USB Cable and Wall Wort

Can I just buy this preassembled?

We are doing a small batch of boards right now and should be ready in October. Pricing is to be determined.

[Dragon Warrior Jasen]

Another demo of the possibilities of the board: http://www.freecade.org/project-kaji...al-interaface/

Mike did a great job with the writeup, so I'll plagiarize his post:

Here's a demo of the Kajitsu interface driving a Noritake 256x128 VFD Display:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ImW2xDvmdE

The octal buffers on the Kajitsu board are bi-directional so in this demo 2 octal buffers are set as outputs and one is set as an input. The direction and I/O voltage selection is selectable by jumpers on the board.

This illustrates the GPIO speed possible on a Pi. This is entirely bit-banged and the data rate is about 512KB/sec. Considering there's 10 individual lines being individually set for each byte written, this would be like pressing 5 million different joystick buttons in one second.

My hope is that this video helps minimize the threat from "lag" inherent to the Pi GPIO system.

[Dragon Warrior Jasen]

Project Kajitsu’s Hardware has been transformed with Version 0.4. We have left the formal pi-hat spec for size behind us in lieu of a more user friendly DB15 version of the board. This version of the board offers the convenience of the the DB15 ports while maintaining the flexibility of the .100″ screw terminals (both are optional, but at least one should be installed). Additionally, we simplified this board making it an “out” board only, meaning you would only use it to convert PS3/XBOX360 controllers to discrete outputs on a +5V logic setup such as a SuperGun!

Changes include:

1. Player 1/2 status indicator. The board will show which player has a USB controller plugged in.
2. Removed the diode from the incoming +5V line as our initial testing showed brown-outs on the Raspberry Pi.
3. Added DB15 ports for simplified SuperGun/NEO-GEO connections
4. Removed the Logic Selector Jumpers. This is a +5V Logic Hat.
5. Set the transceivers to be output permanently.
6. Form factor change. It still mates to the Pi B+ properly.

[Dragon Warrior Jasen]

The Official Full Project Kajitsu Demo

This demo was filmed using three cameras to catch all of the action in real time! We*demonstrate the first party XB360 (Wireless), PS3, and Wiimote (bluetooth)*support using the project*with a custom built SuperGun. Enjoy!