You can do the mod in various ways, and it can be reversible if desired. You have the choice to make the mod internal to the DC Twin Sticks, like my modded DC Twin Sticks, or external, like many Japanese players are doing and like my modded Arcade Twin Sticks.
Useful Guides
If you are new to controller modding, I suggest these guides:
How to Piggyback an Xbox360 controller on a Universal PCB
slagcoin Joystick Controller page
Although the first guide is not for connecting an Xbox 360 controller to Dreamcast Twin Sticks, it is still useful. If you are unsure about soldering, search Google for "soldering tutorial", and if possible practice on a dead controller or something similar.
Requirements
The mod requires the following:
Xbox 360 controller
The controller should be a common ground controller, otherwise the mod is too hard or even impossible. I used a Mad Catz "retro" controller, which is good since it's easy to mod and cheap ($10 if you can find it in stock). Check your zip code on the EBGames.com product page to see if any local stores have (call before going there). If you cannot find it, check the slagcoin Controller PCB & Wiring page for some recommendations. To save money, just buy a used controller; as long as it's functional, you will be fine since all you need is the PCB (if you're building an internal mod).
Guide button
If you are doing an internal mod, you will need to relocate the Guide button. If you want your mod to look cool and professional, buy a Sanwa or Seimitsu button and install it on the DC Twin Sticks case. I didn't want to permanently alter my DC Twin Sticks, so I bought a cheap pushbutton from an electronics store, and have it hanging loose in the VMU slot.
JST connectors
For a reversible mod, you need the connectors so your Xbox 360 PCB can just connect to the DC Twin Sticks. The connectors are made by JST, series PH (pdf here). You have multiple options here. You can wire the PH headers to the Xbox 360 controller, and to them connect the pin housings from the wiring harnesses in the DC Twin Sticks. This is what I did for my modded DC Twin Sticks. There are five harnesses in the DC Twin Sticks: one 4-pin header for start and pause, two 5-pin for the left and right stick movement, and two 3-pin for the left and right stick buttons.
The 3-pin header part number is B3B-PH-K-S, 4-pin is B4B-PH-K-S, and 5-pin is B5B-PH-K-S. You can request free samples from the manufacturer, just fill out the Sample Request Form form on the site with what you need. When I got the connectors for myself, I didn't know about the samples option, so I actually ordered everything from Future Electronics.
For the left and right stick movement, you can wire the housings to the Xbox 360 controller, and plug them into the header on the sticks PCBs. This is probably harder since you have to install the pins for the housings, and you need a crimp tool... the pins are pretty small and require a decently precise crimp tool. The JST recommended crimp tool is $800, but you can be successful with a cheaper one.
Other
You will need wiring, a soldering iron, solder, flux, wire stripper, and other things required for soldering. Check the aforementioned controller modding guides.
Control scheme
For connecting the Xbox 360 controller to the DC Twin Sticks, you can use the default control scheme, which is below. Since the Xbox 360 trigger buttons are analog, they require a bit more modding to get working. So instead of using the trigger buttons, you can use the left and right stick "click" buttons, which are digital and easier to mod. I used the trigger buttons since I'm cool!
Don't forget that the DC Twin Sticks are short one button, so you have to add one for Guide.EDIT: I originally made a typo on the control scheme (swapped Left Stick with Right Stick). If you're doing a reversible mod (i.e. using JST connectors), there wouldn't be any problem. Hopefully this didn't cause anyone any problems.
Code: Select all
XBOX 360 TWIN STICKS
----------------------------
UP Left Stick Up
LEFT Left Stick Left
DOWN Left Stick Down
RIGHT Left Stick Right
A Right Stick Down
B Right Stick Right
X Right Stick Left
Y Right Stick Up
BACK START
START PAUSE
GUIDE Need additional button
L. Bumper Left Turbo
L. Trigger Left Weapon
L. "Click" N/A
R. Bumper Right Turbo
R. Trigger Right Weapon
R. "Click" N/A
In the following pictures, you can see the wiring harnesses from the DC Twin Sticks, partially connected to the corresponding headers. I've labeled the various part numbers and what function the wires serve. To see how everything looks when actually modded, see my modded DC Twin Sticks thread.
The stick movement wiring is below. You have to solder wires to the headers, where the arrows point to, and connect the other side of the wire to the point on the Xbox 360 controller corresponding to the appropriate button. So for example, in this pic, if it were for the right stick, you would solder a wire to the header corresponding to up (brown wire), and solder the other side of the wire to the solder point for the Y button. If you don't care about reversibility, you could hack off these connectors and solder the wire directly to the Xbox 360 controller PCB (if you're doing an internal mod). You have to be careful that the wire will be long enough, though. Also, there is another solution (see below). The turbo and weapon button wiring is below. For an internal mod, you can hack off the connectors and solder the wire directly to the Xbox 360 controller PCB, as long as it's long enough. I'd recommend getting the JST connectors, though. Here is the wiring for start and pause on the DC Twin Sticks. Again, for an internal mod, you can hack off the connectors and solder the wire directly to the Xbox 360 controller PCB. The JST connectors should be free, so why not use them? For the left and right stick movement, Instead of hacking off connectors and reusing wiring, or using headers, you have the option of soldering wire directly to the stick PCBs. The pic below shows the solder points. Note that there are some larger solder points shown in the photo. Those are actually load bearing... they hold in the switches. I'd recommend against using those since you don't want to weaken them. They can break, which is bad, and in fact I have seen this. Any questions?
