controller extension with usb cables

[Dan-the-Rebirth]

hey iam thinking about moding my old nes/snes/n64 and ngc controllers.
i want to buy a set of microusb plugs, cut the controler cables in two parts and soldering the plugs to each half and use a standart micro usm extension cable to place it inbetween.

that way i only would need 4cables and not 12.
but would that work? what do i need to consider??

 

[spinal_cord]

UAB only has 4 wires, whereas most game console controllers use 5 or 6. Just splicing the wires wont work in most cases.

 

[Dan-the-Rebirth]

realy ok but i guess there are other plugs i can use..

but how is it posible that all pc adapters use usb?

 

[FAST6191]

Yeah you might be able to use ethernet cable as a crude extension. I would say just try to find extensions but they are the best places to find male and female plugs and sockets for them so people like myself tend to buy and destroy every set we can find.

As for why adapters use usb... well some do use serial or gameport but that is besides the point. The reason is because that is how electronics works -- though many controllers are analogue their outputs are usually read at a given point and send down the cables. Such output is then easily encoded into a USB data packet and interpreted by the computer. I am not really sure how to go from there as it is basic electronics and I would have to cover that which is going to make for a long post. Building your extensions though is just a matter of making sure the same wires get connected back to each other, you might run into issues if you extend it more than about 5 metres or if the originals have thick wires and you do not (shouldn't happen but there are exceptions) but it is mainly a matter of making sure the wires are connected again.

 

[migles]

realy ok but i guess there are other plugs i can use..

but how is it posible that all pc adapters use usb?

note that controller adapters do have a chip (electronic components) wich translates the controler input to usb instructions.

 

[spinal_cord]

USB adaptors emulate the hardware needed to use the controllers. Theres a chip inside that pretends to be enough of the console to read the controller data correctly, then it is sent to the pc as a serial stream in the same format as a usb controller.
I've had a little experiance making these myself and I can say without a doubt that it is quicker and cheaper to buy a converter from ebay, amazon or some other online store/auction.