Connecting 2 Wii classic controller ports to the GPIO connector?
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Pi model B (26 pin, 2 USB ports)
retropie-4.2-rpi1_zero
made by downloading the img and writing to a SD card via rufus (no issues with software)
Currently have a knockoff N64 controller connected to the USB port, plan to get a wireless kb/m if i can get this set up.Hello, long story short I purchased a NES Classic which doesn't work right and i want to rip out the motherboard and put in a Pi. I would like to wire the two classic controller ports to the GPIO port so that i can pluf the NES Classic controllers directly to the Pi, but I'm not entirely sure where i connect each pin, and how i set up the Pi to recognize the controllers? I have dabbled with Linux off and on, but I'm primarily a Windows user.
I have been attempting to find how to do this, but there seems to pretty much zero information about how to do this - just that it should be possible. I got supplies for hooking the wires to the GPIO connector, but I just don't know which wires go where, and what drivers i have to install to make this work. If there's a guide that i can follow that would be appreciated, but I have not found anything like that myself - I just don't know the right search terms, if it does exist.
thanks, any help would be appreciated
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@grahamf raphnet-tech sells small wii classic controller to usb boards that you use in it. I have two i bought specifically for the nes classic but sadly i couldnt get the nes classic.
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@edmaul69 said in Connecting 2 Wii classic controller ports to the GPIO connector?:
raphnet-tech sells small wii classic controller to usb boards
Am I mistaken in that I can wire the classic controllers to the GPIO port? I'd much rather do that with the existing ports, instead of trying to find a way to position the usb adapter without it breaking or looking like shit.
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@grahamf you cannot wire them to the gpio. No one has made a way for it to work. These boards i mentione are small. You can solder the wires from those existing controller ports to the boards i mmention and solder wires from them to the usb ports on the pi.
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...I'll have to do some more research this weekend. Everything I'm reading indicates it should work, as Wiimote accessories use a standard I2C protocol (but encrypted).
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@edmaul69 said in Connecting 2 Wii classic controller ports to the GPIO connector?:
@grahamf you cannot wire them to the gpio. No one has made a way for it to work. These boards i mentione are small. You can solder the wires from those existing controller ports to the boards i mmention and solder wires from them to the usb ports on the pi.
May i ask why you think it cannot be done? What I've seen indicates the dearth of information is solely due to lack of interest - like you said, there are boards and adapters already available. I fail to see a single legitimate reason why this is physically impossible - just that the drivers do not exist. I asked here on the RetroPi forum because I'd be able to trust that any possible solutions would work - whatever works for the NOOBS build may not translate over to RetroPi, and even though this exists and actually works on the Audrino, I'd need to figure out how to port the driver code - which might be a bit out of my ability.
That being said, I do know this is possible - just I was really hoping there would be someone that has done this before. It's clear that there is little interest here in providing information, but I suppose that if I post my work people would be more willing to to correct mistakes I did not notice. Though if I manage to figure it out on my own I don't think I'll see any reason to post my Crassic Pi Recipe here.
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@grahamf that is what i meant. there are no drivers for it. so unless you or someone else wishes to create/modify them, as of this moment you cant do it. and why wouldnt you share it here? this is the same community that allowed you to do everything you do now with retropie. people here have spent thousands of hours just to make your experience using a raspberry pi that much more enjoyable.
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@edmaul69 I appreciate the clarification. Not finding any information on the subject was annoying, so being told it was impossible without any explanation as to if it is actually impossible or just unlikely was rather insulting. I admit I currently have very little familiarity with I2C and haven't done much Linux wizardly in a while, but it seems i just have to wire everything to the correct pin, figure out what each button press does and map that to a controller function. Not impossible.
I should note that this is actually a fake console - though everything except the motherboard is identical. The controller doesn't work on a Wii, but the second controller I bought does, and both controllers plus a Classic Controller pro all work with the NES Crassic. I don't expect this to make it any more difficult then if I had genuine controllers, but it may mean my driver may not handle all the extra checks a genuine controller wants.
Currently I'm waiting on a soldering gun and some female pin connectors to come in the mail before i start.
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