DIY mahjong controller?

[Kujako]

Hi
How is goin @Kujako ?
Any fun on this project ?

Too many projects, not enough time. MacOS decided my scanner was no longer going to be supported, so taking me a bit longer to get the PCB pulled into kicad. Need to make measurements and setup a project with the correct dimensions.

 

[Kujako]

So in my late night scrolling I found this thing... price was OKish, so I ordered it. Will take awhile to get here from Japan but I figure it would be a good diagnostics tool if nothing else.

 

[Neo-Alec]

So in my late night scrolling I found this thing... price was OKish, so I ordered it. Will take awhile to get here from Japan but I figure it would be a good diagnostics tool if nothing else.

Curious what the MVS/AES switch does, since an official controller doesn't have that.

 

[pierpa86]

Curious what the MVS/AES switch does, since an official controller doesn't have that.

The answer is most likely this.

The MVS system ROM doesn't detect the controller, but reads hardware DIPs #3 and sets the status byte of INPUT_1 to 3 if set. It never sets INPUT_2 to 3, meaning that the mahjong controller is a single-player setup only on MVS.

The home console system ROM can detect the controller on both ports (by writing 1 to OUT3 and reading the SELECT button) and sets the corresponding input status byte to 3, allowing the use of two mahjong controllers.

 

[Kujako]

The answer is most likely this.

The MVS system ROM doesn't detect the controller, but reads hardware DIPs #3 and sets the status byte of INPUT_1 to 3 if set. It never sets INPUT_2 to 3, meaning that the mahjong controller is a single-player setup only on MVS.

The home console system ROM can detect the controller on both ports (by writing 1 to OUT3 and reading the SELECT button) and sets the corresponding input status byte to 3, allowing the use of two mahjong controllers.

That sounds right, but very curious to see if I can figure out what changes when the switch is toggled. It has a PVC foam backing which I'm hoping isn't epoxied down so I can try to reverse engineer the traces. Worse case, I can probe everything with a multimeter.

I can otherwise find zero information about this thing and the seller has no idea where it came from either. Waiting on it and the last mahjongg title to arrive.

I think this is all the MVS titles, but every time I say that I find one I'm missing.
NGH-048 Quest of Jong Master
NGH-036 Mahjong Bakatonosama Manyuki
NGH-027 Mahjong Minnasano Okagesamadesu
NGH-004 Mahjong Kyo Retsuden

Edit: "Idol Mahjong Final Romance 2" as well, but on NGCD.

 

[Kujako]

Look what arrived via FedEx! Smaller than I expected, even came with some extra key-caps. Been swamped by work, so won't be able to test it much until the weekend.

 

[Kujako]

@pierpa86 setup to start testing, but have a question for you. How did you get to the Mahjong IO screen on your MV1C? Thought it just needed hardware dip 3 set, but that's not seeming to work on my end.

(managed to clear enough space off my workbench for this)

 

[Fluffy]

It is in place of the normal IO test screen. I am not sure if all BIOS versions support this, though.

 

[Kujako]

It is in place of the normal IO test screen. I am not sure if all BIOS versions support this, though.

Should have specified, I'm using UniBIOS 4 in my setup. Not sure I have a system without UniBIOS anymore... would have to hunt around. But it did occur to me that it might be only in the JP BIOS's.

Edit: got into it, looks like it might need a mahjong title inserted. I had been trying without a game. However, it's seeming to not work. Thinking it dislikes the supergun setup. It has IO remapping etc that might not play right with the multiplexing the controller does.

 

[pierpa86]

@pierpa86 setup to start testing, but have a question for you. How did you get to the Mahjong IO screen on your MV1C? Thought it just needed hardware dip 3 set, but that's not seeming to work on my end.

(managed to clear enough space off my workbench for this)

You need Unibios or Japan version of BIOS !
Yes 1 and 3 dip
Remember my test, you need out pin from right side, supergun get pin from jamma, you are missing out signal ?

 

[Kujako]

You need Unibios or Japan version of BIOS !
Yes 1 and 3 dip

While I can get in, the controller seems to not work as expected. At least not with the setups I have. The seller tested it, but with systems like a MV1 that have a DB15 IO port built in. Seems to not like superguns... but I would expect it to register some sort of input. May have to probe around to make sure everything is connected.

 

[pierpa86]

While I can get in, the controller seems to not work as expected. At least not with the setups I have. The seller tested it, but with systems like a MV1 that have a DB15 IO port built in. Seems to not like superguns... but I would expect it to register some sort of input. May have to probe around to make sure everything is connected.

i tell you, check my post.
On supergun you take IO from jamma... so you miss OUT 1 to 3 signal.
You can get it from right port !

 

[Fluffy]

You could probably make an DB15-DB15 adapter that adds out 1-3. Or solder them directly to the controller.

 

[bodgit]

You could probably make an DB15-DB15 adapter that adds out 1-3. Or solder them directly to the controller.

I was thinking of making something similar.

 

[Kujako]

i tell you, check my post.
On supergun you take IO from jamma... so you miss OUT 1 to 3 signal.
You can get it from right port !

You could probably make an DB15-DB15 adapter that adds out 1-3. Or solder them directly to the controller.

@pierpa86 I've been following along with your thread and concur that some extra steps are needed. I want to figure out how to do a baseline check before I get too far into the weeds. Thinking I'll try a MV2F if I can't find a working MV1 in the parts pile.

 

[pierpa86]

@pierpa86 I've been following along with your thread and concur that some extra steps are needed. I want to figure out how to do a baseline check before I get too far into the weeds. Thinking I'll try a MV2F if I can't find a working MV1 in the parts pile.

I tested it on MV2F and its working flawless.
On all board with DB15 integrated, its work as it.

 

[Kujako]

I tested it on MV2F and its working flawless.
On all board with DB15 integrated, its work as it.

Good to know, lamentably my MV2FS is in a "big red" which means the hardware dip switches are inaccessible (the 2F has the dips on the side by the DB15s but the 2FS has the dips next to the PCMCIA slot which is pressed up against the front of the cab). So will need to remove it before I can test with it.

 

[Kujako]

For whatever reason, I can't get into a mahjong IO test on my MV2FS, thinking it may be down to the BIOS variant it's running (US or EU). Will have to try swapping it out for UniBIOS 4 this weekend.

 

[Kujako]

Confirmed that everything works with hardware dip 3 set with UniBIOS. So looks like even on hardware that supports such mahjong controllers you need a JP or universal BIOS. Now that I have a known working controller I’ll dig into designing a PCB for the Famicom controller and see if I can figure out an adapter so it will work on a 1C via supergun.

 

[Kujako]

I may need to first build an adapter based on what @pierpa86 is doing. This is too much of a hassle to test with... I'll need to be able to quickly determine if my design is working as expected without needing to tear apart my "big red".