Bob

NES to SMS Controller Board

Frank Strasser has just posted design files for an board that replaces the internal NES PCB with a custom one that connects to an SMS.  This is an interesting idea for a few reasons:

  • It’s a completely reversible #nocutmod that won’t damage your NES controller
  • There are many high-quality 3rd party controllers you can add this board too (such as the Hyperkin one) that will allow for the mod without the ‘guilt’ of loosing an original NES controller!
  • If you wire the corresponding board inside the SMS (another #nocutmod), you can even integrate the SMS’ Pause and Reset buttons into the controller.  This is both convenient and helpful, as some later SMS games used the pause button to access menu’s, requiring you to sit next to the SMS console itself.
  • You can choose to not wire Pause and Reset and the controller will still function normally otherwise.

Overall, this is a cool project and something that might even be a safe beginner project to try!  Frank also said he’ll try making a version for a Genesis controller in the future!

Controller board:  https://oshpark.com/shared_projects/5BENVRNB

Internal Board:  https://oshpark.com/shared_projects/jpk1c0Ej

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