After scouring the second-hand shops and the endless pages of eBay for original video game hardware, a pattern emerges. The size of the accessory matters. If a relatively big controller originally came with a tiny wireless dongle, after twenty years, only the controller will survive. It’s almost as if these game controllers used to be owned by a bunch of irresponsible children who lose things (wink). Such is the case today when searching for a Nintendo Wavebird controller, and [James] published a wireless receiver design to make sure that the original hardware can be resurrected.

The project bears the name Wave Phoenix. The goal was to bring new life to a legendary controller by utilizing inexpensive, readily available parts. Central to the design is the RF-BM-BG22C3 Bluetooth module. Its low power draw and diminutive footprint made it a great fit for the limited controller port space of a Nintendo GameCube. The module itself is smaller than the GameCube’s proprietary controller connector.  Luckily for projects like this, there are plenty of third-party connector options available.

When it comes to assembly, [James] insists it is possible to wire everything up by hand. He included an optional custom PCB design for those of us who aren’t point-to-point soldering masters. The PCB nestles cleanly into the 3D-printed outer casing seen in the image above in the iconic GameCube purple. Once the custom firmware for the Bluetooth module is flashed, pairing is as simple as pressing the Wave Phoenix adapter pairing button, followed by pressing X and Y simultaneously on the Wavebird controller. The two devices should stay paired as long as the controller’s wireless channel dial remains on the same channel. Better yet, any future firmware updates can be transferred wirelessly over Bluetooth.

Those who have chosen to build their own Wave Phoenix adapter have been pleased with the performance. The video below from Retrostalgia on YouTube shows that input responsiveness seems to be on par with the original Nintendo adapter. Mix in a variety of 3D printed shell color options, and this project goes a long way to upcycle Wavebird controllers that may have been doomed to end up in a dumpster. So it might be time to fire up a round of Kirby Air Ride and mash the A button unencumbered by a ten-foot cord.

There are even more open source video game controller designs out there like this previous post about the Alpakka controller by Dave.

If you’ve ever tried to hook an old Nintendo 64 up to a modern HDTV, you know the results can be less than ideal. Assuming your original hardware still works and your flatscreen even has the requisite R/F and/or composite inputs to allow for the connection, the N64’s output will probably look like a blurry mess on a flatscreen that wasn’t designed with those old video signals as a priority.

The Analogue 3D solves this very specific problem very well, with a powerful FPGA core that accurately replicates a Nintendo 64 and well-made display filters that do a good job of approximating that cathode-ray tube glow you remember from decades ago. But the lack of easy expandability limits the appeal of this $250 device to all but the most die-hard fans of original N64 hardware.

A beauty to behold

As a piece of physical design, the Analogue 3D is a work of art. The gentle curves of its sleek black shell evoke the original N64 design without copying it, coming in at a slightly smaller footprint and height. Plus, there’s no ugly power brick.

Read full article

Comments