*claps* This reminds me of when I hacked together a second controller for my 5200. Just looking quickly, I think the above design could easily be made pin compatible.

Thanks for the memories.

@Steve,
You’re obviously not a unix guy.

you know what would make this “hack” complete?

if instead of using switches,each of the four contacts was instead a compete arduino,with two MORE arduinos as backups in case the first arduino failed,for a total of 12 functional arduinos plus redundant aruinos just glued onto the circuit board to look nice and instead of using a handle for the joystick actuator have 4 or 5 MORE arduinos glued together!!!! then make a case out of more arduinos,and then cover the case with more arduinos and then put the whole thing into a 55 gallon drum full of arduinos and the cover the drum with arduinos!!!!!

i would use no less than 175 arduinos to properly complete this project!!!

and oh yeah some arduinos!!!

Very nice hack indeed. It can probably handle some non-intensive games pretty well.

@bobob: needs more arduinos.
@Mr.Q: And a twitter interface would be wasted on this. You need a imageboard wordfilter to trigger it. Peanut butter=left, over 9000=right and so on. maybe even use the arduino cluster ddos a site. I’m ashamed hack-a-day. Less talk, More rock.

@samurai
That’s getting a little too picky. I understand the “not a hack” comments for some posts (I’ve posted a few myself), but when you say he didn’t hack it, just hacked it together, that’s just you being an ass. He didn’t have a joystick, so he took what he had and quick hacked it up into a functional joystick. At the very least, you can say he hacked that ballpoint pen =P.

Maybe some of these people should start up a website called “ONLYREALHAXADAY.COM” and only post stuff about sql injection and turning televisions into oscilloscopes…

Not to rip on either side, just sayin’…

please, for the love of god, implement comment moderation.

please. because this “wtf omg lolz this is so not a hack” bullshit is getting old.

shut the hell up.

This is actually a cool hack, in the true sense of the word.

@glagnar: agreed, some sort of slashdot-esque points system might be in order.

FYI: The people criticizing this as not a hack are mostly being cynical, i.e. not serious. So those of you defending this post lighten up.

Yeah this is the kind of hack I like to see… Something repurposed :)

You know what’s stupid?

There’s just no way to win with these lousy, bitching flamers.

1. If a hack is posted that’s less than highly-technical, they’ll complain that it’s not a hack and that their valuable time is being wasted.

2. If a hack is posted that has some complexity and takes some high-level skills, THEN they’ll line up and flame the poor guy for making it too complex. “*I* could’ve made that with a dirty pillowcase and some cardboard. You were stupid to include an Arduino!”

3. The middle ground between these two types of bitching is vanishingly small. I can only think of one recent one: PodeCoet got accolades for his spotwelder a couple of days ago, but his previous post in the spring he got flamed so bad I’m really surprised he even came back.

Come on, bitchers. I know you LIKE to complain, you WANT to complain and defend your RIGHT to complain. But you’re really just an attitude problem waiting to go off again. So shut up already.

Crankily yours,

gyro_john

oh for the record i was trolling. this is project is pretty much the definition of a hack, but for the love of god we need moderation on these comments – or at least heaven forbid – accountability.

“intense debate” could work? otherwise any sort of up down karma voting please!!!!

nice hack … in light of it being a nice quickie and dirt;gotta mention i have done some thing similar to this with one of them cherry brand switches from the interlocks of microwave ovens. the switches on their sides with the commons wired together and a sharpy pen as the stick. a thumb switch rigged inside of the stick{a push button from an old colecovision controller. all mounted inside of a small plastic project box with hot glue and a lil bit of wire .
kudos i might just try to build one hmmmm :-?

Very cool! It´s simple, easy to build and very useful. Great hack!

come round mine again!!

nice stick

You are all stupid lame people. Electronics should be kept for those who truly understand it. What next you fools?

im gunna use that on mandyspaz

woot