Difference between revisions of "Control Pad (Mega Drive)"

From Sega Retro

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The '''Sega Mega Drive Control Pad''' is the official controller of the [[Sega Mega Drive]] (or Sega Genesis in North America). There are two main types of official Mega Drive control pad - "three button" and "six button" varieties, with the latter being brought in to replace the former towards the end of the system's lifespan (1994/1995). There are of course many other options as far as controllers go, including the [[Arcade Power Stick]] - a decendant of previous Sega joysticks. This article covers only the two basic pads.
Over the span of the [[Sega Mega Drive]]'s lifecycle, [[Sega]] released eight different types of '''Sega Mega Drive gamepads''' across its three main regions--[[NTSC]], [[PAL]] and NTSC-J.  
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Three button controllers are known officially as '''Control Pads''' in both North America and Europe, and '''SJ-3500s''' in Japan (following a system set up by the [[SG-1000]]). Six button controllers are known as '''SJ-6000s''' in Japan, '''6 Button Arcade Pads''' in North America and '''Six Button Control Pads''' in Europe.
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Mega Drive control pads are the logical progression from [[Control Pad (Master System)|Master System control pads]]. Copying a system set up by [[Nintendo]], the three button Mega Drive control pad adds, as the name suggests, an extra face button, {{C}}, to go with {{A}}, {{B}} and {{Start}}. {{A}} and {{B}} map to {{1}} and {{2}} on a Master System controller, while {{Start}} eliminates the need for a pause button placed on the console unit itself. Six button pads add {{X}}, {{Y}}, {{Z}} and "MODE", meaning the total number of buttons is equal to that of the Super Nintendo.
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The six button control pad would be used as a basis for the [[Control Pad (Saturn)|Sega Saturn Control Pad]], though the MODE button would be scrapped in favour of an extra two shoulder buttons, {{L}} and {{R}}.
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Mega Drive controllers are notable for being one of the first control pads to be ergonomically designed for the user's hands. Though improvements were made in the coming years, previous systems had cornered edges with their controllers, meaning they were often uncomfortable to hold after several hours of play. The Mega Drive controller is rounded, and has its buttons placed in easier to reach positions.
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==Variations==
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Control pads remained mostly the same across regions, but the colouring can determine the region and revision of the accessory.
  
==Types of official gamepads==
 
 
===Japan===
 
===Japan===
 
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|[[Image:Pad MD JP I.jpg|150px]]
 
|[[Image:Pad MD JP I.jpg|150px]]
|valign="top"|'''Sega Mega Drive Gamepad, JP Type I''': Again, the Japanese version of the Sega Mega Drive gamepad is very much like the controllers released in the other two territories, though it has some distinct coloring differences: the {{A}}, {{B}} and {{C}} buttons are printed in red lettering instead of white, and the {{start}} button is blue. The text at the top of the controller reads "Computer Video Game Control Pad."
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|valign="top"|'''SJ-3500''': The first controller for the Sega Mega Drive, released in 1988. The {{A}}, {{B}} and {{C}} buttons are printed in red lettering and the {{start}} button is blue. The text at the top of the controller reads "Computer Video Game Control Pad".
 
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|[[Image:Pad MD JP II.jpg|150px]]
 
|[[Image:Pad MD JP II.jpg|150px]]
|valign="top"|'''JP MegaDrive 6-button pad, aka Sega Club 6 button Jr''': This is the Japanese 6-button controller. It is noticeably smaller than the standard North American and European model. The blue Start button matches the color scheme of the Japanese console.  Of note, its buttons were lettered in a serif style, unlike the sans-serif used previously... this font would be used again on the Sega Saturn controllers.  Due to the smaller size, the controller was also offered in North America through the "Sega Club" as it was well-suited for kids' smaller hands.  Sega Club was a program created by Sega of America to offer parents information about upcoming kid-friendly games.  Sega Club was also responsible for "edutainment" titles and games with light difficulty for young gamers; Ecco Jr was one such title.  2-Piece D-Pad
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|valign="top"|'''SJ-6000, aka Sega Club 6 button Jr''': The Japanese 6-button controller. It is noticeably smaller than the standard North American and European model. The blue Start button matches the color scheme of the Japanese console.  Of note, its buttons were lettered in a serif style, unlike the sans-serif used previously... this font would be used again on the Sega Saturn controllers.  Due to the smaller size, the controller was also offered in North America through the "Sega Club" as it was well-suited for kids' smaller hands.  Sega Club was a program created by Sega of America to offer parents information about upcoming kid-friendly games.  Sega Club was also responsible for "edutainment" titles and games with light difficulty for young gamers; Ecco Jr was one such title.  2-Piece D-Pad
 
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===North America===
 
===North America===

Revision as of 18:02, 23 January 2011

The Sega Mega Drive Control Pad is the official controller of the Sega Mega Drive (or Sega Genesis in North America). There are two main types of official Mega Drive control pad - "three button" and "six button" varieties, with the latter being brought in to replace the former towards the end of the system's lifespan (1994/1995). There are of course many other options as far as controllers go, including the Arcade Power Stick - a decendant of previous Sega joysticks. This article covers only the two basic pads.

Three button controllers are known officially as Control Pads in both North America and Europe, and SJ-3500s in Japan (following a system set up by the SG-1000). Six button controllers are known as SJ-6000s in Japan, 6 Button Arcade Pads in North America and Six Button Control Pads in Europe.

Mega Drive control pads are the logical progression from Master System control pads. Copying a system set up by Nintendo, the three button Mega Drive control pad adds, as the name suggests, an extra face button, C, to go with A, B and  START . A and B map to 1 and 2 on a Master System controller, while  START  eliminates the need for a pause button placed on the console unit itself. Six button pads add X, Y, Z and "MODE", meaning the total number of buttons is equal to that of the Super Nintendo.

The six button control pad would be used as a basis for the Sega Saturn Control Pad, though the MODE button would be scrapped in favour of an extra two shoulder buttons, L and R.

Mega Drive controllers are notable for being one of the first control pads to be ergonomically designed for the user's hands. Though improvements were made in the coming years, previous systems had cornered edges with their controllers, meaning they were often uncomfortable to hold after several hours of play. The Mega Drive controller is rounded, and has its buttons placed in easier to reach positions.

Variations

Control pads remained mostly the same across regions, but the colouring can determine the region and revision of the accessory.

Japan

Picture Description
Pad MD JP I.jpg SJ-3500: The first controller for the Sega Mega Drive, released in 1988. The A, B and C buttons are printed in red lettering and the  START  button is blue. The text at the top of the controller reads "Computer Video Game Control Pad".
Pad MD JP II.jpg SJ-6000, aka Sega Club 6 button Jr: The Japanese 6-button controller. It is noticeably smaller than the standard North American and European model. The blue Start button matches the color scheme of the Japanese console. Of note, its buttons were lettered in a serif style, unlike the sans-serif used previously... this font would be used again on the Sega Saturn controllers. Due to the smaller size, the controller was also offered in North America through the "Sega Club" as it was well-suited for kids' smaller hands. Sega Club was a program created by Sega of America to offer parents information about upcoming kid-friendly games. Sega Club was also responsible for "edutainment" titles and games with light difficulty for young gamers; Ecco Jr was one such title. 2-Piece D-Pad

North America

Picture Description
Pad gen v1.jpg Sega Genesis Gamepad v1 "Model No. 1650": This is the first version of the NTSC gamepad for the Sega Genesis. It features three buttons—A, B and C—and has a white  START  button. The arrows around the D-Pad are red, along with the indented label on each button, and the "Genesis" logo is two-toned; this color scheme matches that of the original Genesis.
Pad MD Gen.jpg Sega Genesis Gamepad v2 "Model No. 1650": This is the second version of the NTSC gamepad for the Sega Genesis. It features three buttons—A, B and C—and has a white  START  button. The red color has been dropped to match the updated "Genesis II" console design and color scheme. It has an improved D-Pad mechanism, employing a metal ball-bearing for the pad to rock on. This prevented the wear which plagued the original design, which used a plastic nub for the rocking motion and would eventually wear down with frequent use.
Pad gen v3.jpg Sega Genesis Gamepad v3 "Model No. 1650": This is the third version of the NTSC gamepad for the Sega Genesis. It features three buttons—A, B and C—and has a white  START  button. It maintains the all-white color scheme of the previous revision, but again has an updated D-Pad. This was the first iteration of Sega's 2-Piece D-Pad mechanism, used in every official subsequent Sega Saturn controller. Rather than providing the rocking motion by a plastic nub or ball-bearing, there is a molded dome underneath the outside half of the D-Pad which allows the D-Pad to glide smoothly in a circle. This design was also plagued with wear like the first model, eventually resulting in all four directions being able to be pressed simultaneously.
Pad MD Gen3.jpg Sega Genesis 6-Button Gamepad "MK-1653": Following the success of arcade-to-Mega Drive games such as Street Fighter II, the six-button gamepad was released for a more arcade-like experience. This version of the gamepad featured X, Y and Z buttons in addition to the standard A, B and C, along with a new Mode button. The European MegaDrive version has a reddish-orange start button to match the power and reset switches on their MegaDrive 2 console. 2-Piece D-Pad
Pad gen3.jpg Sega Genesis 3 Gamepad "MK-1470": This was the controller which was included with the Genesis 3 console. As the Genesis 3 was an economy model, manufacturer Majesco sourced them from a third-party manufacturer. This design became the most popular design and was simply rebranded with a different logo for each third-party company who decided to market it. It features six buttons, mode and start, and includes a switch to enable rapid-fire for all 6 buttons and slow motion via rapid pause. The design is a blatant rip-off of the Japanese 6-Button pad, but the molding does not match exactly. 2-Piece D-Pad with arguable effectiveness.
Pad gen megafire.jpg Sega Megafire Gamepad, Genesis version "Model No. 1657": The Sega Megafire is an official version of the then-popular "turbo" controllers of the time, which offered autofire capabilities. The gamepad offers autofire for A, B and C buttons, and has cardinal direction arrows on the d-pad in red; it also used the improved ball-bearing D-Pad mechanism. The Genesis version has the Genesis logo printed on it.

Europe

Picture Description
Pad MD PAL I.jpg Sega Mega Drive Gamepad, PAL Type I: The Sega Mega Drive Gamepad for PAL regions is extremely similar to the Sega Genesis gamepad; however, it has "Mega Drive Control Pad" and the Sega logo printed in lieu of the Sega Genesis logo.
Pad MD PAL II.jpg Sega Mega Drive Gamepad, PAL Type II: The second model of Mega Drive gamepad. Mostly identical to the type I varient, however now features a red  START  button instead of a white one. Model IIs were released with the Sega Mega Drive II, and would become the default controller for the years that followed.
Pad MD Megafire.jpg Sega Megafire Gamepad, MegaDrive version: The Sega Megafire is an official version of the then-popular "turbo" controllers of the time, which offered autofire capabilities. The gamepad offers autofire for A, B and C buttons, and has cardinal direction arrows on the d-pad in red; it also used the improved ball-bearing D-Pad mechanism. The MegaDrive version has text printed in an arc at the top of the face like the regular 3-Button controller, and obviously is lacking the Genesis logo.

Brazil

Picture Description
Pad MD Tectoy.jpg Sega Mega Drive Gamepad, "MK-1470": A radically different design, this 6-button pad has a Turbo and slow-motion switch just like the Genesis 3 control pad. This model had a unique D-Pad implementation; a plastic spike or pillar was raised from the rear portion of the chassis and protruded through the circuit-board inside. The point of the spire is what the D-Pad rested on for its rocking motion. Of note is the model number on the rear of the pad, "MK-1470" which is the same as the Genesis 3 pad. Perhaps Sega used this as a general designation for any 6-button controllers licensed from a third-party source. The Sega logo is embossed on the rear of the controller, as well as the plug. This control pad was made by Tectoy, in Brazil.

Technical Information

3-button gamepads

The chip inside the gamepad is a 74HC157. This is a high-speed CMOS quad 2-line to 1-line multiplexer. Basically, how this works is there are two inputs ( A and B ) for every output ( Y ). There are four groups like this. There is one select signal for the whole chip. When the select signal is low, the output ( Y ) is the same as input A. When the select signal is high, the output Y is the same as input B. The pinout for the chip is as follows:

Pin 1 Select
Pin 2 1A
Pin 3 1B
Pin 4 1Y
Pin 5 2A
Pin 6 2B
Pin 7 2Y
Pin 8 Gnd
Pin 9 3Y
Pin 10 3B
Pin 11 3A
Pin 12 4Y
Pin 13 4B
Pin 14 4A
Pin 15 G (? must be low)
Pin 16 Vcc (+5V)

All the controls are done with switches. Up is a switch, Down is a switch, etc. Now, I will be referring to the output of these switches later on. The output is usually high when the switch isn't pressed. When the button is pushed, the output goes low. This is accomplished by connecting the output to +5V through a 10k resistor. The button is then attached between the output and ground. It looks like this:

    +5V -----/\/\/------+--------- Output
              10k       |
                        |
               /        |
  Ground -----/  -------+
             button
             (normally open)

The line numbers are determined as follows, looking straight at the plug on the front of the Genesis the numbers are:

	1 2 3 4 5
	 6 7 8 9
Line 1 Up output.
Line 2 Down output. These are the only two direct connections.
Line 3 Pin 4 of the chip. Output 1Y.
Line 4 Pin 7 of the chip. Output 2Y.
Line 5 This line carries in +5V. It is connected to the +5V bus line.
Line 6 (TL) Pin 9 of the chip. Output 3Y.
Line 7 (TH) Pin 1 of the chip. This carries in a select signal from the Genesis. This is a signal which varies rapidly and controls which input goes through the output
Line 8 Ground. This is connected to the Ground bus line.
Line 9 (TR) Pin 12 of the chip. Output 4Y.


Now for the chips pin connections:

Pin 1 Line 7 (select)
Pin 2 Ground (1A)
Pin 3 Left (1B)
Pin 4 Line 3 (1Y)
Pin 5 Ground (2A)
Pin 6 Right (2B)
Pin 7 Line 4 (2Y)
Pin 8 Ground (GND)
Pin 9 Line 6 (3Y)
Pin 10 Button B (3B)
Pin 11 Button A (3A)
Pin 12 Line 9 (4Y)
Pin 13 Button C (4B)
Pin 14 Start (4A)
Pin 15 Ground (G)
Pin 16 +5V (Vcc)

6-button gamepads

In order to maintain backwards-compatibility with existing games, the 6-button gamepad acts the same as the 3-button if the controller inputs are read by the program a maximum of four times per frame. Reading the 3-button gamepad takes two cycles (once with TH=1 to read Up, Down, Left, Right, B, and C; and once with TH=0 to read A and Start), and the 6-button gamepad allows this to occur twice. It then reports the state of the extra buttons when the TH line is changed after the fourth cycle.

The full controller state is read in 8 cycles:

Cycle TH out TR in TL in D3 in D2 in D1 in D0 in
1 HI C B Right Left Down Up
2 LO Start A 0 0 Down Up
3 HI C B Right Left Down Up
4 LO Start A 0 0 Down Up
5 HI C B Right Left Down Up
6 LO Start A 0 0 0 0
7 HI C B Mode X Y Z
8 LO Start A --- --- --- ---

Note: For the 8th cycle, '---' indicates "don't care". These values are all 1 on the 6-button controller, but may be mapped to other buttons on third-party controllers. Software expecting 6-button controllers should simply ignore these values. (6-button detection should be done on the 6th cycle, which presents four 0's on the D lines.)

The controller's internal counter automatically resets after the eighth cycle. It also resets if it doesn't detect a rising-edge (0 to 1) transition on the TH line within 1.5 ms, which ensures that most games that don't support the extra buttons won't read them accidentally.

Some games incorrectly read the controller more than twice per frame, which may cause them to read the wrong set of buttons. If the Mode button is held in while starting the Genesis console, the 6-button gamepad will disable the extra buttons and act identically to a 3-button gamepad. (That is, the controller's internal counter will reset after the first two cycles instead of after eight cycles.)

Physical Scans


Sega Mega Drive
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