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staroscik@mediaone.net
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I just got the 1998 Happ Controls catalog. It is crammed full of neat parts that I want to try hooking up to my PSX and PC. I took photos of some parts that look especially easy to adapt - check 'em out! Sorry some pictures are a little fuzzy, but I used a QuickTake 200 digital camera - not a scanner.

This pushbutton is a little different than the Ultimate Pushbutton I used - it has a rounded top, not a concave one. Some people may prefer the way it feels. Note that it only comes in red, white, and blue, though. Happ part numbers: 58-2610-L (Red), 58-2611-L (White), 58-2612-L (Blue).

It's hard to beat that $10 ConnTrol pedal, but if you are longing for an arcade part, here it is. I can't vouch for the feel of this $45 pedal, but if you want to try it the Happ part number is 50-8194-00. Note that it does not include any cabling. It does come with a switch like those in the buttons, and you'll have to wire it up yourself. (Hmm, now that I think about it, a 2-pedal setup would be really nice for throttle control in Colony Wars. Of course, I'd want two $10 pedals... have to add 2 1/8" jacks to the Sony analog controller, assign them to the throttle shoulder buttons, and run lines to 2 pedals. Yes, that works... you could also use a 2-pedal arrangement for run left/right in Armored Core, and make the look up/down into R1/R2.)

This looks like it has a lot of potential. It could be wired for shift up/down in racing games, or could be used for weapon select or camera controls in some other games. If you don't want to get inside your joystick cabinet and fiddle with wires each time you want to reassign which button is activated by up/down, try this: Radio Shack has a 12-position rotary switch. Add two of those inside or on top of the cabinet, and rotate them to select what up & down on the shifter do. I would definitely rotate that switch with the Playstation off, though. The Happ part number for this controller is 50-8110-00, and it's $40.

If you want to add a rapid fire action to any button, this will do it. Note that it needs its own 5V power supply. If you want to turn the rapid fire action off, well, I don't think that's supported. You'd need to wire a switch into the system that lets the line from the button bypass this circuit board - and I'd only make the mode change with the Playstation off, or you might blow a fuse in the controller/memory card circuits. I did that once... Part number 50-8377-00, price $12.00.

This is a different type of joystick than the "Ultimate" stick I used. This "Perfect 360" joystick has optical detectors instead of switches. Theoretically it should be more durable and offer less resistance to movement. It certainly looks easy to wire. Essentially, this is a Happ Ultimate Joystick with the switch array replaced with the optical array, visible as the bottom-most module in the diagram above. The complete joystick is Happ part number 50-6083-00 ($34.95). If you already have a Happ Ultimate Joystick, you can order the optical array to replace your switches for $21.95, part number 95-6083-00.

Reader Russel Gamboa tried using this part, here are his comments:

I built a joystick for the psx using the 360. this works great for games that use open field walking, ex: resident evil but is horrible for fighting games ex: tekken, the diagonals are extremely precise and lots of fighting games use f,n,d,d/f movement and with this stick its nearly impossible to find the d/f.

If anyone else uses this thing, email me and tell me what you think.