How can I convert an original Donkey Kong panel into a USB control stick?

[Redghost357]

So I want to make an authentic USB stick for my Raspberry Pi with an original Donkey Kong control panel and am willing to buy one for $150 from Mikes arcade.

https://www.mikesarcade.com/cgi-bin/store.pl?sku=CPDKONG

I’m a newb though to building USB sticks so how would I convert an old Donkey Kong arcade panel into a USB stick compatible for my Pi?

Should I purchase the old wiring for the Donkey Kong panel or do I need to upgrade it to new wiring? Could I hook up an encoder to the old wiring?

I provided a picture for the underside to show the original wiring and hope I can easily plug this into some kind of compatible encoder if possible, please notify me. I don’t know anything about wiring so I hope I don’t need to buy anything extra for an encoder except for a a USB adapter.

This will be one of my favorite builds.

[Kewydee_17]

It's a control panel, not a control board. Board would normally mean the circuit board (PCB)
That said, it looks like you need a keyboard encoder, something like this:

https://www.ultimarc.com/ipac1.html

Connect the wires from the control panel if it has wires, or make a wiring loom, to the Ipac, connect Ipac via USB and your Pi will think its a keyboard.

Assign your buttons in PiMAME or whatever software you are using and your good.

I haven't done this myself, or used a Pi, but this setup will work for MAME on a PC so I can't see any problem.

I have an X-Arcade Dual stick which is essentially the same thing.
https://shop.xgaming.com/collections/arcade-joysticks/products/x-arcade-dual-joystick-usb-included

Also you will be able to add additional buttons to your control panel for Credit, reset etc
Similar sort of idea here, using an Xin-mo encoder:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGzw3sH4V5Q

[Redghost357]

That video is the SAME one that inspired me to build a Donkey Kong USB stick, I want to build the whole thing out of wood like he did but I want to include an original $150 Donkey Kong control panel and hopefully with the original wiring.

I don’t know anything about the connection of the wiring from control panels in arcade cabinets but I’m hoping I could wire the original Donkey Kong wires to an Ipac encoder, although in that video there is a Xin-Mo but then again he doesn’t use the original wiring so not sure what encoder to buy that’s compatible.

I also want to wire in a coin slot into the stick but need help wiring it to the original wiring.

[jhillestad]

Did you ever complete the project ? how did it go ? Gonna do this myself too.

[ChrisP]

If you just want to use the DK control panel, there's nothing to it. The terminals on the microswitches for the DK joystick and buttons are standard .187 quick-disconnects, and the wiring included with any of those cheap Chinese USB joystick encoders will fit onto the DK switches (though they sometimes include the smaller type QDs for Sanwa-style buttons). You can get one of those USB encoders for like 10 bucks (IPac is overpriced and sorta outdated).

There's no way to use the original DK CP wiring harness to connect to a USB encoder without unwiring it from the two original connectors and replacing with connectors that will mate with the USB encoder. But there's no reason to do that anyway, since the encoder will come with the wiring you need.