Densha de Go! Taito Pad Support

I picked up one of these a few weeks ago, hoping for some PlayStation 2 support.  I was not disappointed!

This is the Taito HPS-55 (made by Hori).  It's not in the greatest condition as you can see (scratches, classic piss yellow discoloration) but functionally works perfect.  As with any second hand controller I buy, it was torn down and fully cleaned.  Fresh silicon grease applied where needed.  Ok, on with the game list:

Title	Console	Supported
Densha de Go!	PlayStation	Unknown
Densha de Go! 2 Kōsoku-hen	PlayStation	Unknown
Kisha De Go!	PlayStation	Unknown
Densha de Go! Nagoya Tetsudō-hen	PlayStation	Unknown
Densha de Go! Professional Shiyō	PlayStation	Unknown
Densha de Go! 3 Tsūkin-hen	PlayStation 2	Yes
Densha de Go! Shinkansen Sanyō Shinkansen-hen	PlayStation 2	Yes
Densha de Go! Professional 2	PlayStation 2	No
Densha de Go! Ryojō-hen	PlayStation 2	No
Train Simulator + Densha de Go! Tōkyō Kyūkō-hen	PlayStation 2	No
Densha de Go! Final	PlayStation 2	No

Will update the PS1 titles in the list when I have a proper SNAC adapter for MiSTer.

Hori FightingStick PS conversion

Something interesting I came across on twitter: These old Hori fight sticks have both the PlayStation (PS) and Saturn (SS) headers on the PCB.

I was searching for a good Saturn controller for my fighting games and this seemed like a cool project.  I purchased the cheapest one I could find, which ended up being the PS version.  It actually looked very similar to the first picture above, rust and all.

What was not mentioned in the tweet, is that these controllers come with at least two different PCB variants.  This is important to note, because the header wiring is reversed depending which one you have.  Mine was model 0888-31 (versus model 0888-100A).

CN2 is where the PlayStation cable was hooked up.  CN1 is the unused Saturn header.  I soldered in a spare Saturn controller cable which I sourced from a Gen 1 US pad - these are absolute shit so it won't be missed!  Unlike the 0888-100A PCB, pin 1 is white.  Stripping the controller cable was surprisingly difficult as they are very small gauge and have thread intertwined.  I then soldered on additional wire for slack.  I used the same colors except for the blue wire, which is now purple:

You can keep both controller cables connected, but I removed the PlayStation one as I intend to only use this with my Saturn.  Restoration is ongoing so I will save those pics for a future post - but the controller works!