Dragons Hobbies Forum
Gaming => Video Games => Topic started by: Dragon on February 08, 2026, 15:38:49
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I recently decided that I needed to start walking more. We've had a treadmill for a while, but I wasn't using it much. I finally got the RetroPie setup on the treadmill, so now I can get some walking in while I'm playing video games. I also got a new DIY joystick that I put together using a cardboard box, which is shown in the attached photo. I bought this one from Amazon for less than $25. I was a little surprised that this kit doesn't have any instructions. Even the Amazon listing provides more information because there wasn't a bit of paper that came with the electronic components.
Fortunately, I noticed the labels on the Amazon listing, which I've also saved for myself, and I found that it wasn't too hard to put together. I only used 4 of the buttons with the joystick to test it out with my cardboard box, since I was just using it for NES games anyway, so I have the other 6 buttons leftover. I used the 2-Pin Joystick Interface slots, assuming that the labels were intended for Up/Down/Right/Left. I plugged 4 buttons into K1-K4 slots, for Start/Select/A/B. I haven't looked up with the Turbo, Mode, CLR, or Auto ports would do and I didn't try them. And, of course, I plugged in the USB cable into the USB slot.
I just used duct tape to hold everything onto the box since it was just intended to make sure it was all working. I plan to make a wooden box for the joystick, but I've just been trying it out a bit to make sure I like the button positions. So far, I've been very happy with the outcome.