|  | This should help (taken from Usenet....)
Newsgroups: rec.games.video
Path: decwrl!labrea!Portia!hobbes
Subject: NES Pinout
Posted: 24 Sep 88 18:47:36 GMT
Organization: Stanford University
 
Pinout for the NES game controllers
	-----
    Gnd | 1  \
  Clock | 2 5 | Vcc (+5)
  Load  | 3 6 | NC for controller
Ser/Out | 4 7 | NC for controller
        -------
 
Pin    Color    Signal
1	Brown	Gnd
2       Red	clock		Input
3	Orange	Parallel Load   Input
4	Yellow	Serial Output	Output
5	White	Vcc (+5)
 
The NES uses a 4021 Parallel Load Serial Out chip to transfer the 
controller information to the console.  The console provides
Vcc, Gnd, a Parallel load signal, and a Clock for the serial output.
The controller sends the status of the 8 switches in a serial stream
back to the console.  
 
The switches are read every 21 ms for Super Mario Brothers.  (This might
be different for different games, but shouldn't be critical if the 
supplied clocks are used).
 
 
Load
            -
           | |
           | |
	---- -------------------------------------------------------------
 
Clock
        ------  -   -   -   -   -   -   -   ------------------------------
             | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
             | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
              -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -
 
 
Serial out	Order of switches
              A   B  sel strt ^   v   <   >
 
Switches produce +5 when not pushed, Gnd when pushed.
 
Period of each clock pulse is roughly 15 microseconds.
 
 
 Connections for 4021
      A 1	16 Vcc	
     NC 2	15 B
Ser/out 3	14 Select
      ^ 4	13 Start
      v 5	12 NC
      < 6	11 Gnd
      > 7	10 Clock
    Gnd 8	 9 Parallel Load
 
 
Andrew Zimmerman
[email protected]
 | 
|  |     I don't know scematics, but a descriptive answer would be helpful. can
    the controller be provided with a feedback signal. Something that might
    drive a LED on the controller or a beep. that type of thing?
    
    How much feedback signal could be sent, just an on/off or more. In
    either case could the controller be intelligent enough to decode a
    sequence of feedback messages to display or activate more circuits?
    
    thanks
    randy
 |