Last Updated (May 1 2021) This project is now back into active development. The software and hardware is pretty much ready to go. The documentation is still being worked on, but it should be enough to get most people started.
Like many of us, I was annoyed by the lack of LED control from the standard zero-delay joystick conrol boards. All they did was light up every button LED. I wanted to light up only the buttons that were used for any given game. Since I couldn't find any inexpensive control boards that could do it, I made my own.
Event Horizon Illuminate Joytick is a RetroPie joystick and button encoder board that also controls the LEDs in the Buttons. Lighting up ONLY the buttons used by the game you're playing. A nearly drop-in replacement (size and plugs) for the common zero-delay encoder boards used by many retropie builds. Only works with 5v LED buttons. Non-Led buttons will almost certainly burn up the control board. Make sure your buttons are 5v LEDs.
On the left what I received back from JLCPCB. On the right, a completed board.
See it in action on YouTube
- Control the LEDs of standard 5v LED Arcade Buttons.
- Compatible with common 3-pin button wiring configuration.
- Nearly Size-Identical most to Zero-Delay boards. For easy retrofit.
- Compatible with all emulators and games.
- Comes with a pre-configured button setup for most Mame games.
- Simple Text-Files allow easy modification of addition of games.
- SleepMode to turn off the LEDs after a period of inactivity (30 minutes). To extend the life of the LEDs.
- Adafruit Trinket M0 CPU
- 12 jst 3-pin button ports.
- 4 jst 2-pin button ports.
- 1 jst 5-pin joystick port.
- 1 jst 2-pin 5v power port.
- 1 micro-usb port.
- max current per LED button 15ma.
- max current for all LED buttons 200ma.
- Compatible with common 5v LED arcade buttons and 3-pin connectors.
- Compatible with common 5-pin Joystick.
- Most Typical Red LED Buttons take 5ma.
- Most Typical Blue LED Buttons take 10ma.
Assemble Your Own Event Horizon Illuminate Encoder Board
Buy Ready Made Event Horizon Illuminate Encoder Board (not yet, but soon I hope)
Install and Setup (Wires, firmware & software)
Add/Update System & Game button led settings
- http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,98241.0.html
- https://retropie.org.uk/forum/topic/1550/led-controller-that-works-with-retropie/13
- Provide an automatic package installer for retropie systems.
- Add auto-config support to retro arch? (https://github.com/libretro/retroarch-joypad-autoconfig/blob/master/hid/8BitDo_Zero2_gamepad_BT.cfg)
- command-line firmware update
- command-line game configuration update
- Ready Made complete
.ziparchive for easier install. - Ready Made complete
.ziparchive for easier updates.