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3DO Interactive Multiplayer Adapter

USB controller adapter for 3DO with 8-player support and extension passthrough.

Features

Multi-Player Support (Up to 8 Players)

Full 8-player support via 3DO's PBUS daisy chain protocol: - Connect up to 8 USB controllers via USB hub - Each controller maps to a PBUS slot - Automatic player assignment on connection - Players shift on disconnect (SHIFT mode)

Controller Types

Joypad (Standard Controller): - D-pad, A, B, C buttons - L, R shoulder buttons - X (Stop), P (Play/Pause)

Joystick (Flight Stick): - 4-axis analog support - Digital buttons - Full 3DO flight stick protocol

Mouse: - USB mouse ā†’ 3DO mouse emulation - Native 3DO mouse protocol - Works with mouse-compatible games

Extension Passthrough

Native 3DO controllers can be connected in series: - USB controllers appear first in chain - Native 3DO controllers pass through - Full daisy chain support

Button Profiles

Switch between optimized button mappings:

Switching Profiles: 1. Hold Select for 2 seconds 2. Press D-Pad Up/Down to cycle profiles 3. LED blinks and controller rumbles to confirm 4. Profile saves to flash memory

Button Mappings

Default Profile (SNES-Style)

USB Input 3DO Output Notes
B1 (Cross/B) B Middle button
B2 (Circle/A) C Bottom button
B3 (Square/X) A Top button
B4 (Triangle/Y) - Disabled
L1 (LB/L) L Left shoulder
L2 (LT/ZL) L Left shoulder (OR)
R1 (RB/R) R Right shoulder
R2 (RT/ZR) R Right shoulder (OR)
S1 (Select) X Stop button
S2 (Start) P Play/Pause
D-Pad D-Pad Direct mapping
Left Stick D-Pad Stick to D-pad

Fighting Profile

Optimized for fighting games (Way of the Warrior, etc.):

USB Input 3DO Output Notes
B1 (Cross/B) B Light Punch
B2 (Circle/A) C Medium Punch
B3 (Square/X) A Heavy Punch
B4 (Triangle/Y) P Light Kick
L1 (LB/L) L Medium Kick
R1 (RB/R) R Heavy Kick
S1 (Select) X Stop
S2 (Start) P Pause

Shooter Profile

Optimized for shooters (Doom, PO'ed, etc.):

USB Input 3DO Output Notes
B1 (Cross/B) C Jump
B2 (Circle/A) B Action
B3 (Square/X) A Weapon Switch
B4 (Triangle/Y) X Special
L1/L2 L Primary Fire
R1/R2 R Secondary Fire
S2 (Start) P Pause

Mouse Mapping

USB Mouse 3DO Mouse
Left Click Left Button
Right Click Right Button
Middle Click Middle Button
Movement Movement (1:1)

Hardware Requirements

  • Board: Waveshare RP2040-Zero
  • Protocol: PBUS serial via PIO state machines
  • Level Shifters: Bidirectional 3.3Vā†”5V level shifter required
  • RP2040 GPIO is 3.3V and NOT 5V tolerant
  • All signal lines (CLK, DATA_OUT, DATA_IN, CS_CTRL) need shifting
  • Recommended: 4-channel BSS138 bidirectional level shifter (per FCare's design)

Wiring Diagram

USB-2-3DO Wiring Diagram

RP2040-Zero BD-LCC (Low) BD-LCC (High) DB9-Female DB9-Male
5V - HV - -
GND G G - -
GPIO 2 L1 H1 Pin 1 Pin 1
GPIO 3 L2 H2 Pin 2 Pin 2
GPIO 4 LV HV - -
GPIO 5 G G Pin 6 Pin 6
GPIO 6 L3 H3 Pin 3 Pin 3
GPIO 7 L4 H4 Pin 4 Pin 4
- - - Pin 5 (5V) Pin 5
- - - Pin 9 (GND) Pin 9
  • DB9-Female: Connects to 3DO console
  • DB9-Male: Passthrough for daisy-chaining native controllers

3DO Controller Port Pinout

Pin 1: Clock (CLK)
Pin 2: Data Out (to console)
Pin 3: Data In (from next controller)
Pin 4: Audio Left (unused)
Pin 5: Audio Right (unused)
Pin 6: VCC (5V)
Pin 7: GND
Pin 8: Control Select

3DO PBUS Protocol

The 3DO uses a serial PBUS (Peripheral Bus) protocol: - Clock-synchronized serial communication - Bidirectional data lines - Daisy chain architecture (up to 8 devices) - Different report sizes per device type: - Joypad: 2 bytes (16 bits) - Joystick: 9 bytes (72 bits) - Mouse: 4 bytes (32 bits)

Compatible 3DO Consoles

  • Panasonic FZ-1 / FZ-10
  • Goldstar GDO-101M / GDO-202M
  • Sanyo TRY 3DO
  • Creative Labs 3DO Blaster (PC card)

Compatible Games

Standard Controller:

  • Road Rash
  • Need for Speed
  • Gex
  • Crash 'n Burn
  • Star Control II
  • Return Fire

Fighting Games:

  • Way of the Warrior
  • Super Street Fighter II Turbo

Shooters:

  • Doom
  • PO'ed
  • Killing Time

Mouse-Compatible:

  • Myst
  • The Horde
  • Lemmings

Troubleshooting

Controller not detected: - Check PBUS cable connections - Verify 5V power supply - Check CLK and DATA pin assignments - Try reconnecting USB controller

Multiple players not working: - Verify USB hub is powered - Check total device count (max 8) - Try connecting one controller at a time

Extension passthrough not working: - Check DATA_IN connection - Verify daisy chain wiring - Native controller must be at end of chain

Mouse not working: - Verify game supports 3DO mouse - Check mouse is detected via USB - Try different USB mouse

Special Notes

  • PBUS protocol uses PIO state machines for precise timing
  • Extension passthrough allows mixing USB and native controllers
  • Profile changes saved to flash (persists across power cycles)
  • Based on USBTo3DO by FCare