Joybus Protocol

The Joybus Protocol is a proprietary, non-standard, serial protocol by which the N64's Peripheral Interface (as well as the GameCube and Game Boy Advance) communicates with controllers, controller accessories (Controller Pak, Rumble Pak, etc.), keyboards, mice, game cartridges, and other devices plugged into the console.

Operation
The protocol utilizes four types of bits: Zero, One, the Console Stop Bit, and the Controller Stop Bit. Zero, One, and the Controller Stop Bits are 4μs long, while the Console Stop Bit is 3μs. Communication is always initiated by the console, by sending an 8 bit (one byte) command to the device plugged in (not necessarily always a standard controller). A Console Stop Bit will usually follow after this command byte unless there is more data.

The controller or device will read this command and any extra data, and then respond appropriately. For example, when the console wishes to write to a Controller Pak, it will send 0x03, followed by a 2 byte address, 32 bytes of data, and then the stop bit.

The default state of the data pin is HIGH. If the connected device isn't in the process of sending a signal, it should not default to sending a HIGH signal (either set to LOW for reading, high-impedance, or disconnect). Wrongly setting the pin HIGH may disrupt the console and will prevent intermediate devices from reading any console signals.

Command List
Because all commands are exactly 8 bits long, there can be a total of 256 commands. However, only about 16 are known for the N64, and a few more for GameCube and Game Boy Advance. Games also have the ability to define custom commands with or without extra data, but official controllers or devices will not understand them.

$(1)$ Real Time Clock

$(1)$ Requires verification, might be offset by one.

0xFF - Reset / Info
While identical to 0x00 in what data is returned to the console, if a device has an intended reset function, it should be performed when this command is sent. The N64 controller for example will reset the internal position of its analog stick to (0, 0), essentially recalibrating it. Other devices may have similar functionality, or none at all, but either way they should still send back the same data as if the 0x00 command was sent.

0x00 - Info
This command requests information about the device. The N64 a 2-byte identifier and 1 byte of extra data. $(1)$ Requires verification yet.

0x01 - Controller State
The response for this command is always the same length of 4 bytes (32 bits), but the data it represents will change depending on the type of controller device. A Controller Stop Bit is always included after the response bytes. ''Note that in the following waveform diagrams, any LOW bit should send a Zero Bit as described in the operation section above. Do not hold the line LOW constantly.''

Standard Controller
The most common is the standard N64 controller. In which case, the data is the current state of the inputs from the controller: the 14 buttons, the current position of the analog stick, and the reset (RST) bit. The default state of buttons and RST is Zero. If a button is pressed, it becomes One. If LT, RT, and Start are pressed, RST is One, Start becomes Zero, and the analog stick's position is reset to (0, 0). Each axis of the analog stick is a Two's Complement byte, giving a decimal value ranging from -128 to +127, even though a standard controller may not reach the full range due to physical limitations. The bit order from left to right, of the response data, is as follows:



Mouse
The mouse follows a similar format to the standard controller. However, it only uses the A and B buttons, and the x/y axis bytes represent the relative position of the mouse.