Is this possible with a Microcontroller?(mass wire redirect)

[Seaniccus]

Hey,
I'm a first timer when it comes to micro controllers obviously, and i'd like to know if I can use it to solve a problem in a project I have been planning before I do too much research on them.

Let me give you the short version of what I want to do.
I am a big fan of classic video games, particularly the original Nintendo, and I want to build an arcade cabinet that uses the original hardware and a spare circuit board to select between 20-50 cartridges housed in the cabinet.
I'm designing the circuit board, but the hard part is the cartridge pin redirection.

Each NES cartridge has 72 pins, which corresponds with 72 pins on the NES motherboard. What I want to do is use a micro controller to select which cartridge is receiving power and exchanging data with which the motherboard, or, redirect 72 pins/wire of information between them.

At best I'd like to have over fifty different "settings," controlled by simple button pushes. Pressing a button would ideally turn off all other settings, and reset the re-direction to the cartridge that corresponds to that button.

Is this type of setup possible with micro controllers? If so, what do you suggest? Where should I start, i'm sure i have a lot of reading to do.

(Sorry for the trouble.)

[Turd]

Wow, that sounds hard to do. I don't know of an easy way to do that.
Maybe someone else does


eric

[Seaniccus]

Yeah, i'be been wanting to do it for quite some time, but it's obviously very problematic. I can't think of any way to do it without some sort of processor telling the wires what to connect to - and i don't know enough about micro controllers to know if they are capable of that. I was hoping some enthusiasts here could tell me if i was wasting my time with them, and I should look to something more powerful.

[friendlyzookeeper]

Here are 5 episodes,

http://revision3.com/systm/mamecase
http://revision3.com/systm/mamecase2
http://revision3.com/systm/buttons
http://revision3.com/systm/software
http://revision3.com/systm/itsover

these may help.
_________________
There aren't any mistakes, just a learning curve.

[JingleJoe]

Probably totally impractical but you could build a HUGE mechanical switch with thousands of contacts!
_________________
The Green Dungeon Alchemist.