bones Posted September 19, 2006 Share Posted September 19, 2006 Check out it link... http://cgi.ebay.com/2-NEW-JOYSTICK-CONTROL...1QQcmdZViewItem There's a slew of these on eBay. The auction states "JUST MANUFACTURED NEW 3RD PARTY ATARI 2600 JOYSTICKS." Any idea who is making these and if they can be purchased outside of eBay? If anyone has bought one, how durable are they? My guess is these are low quality knock-offs, but would love to be wrong. Any chance these are leftovers from the run of Flashback 2 systems? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
128bytes Posted September 19, 2006 Share Posted September 19, 2006 It's cheaper to just buy a new Flashback 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tjb Posted September 19, 2006 Share Posted September 19, 2006 Check out it link... http://cgi.ebay.com/2-NEW-JOYSTICK-CONTROL...1QQcmdZViewItem There's a slew of these on eBay. The auction states "JUST MANUFACTURED NEW 3RD PARTY ATARI 2600 JOYSTICKS." Any idea who is making these and if they can be purchased outside of eBay? If anyone has bought one, how durable are they? My guess is these are low quality knock-offs, but would love to be wrong. Any chance these are leftovers from the run of Flashback 2 systems? The "buy it now" price really isn't bad considering Best Electronics charges $20 and B & C ComputerVisions $19.95 for a CX-40 joystick. They look just like the CX-40. Have you sent the seller a question asking who the manufacturer is? -tjb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
omne Posted September 19, 2006 Share Posted September 19, 2006 Yes, they are third party chinese manufacture, distributed by a wholesaler importer called Simple Jet. I will be getting some review samples this week. I can test and report back. If they are of decent quality, I'll be carrying them on the OSG website as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bones Posted September 19, 2006 Author Share Posted September 19, 2006 Yes, they are third party chinese manufacture, distributed by a wholesaler importer called Simple Jet. I will be getting some review samples this week. I can test and report back. If they are of decent quality, I'll be carrying them on the OSG website as well. Great, thanks for the scoop. Give a shout when you've had a chance to check them out, I'd be curious to hear more. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starhopper Posted September 19, 2006 Share Posted September 19, 2006 Is it wrong that I wish I could see the insides of one? Seriously, though, are they using the same tech on the flashback controllers, or are they using microswitches? One of my current hobby projects is a homebrew joystick, and I'm using micros for the contacts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Urchlay Posted September 20, 2006 Share Posted September 20, 2006 It's probably wishful thinking to even ask this, but... Is anyone on the planet making new leaf switch controllers? (Or at least new leaf switches, in case my Wico sticks get old and worn out?) I'd kill for a brand new Command Control style joystick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starhopper Posted September 20, 2006 Share Posted September 20, 2006 It's probably wishful thinking to even ask this, but... Is anyone on the planet making new leaf switch controllers? (Or at least new leaf switches, in case my Wico sticks get old and worn out?) I'd kill for a brand new Command Control style joystick. Shouldn't be too hard. Just fiberboard and springsteel with contact pads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atari Dogs Posted September 20, 2006 Share Posted September 20, 2006 Anyone know what the size of these are? Are they same as the original controllers or smaller? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zonie Posted September 20, 2006 Share Posted September 20, 2006 (edited) They probably are the same as the FB2 controllers. Manufacturers in Asia regularily make their products available at trade shows, and some enterprising fellow saw them and decided to carry them. I was in Taiwan last month and there are catalogs of manufacturers in the hotel lobbies. I saw the same in S. Korea in the '90's so it is likely the same thing is going on in China, perhaps you would need a large contractor's wheelbarrow to carry all of them. If you want leaf switches, Wico still manufacturers them as replacements for amusement devices. You can also make one simply by sandwiching a small plastic or wood block between two copper, brass, or steel contacts with a piece of spring steel along the outside one as a spring. Solder a bump on the inside of one to act as a contact point. So there, you don't have to kill anyone. Edited September 20, 2006 by Zonie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A.J. Franzman Posted September 20, 2006 Share Posted September 20, 2006 If those are FB2 sticks, the case top is a new mold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paranoid Posted September 20, 2006 Share Posted September 20, 2006 I'd be interested in finding out if they are a FB2 stick or a genuine forgery of the original stick. Easy enough to find out. If the stick unscrews as one solid piece, it is a rip off of the FB2 design. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
omne Posted September 20, 2006 Share Posted September 20, 2006 OSG supplied the manufacturer with a real 7800 controller for them to emulate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paranoid Posted September 20, 2006 Share Posted September 20, 2006 Huh? A 7800 design in a 2600 case sounds like it would be a mess. I mean, everything is upside down and reversed on the 7800 stick compared to the 2600 stick. Is it a 7800 compatible 2 button stick, then? I only saw one button in the picture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpfalcon2003 Posted September 20, 2006 Share Posted September 20, 2006 Thanks 4 the link Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recycled Posted September 26, 2006 Share Posted September 26, 2006 Anyone know what the size of these are? Are they same as the original controllers or smaller? I just got a pair of these. They seem to be carbon copies of the original joysticks. I'm quite pleased with them. I've never had so much control playing Solar Fox. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bones Posted September 26, 2006 Author Share Posted September 26, 2006 Anyone know what the size of these are? Are they same as the original controllers or smaller? I just got a pair of these. They seem to be carbon copies of the original joysticks. I'm quite pleased with them. I've never had so much control playing Solar Fox. Have you opened one up yet? I'm curious if the internal parts used are consistent with the original, look like the FB2 controller, or something entirely different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recycled Posted September 26, 2006 Share Posted September 26, 2006 Anyone know what the size of these are? Are they same as the original controllers or smaller? I just got a pair of these. They seem to be carbon copies of the original joysticks. I'm quite pleased with them. I've never had so much control playing Solar Fox. Have you opened one up yet? I'm curious if the internal parts used are consistent with the original, look like the FB2 controller, or something entirely different. No, I haven't opened one up. I'm not as technically astute as many of you are here....so that really didn't cross my mind to do so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paranoid Posted September 26, 2006 Share Posted September 26, 2006 Are the FB2 sticks significantly different inside than the original sticks? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaybird3rd Posted September 26, 2006 Share Posted September 26, 2006 (edited) Are the FB2 sticks significantly different inside than the original sticks?The FB2 joystick cable is soldered directly to the board inside while Atari's original cables plugged into it, and the FB2 joysticks use rubber dome buttons instead of Atari's metallic domes underneath plastic tape. The layout of the board is also different, so it isn't possible to install a board designed for an original CX-40 inside a FB2 stick. It's definitely a cost-reduced design, but it seems to be well-done and addresses some of the common points of failure of the CX-40. One example: the contacts under the FB2 stick's buttons are gold-plated, so they should last longer and provide a cleaner connection than Atari's design. I think they're one of the best aspects of the FB2, personally, and I wish "Atari" had sold them individually. If these new sticks are indeed clones of the FB2 stick design, I'll definitely be buying some from OSG. I'm looking forward to seeing omne's hands-on review. Edited September 26, 2006 by jaybird3rd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tjb Posted September 26, 2006 Share Posted September 26, 2006 (edited) Ok, I just received a couple of these puppies from a vendor on Ebay for $12.95 each (plus shipping of course). I opened one up and it is a complete copy of the original CX-40! I played a few games with it briefly and my first impression is that it's great! The price might be considered a little high but its still $7 cheaper than Best Electronics and B & C Computervisions. -tjb Edited September 26, 2006 by tjb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A.J. Franzman Posted September 26, 2006 Share Posted September 26, 2006 (edited) Awesome pics! I see they have the new stress-relieved ultra long-life handle core (same one that Best sells), as well as an Atari part number on the board. There are only a couple of ways I can think of that they could have improved the design without changing the "feel": gold plating non-drifting contact domes I have some contact domes that I took from an old calculator, that have a metal "whisker" about 1/8 inch long at each of the three "corners", which extended downward through holes in the circuit board of the calculator keyboard, and prevented them from moving around like the CX-40 contacts are prone to do. Someday I'm going to drill some holes in a CX-40 board and put those contact domes on it for improved reliability. If someone can post them, I'd like to see comparison photos of the guts of the FB2 sticks, to go with tjb's of these new sticks. Edited September 26, 2006 by A.J. Franzman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bones Posted September 28, 2006 Author Share Posted September 28, 2006 Way cool, thanks for the pics, those are great! These look like they're part compatible with the cx40s, which will be good when repairing them in 20 years They are so close to the original it's almost like someone found the old molds/layout lying around and produced them off of that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Almost Rice Posted September 28, 2006 Share Posted September 28, 2006 They are so close to the original it's almost like someone found the old molds/layout lying around and produced them off of that. They probably were. I am guessing the last CX-40s were produced in China. The current manufacturer probably saw some demand with retro gaming and hoped to capitalize. Chinese companies love to copy, but making molds with an undetermined amount of demand could still be risky. So if they had the molds handy, the decision would be much easier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atari2600Lives Posted September 28, 2006 Share Posted September 28, 2006 Guys I got a pair of these on ebay, the same as the original except brand spanking new. works like a charm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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