scratchbuilt controller mark 4

[bohoki]

 

i had this project box lying around and it hit me i bet i could fit a happ microswitch joystick in there and a couple buttons

 

wow it turned into a all day project

 

the joystick component was about 1/4 inch too long so it was severly rubbing in there but since i already cut the top cover for the stick and buttons i needed to make a spacer out of wood but then the screws werent long enough so i had to find some really long yet really skinny wood type screws

 

but the spacer caused the buttons i intended to use werent long enough for the nuts to go on so i had to find these ones i remembered putting in my mame machine but these buttons were so deep i worried they would hit the potentiometers

 

then i forgot i needed a start button so i have a dangling button out the side it was really intended as a companion joy for use with space dungeon and robotron my other one being that giant doublewide lunchbox i made a while ago

 

ii need to find 3 nice and small buttons for start pause reset this time i found some 12 conductor wire and that gives me enough lines for them

 

also my electronics connection had some really spiffy knobs this time

 

 

whew its a wiring nightmare in there i forgot how many connections there were

 

it took the life of a sharpie to blacken my wood spacer sides

Edited August 10, 2009 by bohoki

[NML32]

Looks nice.

 

How many buttons does it have and what did you do about the keypad? Isn't the keypad needed?

[bohoki]

Looks nice.

 

How many buttons does it have and what did you do about the keypad? Isn't the keypad needed?

 

2 buttons actually 3 if you count the little start button as soon as i go back to my electronics guy i'll get 3 more small buttons for start pause and reset

 

90% of the games dont need the keypad they are often just for the options using the #* buttons

 

sure there is countermeasure and star raiders but i dont play them much

[etschuetz]

Looks nice.

 

How many buttons does it have and what did you do about the keypad? Isn't the keypad needed?

 

2 buttons actually 3 if you count the little start button as soon as i go back to my electronics guy i'll get 3 more small buttons for start pause and reset

 

90% of the games dont need the keypad they are often just for the options using the #* buttons

 

sure there is countermeasure and star raiders but i dont play them much

 

However, the keypad is important to a few other games too...Realsports Soccer, and Football, Rescue on Fractalus just to name a couple more.

[bohoki]

Looks nice.

 

How many buttons does it have and what did you do about the keypad? Isn't the keypad needed?

 

2 buttons actually 3 if you count the little start button as soon as i go back to my electronics guy i'll get 3 more small buttons for start pause and reset

 

90% of the games dont need the keypad they are often just for the options using the #* buttons

 

sure there is countermeasure and star raiders but i dont play them much

 

However, the keypad is important to a few other games too...Realsports Soccer, and Football, Rescue on Fractalus just to name a couple more.

 

 

yea but i dont like the sports games so they dont even come to mind being that these are stolen arcade parts they are intended for use on arcade ports

 

 

here is the generations mk1 is the far left it is built with a crane game joystick the keypad from a starcon controller(but its not ergonomic it is pretty good i have a switch to allow the joy button to be button one or two

 

mark 2 is the altoid controller it was an effort to make a small controller but the buttons for down and right are NC buttons and they often do not reconnect when released and cause me to get stuck untill i press the down or right to have it seat properly it only has a start button and is with resistors so no exact centering (only really noticable on pole position and choplifter)

 

mark 3 is the best and favorite but its the size of 2 lunchboxes it has dedicated start pause reset buttons nice centering pots and a fully working keypad(stolen from 2600starraiders)

 

and the final version mk 4 i added start pause reset buttons on the right next to the plug arcade parts take up a lot of room and things are a bit tight in there its fun to turn it so the pots are up for playing super breakout,kaboom,gorf

 

but trying to play star wars and missile command is only fun if you are an "etch a sketch" master

[atariksi]

Looks nice.

 

How many buttons does it have and what did you do about the keypad? Isn't the keypad needed?

 

2 buttons actually 3 if you count the little start button as soon as i go back to my electronics guy i'll get 3 more small buttons for start pause and reset

 

90% of the games dont need the keypad they are often just for the options using the #* buttons

 

sure there is countermeasure and star raiders but i dont play them much

 

However, the keypad is important to a few other games too...Realsports Soccer, and Football, Rescue on Fractalus just to name a couple more.

 

 

yea but i dont like the sports games so they dont even come to mind being that these are stolen arcade parts they are intended for use on arcade ports

 

 

here is the generations mk1 is the far left it is built with a crane game joystick the keypad from a starcon controller(but its not ergonomic it is pretty good i have a switch to allow the joy button to be button one or two

 

mark 2 is the altoid controller it was an effort to make a small controller but the buttons for down and right are NC buttons and they often do not reconnect when released and cause me to get stuck untill i press the down or right to have it seat properly it only has a start button and is with resistors so no exact centering (only really noticable on pole position and choplifter)

 

mark 3 is the best and favorite but its the size of 2 lunchboxes it has dedicated start pause reset buttons nice centering pots and a fully working keypad(stolen from 2600starraiders)

 

and the final version mk 4 i added start pause reset buttons on the right next to the plug arcade parts take up a lot of room and things are a bit tight in there its fun to turn it so the pots are up for playing super breakout,kaboom,gorf

 

but trying to play star wars and missile command is only fun if you are an "etch a sketch" master

 

I missed this thread. I am also looking to build a digital joystick that just has the two buttons and start button. Currently, I use a PC interface. However, the following looked like a good stick to modify:

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=390084380860

 

Anyone have experience with this one-- looks like it's digital.

[bohoki]

i know nothing about converting a home console controller that is way to complicated i use arcade components such as these

 

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ARCADE-JOYSTICKS-BUTTONS_W0QQitemZ300340586446QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item45edb1a7ce&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

 

when you buy an arcade joystick its just a component with 4 switches you will need buttons and most importantly some form of case or cabinet for them the cheapest methods are fplatic storage containers and you have to be careful drilling

[atariksi]

i know nothing about converting a home console controller that is way to complicated i use arcade components such as these

 

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ARCADE-JOYSTICKS-BUTTONS_W0QQitemZ300340586446QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item45edb1a7ce&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

 

when you buy an arcade joystick its just a component with 4 switches you will need buttons and most importantly some form of case or cabinet for them the cheapest methods are fplatic storage containers and you have to be careful drilling

 

Well, this Eclipse Stick seems pretty simple-- a dual 4-line to 1 multiplexer. I'm trying to get it working on Atari 800 first. I was asking since you seem to be familiar with the circuit design-- what voltage level range do you get out of these 74HC153 in tri-state mode?

[bohoki]

 

 

Well, this Eclipse Stick seems pretty simple-- a dual 4-line to 1 multiplexer. I'm trying to get it working on Atari 800 first. I was asking since you seem to be familiar with the circuit design-- what voltage level range do you get out of these 74HC153 in tri-state mode?

 

 

the whosit and whatsit?

 

all i know is that a 5200 wants 0 ohm for up and left and 500k for right and down joy centered it wants around 240k for the horizontal and vertical inputs buttons get grounded to pin 15 and the number pad is a matrix arrangement like from a telephone and the start pause reset are like the abcd buttons from an old captain crunch bluebox

[atariksi]

 

 

Well, this Eclipse Stick seems pretty simple-- a dual 4-line to 1 multiplexer. I'm trying to get it working on Atari 800 first. I was asking since you seem to be familiar with the circuit design-- what voltage level range do you get out of these 74HC153 in tri-state mode?

 

 

the whosit and whatsit?

 

all i know is that a 5200 wants 0 ohm for up and left and 500k for right and down joy centered it wants around 240k for the horizontal and vertical inputs buttons get grounded to pin 15 and the number pad is a matrix arrangement like from a telephone and the start pause reset are like the abcd buttons from an old captain crunch bluebox

 

That 240K center is what I was thinking to getting using a tri-state mode of one of the ICs. I'm sure there's some leeway there for 240K..260K perhaps for center. Left perhaps is 0..a few K ohms. Similarly for right/up/down.