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Aaron's Joystick Project - Development


atari_aaron

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Ok, the 5200 joysticks weren't very good. I want to change that.

 

As a student I have access to high tech equipment used to develop rapid prototype/machinable 3D models.

 

We have AutoCAD, Maya, Geomagic (http://www.geomagic.com/), (http://www.innovmetric.com/) Polyworks, and three 3D laser scanners.

 

In my spare time, I am willing to develop the body/case of a new joystick that could compatible with all 2600/5200/7800 systems if there is someone out there who will develop the internal electronics for it. I could probably spare some time to design small parts if necessary too, but it would be nice if the guts could be made with off the shelf parts (or parts from other newer system joysticks - aka - Nintendo 64/Playstation).

 

I am also willing to develop a case for the new Atari 2600-on-chip if the person making it is interested.

 

I am serious about this, anyone who is also truely serious about helping can email me directly or post here. Anyone who cannot contribute, but who would like to the idea move forward, please post here to show your support.

 

Thanks,

 

Aaron

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I've been working onmaking an adapter to connect Playstation controllers to Atari 2600, 7800, and NES (no relation to the recently released 5200 Master Control (I think that is what it is called) device). I'm planning on emulating all the 2600 controller types, and I'm finishing up code for the first emulation tests. Still, it is complex code, so I don't think I'll be connecting it to my 7800 for at least 2 weeks.

 

If this project goes well, I'll be able to help with controller innards from off the self parts. However, I do not have access to any of those CAD gizmos. I wouldn't even know how to use them.

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Viso,

 

I admire Clay Cowgill's work on the 5200 Master Control. I plan to buy one once it becomes available. However, I would like to see an integrated keypad with any new stick that's developed. Would you be willing to integrate 5200 compatibility into your new design?

 

Aaron

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I wasn't planning on my adapter gizmo supporting the 5200 mostly because I don't have one. But then, I have never had an NES and I do plan to support it just because it should be easy and I have friends who would like it. I suppose I could be convinced, but I think my adapter will only be able to support one 5200 controller output because of the limited number of I/O pins (there are 33 on the microcontroller, and I found a use for each one). On the 2600, 7800, and NES, I plan to output to both console controller ports.

 

As far as keypads go, I'm planning on supporting the 2600 variety and allowing buttons on the Playstation controller to be configured as keypad buttons. Star Raiders on a single controller! I'm only supporting a keypad in the right controller port so I can take advantage of an interrtupt feature on the microcontroller to detect and respond to keypad scanning. I'm not sure how well the 5200 keypad could be supported in this manner, but I wouldn't be surprised if it worked the same way.

 

Do you know if the analog sticks on the 5200 work like the 2600's paddles (cheap current A/D), or more like old standard analog PC joysticks (voltage A/D)? I'm planning on supporting paddles (not an easy thing to do), but I doubt I can find room to add linear voltage A/D.

 

So do want to convince me my adapter should support the 5200, too? Or should 5200 support wait for the contoller you want to design? What I learn while making the my adapter work will certainly help on other efforts to connect to the Atari consoles, and if the same line of microcontrollers are used (PIC) then even some of the source code I write could be used.

 

Did I answer your question, or manage to miss it?

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Well, I haven't taken apart a 2600 joystick since about 1985. But I recently took apart some spare 5200 sticks... and it appears to me that they are the cheap current kind. The joystick control seems kind of funky to me. Basically it's Current on - left and up, current off - right and down.

 

The 5200 keypad is such a pain. What I can't believe is that they people who originally designed the 5200 sticks actually thought that they were a good idea.

 

Anyway, if you want to include the 5200 in your design that's great. If not that's cool too, I'll still design the case for the new stick. Maybe after that's accomplished we can move on to a complete 5200 stick with keypad included.

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First, I think I was wrong about the way the joystick part of the 5200 stick wroks. I think it's a voltage thing...

 

Anyway, I have placed a Shockwave3D visualization of the design concept behind my 5200 homebrew stick online at the following URL:

Homebrew Stick 3D Visualization (Opens new window). The actually 3D content is 4mb.

 

Basically, I've use a 3D laser scanner to create a 3D STL model of an N64 stick. I was going to use the laser scanner to also create an STL of a 5200 controller keypad, but since the old sticks are black, too much of the laser light was absorbed by the plastic. Therefore, not enough of it returned to the scanner to be able to create the model. Instead, I used calipers to get the dimensions. Then I used Maya to model the keypad area.

 

I'm not actually all that happy with the result. I think I will use the n64 model as a base to work from, but in the end it will only be a guide to the completed stick. Most of this model will be created in Maya.

 

What you see at the url above is the beginings of my idea for an n64 controller conversion kit for the 5200. The kit will have a Rapid Prototyped shell/case, and use the joystick from the n64 (combined with the pots from a 5200 stick).

 

Any comments or suggestions are welcome.

 

Thanks,

 

Aaron

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  • 1 month later...
  • 3 weeks later...

So far it hasn't progressed anywhere past the point of when I first scanned in a N64 controller, but I'm still alive, and I'm still working on Atari projects. I just got a cable modem, so I put up a new website concerning the Atari stuff on which I'm working:

http://myweb.cableone.net/bergstrom/

 

When I have some news I'll post here. I need to hollow out the various parts of the controller, and I just haven't had time with going to India, work, my thesis, getting married, and my two other Atari projects. I'd work on the stick idea more, but I need to do research on how to get controller parts or how to have them made. My first attempts to find such information on the internet turned up nothing. So if anyone knows where I can find that info, please let me know. I'll move the joystick project up on my priority list.

 

Oh yeah, I forgot. I'm will to share the 3D models I made with anyone who can move the project along. I can provide the models in most formats - obj, s3d, vrml, dxf, or stl... plus a few more.

 

Thanks, for the interest.

 

Aaron

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  • 1 month later...

I apologize for not doing this ealier. I realize a lot of people don't have large enough bandwidth to download the 3D model I put up on the web. I have posted some screenshots of it - 7 in all. All 7 are smaller than 20kb in size, most are between 11 and 15 kb.

http://myweb.cableone.net/bergstrom/graphi...ics/controller/

 

Later,

 

Aaron

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