KevinMos3 Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 I just got a Competition Pro Joystick and boy what a difference! I've had my 5200 since around '94 and I've only played it a handful of times because of the controllers. This joystick has made it a whole new system for me. Who else here has one of these and what do you think of it? Also, Popeye seems to not like the diagonal up + left. Diagonal up + right works fine though, (yes I made sure the analog controller was centered). I thought it might be the fault of the joystick so I tried it with centipede and it seemed to do all diagonals just fine. Does anyone else have trouble with Popeye? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Mitch Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 You may need to calibrate your 5200. If it's slightly off, with a standard controller it's not noticeable, but very noticeable with a digital one. Mitch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinMos3 Posted December 9, 2009 Author Share Posted December 9, 2009 Is there a guide on how to do this? I've been searching and found nothing so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Mitch Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 Check the service manual. I think it's still up on atariguide.com Mitch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinMos3 Posted December 9, 2009 Author Share Posted December 9, 2009 Found it. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atari_envy Posted December 10, 2009 Share Posted December 10, 2009 Call me crazy, but I still use the original 5200 joysticks. I recently got a Competition Pro, too. It is decent, but why so big? Can't miss those fire buttons. Once I got the gold dots on the 5200 sticks, I have been happy with them ever since. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinMos3 Posted December 11, 2009 Author Share Posted December 11, 2009 I have thought about getting the rebuilt gold contact joysticks, but mine still work fine for now. I've just never liked them for anything other than Missile Command and Pole Position, (but for those games, the analog controllers can't be beat). I disliked the joysticks so much that I would never bother with the system even though it has my favorite versions of a lot of games... and that was before the internet so I wasn't even influenced by other people's opinions. For the last few years, I've just preferred to play an emulator I hate the Colecovision controllers too. I've had that system even longer than the 5200 and I've probably played it 3 or 4 times. So anyway, I got the service manual, but I see nothing in there about calibrating a 5200. There are various diagnostic checks that require a diagnostic cart, but where's the info on calibrating the 5200? Am I overlooking it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bohoki Posted December 11, 2009 Share Posted December 11, 2009 I have thought about getting the rebuilt gold contact joysticks, but mine still work fine for now. I've just never liked them for anything other than Missile Command and Pole Position, (but for those games, the analog controllers can't be beat). I disliked the joysticks so much that I would never bother with the system even though it has my favorite versions of a lot of games... and that was before the internet so I wasn't even influenced by other people's opinions. For the last few years, I've just preferred to play an emulator I hate the Colecovision controllers too. I've had that system even longer than the 5200 and I've probably played it 3 or 4 times. So anyway, I got the service manual, but I see nothing in there about calibrating a 5200. There are various diagnostic checks that require a diagnostic cart, but where's the info on calibrating the 5200? Am I overlooking it? every time i made a new controller it made the system feel new to me it almost became an addiction maybe it is and i'm in denial i dont think i'll ever get the comp pro as they are way to pricy but one day i might need a new high snd spring for one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Mitch Posted December 11, 2009 Share Posted December 11, 2009 So anyway, I got the service manual, but I see nothing in there about calibrating a 5200. There are various diagnostic checks that require a diagnostic cart, but where's the info on calibrating the 5200? Am I overlooking it? It's the one called Pokey adjust test on the diag cart. It should tell you what to adjust anyway. If you don't have a diag cart and loopback board you can probably use Missile Command or Star Wars the arcade game with your competition pro and adjust it till the cursor centers exactly in the middle of the screen. Mitch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bohoki Posted December 13, 2009 Share Posted December 13, 2009 So anyway, I got the service manual, but I see nothing in there about calibrating a 5200. There are various diagnostic checks that require a diagnostic cart, but where's the info on calibrating the 5200? Am I overlooking it? It's the one called Pokey adjust test on the diag cart. It should tell you what to adjust anyway. If you don't have a diag cart and loopback board you can probably use Missile Command or Star Wars the arcade game with your competition pro and adjust it till the cursor centers exactly in the middle of the screen. Mitch i got the competition pro home plate today also why didnt anybody tell me that the kids controller is so freakin huge at least it matches up with my home made pretty good its sure easy hitting LEO for countermeasure though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinMos3 Posted December 13, 2009 Author Share Posted December 13, 2009 i got the competition pro home plate today Oooo... I want to hear more about that "homeplate." You know, when I was using my new joystick I was thinking, "Wouldn't it be nice to have this on a more flat surface that I could rest in my lap and treat it more like an arcade setup." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bohoki Posted December 14, 2009 Share Posted December 14, 2009 i got the competition pro home plate today Oooo... I want to hear more about that "homeplate." You know, when I was using my new joystick I was thinking, "Wouldn't it be nice to have this on a more flat surface that I could rest in my lap and treat it more like an arcade setup." its basically comp pro parts inside a big hollow shell i'm kind of tempted to fill it with a bunch of pennies and make the worlds heaviest joystick i dont know if its super rare but ive only ever seen one other its kind of redicuous size wise but it is nice and stable on a lap or table Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinMos3 Posted December 14, 2009 Author Share Posted December 14, 2009 (edited) its basically comp pro parts inside a big hollow shelli'm kind of tempted to fill it with a bunch of pennies and make the worlds heaviest joystick i dont know if its super rare but ive only ever seen one other its kind of redicuous size wise but it is nice and stable on a lap or table I figured that was pretty much how it was made. Good to see that underside. Thanks for that. I'm tempted to build a lapboard for mine now. Nothing to permanently mangle the joystick, just a kind of addon. Maybe a plank of wood or pretty much any piece of plastic should do it. It looks like yours has the same kind of connections for the stick as for the buttons. That's different. It looks like it may last longer that way. My normal Comp Pro has the clickers for the stick. As for the rarity, I didn't find anything with a brief google earlier so it can't be too common, that's for sure. Oh, and that kids controller... I had no idea it was so huge. That's giNORmous! I think kid's arms might be too short to reach across the thing to hit those buttons! Edited December 14, 2009 by KevinMos3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bohoki Posted December 14, 2009 Share Posted December 14, 2009 (edited) another thing i realized i made my pc joystick adapter wrong and fixed it it works with all these joysticks now yes even the gamepads they are great it wont work with the new (old) digital driver based gamepad such as my sidewider or thrustmaster fusion also a couple of my pc joysticks have a sever jitter like dirty paddles so i dont use them man i think i have more joysticks than anybody probably caus i dont throw anything away i feel kind of bad years ago i had the first gravis gamepad but i slammed the cord in a drawer and it never worked again so that one i threw away Edited December 14, 2009 by bohoki Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jess Ragan Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 I don't know what Atari was thinking when they put the calibration pots INSIDE the 5200, where they can't be easily accessed. Definitely one of those boneheaded design decisions that kept this powerful system from living up to its full potential. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atariksi Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 I don't know what Atari was thinking when they put the calibration pots INSIDE the 5200, where they can't be easily accessed. Definitely one of those boneheaded design decisions that kept this powerful system from living up to its full potential. I've never adjusted those pots. Perhaps, they didn't think they would be that useful for users. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bohoki Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 (edited) I don't know what Atari was thinking when they put the calibration pots INSIDE the 5200, where they can't be easily accessed. Definitely one of those boneheaded design decisions that kept this powerful system from living up to its full potential. I've never adjusted those pots. Perhaps, they didn't think they would be that useful for users. ive not adjusted them either besides it is far to complicated to have a calibration control for teh masses they would get too many calls and takebacks just cause it was spun all the way one direction Edited December 18, 2009 by bohoki Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atariksi Posted December 19, 2009 Share Posted December 19, 2009 I don't know what Atari was thinking when they put the calibration pots INSIDE the 5200, where they can't be easily accessed. Definitely one of those boneheaded design decisions that kept this powerful system from living up to its full potential. I've never adjusted those pots. Perhaps, they didn't think they would be that useful for users. ive not adjusted them either besides it is far to complicated to have a calibration control for teh masses they would get too many calls and takebacks just cause it was spun all the way one direction I once adjusted the GTIA-related pot since I was swapping chips between A800 and A5200 and the GTIAs weren't the same apparently as their colors were off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MIKE5200 Posted December 19, 2009 Share Posted December 19, 2009 another thing i realized i made my pc joystick adapter wrong and fixed it it works with all these joysticks now yes even the gamepads they are great it wont work with the new (old) digital driver based gamepad such as my sidewider or thrustmaster fusion also a couple of my pc joysticks have a sever jitter like dirty paddles so i dont use them man i think i have more joysticks than anybody probably caus i dont throw anything away i feel kind of bad years ago i had the first gravis gamepad but i slammed the cord in a drawer and it never worked again so that one i threw away How does that Quickshot work? I have one but no way of hooking it up to the 5200. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BydoEmpire Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 I have thought about getting the rebuilt gold contact joystickI got one from Best Electronics a few years ago and it's fantastic. It feels so smooth. I have had to adjust the pot inside the 5200 a couple times, but maybe once per year at most. Congrats on the Competition Pro - looks like it plays great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bohoki Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 another thing i realized i made my pc joystick adapter wrong and fixed it it works with all these joysticks now yes even the gamepads they are great it wont work with the new (old) digital driver based gamepad such as my sidewider or thrustmaster fusion also a couple of my pc joysticks have a sever jitter like dirty paddles so i dont use them man i think i have more joysticks than anybody probably caus i dont throw anything away i feel kind of bad years ago i had the first gravis gamepad but i slammed the cord in a drawer and it never worked again so that one i threw away How does that Quickshot work? I have one but no way of hooking it up to the 5200. the adapter to use old 15 pin pc joysticks is so easy its so crazy that everybody doesnt use it you basically just need 2 capacitors (that are marked 224 or 204 or .22ufd) you will need 3 plugs 2 female 15 pin 1 male(for pugging in the start,pause,reset keypad) you also need to make sure that you are using one of the older 15 pin joyticks not the new ones that are (digital driver driven devices) general rule of thumb if it only has 2 buttons it will be fine expect a little jitter with the analog games (missile command,kaboom,gorf,starwars,superbreakout) cause old joysticks are old ive had all these joysticks in my basement then i found the schematic that is so easy it blew my mind http://www.atarihq.com/5200/5200faq/06_04.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phaxda Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 How does the Gravis joystick work--the two-button one on the right? I have always loved this as a PC joystick and imagine it might go pretty well with the 5200. Unfortunately I don't have a PC with that port anymore and have been using my Legacy USB sticks for emulation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bohoki Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 How does the Gravis joystick work--the two-button one on the right? I have always loved this as a PC joystick and imagine it might go pretty well with the 5200. Unfortunately I don't have a PC with that port anymore and have been using my Legacy USB sticks for emulation. out of all my joysticks i like the black gravis the best how you can select which button does what how you can adjust its centering tension its just great these are examples of 15 pin controllers that wont work as they are early usb convertable another rule of thumb is if it has one of the ferrites(weird plastic lump) molded on the cord it is one of those driver joysticks these ones just plain suck even though they work(avoid suncom pc joysticks at all costs) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MIKE5200 Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 How does that Quickshot work? I have one but no way of hooking it up to the 5200. the adapter to use old 15 pin pc joysticks is so easy its so crazy that everybody doesnt use it you basically just need 2 capacitors (that are marked 224 or 204 or .22ufd) you will need 3 plugs 2 female 15 pin 1 male(for pugging in the start,pause,reset keypad) you also need to make sure that you are using one of the older 15 pin joyticks not the new ones that are (digital driver driven devices) general rule of thumb if it only has 2 buttons it will be fine expect a little jitter with the analog games (missile command,kaboom,gorf,starwars,superbreakout) cause old joysticks are old ive had all these joysticks in my basement then i found the schematic that is so easy it blew my mind http://www.atarihq.com/5200/5200faq/06_04.html Thanks, I'm deciding on which way i should go, How much do you charge to do this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bohoki Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 (edited) do you have a pc joystick? do you have a working 5200 controller? cause i could probably make you one for $5 +shipping the main problem is that you need a start button i guess i could make you one with a button for start attached to the plug a button for start is the only thing that is really required pause reset the number pad those are luxuries i'd like to see a pic of your pc joystick/gamepad i'm trying to make this work but it looks like i'm gonna have to open it up cause the appleII has some resistors tied to things that mess me up i really hate to wereck it incase there is a apple enthusiast that needs one Edited December 21, 2009 by bohoki Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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