Improved Controllers

[tz101]

Is it not possible to design and build a self-centering controller with digital inputs in place of the analog stock 5200 controller?

 

Is there some circuitry inside the 5200 console that only reads analog directional inputs and would not recognize digital directional signals?

 

I imagine if this were possible, someone would have designed an improved 5200 controller by now. Even the supposedly superior Wico stick operates with analog pots and is prone to failure. The only viable option seems to be the track ball, but it is not optimal for most games.

[littleman jack]

I think the digital conversion results in problems with accuracy.

 

There were some other homemade controllers which looked excellent in the past few years.

Here's one link to a particularly interesting one.

 

http://www.atariage.com/forums/topic/133619-orders-only%26gt%3B%26gt%3B5200-thumbstick-style-controllers-ready-ones-gone-for-now/page__fromsearch__1

 

Several people here in the forums have also made arcade style controllers that looked excellent as well, but as far as I can tell, they were all one time creations.

 

Hopefully they will chime in on this topic and explain the process and the possibilities.

[bohoki]

Is it not possible to design and build a self-centering controller with digital inputs in place of the analog stock 5200 controller?

 

Is there some circuitry inside the 5200 console that only reads analog directional inputs and would not recognize digital directional signals?

 

I imagine if this were possible, someone would have designed an improved 5200 controller by now. Even the supposedly superior Wico stick operates with analog pots and is prone to failure. The only viable option seems to be the track ball, but it is not optimal for most games.

 

 

it would be possible to do the digital conversion using microswitches and resistors like my altoid controller i just hate the idea of destroying an origional during a conversion if you are going to make something new use all new stuff i can walk you through the schematic of my lunchbox controller

 

 

then i made another

 

 

which i also used to convert a nes epyx which works pretty good

 

 

ive had a bit of experience with this stuff

 

 

Edited August 4, 2010 by bohoki

[nems]

I cheated a bit by using a Redemption Adaption in my box and then adding additional functionality to it.

 

 

Building a digital to analog joystick converter for the 5200 can be tough. However, a far easier project (with almost as good results) is to build a PC Joystick to 5200 adapter. It is very simple to build and opens up a world of PC based joysticks (most of which are analog but some PC gamepads are digital). Check section 6.4 of the 5200 FAQ for more info.

Edited August 4, 2010 by nems

[tz101]

Could an analog stick from an Xbox, PS2, or N64 controller be scavenged and made to work with 5200? I am not certain how they work, but they don't have any pots to go bad.

[BigO]

Could an analog stick from an Xbox, PS2, or N64 controller be scavenged and made to work with 5200? I am not certain how they work, but they don't have any pots to go bad.

I don't know about any of those others, but the analog PS2 controller has pots. Unfortunately, they're not near the same value as the 5200 pots so some trickery would have to be used to get those to work.

 

If you just mean the digital kind, you could hack those up. People have made "digital" controllers for the 5200. They simulate digital behavior using analog components (resistors) and momentary contact switches of some flavor. The directional inputs of the 5200 are strictly analog. I've seen several around here. I've breadboarded some myself, but prefer the analog controls.

 

It would be theoretically possible to do a pure custom, true digital control methodology. You'd have to build a controller that took over some keypad keys or something like that and you'd have to write a game to respond to those inputs appropriately. (Technically, if you wrote the game you could use the keypad input to control it but that's about the most often failed part of a stock 5200 controller)

 

 

 

It is technically possible to build a 5200, self-centering controller but it requires some mechanical "trimming" inputs to make physical center represent on-screen center.

Here's one I hacked together:

http://www.atariage....ost__p__1389804

http://www.atariage.com/forums/topic/115056-custom-5200-controller/page__view__findpost__p__1412178

Edited August 5, 2010 by BigO