Koala Pad vs. Atari Touch Pad

[calfranklin]

Is their really any difference between Atari's Touch Pad and the Koala Pad drawing devices and software?

[OldAtarian]

Functionally, probably not. It's not like modern devices where you need drivers for them. It wouldn't surprise me at all if they were both made by the same company just with different packaging to distinguish them from each other. I'm pretty sure I have both of them here someplace but haven't used them in a long time. I'd have to find them and check. I'm also pretty sure all touch tablet software recognizes both of them.

Edited September 25, 2010 by OldAtarian

[Rybags]

According to the Atari800Win+ Help file... they return reversed up/down axis values.

[atariksi]

Is their really any difference between Atari's Touch Pad and the Koala Pad drawing devices and software?

 

You can run a BASIC program:

 

10 ? PADDLE(0),PADDLE(1),PTRIG(0):GOTO 10

 

and that would allow you to figure out the difference. From what I recall, each axes of these pads is 0..228 but the origin (0,0) is different. Atari Touchpad has an origin at the lower left and Suncom sensor pad and Koala Pad have an origin at the upper left (like screen).

[STE'86]

i can only speak from actual usage experience of the c64 koala pad but:

 

their physical shape was very different

 

the atari stylus always seemed a much better design than the solid plastic "pencil" you got with koala. tho in defence of this design it did let you use a cut down chunky knitting needle as a replacement when i wore down the end of the official one

 

on the c64 anyway, the koala software would not work with the atari pad. sadly. i did try this

 

Steve