Atari controllers

[ledzep]

I have a general programming question about these controllers. Can someone tell me what the Atari 2600 driving controller, the 5200 trackball and the Tempest spinner actually output? I've read that trackballs output gray code but that the Atari 5200 trackball outputs analog signals, I've also read that the driving controller is analog and I'm not sure what the Tempest spinner outputs though I'm guessing it's gray code as well.

 

The reason I ask is that I know that, at least for Tsunami and Spinnerama, the Vectrex can be programmed to use the 2600 driving controller. What is it reading? What does an Atari 5200 console read from the trackball controller? Is the same type of signals that a Tempest spinner controller outputs or is there a conversion step in the trackball? The trackball and spinner both have encoder wheels so I would assume (probably incorrectly) that they output the same type of signal only that the trackball outputs two sets vs. the spinner's one.

 

So, is it voltages (and, if so, what voltages)? Numbers? In general terms how would you program for a driving controller to play PONG or Breakout (what ranges is the program expecting)? Could a spinner be used with the Atari 5200 as a sort of sawed-off trackball or would there have to be some sort of DAC involved that's built into the trackball and needs to be duplicated in the spinner?

[+SpiceWare]

2600 driving controllers use a 2-bit grey code.

[DanBoris]

I have a general programming question about these controllers. Can someone tell me what the Atari 2600 driving controller, the 5200 trackball and the Tempest spinner actually output? I've read that trackballs output gray code but that the Atari 5200 trackball outputs analog signals, I've also read that the driving controller is analog and I'm not sure what the Tempest spinner outputs though I'm guessing it's gray code as well.

 

The reason I ask is that I know that, at least for Tsunami and Spinnerama, the Vectrex can be programmed to use the 2600 driving controller. What is it reading? What does an Atari 5200 console read from the trackball controller? Is the same type of signals that a Tempest spinner controller outputs or is there a conversion step in the trackball? The trackball and spinner both have encoder wheels so I would assume (probably incorrectly) that they output the same type of signal only that the trackball outputs two sets vs. the spinner's one.

 

So, is it voltages (and, if so, what voltages)? Numbers? In general terms how would you program for a driving controller to play PONG or Breakout (what ranges is the program expecting)? Could a spinner be used with the Atari 5200 as a sort of sawed-off trackball or would there have to be some sort of DAC involved that's built into the trackball and needs to be duplicated in the spinner?

 

The 2600 driving controllers are digital, they output a 2 but grey code as you rotate them.

 

The 5200 trackball is digital internally, but the signals are converted to analog so they can interface to the 5200's analog controller port. The speed of rotation of the ball is converted to voltage output, so the speed of the ball would correspond to how far you are pushing the normal joystick.

 

The Tempest arcade controller is digital and is read with a pair of opto-interrupters similar to the way a mechanical mouse works.

 

Dan

[ledzep]

Thank you both for the information. I was curious how the 2600 driving controller interacted with the Vectrex since it seemed like 1) it would be a good controller for use with any paddle type games and 2) if a Vectrex can be programmed to understand driving controller gray code then a trackball that also outputs gray code could potentially be adapted to the Vectrex for Missile Command/Centipede type games. I plan on making my own Vectrex driving controller that would end up with the top of the 2600 driving controller mounted to a another controller that has 4 buttons on it and that got me to thinking if it would be possible to do the same with an Atari 9-pin trackball controller (I assume they also output gray code). But I noticed that nobody has done that yet so it must be harder than I have assumed.

 

As for the 5200 trackball, in general, would you say it would be easier to make a spinner for the 5200 by cannibalizing/modifying a 5200 trackball (finding a way to mount one of the roller wheels vertically connected to a spinner knob and somehow keeping the sensor wired to the original board using jumper wires in a way similar to what I've seen on the intratubes about converting PC mice into spinners) or using a Tempest (or other) spinner and routing that controller's output into the original 5200 trackball wiring or board upstream of the trackball's analog converter? Or is there some sort of "standard" conversion process (gray code to 5200 joystick analog) that could be designed into a chip in order to feed that to the 5200 from a spinner?

 

I apologize for what I am guessing are noob questions but I've always been surprised that nobody ever adapted a trackball to the Vectrex or a spinner to the Atari 5200.