Atari 5200 Modular Controller Project

[robertski]

I am starting a crowd funded project for an new

Atari 5200 controller. It will be modular in design, do

all the functions of a real controller and have a

trackball function added as well.

In the design stages right now.. and have this campaign up

on indieGoGo.com

Please see the link

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/advanced-modular-atari-5200-controller-project/x/674738

and if you have any suggestions on how it should operate, I would

like to hear them.. Also see my base design.. Laugh a little and

let me hear what you think this controller should be like.

Thanks.

[BigO]

Not being critical or even really intelligently analyzing, just sharing my reactions:

 

I'm curious: why would the keypad and option/fire button sections need to be modules? I never played my 5200 much, but it seems like many of the original release games wanted input from the keypad for option selections. The Start/Pause/Stop seem to be universally required as do the fire buttons. I would expect those two sections to always be present. Would the goal be to allow alternate placement within the array of modules?

 

Would it be an analog joystick?

 

Would the joystick and roller ball ever be present simultaneously? Technically, this seems like it would be a little bit of a challenge. If I correctly recall the theory of operation of the 5200 track ball correctly, it operates somewhat like a tachometer converting a pulse rate (and direction) into a proportional analog signal. I suppose it's possible to sum analog signals.

 

I thought of making a modular controller out of a trackball when I was doing some custom 5200 controllers so I can totally buy the concept of swapping out the joystick and track ball in a single controller.

Edited April 3, 2013 by BigO

[robertski]

Yeah.. the Keypad and OPTIONS are modules so you can

rearrange them if you are left or right handed.. that sort of thing..

 

I may place a fire bubtton on the Joystik and trakball module.

 

to annswer the analog stik question, I have decided to throw in

a circuit board and have a switch to allow selecting 8-WAY digital

or analog operation.

 

I would assume you will only need the joystik for some games and

then you would remove the joystik from the module and connect in

the module for the trakball, and then play those trackball games.

 

I am also going to work on a paddle module , a cheap one I hope..

I would like to announce here that I am running a PROMO.

 

First post - first one winss.... if anyone here is a member of

any other forums... please help out.. I really need to sell about 100

of these in the first run to get the controller going. Crosspost info about

the controller on any other forum. and I have decided that when the

controller is done, and the first phase ends.. I will send you a

controller for JUST THE S/H.. you heard right.. this only applies to

ATARI AGE forum members.. I already have a post from a member

here at AA who posted some info on Retro Video Gamer .. so

that one is taken.. But post this to any other forums and you get

 

a controller when I am done.. It is 195$ for a completed unit, so

it is quite an offer..

Again thanks for any input..