mini-7800 controller with FB5?

[effigy345]

I was given a Flashback 5 for Christmas and I've really embraced it due to nostalgic purposes. I just discovered this website after doing some Googling looking for answers to a few questions. I've been able to answer everything except one question. My FB5 is the wireless version and those controllers are junk, so I set out to replace them. Being left handed, I'll have to mod a joystick to use it comfortably (joystick with the left hand, button with the right)...not a big deal, though. However, before I got to that point, I was given a controller from an original Flashback...the mini-7800 Flashback. I know those are unpopular controllers, but I find it comfortable to use (I guess I'm weird). I tried using it with my FB5 and it doesn't appear to work. The left button appears to work, but the joystick and the right button do nothing. I figured only one button would work (since the 2600 only had one button), but I figured the joystick would work since I've read that even a Genesis gamepad will work on the FB5. Do I just have a defective controller or is this controller just not compatible with the FB5? I see this controller also has pause and select buttons, which I figured would do nothing, but perhaps they render the controller incompatible.

[+bcombee]

The original Flashback was based on a Nintendo-on-a-Chip design, so I'm guessing the controller is actually like the ones in the NES where instead of having one wire per direction/button, they have a serial connection and a shift register. This can't be hooked up to a standard Atari 9-pin port without some conversion circuit in the middle.

[mitchd61]

I like the controllers for the mini-7800 Flashback as well. I'm also left handed. I found a seller on ebay that was selling the mini-7800 controllers, modded to work with the 2600 and the other Atari Flashbacks. I bought a couple of them and they work great. Unfortunately, I didn't save the seller, so you'll have to do some searching to find them.