Black Retro Joystick by Arcade Forge

[hizzy]

If I can ask, KS, what kind of cabling are you using?

[AW127]

I have found the Japanese sticks a bit short for full scale wood panels

Indeed, i thought the same when i got my Sanwa JLF and i solved it by buying a Bat-Top and exchanged the normal Balltop with it. Because of the other form-factor that the Bat-Top had, the grip overall then is about 12 millimeters longer, which i really like. The good thing with these original Sanwa or Seimitsu Arcade-parts is, that you can exchange nearly all parts by other parts, because there are so many interchangeable objects available. Restrictors, actuators, grips (rods), balltops, micro-switches... and so on. And i asked a friend of mine to build me a srewable (M6 thread) rod-extension back in the time.

[hizzy]

There are longer Japanese sticks. A standard JLF is 34mm. The most popular Seimitsu, the LS 32, is the shortest. Its about 27.5 mm. My favourite, the LS 40, is 30mm. The LS 56 is 32mm. Paradise arcade sells an elongated seimitsu shaft. When it comes to full scale wood, I guess thickness is the main issue. I'm working on a stick right now, and it sticks out enough for me, but I've routered out a place for the stick, and I'm installing with an s-plate. I've never handled a cigar box, so I can't speak to how it would fit in that.

[Andromeda Stardust]

If I can ask, KS, what kind of cabling are you using?

9-pin extension cables.

https://console5.com/store/atari-sega-commodore-6-3-6m-joystick-extension-cable-cord-by-retro-bit.html

 

Each cable is six feet long and one included with each stick (6 feet) but I'll offer a spare 9-pin extension for $5 more (12 feet total). A 9 foot cable would probably be ideal but I don't know of any suppliers other than 6 feet. Serial PC cables tend to fall out of the console or won't fit at all if the plug is recessed. I make a small cut on either side of the molded male end so that it will fit over the screws that secure the Dsub header to the cigar box. I route out a trapezoidal hole in the rear of the box for the female Dsub connector which is secured in place with #4 screws after all wires are soldered into the cups. The extension cables can be detached at any time and used with any 9-pin Atari or Sega style controllers.

 

The female Dsub headers I use are exactly like this example from Radioshack, but I can buy them much cheaper in quantity from Digikey:

 

Connection on the joystick side between the extension cable and the female Dsub header is very secure, slightly tighter than on the console itself, so is unlikely to fall loose during play.

 

Absolutely no salvaged cables from broken or barely working Atari/Sega controllers like a lot of other builders do. Also should the cable get damaged, it can easily be replaced.

[hizzy]

Cool! I've been using deadstock 7800 cable.

[hizzy]

Hi!

 

I was just wondering. In this illustration, does this depict the male connector?

 

2600/7800 pinouts:

______________
\ o5 o4 o3 o2 o1/
\ o9 o8 o7 o6 /
\___________/

 

Thanks!

[alex_79]

That's the pinout of the female connector (that is, the joystick plug).

The male connector (controller port on the console) pin numbering is specular (pin 1 is on the left)

[Andromeda Stardust]

That's the pinout of the female connector (that is, the joystick plug).

The male connector (controller port on the console) pin numbering is specular (pin 1 is on the left)

I'm always forgetting the pin numbers and whether pin one is left or right based on what side of the connectors I'm facing. I solder directly onto the back of a female Dsub, so I guess it's like I'm facing the male end. I hate symmetrical connections for this very reason, but fortunately the pin numbers are molded in the black plastic as tiny numberals, if you're eyes are good enough to read them.

 

I am nearsighted (my script is around -4.25 or so right, -3.75 left, ignoring very slight astigmatism) and my unaided eyes can only focus about 3-10 inches in front of my face, so I can see stuff like the nested owl on a $1 bill without my glasses.

[hizzy]

Have you ever used these king of dsub headers? Do these require no soldering?

 

http://www.digikey.ca/product-detail/en/te-connectivity-amp-connectors/745201-7/A31938-ND/808324

 

Thanks!

[Andromeda Stardust]

Have you ever used these king of dsub headers? Do these require no soldering?

 

http://www.digikey.ca/product-detail/en/te-connectivity-amp-connectors/745201-7/A31938-ND/808324

 

Thanks!

IDK, it is a pain to wade through parts suppliers websites. A lot of the stuff they sell is intended for secure through hole or SMT connections to PCBs and not really DIY friendly.

 

Crimp connected versions are available from Radioshack and other sources. These come with straight pins on the rear with crimp terminals for easy removal. Problem is if you damage the pin connector while crimping, you come up short as they don't come with spares. I vastly prefer soldering as opposed to crimping as it is far more secure. I've seen so many failed crimps come loose before, either with the wire coming loose or the connector sliding off the post. I also tend to waste a lot of connectors, sometimes as much as 30% of crimp connectors end up getting trashed (and before anyone asks, I was using an actual "crimp tool" with the little football shaped holes, not needle nose pliers or some other tool ill suited for the job), so at some point in the past I said screw it and just solder wire to the little cups and then loop the other end of the wire through the eyelet of the micro-switch lugs and solder that as well. For the cups, it helps if you twist the end of the stranded wire then tin it with a glob of solder first. Stick it in the cup, then use the solder tip to reheat the connection. The solder already on the wire will bond to the cup resulting in a secure connection with no mess.

 

If you still have trouble, a helping hand may come in handy:

https://www.radioshack.com/products/radioshack-helping-hands-with-magnifier

 

I always felt like soldering required at least three hands, one for the workpiece, one for the iron, and one for the solder wire. We are only blessed with two hands at birth so an assistant to hold the workpiece comes in handy. Handy, get it?

 

Back to the Dsub connectors. Here is the exact part I ordered for my cigar box project:

http://www.digikey.ca/product-search/en?keywords=171-009-203L001

 

Cost to order ten of these things was $7.65 plus $3.21 shipping in US. Radioshack also sells them individually in little baggies for $2.99 + tax so if you only need to buy one, it may actually be a cheaper and more convenient option factoring in postage costs and wait time.

 

Also make sure you are using old fashioned 60/40 leaded solder. It flows like butter when heated. I can't begin to say how much RoHS compliant "lead free" solder sucks ass, and the less said about it the better. It may work fine for commercial fabrication using industrial flow ovens, but IMO is terrible for DIY building, modding, and repairs. Best to stock up on 60/40 solder while you still can. I think they've already banned it in Europe?

[Newsdee]

How is the rod height on the controllers? I have found the Japanese sticks a bit short for full scale wood panels

This one has the balltop sit comfortably in the middle of my palm so it's the perfect length.

But yes, on a thicker wood panel it would be too short unless you cut a recessed area to mount the stick in.

[Andromeda Stardust]

Update. I looked up the tracking info for the Arcade Forge joystick controller, and apparently USPS tried to deliver it on October 22nd but the delivery failure notice (nobody home to sign for it) got lost. It's been sitting in the post office since then. Good thing I checked the tracking info as they would have shipped it back to Germany come Nov. 4th if I didn't collect it.

 

Overall I'm impressed with the quality but there's a couple of rather minor build issues which I'll address in my upcoming video review. It uses two 24mm snap in buttons and a Sanwa joystick. The things I said initially about the uncanny valley may be a bit overdrawn as it seems this stick will work equally well on a table or in the hand, though I haven't play-tested it yet.

[Andromeda Stardust]

Review, teardown, and mod video currently uploading. Should be live in a few hours...

 

Out of the box, this controller requires some minor mod work to really feel like a finished product. Namely the cable is inadequately secured inside the controller (which could cause stress on the wires eventually leading to failure) and the wood casing is a bit rough. Otherwise, it's a great little stick (can't beat it on price) and I'm glad to add it to my collection.

[hizzy]

Nice review! They should really finish the wood, and maybe get a stock cable. There's potential there, but they need to refine their product a bit more.

[Andromeda Stardust]

Nice review! They should really finish the wood, and maybe get a stock cable. There's potential there, but they need to refine their product a bit more.

The aftermarket extension cable isn't the issue here, it's the blatant disregard for securing it. I would rather see people use Retrobit extension cables than destroy vintage controllers. In fact the Retrobit extensions have all 9 wires and slightly thicker gauge than vintage Atari cables.

[Andromeda Stardust]

FYI, my Cigar Box controllers are finally up for sale now:

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/259503-handmade-cigar-box-arcade-controllers-for-sale/

 

Compare the Arcade Forge Black Retro to my cigar boxes, in terms of properly securing the cable.

 

This loosey goosey:

 

Compared to this:

 

I think there's no contest!