BigO Posted February 5, 2017 Share Posted February 5, 2017 (edited) Play Atari 2600/VCS Trak-Ball enabled games with your 5200 Trak-Ball controller. One-Trak adds functionality Switching between platforms is as simple as unplugging or plugging in a cable, outside of the controller. Plug into the configuration cable to play 2600 games, unplug the configuration cable and connect the original cable to the 5200. One-Trak is easy to install One-Trak requires no cutting, no soldering, no wiring, no drilling: your CX53 remains as Atari produced it. The installation is completely reversible. The most permanent change is a 1" square adhesive pad affixed inside the controller. Pick your protocol The configuration cable is currently available in two styles · Quadrature encoded: Gray code, compatible with ST mouse signals · Direction+Clock: same as CX22 trackball signals (Personally, I prefer the quadrature encoding as it lets you navigate the Harmony cartridge menu) $25.00 + shipping. (Currently shipping to U.S. addresses only) Available while supplies last. PM me if you're interested. Edited May 20, 2017 by BigO 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigO Posted February 5, 2017 Author Share Posted February 5, 2017 See this thread to read about 2600 Trak-Ball games http://atariage.com/forums/topic/243453-atari-2600-trak-ball-games/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RangerG Posted February 5, 2017 Share Posted February 5, 2017 This is a nice mod, the 5200 trackball is great for these games. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lynxpro Posted February 8, 2017 Share Posted February 8, 2017 Pics, man, pics. That thread has over 22 pages to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigO Posted February 8, 2017 Author Share Posted February 8, 2017 (edited) Pictures of the mod? I can do that when I get home tonight. EDIT: I put some on my "interest check" thread while I was still in the refinement process. Let's see if I can link those on my phone... http://atariage.com/forums/topic/247242-interest-check-5200-trak-ball-mod-to-play-2600-tb-games/?do=findComment&comment=3411997 Edited February 8, 2017 by BigO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigO Posted February 12, 2017 Author Share Posted February 12, 2017 (edited) Ready to Play What's Inside How What's Inside Gets Outside Edited February 12, 2017 by BigO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigO Posted February 12, 2017 Author Share Posted February 12, 2017 One more out the door. I have two more cables and two Quadrature/Atari Mouse config cables ready to ship. (I can make Atari Trak-Ball/CX22 config cable if that's what you prefer or if you want both). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigO Posted February 18, 2017 Author Share Posted February 18, 2017 Still have two in stock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigO Posted February 24, 2017 Author Share Posted February 24, 2017 Bump Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigO Posted March 5, 2017 Author Share Posted March 5, 2017 (edited) One left. Edited March 5, 2017 by BigO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigO Posted March 10, 2017 Author Share Posted March 10, 2017 Last one is on it's way to its new home.I have materials on hand to make two more. The last two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigO Posted March 11, 2017 Author Share Posted March 11, 2017 The last two are spoken for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooter83 Posted March 13, 2017 Share Posted March 13, 2017 Oh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigO Posted March 13, 2017 Author Share Posted March 13, 2017 I may be able to make more at some point, and I want to tinker with some additional adapters, but I've used up my initial batch of parts. It's not economical to order the parts in qty of 1 or 2. It'll probably be a month or so before I get unburied from a new work assignment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigO Posted April 8, 2017 Author Share Posted April 8, 2017 I have two cable sets built and ready for shipment: 1 CX22 compatible 1 Quadrature/Gray code $25.00 + shipping (generally around $4) Shipping to US only. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigO Posted April 11, 2017 Author Share Posted April 11, 2017 still available Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+fdr4prez Posted April 11, 2017 Share Posted April 11, 2017 I recently purchased an Atari bundle and it came with a CX22, but it doesn't work right. No output for up/down movement and the fire buttons aren't very sensitive. Repair is low on my project list right now. Or I can look for a CX53 as a replacement if I can find a bargain. I have little interest in the 5200 system, but does the CX53 offer any benefit over the CX22 in regards to game play of the new Trak-ball version of 2600 games? Just being able to switch to grey code and use it with the Harmony multicart may be enough of a perk... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigO Posted April 12, 2017 Author Share Posted April 12, 2017 I have a CX22. I prefer the overall feel of using the CX53. It may just be the size. I find the CX53 easier to manage. I don't sit on the floor with the controller in front of me like I might have 40 years ago. Sitting in a chair with the controller in my lap, the CX53 is more stable feeling. It could just be that the CX53 is what I got used to first. It would be interesting to hear from anyone who was first familiar with the CX22 and then got a CX53. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jess Ragan Posted April 12, 2017 Share Posted April 12, 2017 Hey Big O, any chance this could be adapted for use with a personal computer? I'd love to be able to play the Sonic arcade game the proper way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atarian1 Posted April 12, 2017 Share Posted April 12, 2017 PM sent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigO Posted April 12, 2017 Author Share Posted April 12, 2017 Hey Big O, any chance this could be adapted for use with a personal computer? I'd love to be able to play the Sonic arcade game the proper way. I'm not much of a PC gamer so must plead ignorance: what options are there for connection? The one obvious option that comes to my mind is emulating a mouse. I have done that by feeding the quadrature encoded signals provided by the mod cable into a (somewhat scarce)USB ball mouse circuit in place of the native mouse encoders. The trackball is relatively low resolution, but maybe if mouse acceleration and game/emulator settings allowed for it, that setup would work for you. One caveat here, I had to use an external power supply to get this to work reliably. The USB didn't seem to supply enough power but I just worked around it rather than take the time to do any real investigation. Brief demo - using the CX53 as PC mouse: http://atariage.com/forums/gallery/image/16061-nowwhat/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+fdr4prez Posted April 13, 2017 Share Posted April 13, 2017 I have a CX22. I prefer the overall feel of using the CX53. It may just be the size. I find the CX53 easier to manage. I don't sit on the floor with the controller in front of me like I might have 40 years ago. Sitting in a chair with the controller in my lap, the CX53 is more stable feeling. It could just be that the CX53 is what I got used to first. It would be interesting to hear from anyone who was first familiar with the CX22 and then got a CX53. I see what your saying. The CX53 is quite a bit larger than the CX22, and it looks like there is some weight to it. When I opened the CX22 box, I was thinking that it is a little on the small and lightweight side. The repair for my CX22 will need to wait until I finish a few higher priority projects, so maybe i'll get to it towards the end of the year. And I am always on the look out for more bargains, so I might get lucky and find a deal on another CX22 or a CX53 My last deals were a semi-working Channel F for $10 and an Atari bundle for $40 that included a console, joysticks, paddles, driving controllers, CX22, touch-pad, and a bunch of games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jess Ragan Posted April 13, 2017 Share Posted April 13, 2017 I'm not much of a PC gamer so must plead ignorance: what options are there for connection? The one obvious option that comes to my mind is emulating a mouse. I have done that by feeding the quadrature encoded signals provided by the mod cable into a (somewhat scarce)USB ball mouse circuit in place of the native mouse encoders. The trackball is relatively low resolution, but maybe if mouse acceleration and game/emulator settings allowed for it, that setup would work for you. One caveat here, I had to use an external power supply to get this to work reliably. The USB didn't seem to supply enough power but I just worked around it rather than take the time to do any real investigation. Brief demo - using the CX53 as PC mouse: http://atariage.com/forums/gallery/image/16061-nowwhat/ I was thinking mouse emulation myself. Actually, I did attempt to build a trackball using the components from a PC mouse. It uses similar technology... the ball rolls on rollers, the rollers turn gears, the teeth of the gears interrupt beams of light created by diodes. The problem is, I used a Sega Sports Pad for this experiment, and it... how do I put this gently? I can't... it sucked ass. Maybe the teeth of the gear weren't fine enough, or maybe it was just an inferior product, but it took almost Herculean effort to get any movement out of the damned thing. I attempted to play the Sonic arcade game while talking to friends on Skype, and one remarked that it sounded like I was furiously masturbating. Adjusting the sensitivity helped, but not nearly enough. Has anyone had experience with the Sega Sports Pad? It seems like a solid product, at least outwardly. I've heard bad things about it, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigO Posted April 13, 2017 Author Share Posted April 13, 2017 I recently purchased an Atari bundle and it came with a CX22, but it doesn't work right. No output for up/down movement and the fire buttons aren't very sensitive. Repair is low on my project list right now. No output for Up/Down could be as simple as one bad channel on the 339 chip. But, it could be the optical encoder which would be significantly more work to address (though, still not a big deal). It could be somewhere else down the line, but that's where I'd start. If you haven't seen this, you might read through it. Having the included troubleshooting information might change your mind about doing the repair: http://www.atarimania.com/documents/Atari-CX22-Trakball-Field-Service-Manual.pdf I agree about the fire buttons. They're kinda sad on my CX22 as well. I may rig up some other switches in there if I happen to finish all of my other projects. (Yeah. Right.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+fdr4prez Posted April 13, 2017 Share Posted April 13, 2017 No output for Up/Down could be as simple as one bad channel on the 339 chip. But, it could be the optical encoder which would be significantly more work to address (though, still not a big deal). It could be somewhere else down the line, but that's where I'd start. If you haven't seen this, you might read through it. Having the included troubleshooting information might change your mind about doing the repair. I agree about the fire buttons. They're kinda sad on my CX22 as well. I may rig up some other switches in there if I happen to finish all of my other projects. (Yeah. Right.) sorry, you didn't post any links, but there is a thread in the 2600 forum that I posted the service manual. Doesn't look terribly difficult. I want to finish my Ultimate Paddle project, and one other project that is behind schedule before I work on my CX22. But I may bump the CX22 up in the schedule so I can enjoy the new versions of the trak-ball games. http://atariage.com/forums/topic/213294-cx-22-trak-ball-repair/?p=3727814 Working late and busy weekends is keeping me from having the time needed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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