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Coming Soon! Drop in tactile switch controller boards


Osgeld

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I just submitted gerbers to a board house and should have a batch in sometime in 2 weeks..

 

The metal dome contacts in most Atari 2600 / 8 bit computer joysticks will go flat with decades of normal use, or boards need contacts cleaned etc you all know the potential controller issues. Course the darn things are taped down, so cleaning or replacing them can be tricky and a week later the damn things move around a little and your back to square 1.

 

Course there's options like best's gold board (but that site and the minimum orders), actually some pretty good inexpensive replicas or a tactile switch mod. With the tactile switch mod requires soldering and cutting of original plastics and its not hard but its possible to screw up ... like the first one I ever did I got the fire switch slightly off center and cut the post on the fire button at an angle so if the button rotated (which it does) it would just stop working in the middle of a game

 

Anyway rambling mode off, what I am making is a drop in replacement circuit board that uses tactile switches and does not require trimming / cutting / filing of the original plastics, it will fit in every single button Atari brand joystick I have seen to date, including the older models with the black plastic plate and springs, as well as the more modern models with no springs or plate.

 

I am using ultra low profile C&K tactile switches that match the depth of the original snap dome contacts (about 0.55mm), that are soldered in to place (no sliding contacts) and are rated for 1,000,000 cycles (MTBF) and only require a phillips head screw driver to install

 

And they make a little clicky sound

 

Current plan is to offer these up for sale, I may make a little website to handle that, for 9.99$ per unit + postage (same as best's gold board price but no minimum quantities)

 

Thanks for looking

 

 

post-35237-0-78690900-1541289910.jpg

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I have no clue as I have not used the best boards and I don't have one assembled lol

 

I doubt they will feel much different than a stock controller in good condition from just holding a switch in place with my finger... but those are getting rare thus the board :)

 

boards should be here next friday (nov 9th) already have the switches

Edited by Osgeld
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I'd be in for a board, or two.

With the release of all the trakball games, would you be interested in make some drop in boards for the CX-22 trakballs?

There was a brief tread about tactile switch swap out about a year ago and at that time I was contemplating purchasing some and redo my three trakballs, but RL, $job$ and other hobby priorities have gotten my trakball repairs pushed lower on my list.

if the price is right, then I'd be in for 3 pairs for repairing my trakballs

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anything is possible, I have never had a CX22 so I don't know what they look like

 

The switches you reference in that thread though are similar to the one's I am using, those range from 0.55 to 0.65 thickness, the models I am using are a different model in the same family from 0.3 to 0.6 (I think) but ever so slightly larger diameter

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anything is possible, I have never had a CX22 so I don't know what they look like

 

The switches you reference in that thread though are similar to the one's I am using, those range from 0.55 to 0.65 thickness, the models I am using are a different model in the same family from 0.3 to 0.6 (I think) but ever so slightly larger diameter

 

Now is a good time to get one to play the trakball hacks :)

 

And there is an interesting new TRON game that uses a joystick in the left port and a trakball in the right port

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/284017-tron-final/

 

There are a few on ebay at the moment, but when you search for cx22, please add -cx22pr and -cx22n into the search parameters...unless you like to play with those kind of joysticks :rolling:

 

 

If you are interested in looking into a board design, but not interested in actually getting a trakball, then I can send you the little board(s) for your analysis.

 

post-43396-0-02633900-1541380933.jpg

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So the boards will come with the switches already installed?

 

yes all one has to do is open the controller, remove the old board and place the new board in and its good to go (of course unplug and replug the wires)

Edited by Osgeld
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Now is a good time to get one to play the trakball hacks :)

 

And there is an interesting new TRON game that uses a joystick in the left port and a trakball in the right port

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/284017-tron-final/

 

There are a few on ebay at the moment, but when you search for cx22, please add -cx22pr and -cx22n into the search parameters...unless you like to play with those kind of joysticks :rolling:

 

 

If you are interested in looking into a board design, but not interested in actually getting a trakball, then I can send you the little board(s) for your analysis.

 

attachicon.gifblogentry-37655-0-55108100-1471306494.jpg

 

they almost look like the one's in the 7800 controllers, I will look into it

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Oh that is just sweet! Any idea what the activation force required for the tactile switches is going to be? Generally speaking around 50g for joystick contacts and 20g for button contacts is about ideal, but I know some people like more or less resistance.

 

the switch actuation is 160gf but keep in mind that is at the end of a leaver so do that math, its late and I dont want to

 

I am curious if a slightly tall tactile switch would be possible to help reduce any dead-movement of the joystick or at least the fire buttons.

 

it will, but keep in mind the distance from top of button to contact pad in a stock joystick is 0.55mm ish, and these buttons are sitting in a plastic base of X thickness ... I have made some joysticks in the past that literally blowing on them would register a movement... it was annoying

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it will, but keep in mind the distance from top of button to contact pad in a stock joystick is 0.55mm ish, and these buttons are sitting in a plastic base of X thickness ... I have made some joysticks in the past that literally blowing on them would register a movement... it was annoying

 

Yeah, I can imagine that it would be annoying if there was zero play.

 

Friday can't come soon enough for your testing :thumbsup:

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DHL tracking came in, they will be out of china tonight

 

I have never used this broker before, ALLPCB but they have good reviews. Typically the places I go give a MUCH better per unit price, but by the time you add in postage for snail mail they only come out slightly cheaper and these guys are doing DHL "for free" ... adding in DHL shipping from my normal places makes them more expensive

 

I have pretty good confidence, any of these small order china shops are pretty much all made at the same 3-4 big fab houses, I have confronted our CML rep at work about it before like hey how come you want X per board but I can get it from a web broker for 10% less, btw how's the new Mercedes lol

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cml is a large scale (like bob wants to know how many hundred thousand boards a year you plan on buying) circuit board maker

 

the little brokers you see on line work with the big boys to toss designs onto empty space of master panels to recover waste and cost :)

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so let me ask, since i'm trying to rebuild a few myself.

 

would you still able to use the original handles even if they have stress cracks / pressure marks on them. I would think yes since there is much less pressure to active them.

does the fire button need to be modify.

if not this mod will able to give further life to these 40 yr old parts and saving $$ into buying new handles / fire buttons.

 

I'm surprised no one has stepped up to make this happen in the past since this is not a new type of mod.

 

I'll be in for a few sets myself.

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