Getting into the ST?

[oky2000]

4 hours ago, DarkLord said:

A valid point - guess it's 6 of one and a 1/2 dozen of the other. 

 

I had a small desk for school work from my early teen years which I had to use with my C64 then my ST so I know the pain of desk space lol

[MarkC]

Will one of these work on an ST...?

It has the same connector, but is for the 2600.

 

[snarkdluG]

It should work. I guess it has microswitches on the stick as well as the button. 

[Zogging Hell]

19 minutes ago, MarkC said:

Will one of these work on an ST...?

It has the same connector, but is for the 2600.

 

If it is a remake and of the same quality as the one I got with my Flashback a few years ago I would give it a miss. It has a really loose, squidgy 'feel' and isn't a patch on the original Atari 2600 joystick, let alone a decent era correct one. There are no microswitches in all likelihood. Really not a good joystick (if I did not have alternatives I would not use the Flashback). You might be able to buy some bits from Best to stiffen it up a bit, but at that point you might as well source an original. Perhaps a Sega Master System pad would be a readily available alternative, they aren't brilliant, but do work.

[+remowilliams]

If that's one of the new Chinese CX-40 clones (which I assume it is) on places like Amazon, yes it will work.  No it does not have microswitches, it's the same contact dome design as the original CX-40s.  Being the same design - if you are heavy handed, they'll break the same way as the original sticks.

 

Generally speaking all 2600 sticks will work, and are what are meant to be used with the ST machines.

[MarkC]

Yes it is an Amazon one, and the seller sounds like it's from China, although fulfilled by Amazon.

Just read the reviews, and a user has one working on an Amiga 1200.

Edited November 18, 2022 by MarkC

[+DarkLord]

You can do a search for "Atari ST joysticks" on Ebay for examples.

 

Here's a prime example:

 

https://tinyurl.com/ju4aekze

 

It is way overpriced, but the Wico Boss is one of the best ones,

in my humble opinion. 

 

PS I also like the Wico Ergostick a lot too!

 

[oky2000]

For me the Euromax Zipstik is the only arcade quality joystick which also has arcade quality fire buttons (which is why Competition Pro is excluded by me, fire buttons are duff).

 

I would be surprised if anything made in China even using the same contact domes is going to feel like an original 2600 joystick. I think I need to look up buying some replacement contact domes identical to the ones used in my 2600 joysticks and give the less well fairing ones a bit of a refurbishment, they are great for nostalgia playing actual 2600 games. Part of the challenge of the 2600 games is the rubbishness of the joystick lol

 

Everything else I use is for nostalgia, using a Zipstik on an Atari 2600 console would be considered cheating  

[+DarkLord]

Never tried one of those, I might have to give it a go.

 

I did find that if I narrow the search on Ebay to "Wico Boss Joystick"

there are *numerous* hits and some of them are actually quite

reasonable. I seen one as low as $7.99.

 

Sure does make me glad that I picked up 2 of them for $10 at the

2021 Vintage Computer Festival (Midwest). Guy had a table with a

bunch of them for sale.   

 

[oky2000]

I bought a Wico Boss many many years ago, it's in fantastic condition. I had to buy it because that was the only joystick my friend with an Amstrad CPC had so I had to play the Amstrad games on the same joystick for nostalgic reasons

[MarkC]

Have got one of these on the way.....😬

 

[oky2000]

A fine choice

 

 

[MarkC]

Got my joystick (as above).

The connector seems a bit temperamental, needs a wiggle now and then to make the fire buttons work (joystick unaffected).

I can't be bothered sending it back, as it is old, so to be expected.

Is it possible to replace the 9 pin head..?

 

Some of the holes look a bit gunged.

Edited November 29, 2022 by MarkC

[oky2000]

It is possible but you would need to open up the joystick to find which colour wires go where I guess. Bit of a faff really, I have a mint condition mechanism mk1 Zipstik I have to change the joystick cable on and I've been putting it off.

 

As a quick fix you could try an old toothbrush and some alcohol on the end of a cotton bud rubbed over the contacts and scrub them with the bristles digging into the holes, maybe it's the gunge that's causing a bad contact if the pins on the joystick ports on the ST are fine and other joysticks work fine etc.