Gamestation Pro Joystick - teardown

[suspicious_milk]

Just because.

[Fuzzles]

Nice. I was contemplating pulling the spring and seeing if it’s replaceable and add a stiffer spring. You just answered my question. Thanks! 

[polyex]

Anyone try using this on a PC? I like the paddle controller built-in, was able to use the joystick and buttons, but could not get stella to see Paddle events. I am using Linux. Could not figure out how to use wireless either, just plugged it into a USB port.

Edited December 6, 2023 by polyex

[fluxit]

3 hours ago, polyex said:

Anyone try using this on a PC? I like the paddle controller built-in, was able to use the joystick and buttons, but could not get stella to see Paddle events. I am using Linux. Could not figure out how to use wireless either, just plugged it into a USB port.

Wireless isn't going to work, unless My Arcade releases a dongle for the stick.  It's using a different proprietary 2.4g protocol, not bluetooth.

 

The paddle works here on Mint Linux Cinnamon.  I've been unable to eliminate the dead zone so far though.

What do you see with 'jstest /dev/input/js0?' - assuming that is where your device ends up.

[polyex]

My paddle has values between -32768 (turned extreme left) and 32768 (turned extreme right), which I see using jstest. 

Edited December 12, 2023 by polyex

[Spanner]

Oh... it has a blob for its IC....  like on the C64 DTV, wow still doing it well cheaper then a package.

Edited June 14 by Spanner

[Jimbo57]

On 12/6/2023 at 1:16 AM, polyex said:

Anyone try using this on a PC? I like the paddle controller built-in, was able to use the joystick and buttons, but could not get stella to see Paddle events. I am using Linux. Could not figure out how to use wireless either, just plugged it into a USB port.

Yes actually, I was actually considering starting a thread of that nature. I tried on windows 10 64bit. I never got into Atari emulation in the past because until recently there didn't seem to be any usb paddle controller adaptors, and the paddles were the most unique feature to me. I picked up a Gamestation pro "referbished" for $30 with the original batteries for fear that If I just got the joystick for $14 it wouldn't work with pc. I also bought new, the Atari classic controller(joystick) from the new Atari VCS system, and somewhere I have the Gemini paddle joystick combo controller, for which finally there is an adapter that will work. I was hoping to see which of the three all in ones I'd like best. Sadly I have the same problem as you. growing up with pc type joysticks, where I could slam them left or right with such force and large travel as to shake a table, these joysticks with their limited movement feel...delicate and restrictive. Did the original Atari joysticks have such tiny travel as well? My joystick for the Apple 2 computer feels like a Tyco RC remote if they combined the forward reverse stick with the left and right.

 

Here is what I have found. 

 

 

The VCS classic controller when paired to my Windows 10 pc via bluetooth is detected as "classic controller". Joy.cpl the system32 gamepad/joystick calibration tool windows has used since win98 if not earlier shows it as having 5 buttons, a pov hat, and under Axis, it shoes a Dial whose calibration raw data ranges from 0-1024. The dial cycles back to zero if you keep spinning it. The dial is a magnet sensor. The Gamestation Pro cannot detect this controller even when it is plugged in via usb. This one, the joystick handle is the spinner, and it has a shoulder button. It seems like a better layout, but preference is preference.

 

 

The Gamestation Pro joystick item No. DGUNL-7052 when one of two is plugged into my pc via usb type A to C data cable, is detected as "Twin USB Joystick." My Pc detects it when plugged in whether the power switch is set to on or off. In Joy.cpl it shows the Joystick as having 15 buttons, a pov hat which is mapped to the joystick like the VCS joystick, and under axes, it shows an X-Y axis coordinate field, along with bar to indicate Z axis, and a bar to indicate Z rotation. The button mapping is as follows:

A=>7

B=>2

C=>1

Home =>13

Select =>11

Sttart =>12

Menu =>9+10 (note the when plugged into my pc, the light color scheme cannot be changed using this button)

 

None of the axis are affected by anything this joystick can do. The paddle knob does not affect any of the values, and there is no "dial" axis listed to calibrate. 

 

Plugging both Gamestation Pro joysticks into my pc makes them register as two separate devices both called, "Twin USB Joystick."

 

It seems that they are misreporting what they are. A driver other than the one that Windows automatically installs is probably needed to make these be detected correctly. Once a proper driver is found, the next step would hopefully be along the lines of reflashing the firmware on a Logitech unifying receiver to from it's proprietary 2.4ghz to the Gamestation Pro's 2.4ghz signal, that would be awesome. 

Edited August 9 by Jimbo57
formatting glitch