Flashback X & Arcader joystick: Any idea to have "Menu" on Fire Button 2?

[Pac-Man Senior]

The Flashback X never got a patch for the special buttons (menu, select, ...) when joystick is in port 2. If I'm playing a game with my Arcader joystick in port 1 - the Flashback joystick with the extra buttons in port 2 - and i want to exit the game and play another one the menu button on the joystick in port 2 works once and leads me back to the page of the game. With the Flashback joystick in port 1 a second push on the menu button leads back to the game list. But in port 2 another push on that button has no impact. All I can do is to go to the next or prior game page with right or left on my Arcader in port 1 or the Flashback joystick in port 2. Very inconvenient when I want to play with my Arcader or with the paddles. If I want to exit a game and go back to the game list I have to power off and on the system or to plug the Flashback joystick in port 1, push the menu button and then plug the Flashback in port 2 again and the Arcader in port 1 again. The same problem for the other feature buttons and functions. Atgames fixed this issue for the Flashback 11 but not for the older but comparable Flashback X.

 

I was wondering whether the Arcader is possible to simulate the menu button on his fire button 2 that is unplugged when I play Atari 2600 games. So I did some research concerning the pin outputs of Flashback X and I only found something about the Flashback 9. The source said that menu is up/down/ground on the pins. I tried something like this with the few cables that were included with the Arcader but it was a disaster. No reaction, false reaction, or freeze when starting the system. So I decided to ask here on atari age if someone has successfully tried this matching for fire button 2 on the Arcader. I don't think anyone is still interested in this old hardware - in times of 2600+, Flashback 12, Gamestation Portable etc. But never say never. I'd appreciate any kind of hint - today or whenever.  Thanks.

[TampaBay]

20 hours ago, Pac-Man Senior said:

The Flashback X never got a patch for the special buttons (menu, select, ...) when joystick is in port 2. If I'm playing a game with my Arcader joystick in port 1 - the Flashback joystick with the extra buttons in port 2 - and i want to exit the game and play another one the menu button on the joystick in port 2 works once and leads me back to the page of the game. With the Flashback joystick in port 1 a second push on the menu button leads back to the game list. But in port 2 another push on that button has no impact. All I can do is to go to the next or prior game page with right or left on my Arcader in port 1 or the Flashback joystick in port 2. Very inconvenient when I want to play with my Arcader or with the paddles. If I want to exit a game and go back to the game list I have to power off and on the system or to plug the Flashback joystick in port 1, push the menu button and then plug the Flashback in port 2 again and the Arcader in port 1 again. The same problem for the other feature buttons and functions. Atgames fixed this issue for the Flashback 11 but not for the older but comparable Flashback X.

 

I was wondering whether the Arcader is possible to simulate the menu button on his fire button 2 that is unplugged when I play Atari 2600 games. So I did some research concerning the pin outputs of Flashback X and I only found something about the Flashback 9. The source said that menu is up/down/ground on the pins. I tried something like this with the few cables that were included with the Arcader but it was a disaster. No reaction, false reaction, or freeze when starting the system. So I decided to ask here on atari age if someone has successfully tried this matching for fire button 2 on the Arcader. I don't think anyone is still interested in this old hardware - in times of 2600+, Flashback 12, Gamestation Portable etc. But never say never. I'd appreciate any kind of hint - today or whenever.  Thanks.

@Pac-Man Senior  You don't happen to have the Nexus build on your Flashback X, do you?  I ask because I had a similar issue and @rocketfan showed me a little trick for my Nexus build that allows me to press the "Select" button on the unit while pulling in the Down direction on the joystick, and it gets you back to the menu.  I had broken my Flashback joystick with the menu buttons on it, so I was looking for an alternative, and this works great.  Though I believe you would need Nexus on your Flashback.  @rocketfan, there's  no way to implement that trick without Nexus, correct?

[Pac-Man Senior]

@TampaBay Thanks for this hint. I never heard of a Nexus Build. But I recently installed the custom firmware on my Flashback X and I'm very happy with it. The UI issues are the same as with the official firmware but I will test again if any button combination joystick/device can solve my "go back" issue. And I will do some research on this Nexus Build. What happened to your joystick is my nightmare concerning the Flashback X. You cannot buy the joystick seperately. If this joystick is broken there is no more "go back", favorites, rewind etc. I wish they had implemented some short cuts for the special features on the device. But nothing is perfect, as we all know. Thanks again. 

[TampaBay]

@Pac-Man Senior No problem at all.  I also had a Flashback 12 Gold so I had a backup joystick with the menu buttons, but I wanted another for my Flashback 9 (the one that broke).  I went on eBay and bought a Flashback 9 with joystick for 20 bucks.  So now I have my joystick back PLUS a spare Flashback 9!  Surprisingly, the eBay unit and joystick I bought looked pretty much brand new.  So there's always that as an option for you.

 

As for Nexus, it's a free software package developed by some of the guys on this forum.  You just download Nexus to a spare SD card or USB flash drive, and it does not change your actual Flashback unit at all.  When you insert the SD card / flash drive with Nexus on it and boot your Flashback, you get a whole new menu system that not only includes Atari 2600 games, but Nexus includes emulators that allow you to play games from other consoles too like Sega Genesis, Nintendo, Sony Playstation, etc., and also other Atari consoles, 8-bit computers, and arcade game cabinets.  It's awesome.  It's really pretty incredible.  As part of it, they have that little fix I was mentioning so you don't need the menu buttons on the joystick.  If you remove the SD card / flash drive, your Flashback is completely back to normal.  Very cool.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 12 by TampaBay

[Pac-Man Senior]

Wow, sounds really great! I will check out this Nexus wonder build. Thank you very much.

[TampaBay]

11 minutes ago, Pac-Man Senior said:

Wow, sounds really great! I will check out this Nexus wonder build. Thank you very much.

You can find all the info here (link below).

 

https://forums.atariage.com/topic/335692-atarilegends-flashback-expansion-builds/

 

Edited February 12 by TampaBay

[Pac-Man Senior]

Today I finally got it! My Arcader Joystick emulates the menu button. I am now able to leave a game and than to go back to the main screen. It was an experiment in the dark because I haven't found an output scheme for the special buttons of the flashback x or xi joystick. And I had to work with the three cables that were included with my Arcader. I did the following:

 

I connected one side of the second button to the pins 8 and 9 (ground and free, I only have cables with two-pin-jack). The other side I connected to the pins 1 and 2. Now, when I'm running a game I click the second fire button and joystick up simultaneously. The context menu appears where I can quit, resume or save. I confirm quit with the first fire button and see the game page with the instructions. Here I click left/up and the second fire button simultaneously and I see the main/starting page. The latter action inside a running game means game reset - very useful for games that don't start via fire button. For game select I have to use the button on the flashback hardware if the special button joystick isn't plugged in.

 

For me this is a great breakthrough because I don't like the latency of the original flashback special button joystick. For example in pitfall it is so horrible to die regularly in the croc screen due to a disfunctional or laggy fire button. The Arcader is so much better on the Flashback X or XI. And now I can use it as the only joystick for gaming and special features.

[TampaBay]

9 minutes ago, Pac-Man Senior said:

Today I finally got it! My Arcader Joystick emulates the menu button. I am now able to leave a game and than to go back to the main screen. It was an experiment in the dark because I haven't found an output scheme for the special buttons of the flashback x or xi joystick. And I had to work with the three cables that were included with my Arcader. I did the following:

 

I connected one side of the second button to the pins 8 and 9 (ground and free, I only have cables with two-pin-jack). The other side I connected to the pins 1 and 2. Now, when I'm running a game I click the second fire button and joystick up simultaneously. The context menu appears where I can quit, resume or save. I confirm quit with the first fire button and see the game page with the instructions. Here I click left/up and the second fire button simultaneously and I see the main/starting page. The latter action inside a running game means game reset - very useful for games that don't start via fire button. For game select I have to use the button on the flashback hardware if the special button joystick isn't plugged in.

 

For me this is a great breakthrough because I don't like the latency of the original flashback special button joystick. For example in pitfall it is so horrible to die regularly in the croc screen due to a disfunctional or laggy fire button. The Arcader is so much better on the Flashback X or XI. And now I can use it as the only joystick for gaming and special features.

 

That's great!  Glad you got it working!!

Edited March 5 by TampaBay

[Pac-Man Senior]

I have to correct one detail: If I'm on the game info page I push fire button 2 and up simultaneously (the same way like inside a game for quitting) to go to the main page. Not left/up. left/up plus fire button 2 is only for "Reset".