Question about the Gemini Controllers.

[Video]

I come across these two controllers at the local flea market and picked them up. Their Gemini controllers, I assume an Atari Clone. Anyhow, they have a stick on the far end, a knob on the near end, and a button on the left side. Looks sort of like a coleco Controller.

 

Anyhow, I played with them on one of my 2600's and the stick and buttons work fine. But the paddle part doesn't work. Yeah, paddle, it turns about 270 degrees.

 

My question is/are

 

Is this a controller for an Atari clone?

 

If so, did the paddle work on Gemini?

 

If so, then why doesn't it work on the 2600? Or is it wired wrong?

 

I'll be going home later so I can use my test cart on it, I may take it apart to see if I can clean it. Anyhow, their really awesome controllers, and more attention grabbing than standard 2600 sticks. But it'd be cool if the paddle worked, I know, only on one player games. I assume I got to move a pin, if so I'll probably build an adaptor so I can plug both in at once and play two players with them. That'd be cool.

 

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

[JB]

My question is/are

 

Is this a controller for an Atari clone?  

Yes.

 

If so, did the paddle work on Gemini?

Yes.

 

If so, then why doesn't it work on the 2600?  Or is it wired wrong?

It does work.

The only thing I can think of(you don't say WHAT doesn't work) is you don't know the secret.

Right on the joystick is left paddle fire. Left on the stick is right paddle fire. Gemini sticks only have the left paddle(though you can play Canyon Bomber VS yourself by wiggling the stick back and forth )

 

Anyhow, their really awesome controllers, and more attention grabbing than standard 2600 sticks.  But it'd be cool if the paddle worked, I know, only on one player games.  I assume I got to move a pin, if so I'll probably build an adaptor so I can plug both in at once and play two players with them.  That'd be cool.

Personally, I want to see a game designed for them. So you can play with the paddle and stick at the same time.

[uosipa llamxew]

Personally, I want to see a game designed for them. So you can play with the paddle and stick at the same time.

- JB

 

Wow, I think THAT is a really cool idea. I own a gemini (unfortunately it is in dire need of a soldering job) and I kind of like the controllers. I don't know if using both at the same time would be possible or not. Most homebrew authors usually don't like the idea of programming for an obscure joystick, but it IS a very cool idea.

 

I can think of a game in particular, Moon Mine - a voice game for the TI99/4a. It would be so awesome to use a gemini controller, the nob for the horizontal positions guns, and the stick for those positioned vertically. Ahhhhh, it is nice to dream.

 

kthxbye.

[SteveW]

Or someone could hack Commando or Ikari Warriors to work like the arcade game, with it's rotational controller. Maybe someone could try making a game along the lines of Robotron, and use the stick for movement and the paddle for directional auto-fire.

 

The ultimate would be if someone ported the Tron arcade game and made it compatible with the Gemini stick.

[JB]

Personally, I want to see a game designed for them. So you can play with the paddle and stick at the same time.

- JB

 

Wow, I think THAT is a really cool idea. I own a gemini (unfortunately it is in dire need of a soldering job) and I kind of like the controllers. I don't know if using both at the same time would be possible or not. Most homebrew authors usually don't like the idea of programming for an obscure joystick, but it IS a very cool idea.

It's POSSIBLE. The Omega Race booster does just that, electrically speaking.

But it IS a less common device than the standard joystick/paddle.

 

...

 

Maybe I should bother my cousin and see if he still has the deck these sticks came from. It'd be nice to have.

 

I can think of a game in particular, Moon Mine - a voice game for the TI99/4a.  It would be so awesome to use a gemini controller, the nob for the horizontal positions guns, and the stick for those positioned vertically.  Ahhhhh, it is nice to dream.

Fun game, that one.

 

I'd rather have an Etch-A-Sketch controller, though. 2 knobs. ... but that wouldn't work well for the brief EVA sequences.

[Mindfield]

Yeah, they're Coleco Gemini controllers, designed for and included with the Coleco Gemini (Coleco's Atari 2600 clone). The Gemini was my first game system and I loved the combination joystick/paddle idea, though the serrated plastic molding really got painful with extended play. They're also made pretty cheaply, particularily the paddle portion which does not use a potentiometer, but rather a rotary contact system like old-style volume controls where aluminum contacts on the underside of the knob contact a conductive semicircle on the PCB that sends an electrical signal to the paddle lines. It works, and the semicircle is coated rather well with a wear-resistant coating, but the paddles are at least as prone to jitter as Atari paddles, and they aren't nearly as smooth in gameplay. (Actually they feel a little gritty)

 

My boxed Gemini just arrived today, too, and I have to seriously de-jitter the paddles. Anyone know if the procedure for these is similar to de-jittering Atari paddles?

[Nukey Shay]

Even easier...since the paddle's "comb" is already exposed when you just open the controller case. So just clean up the comb and the track that it runs on.

 

As far as the paddle not working correctly, I didn't see it mentioned that you need to use a custom Y-cable for the fire button to ACT as a fire button in paddle games...and required for two player paddle games.

[Godzilla]

the atari 2800 controllers actually have the paddle built into the stick, JUST like those arcade games like heavy barrell.... now if only mame had support for that (since there are adaptors that let you plug in atari 2600 controllers into your pc,)

[NovaXpress]

Gemini paddles break frequently. When they came out a friend of mine's came with a bad paddle. Awful controllers.

[Video]

I know you had to push over (didn't remember wich way, but remember you did), but I meant the Paddle didn't work. Granted I only tried it with Pong sports, it's the only game I had out here that uses paddles, and tried it with the first variation which is one player pong game. The knob simply didn't move the paddle. I guess I should have tried to move the paddle on a two player game instead of going home, but I imagine they're just so dirty, or broken, they just don't work.

 

Another question, since this is an Atari clone.....How do you play two, or four player games on it? Did the Gemini come with controller addaptors, Y cable to hook two controllers to a port, or did it have the second port wired for the second controller's paddle to act like the second controller one paddle, or what?

[Esc]

Yes, the Gemini came with a Y adapter, so you can plug two joystick/paddle controllers into one joystick socket. I think you may need to do that to be able to play with the paddle controllers, but I am not sure.

[JB]

Yes, the Gemini came with a Y adapter, so you can plug two joystick/paddle controllers into one joystick socket.  I think you may need to do that to be able to play with the paddle controllers, but I am not sure.

Ah. I'd wondered for a long time how they could get away with those, since they were very clearly NOT going to work very well for multi-player paddle games.

 

Now I know.

 

The paddle DOES work without the adapter, though.

[Video]

Yeah, the work fine. Unfortunately, they don't work for one player games. Or at least, not on Pong Sports.

 

I was surprised, hooked up the Test Cart, plugged them in, and they not only worked, but were far less jittery than any of my paddle sets.

 

I'll still take them appart and clean everything in them, (cause I wanna look inside anyways ) And I believe I'll build a box to play with two controllers, using the button for the button, rather than the stick for the button. It'll be a cool setup once I get it fixed.