Want to enjoy my CV more!

[Trent555]

OK, here's the deal. I have an awesome collection of CV games that i just cant get the full experience from becuase my CV paddles dont work! I know they were made fairly cheap, but i have cleaned the contacts etc with no luck. I have 1 working Super Action Controller which i use to play but its wonky/finicky too at times.

 

My question(s): are there any tricks of the trade in cleaning those tiny contacts in the paddle and are there any third party joysticks out there that make use of the two fire buttons. I know the Atari joystick replacements will work with the CV but they only give 1 working fire button and some CV games require 2. Does anybody understand my conundrum?? haha

 

HELP me to have fun again!!!

[ten-four]

Hi Trent555...

 

You'll have nits to separate your joystick completely.

 

It is many times the white plastic cross, which is to be heated and bent slightly down toward the metal plate.

 

But the metal plate can also break, and then you have to soldered back together, or replaced with a new piece of metal.

 

Otherwise there are replacements out there in the big world, there is Wico, Spectravideo and Joy-sensor.

 

Need a new joystick, then TeleGames in the UK.

[youki]

I think Yurkie (member of Atariage) could repair joystick for you as i understand.

[chrisbid]

I think Yurkie (member of Atariage) could repair joystick for you as i understand.

 

 

for most games, i just use an atari cx40 stick. for the game select menu, you can use a cv controller plugged into port 2.

[RJ]

An Atari 7800 controller works, at least on Space Panic. Left button digs, rt button fills.

[jeremysart]

Its a bummer that such a great system was built so poorly. While all my other consoles that predate my CV keep chuggin along, I can no longer play CV games on the actual unit. Most of the game shows up but I get strange lines and spots of grabled junk on the screen.. I have been forced to use the ADAM or an emulator

One of these days i'll get me another working CV.

 

As far as the paddles, if you cant get em to work I would check eBay or post in the wanteds.

[RangerG]

I am giving a Coleco console one last try (have one coming). They are just not dependable. I have had three now break and this hasn't happened with any of my other consoles. Granted, one CV console I left on, but I've done this with others by accident and they didn't die. The 2600 keeps on chugging, but the CV is a fragile, sickly species. But -- I do love the games :-).

[Trent555]

Thanks for comments folks.

 

Ten-Four, I never thought about the plastic ring needing an ajustment, The metal plate is still in tact. Moving 'up" is finicky, all other directions are fine. I agree that its a shame that some of the CV accessories were cheaply made. I picked up a CV through a private sale (not on ebay) and the guy took real good care of it, so im just lucky the console still works, although i think my PS is dying on it.

 

RJ, i have also heard that an Atari 7800 stick also works well on the CV, but damned if i can find a new/used one on eBay without having such ridiculous shipping prices. I think my quest will be to continue to find a 7new replacement 7800 stick (alternate CX40) and us it in conjunction with a CV paddle in port 2 (to use the number pad).

 

I just wanna play with a WORKING stick!!!!....haha

[+pboland]

OK, here's the deal. I have an awesome collection of CV games that i just cant get the full experience from becuase my CV paddles dont work! I know they were made fairly cheap, but i have cleaned the contacts etc with no luck. I have 1 working Super Action Controller which i use to play but its wonky/finicky too at times.

 

My question(s): are there any tricks of the trade in cleaning those tiny contacts in the paddle and are there any third party joysticks out there that make use of the two fire buttons. I know the Atari joystick replacements will work with the CV but they only give 1 working fire button and some CV games require 2. Does anybody understand my conundrum?? haha

 

HELP me to have fun again!!!

Hi Trent55, I used to be a huge CV fan. The best way to clean the contact is to use thin strips of paper with contact cleaner on them. The strips of paper should be small enough to fit in between the contacts. Apply slight pressure to the contact and pull the paper back and forth. The paper acts as an abrasive and the cleaner help to break down any crud. This method as saved so many controller that I can't keep count. I would use brown paper (packing paper). Good luck.

[RJ]

Dunno how far you are from Milwaukee WI but I bought 3 in-the-box/new 7800 sticks there at Midwest Gaming Classic for a good price. 'Course MGC only comes around once a yr (in spring). Maybe there are upcoming gamning fests near you?

Edited September 6, 2009 by RJ

[Trent555]

Dunno how far you are from Milwaukee WI but I bought 3 in-the-box/new 7800 sticks there at Midwest Gaming Classic for a good price. 'Course MGC only comes around once a yr (in spring). Maybe there are upcoming gamning fests near you?

 

RJ, im in Ontario. Those 7800 sticks are hard to come by, even used ones. I know they are a crappy design as well, but like you said, if you are in the right place at the right time you can find them new. I will keep looking and try the method above for cleaning the contacts, sounds good, I'll give er'

[Trent555]

I just recently tried experimenting with a Genesis controller on the CV, realizing that I would only have one working fire button. For the most part, it played well on a few games, other games werent as compatible. Anyhow, this is the freeking type of CV controller we need for playability. The Geny thumb-pad felt so comfortable, and for a "brief" moment in time, i was giddy with the CV!!!!!!

[jeremysart]

I suppose you could grab yourself a pair of super action controllers. They are pretty easy to come by on eBay, they are pretty too

Of course, I do see original Colecovision paddle on eBay every once in a while for reasonable prices usually.

[doubledown]

I'd recommend making or buying a custom controller like this one (or some other variant):

 

 

This is the one I generally use when I'm not using the arcade sticks on my CV store display.

[Greg2600]

I just recently tried experimenting with a Genesis controller on the CV, realizing that I would only have one working fire button. For the most part, it played well on a few games, other games werent as compatible. Anyhow, this is the freeking type of CV controller we need for playability. The Geny thumb-pad felt so comfortable, and for a "brief" moment in time, i was giddy with the CV!!!!!!

Even with the perfect controller, some of the games just don't have good controller response. At least that's been my experience, especially playing games on a PC/emu.

[Trent555]

A few games worked great with that little Genny controller, other's not so good. It was so easy to get inside and clean the Genny's contacts up nicely.

 

Yes, DoubleD, I like your creation, that's perfect, get those out in mass production for us vintage CV gamers!!! haha

 

Im currently using a SAC, I love the ball and stick, but after a bit of gaming my left hand cramps up holding the bloody thing.....the quest continues for a working thumbpad

[Trent555]

Wholly crap, what a feel! I picked up a WICO Command Control Bat Handle joystick today and tried it on my CV, and using a standard controller in Port 2 to select the game menu and it worked flawlessly. That stick felt sweet. Now if it only supported 2 BUTTON fire i'd be in heaven!!!!!!!!

[Vectorman]

I am giving a Coleco console one last try (have one coming). They are just not dependable. I have had three now break and this hasn't happened with any of my other consoles. Granted, one CV console I left on, but I've done this with others by accident and they didn't die. The 2600 keeps on chugging, but the CV is a fragile, sickly species. But -- I do love the games :-).

 

Your expectations of a 25+ year old game console, made by a toy company and intended as a toy, are unreasonable. I'm sure they probably designed it like any other toy, expecting it to be used for only a year or two until the novelty wore off and then disposed of or forgotten about in a basement/attic. They didn't think they had to design it for 25-30 years of constant use. And your comparison of the CV to the 2600 doesn't make sense. That's like comparing a tricycle to a Ferrari and complaining that the Ferrari engine breaks down eventually. The 2600 has almost no parts inside compared to CV. The CV has way more parts, has more complicated controllers, thus much more to go wrong. A better comparison would be to an old arcade game, and they fail/require repairs just as often.

[RangerG]

Your expectations of a 25+ year old game console, made by a toy company and intended as a toy, are unreasonable. I'm sure they probably designed it like any other toy, expecting it to be used for only a year or two until the novelty wore off and then disposed of or forgotten about in a basement/attic. They didn't think they had to design it for 25-30 years of constant use. And your comparison of the CV to the 2600 doesn't make sense. That's like comparing a tricycle to a Ferrari and complaining that the Ferrari engine breaks down eventually. The 2600 has almost no parts inside compared to CV. The CV has way more parts, has more complicated controllers, thus much more to go wrong. A better comparison would be to an old arcade game, and they fail/require repairs just as often.

 

 

I don't see any reason why it isn't a fair comparison to judge a Colecovision and a 2600 together. There are some classic systems that just don't seem to hold up well. Atari 5200 joysticks often need repair/cleaning, Astrocades seldom work, and Colecovisions are hit or miss. Colecovisions are easily the most unreliable classic console in my collection. CV games are great and I have a lot of nostalgia for the CV as a high-end competitor to the 5200, but they are tough to find in good working condition.

[Trent555]

Oh c'mon, there's absolutely no reason why you cant compare a CV with an Atari. Let's be serious here.

[Vectorman]

Your expectations of a 25+ year old game console, made by a toy company and intended as a toy, are unreasonable. I'm sure they probably designed it like any other toy, expecting it to be used for only a year or two until the novelty wore off and then disposed of or forgotten about in a basement/attic. They didn't think they had to design it for 25-30 years of constant use. And your comparison of the CV to the 2600 doesn't make sense. That's like comparing a tricycle to a Ferrari and complaining that the Ferrari engine breaks down eventually. The 2600 has almost no parts inside compared to CV. The CV has way more parts, has more complicated controllers, thus much more to go wrong. A better comparison would be to an old arcade game, and they fail/require repairs just as often.

 

 

I don't see any reason why it isn't a fair comparison to judge a Colecovision and a 2600 together. There are some classic systems that just don't seem to hold up well. Atari 5200 joysticks often need repair/cleaning, Astrocades seldom work, and Colecovisions are hit or miss. Colecovisions are easily the most unreliable classic console in my collection. CV games are great and I have a lot of nostalgia for the CV as a high-end competitor to the 5200, but they are tough to find in good working condition.

 

 

Yeah, they're both classic systems, except the 2600 has like 3 parts in it and the CV has 300. Things like capacitors will dry out and other parts can go out of spec after many years. Take a look at your 2600's circuit board and then look at the CV circuit board. If the CV was made as simply as the 2600, just remove all the video ram/4 channel sound chip/TI graphics chip/expansion capabilities etc/ give it a 1 button controller, then the CV could be as long lasting as a 2600. You're comparing apples to oranges in terms of technology, parts count. Any of those old CV ram chips could go bad if exposed to static or heat. I don't think the 2600 has ram chips to go bad. If the parts aren't there, they can't fail.