32 replies to this topic

[0078265317]

The real masterplay is over 200 dollars and too much in my opinion.  So got this clone for 55 dollars shipped and has built-in keypad.  Works great.  Now I can finally play atari 5200 with a wireless nes controller.  Works great.  Only complaint is some games like super breakout are too jerky.  But on the side is vhold left and right.  X and y or what ever it is called just like the wico.  Except there are holes and I need a screw driver to adjust them.  Not a big deal though.

Anyhow I took some pictures.  I'll try to get some better ones latter.  The camera is not very good.  Anyhow no nedd for a cable plugs directly into the 5200 except a little flimsy without a cable but sinse it is wireless now no need.  Anyhow instead I used 4 gender changers propped up on 3 carts or in the photo 2 carts and 1 vhs tape.  Pretty stable.  Works good now.  And with built-in keypad it is nice.  Plus builtin start pause and reset.  Not sure what the last button does bottom right but the rest work great.  I thought something snapped when hooking it up but all button work great.  It is just plastic and not metal.  But still pretty good for what I got.  The original masterplay is also plastic however.

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[0078265317]

Ok, so decided to be brave and oen this thing up.  Don't worry nothing broke.  Here is what I found.Very nicely done and simple.  Probably not worth what I paid.  But I'm no good at this stuff.  Even my custom paddle was a lot of work and parts.  Not cheap either.  So this was worth it I think.  Anyhow here it is.

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[atari2atari]

Hmm, very cool!

I am still searching for the perfect balance between price and function in order to connect something besides the stock 5200 controllers to my unit.

I have the gold-dot rebuilt BEST ELECTRONICS 5200 controllers, and I like them, but I desire to use the ATARI CX40 or even better, my EPYX 500 on my 5200.

Who made this converter you have, and how much was it?  Are there any others still available?

Can you "piggyback" a regular 5200 controller to it so that you can use its keypad, or do you have to use the built-in one?

Thanks for sharing!

-a2a

[0078265317]

55 including shipping.  It was on ebay.  I got the last one but maybe he can make you another one.  It has 1 15 pin port and 1 9 pin port.  Anyhow why would want to use another controller.  The built-in keypad saves space, time and is awesome.  His ebay id is "mokosensei" maybe he can help.

[0078265317]

Works really well for frogger.  Makes playing so simple.  Anyhow just ordered a quickshot off ebay.  Vertical flight type of stick.  Black with blue and red buttons.  Lets hope it works.

[Prodos8]

Looks very well made, even has a real pcb.   Well worth $55 if your unable to construct such things on your own.

What is the number on the IC it has inside??  I couldn't read from your pics.

Just get a neo-geo/5200 extension cable to hook it up properly,  that arrangement of yours looks dangerous.

ETA: Does it do two-button support with sega pads??

[0078265317]

Might be dangerous but nothing has caught fire yet.  Anyhow in the mean time at least I verified it works  Would really like to hook it up to 2 ports with a 15 pin y cable.  But they are hard to find completely wired.  And the one I have doesn't operate all the buttons except start and pause.  Doesn't even move pacman around.  Plus I read on another forum that is how gmaeport y cables are wired.  2 digital and 2 analog for each side (each controller) and no y exists completely wired.  Plus as long as it never falls out and is properly supported I see no harm.  As for neogeo it is expensive.  Only one I found was 26 dollars as I linked you in the pm.  I'm not paying 26 for a cable.  But at least it works for now so no big deal as I said.  As for the sega I don't have a sega.  So  I can't test and don't want to buy a sega controller cuz there is no way to verify if it works without buying another sega.  And I already have 2 many consoles.  And as for the chip.  Don't know I will see if I can get another peek.

[0078265317]

It is hard to read but at my best.

DG413LDJ
G0530AA

Firsline is DG4 Then a (s symbol) with an (I) in the middle followed by a triangle on the second line.  Then G05.

Not sure if those are zeros or the letter o.

[Prodos8]

DG413L

Thanks!!

I guess the little yellow LED is to illuminate the two adjustment pots so you can see them when the box is closed?

[0078265317]

There is no light anywhere.  Just 2 holes on the side for (V and H) as you saw in the photos which similar to the (X and Y) knobs on the Wico stick.  Same purpose pretty much except 2 holes instead of the sliders like the Wico.  But no light is visible and I have probably already bored the holes too deep with my screw driver taking it apart so many times so no morel..  Plus it is tight now.  And nothing broke so its good now.

Plus it is dangerous to adjust while on right?  Metal screw driver  can short  the thing can't it?

Edited by 0078265317, Sat Jan 7, 2012 11:58 AM.

[0078265317]

OK and I also ordered a nes quick shot python II.  Works great.  Makes playing frogger and galaxian so much easier.  Just needs a little cleaning up.

[0078265317]

Also btw if I plug in my wico into this would it work.  Or since 5200 wico is analog it would fry??

[stringfellow]

I just clicked buy it now for one of these. The seller says that it is the last one since he isn't sure about any deman. I told him to come here.

[low_budget]

I'm the guy that built these. Funny thing is I never really intended to sell them, I just wanted a nice working controller for the 5200. Didn't know there was a forum topic on here until stringfellow let me know. Anyway I can answer questions about it.
I only made 3 of these on prototype PCBs, which have all sold. I am looking into making a quantity since it seems there is demand for these. This may take a couple months.
The circuit uses a DG413 quad analog switch. I first tried a circuit using two 4052 multiplexers. I couldn't get that one to work right so I used a totally new schematic. My own design!
Both fire buttons are wired so a Sega Master System controller can use them. Pins 5 and 7 of the controller port are wired to 5v, so I believe a Genesis controller will work as well.
The bottom right keypad button does nothing, it was never used in any Atari controller. It can be read by the Atari, however.
I didn't install a connector for an auxilary keypad because the internal one works fine. I was able to play Frogger in keypad mode and it worked well.
I tested it with 10 or so games from my collection. I will see if I can fix that jerky control issue in Super Breakout. However, I know some games are designed for analog control and simply won't work with a digital converter.
I didn't use a extension cable to test the system. It can be directly plugged into the Atari if the Atari's top cover is removed, but this isn't really practical. Never thought of using gender changers... I know the cable is expensive at $26, but probably the best option.
I installed a LED to illuminate the recessed 1M pots. I'm not sure why it didn't light up....  I installed it because I was having trouble seeing the potentieometer slots and couldn't adjust them while the Atari was on.
This circuit provides high resistance, but not infinite resistance for down / right. This means it should work with Ms. Pac Man and other games that don't work with a Masterplay. However, I can only test it with games I have and I don't have these at the moment.

I want to make new versions with the connectors and keypad soldered to the PCB to reduce assembly time. I will also make the center point pots easier to adjust.
Thanks for the feedback everyone!

[0078265317]

Thanks for sharing.  I made my own paddle for breakout so no big deal.  As for the light maybe it was there I just never noticed.

[low_budget]

Progress! I got my pc boards in for my new version 1.2 of this circuit. These have silkscreen and provisions to mount all the components on one board, including the connectors and keypad. I just tested it out last night and it works great. I also made it much easier to adjust the centering pots.

When I assembled the three initial prototypes, I noticed I spent most of the build time cutting holes in the project box and wiring the input connector and keypad. Since I hope to sell more than a few of these, I could do without the 3 extra hours work to build them. So my plan is to offer these as a kit either assembled or unassembled with all the components included. The potentieomerters seen it the pics were rather expensive ($2.60 each) so I will send different ones with the kits, actually metal and heavy duty. These can't be mounted on the board however, and will need some short wires to connect them.

I know that Atari 5200 compatible controller cables with all pins wired are either expensive or hard to come by, so there are a few options to connect it to the Atari.
1. Get a Neo Geo style controller extension cable and plug it into the onboard DB15 female connector.
2. Use a standard 5200 controller cable and power the board with batteries.
3. Remove the Atari's top cover and plug it in directly.

I made the board with lots of tap points so it can be configured for different controlers, remotely mounted pots, and/or battery power. The keypad I use can be plugged in and removable if you solder in a 8 pin header receptacle.

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[Allan]

Looks cool.

Maybe you might want to make something like this:

http://www.atariage....__1#entry370097

Allan

[stringfellow]

Got a new extension cable the other day and I am loving this thing.

[low_budget]

I started building more Masterplay clones recently. I fixed the issues with the earlier ones, and added new features.

These have easy to adjust centering pots that knobs can be mounted to. These pots can adjust the x y analog position manually across the whole range of movement. I found this has a nice side benefit, 1 or 2 buttons can be mounted in the case and the converter can be used as a stand alone paddle controller.

The casing is thicker plastic and white to match the keypad. Durable outer casing to prevent fallapart!

All the connectors and pots are screwed to the case.

Has circuit board version 1.2 with silkscreen and more tap points for things like extra buttons.

The only downside to making these is it takes some time to cut all the plastic to exact size with hand tools. I also had to hand wire the keypad, input connector, and pots so there's around 3 hours labor in building one. I've been making a couple a week and selling them on eBay.

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[thegamezmaster]

Wow! sure is sweet looking!

[0078265317]

low_budget, on Wed Apr 11, 2012 11:21 AM, said:

I started building more Masterplay clones recently. I fixed the issues with the earlier ones, and added new features.

These have easy to adjust centering pots that knobs can be mounted to. These pots can adjust the x y analog position manually across the whole range of movement. I found this has a nice side benefit, 1 or 2 buttons can be mounted in the case and the converter can be used as a stand alone paddle controller.

The casing is thicker plastic and white to match the keypad. Durable outer casing to prevent fallapart!

All the connectors and pots are screwed to the case.

Has circuit board version 1.2 with silkscreen and more tap points for things like extra buttons.

The only downside to making these is it takes some time to cut all the plastic to exact size with hand tools. I also had to hand wire the keypad, input connector, and pots so there's around 3 hours labor in building one. I've been making a couple a week and selling them on eBay.

Cool, is it possible to add knobs to my early version??  And how much are the new ones??  Or mine is good enough and not worth upgrading??

[low_budget]

0078265317, on Wed Apr 11, 2012 7:33 PM, said:

Cool, is it possible to add knobs to my early version??  And how much are the new ones??  Or mine is good enough and not worth upgrading??

It's possible, but you will need to remove the original potentiometers and replace them with wires leading to the new panel mount pots (Digi Key part # 987-1395-ND.) The first 3 I built didn't have a silkscreened board, so it may be difficult to remove the pots without tearing up traces. You may want to leave it as is unless you find adjustment is needed often.

I've been selling the new style for $69.

[0078265317]

BTW, just out of curiosity.  Would it work if I plugged in my wico 5200 verisoin into the clone which is also ha s a 9 pin port.  Or because its analog it won't work.  Cuz it would be cool since I don't have to buy a wico keypad then.

[sdamon]

0078265317, on Thu Apr 12, 2012 11:28 PM, said:

BTW, just out of curiosity.  Would it work if I plugged in my wico 5200 verisoin into the clone which is also ha s a 9 pin port.  Or because its analog it won't work.  Cuz it would be cool since I don't have to buy a wico keypad then.

I'm guessing this wouldn't work well, as the keypad/MC clone is expecting digitial input from its 9-pin port.  However, you might want want to try using the Wico's Y-cable to plug in the keypad (using a gender bender) and your Wico stick... maybe that would do the trick.

[0078265317]

It works without any gender changers actually.  The problem is the custom y cable I have only allows start pause and reset to work.  I can't change like 1 or 2 player for example.  Or dificulty.  So no keypad.  Just start pause and reset.  Kinda annoying.