7800 joypad problems

[birdie3]

I have a pair of these and they both have the same problem. The fire buttons are not seperate, they appear to only work for one function on 7800 games. Whats going on here and how do I fix them? Thanks in advance.

[Osgeld]

wellllllll

 

the two buttons are a bit of a kludge so the 1 2600 fire button which is normally pulled high is split via a couple resistors to the two paddle pins on the port for 2 button 7800 function

 

couple things could be going on, it could be the resistors are miswired or changed somehow in the controller

 

~or~

 

there is a problem with your 7800 joystick port (ie cap maybe)

 

do you have another controller and or console to do a A-B-A comparison

[alex_79]

Also, note that many 7800 games does not use the controller in 2-button mode. And in that case both buttons will be read as the standard 2600 single fire button.

Check this post:

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/256081-2-button-and-2-player-games/?do=findComment&comment=3574877

[birdie3]

Whoa.. I will be checking this out. Thanks!!

[birdie3]

So I have managed to further test the busted gamepads. The right buttons are non-functional. I tested each with the difficulty switches in either position and the results were the same. I'm now not sure whether it is the cord or a resistor. I don't own a voltmeter so I am not sure. Any other suggestions would be appreciated.

Edited October 8, 2016 by birdie3

[Osgeld]

buy a multi meter, they are stupid cheap on ebay or amazon and extremely handy for home, car, and hobbies like old game systems and I see a pedal in your profile pic, so electric guitars as well

 

here's one on amazon.ca 8 CDN free shipping

 

https://www.amazon.ca/KingMas-DT830B-Multimeter-19-Range-DMM/dp/B001T3Y8XW/ref=sr_1_5?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1475888749&sr=1-5&keywords=multimeter

 

I do recommend digital I always hate trying to decode what range I am in to what scale I should be reading on analog models, if you can swing it get an autoranging model ... those are like 20 bucks starting

 

if you want to be ghetto about it you can craft up a continuity tester to check the cable, with a small batter (ie AAA, AA or a coin cell) a led and some bits of wire, but for 8 bucks the meter will tell you that and measure resistances, and voltages, and test diodes and transistors, and measure current draw

Edited October 8, 2016 by Osgeld

[+-^CrossBow^-]

Could be dealing with a slightly faulty TIA as well since that controls the ports on the 7800. In a previous post somewhere on here from about a year ago, I was having issues with my AtariVox+ on my 7800 not working as it should, but it was working fine on an actual 2600. Found out later that the player 2 port wasn't fully functional with known working controllers in all directions. Changed out the TIA and problem solved.

 

So if you have two controllers with the exact same issues, it is more than likely something within the 7800 itself. There are a few caps..etc, but the TIA is a flaky beast from what I've seen over the past year and half now.

[birdie3]

I have two pairs. One works fine, the other has this button issue.

[birdie3]

I have two pairs. One works fine, the other has this button issue.

[ApolloBoy]

I've had problems with them developing breaks in the cord (which is ridiculously thin BTW), I wound up replacing the one on mine after it developed issues similar to yours.