A new low-priced "Masterplay Clone" for Sega & A2600 joystick compatibility

[MLaF297]

I saw this video and immediately bought a bohoki adapter and an ikonsgr74 adapter. This works like a charm. Highly recommended!

[ikonsgr]

Hi Everyone,

 

I'm ikonsgr the guy who designed the adapter you are talking about in this topic. A couple of days ago, i received a message from someone that wanted to use the adapter, but he told me that the PC 15pin gameport to Atari 5200 controller adapter (made by bohoki), is currently not available, and he asked me if i could make one for him.

Since i'm no expert with Atari 5200,i took a look at the atari 5200 controller details and i believe that i could modify my adapter to work directly with atari 5200 (changing of the resistors values used,a reroute of the signals to 15pin connector, and an extra pass through 15pin connector for the keypad is all it needs). Of course this would require redesigning and testing of the new pcb, but i don't know if there would be any demand for such an adapter.

So, first i would like to ask bohoki if he plans to make available his adapter again, and if not, how many of you would be interested in a 9pin to atari5200 adapter.

Maybe i could design the circuit+pcb, and have it available for anyone want it...

[David Alexander]

Hi Everyone,

 

I'm ikonsgr the guy who designed the adapter you are talking about in this topic. A couple of days ago, i received a message from someone that wanted to use the adapter, but he told me that the PC 15pin gameport to Atari 5200 controller adapter (made by bohoki), is currently not available, and he asked me if i could make one for him.

Since i'm no expert with Atari 5200,i took a look at the atari 5200 controller details and i believe that i could modify my adapter to work directly with atari 5200 (changing of the resistors values used,a reroute of the signals to 15pin connector, and an extra pass through 15pin connector for the keypad is all it needs). Of course this would require redesigning and testing of the new pcb, but i don't know if there would be any demand for such an adapter.

So, first i would like to ask bohoki if he plans to make available his adapter again, and if not, how many of you would be interested in a 9pin to atari5200 adapter.

Maybe i could design the circuit+pcb, and have it available for anyone want it...

 

I would by two or more

[ave1]

I'd be open to getting one, as long as it maintains Sega Genesis and Sega Master System controller compatibility. Thanks, ikonsgr74!

[ikonsgr]

Can anyone verify that this is the correct circuit for using 15pin pc joystick to atari 5200?

If yes, then using correct resistors specifically to match 5200 potentiometers (i think it's 500K) ,instead of 100K that the PC joystick standard has, i believe you can skip the 220nF capacitors too.

 

Btw,i noticed that the circuit uses the pot common (pin 9 on the atari 5200 connector) to feed the 5volt on the PC joystick port (pin 1). I suppose that the separate common for potentiometers gives at least 2.5-3volts, right?

Edited October 26, 2018 by ikonsgr

[MLaF297]

Before stumbling upon the PC to 5200 adapter and the 15 pin to 9 pin combo, I was looking at this setup http://www94.pair.com/jsoper/gen_2_5200_adap.html. The pinout here might be helpful. Being able to use a genesis controller has been great...finding the willppwer to not go on a game buying spree on ebay has not haha

[ave1]

ikonsgr74, the link you provided doesn't seem to be working. This may help: http://atariage.com/forums/topic/168191-need-help-with-this-schematic/?hl=%2Bbohoki+%2Bschematic&do=findComment&comment=2080405

Edited October 27, 2018 by ave1

[ikonsgr]

Well, this post on the thread you mention, confirms my thoughts about the usage of the capacitors on the pot lines. If you use 500k resistors on the adapter, they are not needed!

My only concern now is the 5v supply of the pc joystick thourgh the common pot signal (btw ave1, the link works fine with me: http://www.atarihq.com/5200/5200faq/06_04.html) . If bohoki used this pinout on his adapter, then most probable it works,because my adapter work fine with it.

Edited October 30, 2018 by ikonsgr

[ave1]

Well that sounds good, ikonsgr. Not sure why that link didn't work for me when I tried to go there the other day... it's definitely working now.

 

I think you've got a good basis to make something that can be tested. Looking forward to hearing about it's performance. One thing you may want to do is find a little pushbutton. Solder a couple wires to it and attach it to pins 4 and 7 on the 5200 side so you can press start without needing to necessarily have a 5200 joystick connected to press start. That would make it very easy for people who want to use this without having a functional 5200 controller.

[bohoki]

it would be great if ikong made the gamepad to 5200 adapter on a little board .

 

i use the atari5200 faq circuit with only one change i link pins 4 and 5 because the pc gameport spec is that pin 4 and 5 are ground and i ran into a suncom joystick that used the pin 5 as ground and since that discovery i make them all that way i also include a start button that connects 5200 pin 4 and 7 that could easily be a button on the board heck it would cost pennies to have a pause and reset as well then have a jack for a modded 2600 touchpad for the numbers

 

i also made one that was basically a wico y cable and made the pc to 5200 as a wico pinout it gets pretty complicated when you want other options

 

there is another option i had an adapter with a switch that turned joy 1 Y into the throttle slider for use with flight sim sticks (it was fun to use a throttle for pole position high low but really is it worth it to have a switch just for one game

 

 

ooh another thing is if you use pin 12 for the pot common (pin 9) the system thinks its hooked up to a trac ball and plays games a bit different like normally if you plug in missile command and use a gamepad the cursor will stay in the center then any direction it will instantly be on the walls you release and it zips back to center but when pin 12 is used it will zip over in the direction you press and when you release it will stay over there (like you stopped the ball)

 

a typical joystick is giving x y coords but a trac ball is giving an angle and velocity

Edited November 1, 2018 by bohoki

[ave1]

bohoki, I sincerely hope you will keep making them. I'm planning on continuing to mention you and your products on my channel as I have over the past 3 years, and letting everyone know you're reachable here at Atariage to buy them.

 

Anyway- you have made a lot of people happy, and I think your adapter handiwork is great.

[bohoki]

i'll still make them on occasion when enough people ask i make a batch

[ikonsgr]

Thanks for answering bohoki. The problem is ,that i'm not involved with atari machines a lot (personally i don't own any atari machine), and especially regarding atari's old game consoles, i really had no idea! :-)

I happen to have a friend of mine with a rather big collection of atari machines, but i spoke with him yesterday, and unfortunately he doesn't have a 5200 in his collection. This would be critical, as now, i don't have any 5200 available in order to test the new adapter design i'm thinking of. So,for the moment, i'm thinking of simply redesign the circuit and the pcb board (gerber files), and give them here for anyone interested to make the adapter by himself :-)

[Swami]

Hey, I got to wondering if my Tototek adapter might have a short in it (it's been damaged in the past and I "fixed" it). Anyway, I took a look and it turns out that a wire was in contact with one of the other wires. That has now been taken care of and it's totally working with the adapters!

 

So here's the method I used to get the Playstation controllers working.

 

Plug the following adapters together in series:

A PC 15 pin Gameport to 5200 15 pin adapter (bohoki makes em)

The Atari 2600/Amiga/Commodore 9 pin to PC 15 pin Gameport adapter (made by Ikonsgr74 of Ebay)

A Best Electronics 9 pin to 9 pin adapter that swaps pin 5 & 7 called the Sega Genesis Controllers to Atari Systems Adapter Cable.

A Tototek Playstation controllers to Sega Genesis adapter (named the Joypad Converter version MD).

 

The thumbsticks work on the conttollers, but the control you get is digital not analog. The analog-only games like Star Wars Arcade, Super Breakout, Missile Command aren't going to be compatible, but the vast majority of 5200 games are compatible.

 

There you go!

I never thought to ask before; Do you get two buttons working independently with the Best Electronics Genesis to Atari adapter? As in both fire and smart bombs in defender? Thanks.

[ave1]

I never thought to ask before; Do you get two buttons working independently with the Best Electronics Genesis to Atari adapter? As in both fire and smart bombs in defender? Thanks.

Yes, the two buttons are active with all the adapters connected in series to the 5200 when using Playstation controllers.

[Swami]

Yes, the two buttons are active with all the adapters connected in series to the 5200 when using Playstation controllers.

Okay. Thanks!

[ikonsgr]

I revive this topic as i finally made the pcb board i promised!

This combines the 2 adapters needed before (the one i made and one from bohoki) and allows you to connect any 9pin Joystick designed for atari,amiga,c64,amstrad cpc etc to an Atari 5200 joy port!

Here is a 3D view:

 

 

 

It looks like the adapter i currently make for a 15pin PC joystick, but the circuit is custom made to fit for a 15Pin D male game port of an Atri 5200 (also the resistors are changed from 47K to 250K).

Unfortunately there is only one problem: Since i don't have any ATARI 5200 to test it, i can't verify that the BOARD works as it should be!

Maybe i'll order a small batch of 4-5 pcbs in the near future,but for the moment, i'll give you  the gerber files for the board, in case anyone want to build and test one for himeself: 

atari5200.zip

You will need a 10k 5pin network resistor, 4X250K resistors,1X100nF ceramic capacitor, a 9Pin D male connector and a 15PIn D female connector. Finnally you will need a PIC 16f630 MCU flashed with the program i made for the adapter (give me a note to send you one, if you are going to try this). 

 

 

 

Edited July 28, 2019 by ikonsgr

[john_q_atari]

Thanks for working on this! Message sent. ?

 

[CZroe]

I revive this topic as i finally made the pcb board i promised!
This combines the 2 adapters needed before (the one i made and one from bohoki) and allows you to connect any 9pin Joystick designed for atari,amiga,c64,amstrad cpc etc to an Atari 5200 joy port!
Here is a 3D view:
 
 
 
It looks like the adapter i currently make for a 15pin PC joystick, but the circuit is custom made to fit for a 15Pin D male game port of an Atri 5200 (also the resistors are changed from 47K to 250K).
Unfortunately there is only one problem: Since i don't have any ATARI 5200 to test it, i can't verify that the BOARD works as it should be!
Maybe i'll order a small batch of 4-5 pcbs in the near future,but for the moment, i'll give you  the gerber files for the board, in case anyone want to build and test one for himeself: 
atari5200.zip
You will need a 10k 5pin network resistor, 4X250K resistors,1X100nF ceramic capacitor, a 9Pin D male connector and a 15PIn D female connector. Finnally you will need a PIC 16f630 MCU flashed with the program i made for the adapter (give me a note to send you one, if you are going to try this). 
 
 
 

Awesome! I know I have some PIC 16F629 but not sure if I have any 16F630. I'd love to try this out.

[Giles N]

On 10/10/2018 at 4:11 PM, ave1 said:

Today I have some relatively new information on a $17 controller adapter that you can obtain on Ebay that, when combined with a PC 15 pin gameport to Atari 5200 controller adapter (like the one currently being made by bohoki) will get your Atari 2600, Sega Master System, and Sega Genesis controllers working on your 5200. What's extra awesome about this is that the Sega controllers have compatibility with the two button games, and this is what the Masterplay Clone enables. (Unfortunately, no one is currently producing the Masterplay Clone for purchasing, though.)

 

Here is the Ebay link to the product: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Amiga-Atari-Amstrad-Commodore-DB9-9Pin-Joystick-to-15Pin-Port-support-Usb-Adpt/272348471848?hash=item3f693be228:g:Df4AAOSwUd9aaMnL

 

I've ordered adapters from this Ebay seller, Ikonsgr74, since 2015 and can vouch for his top-notch workmanship. He will not disappoint you.

 

I have some additional good news: The Atari 2600 Trakball works with it to play the digital games that may be worth a try on the 5200. I have tried it with Gyruss, Ballblazer, and Galaxian with nice control results- especially Gyruss. The trakball unfortunately doesn't work with the analog-only games like Missile Command, Tempest, Star Wars Arcade, and Super Breakout.

 

For two button digital games like Defender and Dreadnaught Factor, the Sega Sportspad (which is a trackball) also works great.

 

If you have a couple of Camerica NES products (The receiver for the "Freedom Stick" with Genesis cables and the "Freedom Connection" transmitter device) you can add those adapters and get your NES controllers working on the 5200. I have enjoyed playing with my NES Starmaster joystick and NES Max gamepad on games like Dig Dug and Defender. In fact, on Defender, the Star Master joystick helped me to get my best ever score of around 89,000. That joystick has a very satisfying 'click' for each direction it is tilted- though it's not actually a microswitch-laden joystick like the Quickshot II Plus. Hard to describe, but it's just a perfect joystick and I'm very grateful to be able to use it to play my favorite 5200 games. I've detected no lag by the way, so that's good...

 

Also there's a way to connect the 8bitdo NES Retro Receiver to the 5200 via the two adapters (and Camerica NES products and NES Fourscore) and play your 5200 digital games wirelessly with the controllers it's compatible with: The Dual Shock 4, Dual Shock 3, Wii Remote, and Wii U Pro Controller. I've tested it and had great success just last evening.

 

Hope you enjoy the info. Special thanks to Swami for being the 1st guinea pig to try out Ikonsgr74's newly revised controller adapter on the 5200 (via being added to the bohoki adapter). I'm definitely grateful for learning about this from you.

Are you sure they’ll work with the Atari 5200?

 

 

[Swami]

8 minutes ago, Giles N said:

Are you sure they’ll work with the Atari 5200?

 

 

Did you watch the video?

[Giles N]

7 minutes ago, Swami said:

Did you watch the video?

I only saw the latest update, didn’t read through the entire thread.

 

Saw the ebay link.

 

Wanted an easy solution. (Buy and have it working).

 

So, I guess ‘no’ is the correct answer on that one.

 

 

Edited July 28, 2019 by Giles N

[Swami]

46 minutes ago, Giles N said:

I only saw the latest update, didn’t read through the entire thread.

 

Saw the ebay link.

 

Wanted an easy solution. (Buy and have it working).

 

So, I guess ‘no’ is the correct answer on that one.

 

 

You need to buy the bohoki adapter from bohoki and the ikonsgr adapter on ebay and the will work together with a 5200 controller as the keyboard. The new board is a simple modification of the one sold on ebay to incorporate the bohoki adapter, so it should work with the 5200 controller as keyboard once the electronic components are added to the keyboard. 

[argniest]

2 hours ago, CZroe said:

3 hours ago, ikonsgr said:

I revive this topic as i finally made the pcb board i promised!
This combines the 2 adapters needed before (the one i made and one from bohoki) and allows you to connect any 9pin Joystick designed for atari,amiga,c64,amstrad cpc etc to an Atari 5200 joy port!
Here is a 3D view:
 
 
 
It looks like the adapter i currently make for a 15pin PC joystick, but the circuit is custom made to fit for a 15Pin D male game port of an Atri 5200 (also the resistors are changed from 47K to 250K).
Unfortunately there is only one problem: Since i don't have any ATARI 5200 to test it, i can't verify that the BOARD works as it should be!
Maybe i'll order a small batch of 4-5 pcbs in the near future,but for the moment, i'll give you  the gerber files for the board, in case anyone want to build and test one for himeself: 
atari5200.zip
You will need a 10k 5pin network resistor, 4X250K resistors,1X100nF ceramic capacitor, a 9Pin D male connector and a 15PIn D female connector. Finnally you will need a PIC 16f630 MCU flashed with the program i made for the adapter (give me a note to send you one, if you are going to try this). 
 
 
 

Awesome! I know I have some PIC 16F629 but not sure if I have any 16F630. I'd love to try this out.

This sounds awesome. 

[ikonsgr]

3 hours ago, CZroe said:

4 hours ago, ikonsgr said:

 

Awesome! I know I have some PIC 16F629 but not sure if I have any 16F630. I'd love to try this out.

Well,16F630 can be easily found and are very cheap too:

https://www.ebay.ie/itm/1Pcs-PIC16F630-PIC16F630-I-P-16F630-DIP-14-Microcontroller-CHIP-IC-NEW-CK/191913685968?hash=item2caef273d0:g:c~0AAOSwOVpXegHH

https://www.ebay.ie/itm/5-Pcs-PIC16F630-PIC16F630-I-P-16F630-DIP-14-Microcontroller-CHIP-IC-NEW-CK/191913685849?hash=item2caef27359:g:c~0AAOSwOVpXegHH

 

And here is the hex file for the PIC 16F630:  

9to15.hex

Edited July 28, 2019 by ikonsgr