Adding 5200 Start/Pause/Reset/Zero Key ti fight stick

[tripletopper]

My fight stick is considered naked discrete inputs. It used fight stick building techniques used by many professionals on shoryuken.com, but I’m not sure isf THEY can answer it due to their lack of familiarity of any system before the Genesis except for the NES.

 

I’ve got 11 buttons and a switchable 4-Way/8-Way digital stick as my inputs. There are only 2 Main buttons. I’m planing on wiring it to a 15-PIN Digital PC pad, whihc should have the right circuitry to convert digital movenment into PC 15-pin analog movement, but only at center, the 4 cardinals directly, and the 4 diagonals through the combinations of perpendicular cardinals. I also bought a Bohoki PC15-pin to 5200 adapter.

 

I know this device has 2 inputs, one a PC input, for the directions and 2 main buttons, and a 5200 input for the 15 keypad buttons. I was wondering if I can wire a discrete button input, and have that plug into an RCA with the keyboard matrix, so that I can let my "ring finger" button equal hyperspace on Defender, and place Start, Pause and Reset on some of the other buttons.

 

I don’t know how the Joystick input ground will work with the keypad. I understand it might not be a one-to-one wiring, becuase there is not one pin for each key, but is instead matricized, meaning to sends a row and column signal to the pins.

 

If a 5200 controller was modified so that he Keypads have individual RCA inputs, and the RCAs are "direct wired" into an individual keypad press, (Flexibility is the key becuase I don’t know), would I be able to wire a button selector wire (kind of like a telephone operator switchboard coming in between the joystick and the PCB) from the switchboard to the appropriate RCA hole on the modded keypad?

 

 

 

 

Also based on what I see on the overlays, for games that have them, any key would work in Defender, 0 works well in Tennis, and 1, 2, 3, and 0 work well for Countermeasure. All of the other games don’t require so quick of an access to a keypad where it has to be under your hand, ready to press at any time.

 

I assume anything like American Football, Soccer Football, Baseball, and Space Shuttle are more strategic and less reflexive. So you’ll use a lot of keys, but there probably won’t be any close calls.

 

Someone suggested Miner 2049 er and Bounty Bob Strikes Back needs some keys too. I remember those are for the Elevator/Transporter select. Which Keys? If it’s anything like the Colecovision version, probably 1-4 for levels/stations and a zero for elevator call. Even though I remember you can press joystick up to teleport to the flashing level on Atari 800 Bounty Bob Strikes Back.

 

I saw the Behind Jaggi Lines instructions, and it as a reference to a lot of keys, but you probably don’t need the hand over the joystick, guns, and other keys all at the same time. Maybe speed up/slowdown would be handy to have at your side. The other functions, like air lock, cut/start engines, landing gear, and dock with mother ship are not "life or death buttons" except start engines, when a Jaggi appears on your front window when rescuing you soldiers, but you have your hand hovering over the start engine button and nothing else, because you landed.

 

I knew of those last 2 games because of experience. Any other game that needs quick key access, and if so which keys?

 

 

 

And I know some guy might make a retro-brew of a 5200 game using heavy keypad, I should reserve the possibility for everything. except know I’ll have only 6 of the 12 bases covered.

 

 

And If I do ned more than 6 bases covered, I can always plug in a Best-electronics-ca.com gold mod with all 15 keys gold modded.

 

Speaking of which, would gold modding the controller that would be taken apart for the RCA females be a) money well spent or b) a waste of money, especially if you’re directly RCA Female wiring to the flex circuit.

[bohoki]

you could buy a 15 pin breakout board* and add a switch and a long cord and mount it somehow

 

 

 

 

 

* https://www.ebay.com/itm/DB15-D-SUB-VGA-15pin-Female-Adapter-Jack-Terminal-Breakout-PCB-Board-LW/172350617619

[tripletopper]

Thanks Bohoki, I bought your 15 Pin PC-> 5200 adapter, and I bought a PC "digital controller". So I can easily wire Bottom, Top, N, S, E, and W and use the controller’s built in digital actuation of analog controls. I have 3 Atari 520 controllers.

 

I was going to gold-mod 2 of the, and turn the third into a discrete input RCA to be wired to all 15 keys.

 

My question is, I assume I have a 5200 dismantled and have RCA females attached. Would the 5200 controller flex circuit have to be gold modded, or is it easy to solder an RCA femaie directly, and the gold is only for finger pressure contact, and would be a waste of money to get the THIRD controller Gold Modded?

 

Also, it looks like the only 3 games that need a specific key without it being easier just to use a keypad< Defender (any key for hyperspace) Countermeasure (0 of stop/auto tank, and 123 for LEO) and Real Sports Tennis (0 for lob) All the other games that use a keypad use too many keys.

 

And if Miner 2049er and Bounty Bob Strikes Back are anything like the Colecovision Miner, and the Atari 800 BBSB, one or 2 levels use a keypad for transporter/elevator. What keys are needed fo those? Any other 5200 games that have no overlays but have a "self-evident" keypad function like Miner 2049er for CV?

 

i need to know so I can decide whether it’s just cheaper and easier electronically to just put a joystick mount next to the buttons, and just press a gold modded keypad, or whether I need the hyperspace button right next to smart bomb.