PacManPlus Posted June 30, 2006 Share Posted June 30, 2006 Hi all: I needed another 5200 joystick, so I found a Radica SI for about $5. I gutted it, added 5 buttons (Start, Pause, Reset, #, and * - because those two keys are usually the 'Players' and 'Level' keys), and created a small board to give me the correct digital resistance for the 5200 stick. I put the small board in the battery compartment, in case I have to modify anything (I won't have to take the whole damn thing apart again). I also added a 9-pin 2600 keyboard port (see the second picture), should I need the keypad for a game or two. The only thing is that the keypad would have to be slightly modified (a resistor removed) to work with this configuration. It took me about 3 days to do, and it came out ok. Just giving / sharing ideas! Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaybird3rd Posted June 30, 2006 Share Posted June 30, 2006 Wow! My hat's off to you; that's some very nice-looking work. Your label certainly looks nicer than the attempts I've made to create a label for my 7800 RSI sticks. Speaking of which, I just ordered another batch of sticks (the first I've bought in a while), and I was struck again at how nice they really are for little hobbyist projects like this. There's lots of room inside, everything is easy to rewire, and there's a lot of surface area for adding more buttons and other controls as you've done with yours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+remowilliams Posted June 30, 2006 Share Posted June 30, 2006 Cool! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paranoid Posted June 30, 2006 Share Posted June 30, 2006 I wish the 5200 sticks were as easy to work with as the 7800/5200 sticks. This is just way beyond my ability. Can you provide a schematic for the board and how you wired everything up? I like the idea, but I wouldn't have a clue where to begin as a DIY project. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
z28in82 Posted June 30, 2006 Share Posted June 30, 2006 (edited) Yet another great item PCP has made. He is amazing, it looks very sweet Edited June 30, 2006 by z28in82 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PacManPlus Posted June 30, 2006 Author Share Posted June 30, 2006 Thanks guys Someone else PMmed me about schematics; I think I need to write them up. I was just following a bunch of papers 'on the fly' while I was doing this. I have to fix one thing first; the vertical movement seems to 'stick' in the upward direction even when the joystick is cerntered. I think I need to trim the resistor values first... Right now, I'm using 3.9K, 242K (center), and 470K. I think I need to change the 242K to something else... I'll post the schematics here when I finish them. Thanks again, Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrRetroGamer Posted June 30, 2006 Share Posted June 30, 2006 Nice job, Bob! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Helmet Posted June 30, 2006 Share Posted June 30, 2006 That's a pretty sweet setup there PMP. I thought about doing something similar, but with the 7800 redemption adapter, my modified RSI>7800 stick does the job in a similar way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paranoid Posted June 30, 2006 Share Posted June 30, 2006 Thanks, PM+! (Calling you PMP just seems wrong to me..."Don't slap me, I got yo money!") Helmet brings up a good point. How does this compare in cost of parts to just buying a redemption adapter? It looks like this is a less expensive alternative. Another question... how easy would it be to modify it with a DB-15 pass through so that you could feed through a 5200 stick and keypad? I mean, basically at that point, you've made it a Redemption adapter WITH a built in joystick. I'm guessing at this point you would be better off to go with the Lord Helmet method? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Mitch Posted June 30, 2006 Share Posted June 30, 2006 There are schematics on John Soper's website. Don't know if they are exactly the same but they should work. Mitch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Helmet Posted June 30, 2006 Share Posted June 30, 2006 Thanks, PM+! (Calling you PMP just seems wrong to me..."Don't slap me, I got yo money!") Helmet brings up a good point. How does this compare in cost of parts to just buying a redemption adapter? It looks like this is a less expensive alternative. Another question... how easy would it be to modify it with a DB-15 pass through so that you could feed through a 5200 stick and keypad? I mean, basically at that point, you've made it a Redemption adapter WITH a built in joystick. I'm guessing at this point you would be better off to go with the Lord Helmet method? the other aspect I like about the RSI/7800/Redemption way is that I can use the same stick on my 2600, 5200, and 7800 systems, not to mention the Colecovision. However, the PMP5200 Stick looks like a great 5200 alternative. I like the idea of puting the resistance board in the battery compartment. Genius! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PacManPlus Posted June 30, 2006 Author Share Posted June 30, 2006 Thanks, PM+! (Calling you PMP just seems wrong to me..."Don't slap me, I got yo money!") ... the PMP5200 Stick ... That's funny There are schematics on John Soper's website. Don't know if they are exactly the same but they should work. Mitch I wish I had seen that site first; it would have saved me some work Thanks for the compliments guys I guess this way saves you money but definately not time. I don't know if I'd do this again, just because of all the wiring involved. I will post the schematics (a rough draft), though, once I fix this one issue. Thanks again, Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Allan Posted June 30, 2006 Share Posted June 30, 2006 (edited) Thanks, PM+! (Calling you PMP just seems wrong to me..."Don't slap me, I got yo money!") ... the PMP5200 Stick ... That's funny I like 5200 PMP Stick ... better. Saying the words 'pmp' and stick together is fun. Come one.....say it.....PMP-Stick!!! Allan Edited June 30, 2006 by Allan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vic George 2K3 Posted July 3, 2006 Share Posted July 3, 2006 Too bad you can't mass-produce that! But I wouldn't want to call it "the PMP-Stick" for obvious reasons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZylonBane Posted July 3, 2006 Share Posted July 3, 2006 Too bad you can't mass-produce that! But I wouldn't want to call it "the PMP-Stick" for obvious reasons. That's ironic coming from someone who waves his Wii all over the place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PacManPlus Posted July 3, 2006 Author Share Posted July 3, 2006 (edited) You guys are too funny :lol: I didn't post anything about schematics yet, because I'm still having trouble with vertical movement. I think I screwed up somewhere, and I can't find it. All I can say is I am so glad I put the analog->digital board in the battery compartment, as I dont have to take the whole damn thing apart again to figure out what I did wrong. Edited July 3, 2006 by PacManPlus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A_Username Posted July 3, 2006 Share Posted July 3, 2006 3 days......WOW, it would've taken me like a week to do all that, plus that cool label! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Helmet Posted July 4, 2006 Share Posted July 4, 2006 3 days......WOW, it would've taken me like a week to do all that, plus that cool label! Yeah, PMP is pretty much the man. Mr. Multi-talented Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PacManPlus Posted July 6, 2006 Author Share Posted July 6, 2006 Thanks, dude I figured out the vertical issue, now I'm having problems with horizontal movement that I didn't have before! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paranoid Posted July 6, 2006 Share Posted July 6, 2006 I'm looking at the schematic from the link, and the thing that bothers me with trying this is that there is a chip involved. I'm good enough to put together a 7800 circuit... but adding an IC to a circuit just seems to be a big step for my puny "Radio Shack Electronics Explorer Kit" soldering skills. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PacManPlus Posted July 8, 2006 Author Share Posted July 8, 2006 (edited) Here is the schematic I was able to draw up... Hope it's understandable... 15-pin female 5200 Connector +------------+ | | | 4 +--------------------------------------+ START, PAUSE, AND RESET COMMON | | | START 7 +------------------------------------+-+ START BUTTON ON JOYSTICK | | | | PAUSE 6 +----------------------------------+-|-+ PAUSE BUTTON ON JOYSTICK | | | | | RESET 5 +--------------------------------+-|-|-+ RESET BUTTON ON JOYSTICK | | | | | | 8 +------------------------------+-|-|-|-+ * AND # BUTTONS ON JOYSTICK (COMMON) | | | | | | | 1 +----------------------------+-|-|-|-|-+ # BUTTON ON JOYSTICK | | | | | | | | 3 +--------------------------+-|-|-|-|-|-+ * BUTTON ON JOYSTICK | | | | | | | | | 2 +------------------------+ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | GROUND 15 +--FIRE BUTTON COMMONS | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |BOT BUTN 13 +--BUTTON 'A' | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |TOP BUTN 14 +--BUTTON 'B' | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | +------------+ +--+-+-+-+-+-+-+--+ | 9 5 6 4 3 2 1 | | | | 9-pin male | | 2600 Connector | +-----------------+ *NOTE* on the 2600 keypad, you have to remove the resistor that is attached to the white wire (pin 9) otherwise the center column will not work. I really wish there was a way to do this without modifying the keypad. :( I don't think the keypad will work with the 2600 after that, but I haven't tried it yet. Now, on to the joystick section: UP DOWN +--------+ +--------+ | | | | | N.O. +-2.2K-+ +-497K-+ N.O. | | | | | | | | | +--------+ | | +--+ C | / | | C +---- PIN 11 (UP/DOWN) | | | / +----------+ | | | | |/ \| | | | N.C. +-------250K--------+ N.C. | | | | | | | +--------+ +--------+ PIN 9 (COMMON) ----+ | +--------+ +--------+ | | | | | | | N.O. +-2.2K-+ +-497K-+ N.O. | | | | | | | | | | | +--------+ | | +--+ C | / | | C +---- PIN 10 (LEFT/RIGHT) | | / +----------+ | | | |/ \| | | N.C. +-------250K--------+ N.C. | | | | | +--------+ +--------+ LEFT RIGHT Note: Throughout this whole document, '+' denotes a commection; where there is no '+', there is no connection After trying many different ways of connecting the joystick, this was the only one that worked well. Have fun! Edited July 11, 2006 by PacManPlus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paranoid Posted July 8, 2006 Share Posted July 8, 2006 (edited) Wow... Yeah, I guess this is complicated beyond my skills, because I *thought* for a moment I had made sense of the schematics, but I'm so hopelessly lost I don't even know where to *start* asking questions. I see that you're using 2.2k, 497k and 250k ohm resistors on the circuit for the sticks, and that the top stick circuit goes to Pin 11 and the bottom goes to Pin 10 and pin 9 is the common ground. But I don't understand "N.O.", "C" and "N.C.". Can we see a picture of the board you designed, if it isn't too much trouble to get it out? On the keypad passthrough circuit, if I'm understanding it right, everything goes to a single pin on the db-9 port EXCEPT Db-15 pin 4, which is common and goes to 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 on the DB-9... right? One last question. Why modify and use a 2600 keypad controller on the passthrough rather than just have a DB15 passthrough that only passes the 5200 keypad and locks out the 5200 stick? Is this possible, and if so, would it be more or less work? Basically wouldn't that work like a 5200 Wico stick, where you would use the original 5200 stick for the keypad controller, but have a different stick sitting inbetween the original stick and the console? If this is too dumb to even bother with responding to, please forgive me, I'm a hack at best (and probably a dangerous one at worst), when it comes to stuff like this... Oooh. I think I just got the joystick circuit. That is the actual SWITCH you're depicting in your schematic, right, for Up, Down, Right and Left, each... with three leads from each switch? C is the common ground on the switches, and N.O. and N.C. are the other two? I'm assuming one lead is n.Open and one is n.Closed on each switch? What does the N stand for... heh... Edited July 8, 2006 by Paranoid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PacManPlus Posted July 8, 2006 Author Share Posted July 8, 2006 Wow... Yeah, I guess this is complicated beyond my skills, because I *thought* for a moment I had made sense of the schematics, but I'm so hopelessly lost I don't even know where to *start* asking questions. You'll get it... I've seen your posts - you are an intelligent person. I see that you're using 2.2k, 497k and 250k ohm resistors on the circuit for the sticks, and that the top stick circuit goes to Pin 11 and the bottom goes to Pin 10 and pin 9 is the common ground. But I don't understand "N.O.", "C" and "N.C.". Can we see a picture of the board you designed, if it isn't too much trouble to get it out? See below for the first question I ended up not using a board at all (I ran out from messing up the first two) I just soldered the resistors in a line and then to the wires connecting to each point. On the keypad passthrough circuit, if I'm understanding it right, everything goes to a single pin on the db-9 port EXCEPT Db-15 pin 4, which is common and goes to 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 on the DB-9... right? Close... Everything is a 1-to-1 pinout between the DB-15 and DB-9, but DB-15 pin 4 is only the common to Start, Pause, and Reset. It doesn't go to the 9-pin at all. Wire it up to those three buttons that you have to add to the joystick. One last question. Why modify and use a 2600 keypad controller on the passthrough rather than just have a DB15 passthrough that only passes the 5200 keypad and locks out the 5200 stick? Is this possible, and if so, would it be more or less work? Basically wouldn't that work like a 5200 Wico stick, where you would use the original 5200 stick for the keypad controller, but have a different stick sitting inbetween the original stick and the console? I just figured that the keypads (kids controller, Star Raiders touch pad, or keyboard controller) were more common than a working 5200 keypad. Yes, you could very easily use a DB-15 to a 5200 controller instead (which is what the Redemption controller does). I just happened to have a few keypads laying around. Oooh. I think I just got the joystick circuit. That is the actual SWITCH you're depicting in your schematic, right, for Up, Down, Right and Left, each... with three leads from each switch? C is the common ground on the switches, and N.O. and N.C. are the other two? I'm assuming one lead is n.Open and one is n.Closed on each switch? What does the N stand for... heh... See? I knew you could get it You are right. N.O. is 'Normally Open', and N.C. is 'Normally Closed'. This depicts the state of the switch while the button is NOT pressed. The opposite happens when the button is pressed. e.g. N.O. means that the circuit is normally not connected and when you press the button it connects the two positions (Common and N.O.) internally. N.C. is just the opposite. The circuit is normally connected and when you press the button it disconnects the two positions (Common and N.C.) internally. Hope this helps Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+remowilliams Posted July 8, 2006 Share Posted July 8, 2006 Here is the schematic I was able to draw up... Hope it's understandable... Cool, saves me the time of resistor fiddling and mapping if I get the time to try it out. Nicely done! A great improvement on a great idea Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paranoid Posted July 8, 2006 Share Posted July 8, 2006 It does, quite a bit. I think I may be able to take this on, and I've got a spare 5200 stick that has just been waiting to be donor parts for a good project. I also picked up two of the RSI sticks for a 7800 conversion, and just never got around to it, so I'm good there, too. Thanks for all of your help and the great concept. I guess I'll be making a trip to Radio Shack and busting out the Dremel tool. I'm really excited about doing this. The 5200 is long overdue for a DIY project like this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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