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doubledown

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Posts posted by doubledown

  1. Posted

    Functionally/control-wise yes (graphically absolutely not, which is more what I was referring to about not being the same as a port's arcade counterpart), Smash TV on the NES was playable with 2 controllers like the arcade, albeit with two sideways d-pads vs 2 joysticks, unless you were using 2 NES Advantages, but I prefer the graphically superior SNES Super Smash TV myself, to the NES port...which is one of the reasons I built myself this a while back:

     

    tDSx5C.png

     

    The 2nd stick is wired as an alternate control input for the Y/X/B/A buttons, for the SNES ports of Super Smash TV, Total Carnage, Robotron: 2084, Crazy Climber...and I think that there was one other twin-stick arcade port on the SNES too...but it escapes me right now.  

    • Like 1

  3. Posted

    1 hour ago, Tanooki said:

    Unless I missed it how does that original SNK stick work there?  Is it just wired up as a standard NES joystick, or did you do something unique to it to use original twist function?  That would be interesting if it were possible.

    As-is, this arcade controller is simply an NES compatible, 8-way joystick, with 2 buttons (B & A), plus the Select & Start buttons, which features an original LS-30 for its authentic joystick look & feel.  The rotary function of the LS-30 in this instance, is non-operational for the NES, as the software wasn't programmed to handle the additional I/O.  Had they developed and sold a specific peripheral controller for this port, than maybe it would have been a different story.  The NES versions of Ikari Warriors I, II, III (and other rotary joystick arcade ports, across most all vintage 8-bit & 16-bit consoles), is simply programmed using the, "shoot in the direction you are running" concept.  Obviously it's not the same as the arcade...but what 80s home port was?  The easier/cheaper choice for this build, would have been to simply 3D print a look-a-like knob to install onto any modern Japanese stick, but I wanted the true original, even if it's not being 100% utilized.  

  5. Posted

    Yes, others have made 2600 -to- 5200 Paddle conversions...which is seemingly no different functionality-wise, from this RetroGameBoyz version, except those started as quality ATARI products, with ergonomic molded plastic parts...not 3D printed.  If you're going to go to the trouble to design and create a new Paddle Controller and it's housing for the 5200...why not add the necessary functionality.  

     

    If I'm not mistaken, there were technically only 2 "paddle" games officially ported to the 5200 BITD, Super Breakout and Kaboom!, and both of those, even playing from the original carts (not using an AtariMax where menu navigation is required), still require additional keypad buttons for game/player selections, over just the simple Lower Button and Start Button, that are normally installed on these homemade versions.  

     

    There was also this one:

     

    QlAbKO.png

     

    ...which would let you do everything from one full-featured Paddle Controller, without plugging/unplugging controllers, and/or requiring the use of a secondary controller/adapter.  I think more people just need to think outside the box, shoot for the stars, and not simply settle for the cheapest/easiest way to do something...that kind of, sort of, works...sometimes.    

    • Like 1

  6. Posted

    So I've been slowly working on a few new controllers, on and off for a while now...because they all require pretty significant control hardware modifications.  All of which will have to be engineered, designed, tested, and then implemented.  Most of these modifications are joystick related, in an effort to improve the performance/feel of a particular vintage joystick, and/or to create a new joystick that simulates/mimics another, that's no longer manufactured, or simply too bulky to install into a specific enclosure.  So I started by building this:

     

    Ss1ska.png

     

    To most, I'm sure, its nothing very fancy or awe inspiring.  But to me, its a fixture that I made up with very calculated bored & counterbored holes, for very specific joystick levers.  It allows me to accurately measure and reference their "installed" heights for the purpose of reproducing the size, look, and feel of the originals.  For those curious, the 3 red bat and 3 black ball levers on the left, are iL Bat and Ball knob shafts, that I bought and/or modified for different purposes thus far.  Then starting with the large/tall red ball knob w/ red shaft (basically dead in the middle), and working to the right, these are:

     

    HAPP/Coin Controls, mid 80s ball knob

    Nintendo Upright (Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Junior, and others)

    WICO Heavy Duty 3.5"

    Bally/Midway (Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man and others)

    Seimitsu LS-32

     

    As you can see, manufacturers used a very wide range of knob sizes and heights over the years, and that's part of what I'm working on, to engineer solutions for.  

     

    Then to work with my new VVG iLeaf Stick (leaf-switch modified iL EuroJoystick 2), I had to design and make new switch actuators, for both the 8-way and 4-way variations I am building:

     

    iRyPph.png

     

    The joystick's original factory 8-way square actuator is on the left, then my new round 8-way version is in the middle (necessary for my leaf-switch modification), and on the right, a new smaller 4-way actuator, that works with both the original micro-switches, and my leaf-switch modification.  Previously, there was no way to convert a new iL EuroJoystick 2, from an 8-way stick to a 4-way stick, but there is now.  

     

    For the HAPP/Coin Controls joysticks that I have and have plans for, my biggest gripe with these sticks, is the length of throw required to make contact with the switches.  It seems like its about a mile long in the cardinal directions...and even longer for the diagonals.  So to remedy this, I also made new actuators for these joysticks too:

     

    LyjoiP.png

     

    The original actuators (pictured on the left) were hour glass shaped.  The lower/larger diameter portion was used when you wanted an 8-way stick, or you could flip it over and use the smaller diameter portion, which made the stick a 4-way.  For my current plans, I need 8-way sticks, but I'd like them to actuate with a substantially shorter throw, versus that of the originals.  So I designed and made up a few new actuators, starting at 0.050" larger than the original, and increasing each in diameter by an additional 0.050", for a range of actuators that are between 0.050" - 0.250" larger than the originals.  I'll have to spend some time with these once I get the stick mounted, to really see which one I like best.  But just playing around with them installed onto a joystick held in my hand, I think one of the largest 2, will be the winner.

     

    Then let's see...oh yeah, I got these in today:

     

    KBUsss.png

     

    Now that I finally have these in hand, I can take the measurements I need so that I can calculate the required modifications to their mating joystick shafts, for their proper and accurate installation...in some upcoming mystery controller.  

     

    And then lastly, there's this new acquisition:

     

    iiRMoA.png

     

    ...in all it's majesty.  I'm sure I can do something with this...but what!?!  Only time will tell.  

    • Like 1

  7. Posted

    The Expansion Module #1...will play ATARI 2600 games, but as the O.P. was curious about playing them on his modded console (not simply will they work...in general), as others have said, it would probably only work via the ColecoVision's original RF output (if still intact), and thus not in the "high quality" video he was referring to.  

  8. Posted

    Unfortunately the shelves are all currently nearly full, and pretty well organized...and the amount of work that it would take to move all of that stuff, just to set up a for one photograph of all of the controllers that I currently have, isn't worth it to me.  Especially since I have well-lit, white-backgrounded photos of each individual controller. 

     

    Not to mention...any photo taken now, wouldn't be a "finished" photo, as I still have more to build.  

     

     

  9. Posted

    I got a chance to look at some of the pricing for my VVG Mini Controllers this weekend, and it looks like this:

     

    ATARI VCS Edition - VVG Mini Controller - $160.00 (2600 or 7800 2-button wiring)

     

    ATARI 7800 Edition - VVG Mini Controller - $160.00

     

    ColecoVision Basic Edition - VVG Mini Controller - $160.00

     

    ColecoVision Edition (Standard) - VVG Mini Controller - $180.00 (this is the model with the 2nd cable for the connection of a Hand Controller) 

     

    I still have to finish looking at the pricing for the ColecoVision DX and DX+ editions.  

     

    Note, these prices represent 1 controller being built at a time, with that 1 controller taking the brunt of the associated shipping costs.  If multiple controllers were being built simultaneously (multiple controllers to one buyer, and/or multiple buyers ordering controller(s) at approximately the same build time), the above prices can drop between $10 - $20 per controller. 

     

    So as an example, if 1 buyer, wanted (2) ColecoVision Basic Editions, they would be (2) @ $150 each...totaling $300 ($10 savings per controller).  If 5 separate buyers, wanted (1) ColecoVision Basic Edition each (or some similar scenario where 5 or more controllers were being built simultaneously), then each controller would be $140 each ($20 savings per controller). 

     

    I'll try to get pricing for the ColecoVision DX and DX+ editions here when I can.  

    • Like 2
    • Thanks 1

  13. Posted

    6 hours ago, TIX said:

    Awesome work on the controllers, and an amazingly clean basement 😄

     

    I'm trying for the last couple of months to get a pair of ls-30 joysticks or alternatives (for some SNK game goodness),

    but they seem to have vanished from everywhere ☹️

    Can you point me to the right direction ?

     

    To my knowledge, there were 3, maybe 4, different 12-position rotary joysticks made over the years:

     

    *Seimitsu LS-30 (yellow octagon knob)

     

    *WICO Rotary (yellow barrel knob, or yellow ball knob) (built for the Data East rotary joystick games like Heavy Barrel, and sold as a replacement for the LS-30s...I have one of these barrel knob models in stock too, I'm just waiting for a project to use it with)

     

    *Coin Controls (red ball knob with red tapered shaft cover)

     

    *and I think HAPP made a Bat Knob version for some time too

     

    There were a few other rotary joysticks made, but most of those used an optical encoder, versus the 12 position mechanical switch found in those above.  So depending on how you were going to wire it, and what you were going to use it with (with regard to whether the I/O can be read by the device), that would depend on which of them you would be able to use. 

     

    I generally source most of my vintage arcade hardware from ebay, and/or the arcade forums over at KLOV.  The LS-30s have definitely jumped up in price quite a bit over the years, and from what I've seen currently, they usually sell in the $75-$150 range, depending on condition.  I got mine as a single joystick (a lot of times they're only sold in pairs, as removed from a cabinet) that needed a little mechanical work, for something around $40 or so, about 4 or 5 months ago from a guy at the KLOV forums.  There are currently several of each of the above mentioned joysticks on ebay, granted in the U.S.  Do a search for:

     

    Rotary Joystick

     

    then you can select the categories Collectibles / Arcade, Jukeboxes & Pinball, Arcade Gaming / Replacement Parts

     

    to filter out unwanted results.

    • Thanks 1

  14. Posted

    6 hours ago, batari said:

    This adapter does several things.

     

    1. 12v is more common than 9v and most likely there is no need to buy a new adapter.

    2. It eliminates guesswork and possible damage from wrong polarity: You don't need to worry about output polarity or even if the adapter outputs AC, as long as it outputs 1A or more in current.

    3. It produces clean, regulated 9v output even from pure AC, and even with no load (other adapters produce 14-15v unloaded, and under load, maybe not even 9v, and the voltage may fluctuate significantly.)

    4. It should protect from some voltage spikes entering the 7800.

    Thanks for the explanation...and again I wasn't trying to be sarcastic or anything, I was sincerely curious, as I know I have 1 power supply that I'll need to replace.

  15. Posted

    Hey @Shawn...good to hear from you...its been quite a while.  In fact, it's been so long since you posted a reply in one of my threads, that I feared maybe you left AA; but here you are, so good news, and I'm glad to know that you're all right!

     

    If memory serves, the last time you posted a reply to me, you were teasing me, that you were going to "ignore" my posts...but I knew you were just kidding around.  I knew that you would be secretly lurking, and admiring my work silently...I'm very flattered, and humbled.  

     

    Thank you for your concern about my storage capabilities, but I am very much all set in that regard.  I spent a lot of time, and effort for that very thing when I bought and re-modeled this house a few years back; and I have plenty of storage space, and shelving, for all my hobbies.  Since you asked, and to give you some ideas that maybe you can use in your own home; in my basement alone, I have a 32' long work bench with storage underneath that runs the entire length.  Then I have a steel racking unit that's 12' wide x 4' deep x 7' tall, with 4 levels of shelving.  Additionally I built 3, 8' wide by 7' high walls, that have adjustable shelving standards on them, and that are currently set up with 23, 8' wide shelf boards, with varying dimensions of vertical separation, and varying shelf depths from 16" - 24", depending on what I'm storing on them.  Then 1 of my bedrooms is the video game room, where I have the systems that I play the most, the NES, SNES, N64, GameCube, Wii, Wii U, Switch, PlayStation, Genesis...and I think a couple of others.  Another bedroom is the computer room, which is where I have one of my modern computers, and then my vintage PC, my XEGS, and one of my ADAMs.  Each of these rooms is also set up very well with floor to ceiling adjustable shelving standards in the closets, and at least one of the walls in each room has the same.  It just depended on how much I was planning on keeping in each room, when I was setting them up.  Here's a few pics to give you some inspiration for possible storage solutions that maybe you can use (let me know if you need any construction tips):

     

    xTQhHe.jpg

     

    AwQ0BD.jpg

     

    8oWLpi.jpg

     

    Anyway, here's the controllers picture that you requested:

     

    zdxQDm.png

     

    I'm very sorry that I couldn't get all of my controllers into one picture for you, but my photographic area just isn't large enough to set them all on there at once.  If I was just making cheap little half-featured controllers, and crappy little controller adapters that I didn't really care about, I would have just thrown them all onto one tiny garbage-like pile, so that you could see them all at once; but my controllers are way too nice to be treated like that, so I carefully squeezed in as many as I could for you.  I do have individual pictures of all my controllers on my website, so if I wasn't able to fit in any one of your favorites of mine into this picture, you can always follow the link in my signature to my website, so that you can admire them there.  Stay safe out there, and let me know if you have any other requests.  

    • Like 7

  16. Posted

    On 1/13/2021 at 5:08 PM, -^CrossBow^- said:

    That is why my adapter cables I had to sell for $15 shipped. It cost me nearly 10 in parts alone for everything in such a small quantity and between $3 - $5 to ship them to various places 1st class at the time.

    14 minutes ago, eightbit said:

    Too bad it is so cost prohibitive to make more of these.

    I don't feel that a $15 adapter (plus the necessary power supply), that allows one to keep their 40ish-year-old hardware working and playable...expensive at all, personally.  Anybody who wants to be in the vintage gaming hobby (with actual hardware, not emulation), needs to understand that it won't all be cheap, and/or easy.  And if such an adapter, at such a price, is too much for some...then they should just get out of the hobby, and play old games in emulation on their smart phones, while they're sitting on the toilet.  Just sayin'!

  17. Posted

    9 minutes ago, -^CrossBow^- said:

    I think the idea on this is to allow someone the ability to use any other supply that likely already have on hand. Specifically a Sega power supply or NES power supply as an example? That is my take away on this?

    That's kind of what I was thinking too, but I just wasn't sure.  If this power adapter is to be a very inexpensive adapter / partial power solution for the 7800, then I suppose I could see the draw for some budget-minded people.  Me personally, I would just assume have a single component, dedicated power adapter for the console.  As it is now, I have 2 7800 consoles, and 2 original power adapters...1 of which is starting to fail, and that I will need to replace.  I just assumed that I would buy a new 9VDC power supply, and splice the 7800 adapter end onto it's cable, unless somebody knows some reason why this wouldn't work.  And looking at the original post, he mentions feeding his adapter with 12V, so I don't think the Sega or NES power supplies would work...don't they only output 9V?  

     

    Again, I'm not saying anything negative about this, and I am by no means an expert in the 7800 scene...that's why I was asking.  If it's known by some that off the shelf modern 9VDC power supplies (once they have the correct connector on their cable) won't work properly with the 7800, and this circuitry/adapter is a solution for that, than I would understand it more.  

  20. Posted

    On 1/13/2021 at 1:17 AM, batari said:

    This is the promised 7800 power adapter.

     

    IMG_1853.jpg.5b825f239b494038ba364e926e9d1306.jpg

    Please understand that this is not a snarky or sarcastic comment/question at all...but a true curiosity, I preempt this question with this note, as tone and sarcasm are often inferred and/or misinterpreted.

     

    So what you're looking to provide/offer, is this small power board to 7800 console adapter plug (pictured next to the quarter), which will be powered by a separate 12V power supply (that the user will provide), to provide the necessary 9V to the 7800.  Is this correct?  Is there any reason, as to why not just use a new 9V power supply (re-create the "stock" wall-wart concept)?  Obviously the new 9V P.S.'s factory plug end would need to be be changed to the 7800 compatible version.  Again, I'm just curious, and maybe there is something I'm not quite understanding.  

  21. Posted

    46 minutes ago, Swami said:

    I think he’s trying to start a trend where instead of dropping gifs or memes, people drop sound effects as mp3s. I have my doubts since they don’t play automatically. 

    If I could play it here directly on the site, I probably would have listened to it, but I'm not going to download a file to listen to it, to then just have to delete it.  Just me. 

    • Like 3

  23. Posted

    @BSRSteve, can you answer my questions about the controls for this game:

     

    Does anybody who has ever owned this ColeoVision prototype, or anybody who has seen it in videos or in person...know what the controls were.  Did the game have a Player/Skill selection screen like most ColecoVision games have, if so what were the available options (the INTV version was a 1 player game, with 4 skill levels)?  The Intellivision manual shows one button for "Fire Canon / Raise Shield"  (Fire Canon during Wind Raider flying Phase 1, & Raise Shield for He-Man running Phase 2), and the 2nd button for "Bomb Release / Raise Shield" (Bomb Release during Wind Raider flying Phase 1, & Raise Shield for He-Man running Phase 2).  Is this the same concept for the ColecoVision version, and if so which Hand Controller button (Left/Right), is which function?

  24. Posted

    1 hour ago, christo930 said:

    Mold the plug.  I'm really surprised this is less well known in the vintage gaming hobby, but you can get silicone molding compound and pourable resin pretty cheap.  Once you make a mold, you can pour as many copies as you want.  With such a small item, you can easily make a multi-copy mold where one pour will give you 5 plugs.

    You can copy anything plastic (or metal or wood) using this method.  The silicone mold picks up detail so well that you can literally copy records that will play on a record player. New copies of very rare Edison Diamond Discs are being produced this way.

    Even if the original is broken, you can just glue it together for the mold, just making sure you sand the repair otherwise all of the copies will appear to be repaired.

    Do you think this molding compound concept would work to make a good mold of this small power plug, which has two holes that run through its length?

  25. Posted

    Your biggest considerations, with regards to an alternate controller, would be your budget, and do you want it to be a full featured ColecoVision controller, or just the basics...meaning it's missing most of the keypad functionality.  Original 1st and 3rd party controllers that were full-featured from BITD, include:

     

    Coleco Hand Controller

    Coleco Super Action Controller

    Gemini Keypad Gemstick - generally considered terrible

    WICO Command Control - generally considered terrible

    Spectravideo SV-103 QuickShot III - my preferred controller, of the original 3rd party options

    Suncom Joy Sensor - generally considered terrible

    Amiga The Power Stick - generally considered terrible

    Championship Electronics Mini-Champ w/ Champ Adapter (keypad) - not great

     

    Any Atari 2600 controller will work for joystick duty, and 1 button on the ColecoVision, but obviously won't work for games that require the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th buttons...and you would still need a keypad in some way.  

     

    A few people sell NES or Genesis style controllers for use on the ColecoVision (found on ebay I presume), that will offer directional control, 2 buttons, and a few keypad buttons, but not all 12.  So these will work for some games, but not for others.  

     

    A few of us over the years made/offered/sold Atari JagPad and Jaguar ProPad to ColecoVision conversion controllers, as well as FC and SFC NTT Data Control Pad to ColecoVision conversion controllers, but I don't know if anybody is offering these at the moment.  These were all full-featured controllers, as the donor controllers had a full 12 button keypad.  

     

    Then of course there are a few of us who make full-featured arcade controllers for the ColecoVision, but if you're looking for a full-featured, hand-held type of controller (modern control pad-esque), there currently isn't anything available that I can think of.

    • Like 1
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