Question about paddles and wiring

[Underball]

So I tried to make my own homebrew paddle and failed miserably.

 

I know I used the right pot size, and the correct pins on the db9 port, but my question is this:

 

Do paddles have to be wired up in pairs to work properly? I tried to just wire up one left paddle, instead of a pair, but it doesn't work. - or at least it doesn't work with a harmony cart.

 

any clues?

[JingleJoe]

Have you checked the potentiometer is connecting?

You can make a simple continuity tester from a battery and an LED or voltmeter

 

My tin can paddle is just the Player 1 paddle with no second player and that works fine, well I say fine, lets just say it works

[Underball]

The real problem is the menu on the harmony just cycles through, so I can't choose a game.

 

But even if I use the joystick to select kaboom and then plug in the paddle after it loads I still get nothing.

[JingleJoe]

The real problem is the menu on the harmony just cycles through, so I can't choose a game.

 

But even if I use the joystick to select kaboom and then plug in the paddle after it loads I still get nothing.

All I can think is that there is a short circuit or an incorrect connection. Have you checked the button you are using? the button on the player 1 paddle is joystick left or right (can't remember which)

[Buzbard]

...the button on the player 1 paddle is joystick left or right (can't remember which)

 

It's right.

[A.J. Franzman]

But even if I use the joystick to select kaboom and then plug in the paddle after it loads I still get nothing.

Then you must have made a wiring mistake. Either the paddle is connected to the wrong pins, or you short-circuited something with a solder bridge. Connect an ohmmeter between pins 5 & 7 and measure the resistance as you turn the pot; it should be able to vary from near 0 to 1.0 M ohms. Make sure nothing connects to pin 8 (other than pin 4 when the button is pressed).

[nems]

Do paddles have to be wired up in pairs to work properly? I tried to just wire up one left paddle, instead of a pair, but it doesn't work. - or at least it doesn't work with a harmony cart.

 

any clues?

 

Yes, the 2600 must sense the 9-pin port as having both paddles present before allowing any one of them to work. In other words, the 2600 needs to sense a signal between pins 5&7 for paddle-1, and between pins 7&9 for paddle-2. If you only have 5&7 connected via the paddle-1 pot, then the 2600 is still waiting for you to connect 5&9... still waiting... still waiting... and it is gonna keep on waiting.

 

A simple way to trick the 2600 into thinking that paddle-2 is present, is to connect pin 5 to one end of a resistor (any value from 100 to 500K should work), and connect the other end of the resistor to pin 9.

Edited July 22, 2010 by nems

[JingleJoe]

Do paddles have to be wired up in pairs to work properly? I tried to just wire up one left paddle, instead of a pair, but it doesn't work. - or at least it doesn't work with a harmony cart.

 

any clues?

 

Yes, the 2600 must sense the 9-pin port as having both paddles present before allowing any one of them to work. In other words, the 2600 needs to sense a signal between pins 5&7 for paddle-1, and between pins 7&9 for paddle-2. If you only have 5&7 connected via the paddle-1 pot, then the 2600 is still waiting for you to connect 5&9... still waiting... still waiting... and it is gonna keep on waiting.

 

A simple way to trick the 2600 into thinking that paddle-2 is present, is to connect pin 5 to one end of a resistor (any value from 100 to 500K should work), and connect the other end of the resistor to pin 9.

Then why does my homebrew paddle work with just the player 1 pot + button wired up?

[+SpiceWare]

the means he's pulling your leg.

[JingleJoe]

... Are you sure? Seems like Mr Nems knows what he's talking about, however I am often oblivious to tomfoolery so I will conceed it could be some sort of joke, I don't get it though.

[Underball]

I have bought a second 1Mohm pot, so I will test the "two paddles are needed" theory tonight.

[Video]

Using a single pot won't cause the paddle to quit working. The 2600 doesn't even know if a controller is plugged in until it's polled.

 

I've got some Gemeni controllers that I use for various games, and an adaptor that makes them work as paddles (fire = fire, and two ports for left/right paddle) and I can say from first hand experience, that a single paddle will work fine.

 

Some games work with the right paddle, and some work with the left paddle, and some games even work with the paddle in the right controller port just to cause more confusion, so try it in different configurations.

[Underball]

Gemini joystick/paddles combos are wired slightly different, if I recall.

[Underball]

Ok, so the two pots and/or one pot, one 500k resistor didn't help. still I get nothing on Kaboom. fire button lines work fine, but nothing on the pots.

 

Weird thing is, my hacked SMS Light gun (which uses pin 7 +5v) works fine, so it's not the pins on the 7800.

 

WTF? Any ideas?

 

Also, the CX-80 trackball works in TB mode on CentipedeTB and TJ's Missile Command TB hack.

 

So Pin 7 and pin 5 are just fine on those games.

 

Maybe something with the Harmony Cart?

Edited July 23, 2010 by Underball

[nems]

After testing on a real 2600 (using a SuperBreakout cart, as well as the Harmony) I realize I'm wrong. I'm sorry, I thought I was on the right track and wasn't trying to pull a joke on anyone.

 

I had experienced something similar recently while trying to add a second fire button to a CX40 (using pins 5&7) for use with games programmed to take advantage of the 2nd fire button on the Genesis controller. The only way I could get it to work was to connect 5, 7 and 9 (even though I only needed 5 & 7). After testing tonight, I'm re-thinking if pin 9 is needed even when trying to mimic the Genesis controller.

 

As you guys stated, a single paddle works fine.

 

Underball, can you test using a paddle based game on a real cart? To diagnose your problem further we need to keep things simple, so get the Harmony out of the mix if you can.

Edited July 23, 2010 by nems

[Underball]

After testing on a real 2600 (using a SuperBreakout cart, as well as the Harmony) I realize I'm wrong. I'm sorry, I thought I was on the right track and wasn't trying to pull a joke on anyone.

 

I had experienced something similar recently while trying to add a second fire button to a CX40 (using pins 5&7) for use with games programmed to take advantage of the 2nd fire button on the Genesis controller. The only way I could get it to work was to connect 5, 7 and 9 (even though I only needed 5 & 7). After testing tonight, I'm re-thinking if pin 9 is needed even when trying to mimic the Genesis controller.

 

As you guys stated, a single paddle works fine.

 

Underball, can you test using a paddle based game on a real cart? To diagnose your problem further we need to keep things simple, so get the Harmony out of the mix if you can.

 

Nope. I have about 40 carts, but no paddle carts. Harmony only.

[nems]

For what it is worth, I spent a couple hours testing with a single paddle vs. paddle pair on both real carts and Harmony. No problem with the single paddle on either, so the Harmony probably isn't the problem.

[Underball]

I have a feeling it's something hinky with my 7800.

 

I've modded it to hell, A/V mod, changed the LED, removed the shielding/cart guide.

 

might be a glob of solder left behind from doing the A/V mod messing up a contact somewhere.

 

funny that every other controller type works though. I have a pair of real paddles on order. We'll see what we get there.

[nems]

Hey Underball, one other thing to check...

 

Your pot has 3 connector prongs, and you have one wire connected to the middle prong, and one wire connected to either the far right or left prong, correct? In other words, you should not be connected to the far right and left prongs with the middle prong sitting unconnected.

Edited July 23, 2010 by nems

[Underball]

Yep. Center pot contact is connected to pin 7 (+5v)