My rotary controller arrived yesterday, but... :-)

[Paolo]

... But I could only open it today.

Hare are my first impression.

 

The joypad is heavy. And I mean that there must be something inside because the knob isn't that heavy! (It reminds me that Tyrant suggested to never open one of those things).

 

The soft-clicking knob is somhow comfortable: I thought I would have been disappointed with a non-continuos rotating knob, but I was wrong.

 

the soft keys are black. My controllers all have soft keys in grey rubber.

 

the wire is thinner then my controllers' one. (yet it's an Atari cable. Strange).

 

But the main thing is that I felt guilty while playing T2K!

 

I mean, It took ages to me to reach the red webs levels, and now I am there at my first attempt. Plus I have a whole load of zappers available!

 

At first it looks that you have to rotate a lot to move a bit, but then you understand how to hold the knob, and your zapper lands from a point to another on the web with precision.

 

*** Suggestion to everybody ***

Send tyrant TONS of emails asking your own rotary controller. Everyone who has a T2K cart *must* have a rotary controller. Tyrant's one is what I have. Surely JediJeff's one is as good as well, but I can tell that you are not really playing Tempest if you don't have that piece of hardware.

 

(Tyrant: I'll send you an invoice for this advertisment )

 

Have fun (I do)!

 

Paolo.

[Thunderbird]

... But I could only open it today.

Hare are my first impression.

 

The joypad is heavy. And I mean that there must be something inside because the knob isn't that heavy! (It reminds me that Tyrant suggested to never open one of those things).

 

The soft-clicking knob is somhow comfortable: I thought I would have been disappointed with a non-continuos rotating knob, but I was wrong.

 

the soft keys are black. My controllers all have soft keys in grey rubber.

 

the wire is thinner then my controllers' one. (yet it's an Atari cable. Strange).

 

But the main thing is that I felt guilty while playing T2K!

 

I mean, It took ages to me to reach the red webs levels, and now I am there at my first attempt. Plus I have a whole load of zappers available!

 

At first it looks that you have to rotate a lot to move a bit, but then you understand how to hold the knob, and your zapper lands from a point to another on the web with precision.

 

*** Suggestion to everybody ***

Send tyrant TONS of emails asking your own rotary controller. Everyone who has a T2K cart *must* have a rotary controller. Tyrant's one is what I have. Surely JediJeff's one is as good as well, but I can tell that you are not really playing Tempest if you don't have that piece of hardware.

 

(Tyrant: I'll send you an invoice for this advertisment )

 

Have fun (I do)!

 

Paolo.

 

 

Atari made several models of the controller. Some with grey buttons, some with black. Some had short cords, some longer. Some thin cords, some thicker. I believe the button switches in the controllers were also changed, as I have some that "feel" different too. I'm sure the variations are not from Tyrant's mods, but rather just normal variances in the "donor" controllers he is using to make his rotary from.

[Paolo]

Ah, well. I thought it was a difference between EU and USA models, since I bought mine from US stores, while Tyrant's were probably EU (I was just assuming that in GreatBritain it was obvious to buy an european model).

 

What am I writing?

 

Maybe this is a side effect of Tyrant's controller. *warning*warning*

[Thunderbird]

Ah, well. I thought it was a difference between EU and USA models, since I bought mine from US stores, while Tyrant's were probably EU (I was just assuming that in GreatBritain it was obvious to buy an european model).  

 

What am I writing?

 

Maybe this is a side effect of Tyrant's controller. *warning*warning*

 

 

I've only got one controller I know came from Europe and it looks just like one I got in the US. I think they just made changes to lessen the cost over time. I think grey rubber costs more than black (or the other wat around) because one is the natural color of the material. That would explain the button colors.

[Stone]

Look at the serial on the back of the controller: ones starting B (earlier models) have thinner cord and black button rubber, and the text on the keypad is a different font. Serials starting G usually have thicker cable and grey buttons, but there are a coupla variations in the two stocks. Probably about 4-5 variants in all, not including the grey/blue ones.

 

Stone

[bigferret]

Ahhh..........

 

You're the person who beat me on that auction.....

[t.skid]

... But I could only open it today.

Hare are my first impression.

 

Well, well, well... So you won the auction, bought the rotary controller, then you didn't tell me nothing about it? You are a big "scornacchiato"

 

j/k I'm happy to know that you're enjoying it!!!

[t.skid]

Ahhh..........

 

You're the person who beat me on that auction.....

 

World it's not so big sometimes... :wink:

[Thunderbird]

Ahhh..........

 

You're the person who beat me on that auction.....

 

World it's not so big sometimes... :wink:

 

 

What was the final bid anyhow???

[t.skid]

Ahhh..........

 

You're the person who beat me on that auction.....

 

World it's not so big sometimes... :wink:

 

 

What was the final bid anyhow???

 

About US$64, IIRC.

[krupkaj]

I want ask. When you have rotary controler, what happens with bonus parts of T2K when standard joypad is needed, especially the part when you are flying through the circles?

And second question. Does work the scheme of RC from Matthias's Jaguar page with T2K?

[Thunderbird]

I want ask. When you have rotary controler, what happens with bonus parts of T2K when standard joypad is needed, especially the part when you are flying through the circles?  

And second question. Does work the scheme of RC from Matthias's Jaguar page with T2K?

 

If you can get a good optical encoder, you can make a decent Jag rotary. I see a lot of people modifying old 2600 driving controllers, but there are really low resolution and made like toys. You need to start with a good optical encoder. From there, anything is possible!

[krupkaj]

If you can get a good optical encoder, you can make a decent Jag rotary. I see a lot of people modifying old 2600 driving controllers, but there are really low resolution and made like toys. You need to start with a good optical encoder. From there, anything is possible!

 

I have old ST mouse which has broken case. What do you think about the encoder from this device?

[Tyrant]

/me feels proud, and happy =)

 

All variations in the cables, buttons etc are Atari's, I didnt even undo the wire cable tie on the lead. The only extra things inside the case are a little bit of wire which weighs nothing and the encoder, which is very light too. The knob is the only heavy thing there that I can think of (they do weigh a bit, I think its solid aluminum).

 

Im really glad you enjoy it, good luck reaching beastly mode hehe (no, I havnt managed to get much past level 60).

 

The bonus stages are weird, and have a bug in them (in Yak's code, not a bug with my encoders hehe), basically as you move one step left of right you start to move a certain speed, if you move another step round you go faster in that direction, up and down work the same as allways on buttons A and C, so its very confusing. Add to that the fact that sometimes there is an initial motion you cant get rid of, so you have to constantly correct cause you cant go straight, and the easiest answer is to leave a standard controler plugged into port 2 for the bonus stages. Its should be noted that the green road stages are a lot easier now tho hehe. Oh, and keep a controler in port 2 or close by, cause when you get a high score, you need to use it to enter your name (dont configure both ports to be for rotary or your kinda screwed (Yak didnt put in code for rotaries on the enter text screen)).

 

The soft-clicking knob is somhow comfortable: I thought I would have been disappointed with a non-continuos rotating knob, but I was wrong.

 

When I first bought one to test I was quite disapointed too, but once its held in place in the controler and the knobs on I couldnt imagine using anything else.

 

If you can get a good optical encoder, you can make a decent Jag rotary. I see a lot of people modifying old 2600 driving controllers, but there are really low resolution and made like toys. You need to start with a good optical encoder. From there, anything is possible!

 

Actually I use mechanical ones, but they're very responsive and comfortible, and have a slight... well clicking but it dosnt click, it helps on menu's and bonus stages.

 

I have old ST mouse which has broken case. What do you think about the encoder from this device?

 

I think you'll have a hell of a job getting it to work. ST mice, like most mice, are built arround a quite densely packed circuit board. Also I believe with official Atari mice (its been a while since I opened one), the emitter and detector are two seperate devices held in place in the plastic body of the thing, making it fairly hard to remove them. Also you'd have to make your own mounting hardware to hold all the parts in the right places.

 

I think your best bet is to buy a ready made encoder housed in a solid package you can just drop into place. Also be aware that the inside of the Jag pad is very very limited in terms of space, so I think any kind of optical mech, especially a home made one, will need to be housed in a seperate box like Jedi Jeff's ones.

[Paolo]

Ok! please queue

 

BIGFERRET: You can't imagine how I was scared you put another bid in the last minutes: I kept reloading the page more and more, my only luck has been my timezone when the auction ended . I am pretty sure Tyrant is going to give Jaggies some more controllers.

 

TONY: Sorry, man. I have been so busy that after I won (and paid) the auction I totally forgot about it until the thing arrived.

 

T'BIRD: I spent 40 GB Pounds + 5 shipping & handling, it is 70.90 Euros at the time I have been charged on my creditcard.

 

KRUPKAI: I have a standard controller on port2, so I can enter my name in the high score table, and play the bonus levels.

Since it has been the first time I had to follow the 'yellow brick road', I didn't understand if it is better to use the rotary, but it seems so.

 

TYRANT: I double checked the weight issue, and you are right (of course): it has been just an impression driven by the fact that I usually hold the controller without holding the cable, while I still was holding your new controller with the cable ribboned (is that a real word?) (Stone, will you please translate this last word mess in an understandable phrase?).

 

Bye!

[Stone]

TYRANT: I double checked the weight issue, and you are right (of course): it has been just an impression driven by the fact that I usually hold the controller without holding the cable, while I still was holding your new controller with the cable ribboned (is that a real word?) (Stone, will you please translate this last word mess in an understandable phrase?).

 

Why me?

 

I think you mean with the cable bunched up and tied (no, there's no easy way to say that in one word in English ).

 

Stone

[LinkoVitch]

I think you mean with the cable bunched up and tied (no, there's no easy way to say that in one word in English ).

 

Yes there is:

 

Snaglefarked

 

Reason number : 407 why LinkoVitch never got the job as an English Teacher