APF - 2600 Controller Mod (*finished*)

[toymailman]

I finally finished the controller mod to use an Atari joystick and TouchPad instead of the built in controllers. It works SOOOOO much better!

 

I'll be posting more detailed information in the days (or weeks) to come as time permits.

 

Basically, I first mapped all the inputs of what the APF gets on each of its pins. Then I matched this with how the outputs of the joystick and the touchpad work.

 

The touchpad was a 1:1 mapping and therefore only needed a DB9 connector wired up (and an overlay to desgnate the keys). The joystick needed a slight internal modification to make it work as the APF doesn't have the fire button set up the same as Atari.

 

Here is a picture of the end result.

 

[Ataritard]

Very nice. I bet it makes the APF much more playable. I just have one question... What's an APF?

[SlowCoder]

Very nice. I bet it makes the APF much more playable. I just have one question... What's an APF?

Good job! I'm betting we're not talking about APF TV Fun pong console. That looks like a cart based APF console. Never knew they existed. More info?

 

[toymailman]

The APF is now much more playable.

 

As for what it is, well its a semi-obscure system that only had about a dozen games released for it. This is not the APF TV Fun stand-alone; it is a cartridge based game system. Some good links about it are given below.

 

Wikipedia entry:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/APF-M1000

 

Fansite #1:

http://www.nausicaa.net/~lgreenf/apfpage.htm

 

Fansite #2:

http://www.orphanedgames.com/APF/

 

Fansite #3:

http://hcvgm.org/APF_Imagination_Machine.html

[Ataritard]

I Googled it before my previous post and noticed it was mentioned in a couple of those "top 10 worst... lists".

Would you say, bad console or is it just misunderstood...?

[+thegoldenband]

Atariage's own Chronogamer has a bunch of APF reviews. Man, I miss that blog!

[toymailman]

I Googled it before my previous post and noticed it was mentioned in a couple of those "top 10 worst... lists".

Would you say, bad console or is it just misunderstood...?

Are there bad consoles?

 

I am just a fan of all the late 70's and early 80's obscure systems. I don't know why but they all have an endearing quirkyness to me. My MicroVision, APF, and RCA Studio II all get playtime.

[toymailman]

Some updated pictures of the project.

 

Step 1 - is the CX-40 board before "adjustment".

 

Step 2 - Separate the common connection to the fire button.

 

Step 3 - connect "right" with the severed fire button.

 

Step 4 - add dome switches and tape it all up.

 

Step 5 - cut a DB9 (4 of them) and map out the pin-to-wire connections.

 

Step 6 - connect the proper DB9 wires with the wires going into the APF system.

[will post this document later]

 

Step 7 - make some overlays for the touchpad.

 

Step 8 - game on!

[GrizzLee]

Cool.... Now if I could find a power supply for mine :-)

 

-GrizzLee

[toymailman]

Cool.... Now if I could find a power supply for mine :-)

 

-GrizzLee

I have heard that an NES power supply will work. Might be worth a try.

[+thegoldenband]

A bit OT, but I feel compelled to share this video, which I just found:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzKRE0WRWM0

 

I guess it's technically for the APF Imagination Machine, but since that's basically the same hardware (?) it's not all that OT. How cool to have that kind of intro to a game!

 

Unfortunately, the game itself is...less compelling. This one's credited to the APF M-1000, and looks like it was captured from real hardware:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-hIsrXZgVE

 

This one's from the same uploader, is credited to the Imagination Machine, and looks like an emulator capture. I don't know whether the difference between the two is real, or an emulator issue:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIJvhCPkNwM

 

Either way, this system always throws me for a loop because its display looks so much like a Tandy CoCo!