iesposta Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 I was playing Jr Pac Man with the Coleco Gemini Atari 2600 clone joystick / paddle and decided to try a paddle game, Circus Atari. The short throw joystick is great for quick turns and reverses. The paddle, however, was jitter city. The second controller did not jitter so I decided to clean or replace the paddle part. Remove the four corner screws and the Center screw. Five screws. They sure didn't go cheap here as there is a sixth screw, but that is for the joystick. Leave that one in. No clips, it just opens. OMG, there is no potentiometer! Well, not completely true - it is like a big exposed potentiometer. It is just a circuit board with a carbon strip that will change the resistance value. I have seen them smaller, used for volume knobs on radios. If used a lot they wear down and cause noise when moving. Is Coleco cheap, or brilliant? I am still not sure, but this makes cleaning a breeze, and replacement impossible. So, out comes my ancient "Realistic® Tape Recorder Head Lubricant" and a bit of paper towel. A quick wipe, put it back together... And it is rock steady! A fixed paddle controller. Tip: when using with Harmony cartridge, holding down the fire button changes the way the stick / paddle is read by the menu software. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omegamatrix Posted July 27, 2013 Share Posted July 27, 2013 Nice Summary! I was playing Jr Pac Man with the Coleco Gemini Atari 2600 clone joystick / paddle and decided to try a paddle game, Circus Atari. One day you'll be able to play Circus AtariAge too. However, I don't know if it will be compatible with the Gemini. I bought a Gemini a couple of weeks ago to test with the latest build of CAA, but I found some odd effects. I also noticed that my Gemini was incompatible with a lot of different games (including homebrews), and showed odd effects. I have no idea if it is just my Gemini though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iesposta Posted July 27, 2013 Author Share Posted July 27, 2013 I know you wanted me to test your project my Gemini but so far I have never hooked it up. A eagerly await your remake of Circus Atari. The original is an example of the great gameplay the Atari can do. A remake of it will be as loved as Medieval Mayhem, I predict. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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