Introducing: Edladdin Controllers for the 7800

[gilsaluki]

Hey, I think I see mine in the picture. To the left. Cool.

[atomickneedrop]

looks like my super twin in the middle!

[Indiana Quack]

Hi, I just wanted to reply on the Seagull 78 Sega Genesis adapter. Wow! I'm now able to use my Sega Genesis Arcade joystick I have on my 7800. I put my Jr Pacman in and was over the top happy to be able to use this. It fully allowed the joystick to keep up with the moves on the screen. I have a Arcadian arcade joystick that I am using. The action is just beautiful. To finally be able to use this type of controller on my 7800!!! Thank you so much Edladdin!

[Indiana Quack]

The Arcadian - Sega Retro I found this website that has a pic of the arcade controller I can now use on my 7800.

[+GoldenWheels]

Ordered the seagull 78. Have wanted something like this for a LONG time. Thanks for the coupon!

[edladdin]

Hi, I just wanted to reply on the Seagull 78 Sega Genesis adapter. Wow! I'm now able to use my Sega Genesis Arcade joystick I have on my 7800. I put my Jr Pacman in and was over the top happy to be able to use this. It fully allowed the joystick to keep up with the moves on the screen. I have a Arcadian arcade joystick that I am using. The action is just beautiful. To finally be able to use this type of controller on my 7800!!! Thank you so much Edladdin!

 

Wow, thank you for posting this great report! I am so pleased the Seagull 78 works with the arcade joystick. That's awesome!

[edladdin]

Ordered the seagull 78. Have wanted something like this for a LONG time. Thanks for the coupon!

 

You are very welcome!

[gilsaluki]

Got my Super 78 today. Packaged really well. One of the rubber feet feel off, not enough stick-um, but I had a replacement rubber foot--no problem. The build quality is really good. I like the metal casing and the colors. The blue is like the Track and Field controller. As for the action: The button(s) placement is perfect. I like the sloped angle to the controller, nice to rest your palm on. As for the stick itself, there is a lot of throw, movement. There are audible clicks, that is nice. It take some getting used to when playing Pac Man type games, you really have to command it to go in the direction you want. This is not a knock, just reality. I am used to joysticks with lesser throw distance. But, it does feel nice and very arcade-like. I started to adjust to it after a few games with Pac Man and Ms Pac Man. Millipede was excellent. Have not tried it with a game that requires two buttons yet. Overall, a great effort. Thanks for doing this for the community. We are so lucky to have people still interested and developing new products for our Ataris.

[fiddlepaddle]

Just curious...

 

Can anyone report on if/how well these operate with a Colecovision (I'm interested in both Seagull 78 adapters and/or Super 78 controller)?

 

I'm assuming I can use a Y-connector with one of these on one side and a Colecovision controller on the other so I can use the numeric keypad. If so, can you use both buttons?

 

PS to Edladdin: it sure would be great if you were inclined to add a Colecovision-compatible numeric keypad to the Super 78, adding the SuperColeco to your line of fantastic joysticks.

[+wood_jl]

Ordered 2x Seagull 78. Much Obliged for the Atariage discount. You really know how to recognize a niche and fill a void! This is so excellent!

 

Thank you!

[Indiana Quack]

Just curious...

 

Can anyone report on if/how well these operate with a Colecovision (I'm interested in both Seagull 78 adapters and/or Super 78 controller)?

 

I'm assuming I can use a Y-connector with one of these on one side and a Colecovision controller on the other so I can use the numeric keypad. If so, can you use both buttons?

 

PS to Edladdin: it sure would be great if you were inclined to add a Colecovision-compatible numeric keypad to the Super 78, adding the SuperColeco to your line of fantastic joysticks.

Hi, I can answer this for you. What you need is called a Champ Keypad. People put these on Ebay once in a while. It is basically the keypad and a port on the end to plug in a one button joystick or two button joystick.

[Trebor]

Seagull 78 Sega Genesis adapter arrived yesterday.

PROS:

-Beautiful housing/casing - feels and looks professional - a very solid small device.

-Comes with Velcro tie attached to device cord to adjust and maintain cord length.

-Tested with 3 button and 6 button Genesis controllers - Works perfectly with button 1 mapped to B, and button 2 mapped to C.

-No lag, response is perfect.

CONS:

*Preface: This is common and often the case for some controllers when a sturdier metal housing in which you insert the plug is utilized, as opposed to plastic.*

-Extremely slight/thin shredding around one of the controller plugs (Original 3 button); approximately 1/32-1/64" - does not affect plug tightness regarding fit into the adapter or reverting back to utilization in the Genesis.

Additional comments:

-Shipped fast and padded like precious China. [seriously dude, overkill but very much appreciated ]. Super padded bubble envelope in addition to 2-3 layers of bubble wrap around the device itself.

At the time these are (still) selling for less than $25, with coupon, brings it to less than $20. First class shipping brought the total to under $24.

Needless to state, highly recommended.

[coleridge]

Got my Seagulls yesterday. Love them, thank you sir. Now I'm just debating whether I need a Super 78 or not. Hmmm....

[fiddlepaddle]

Hi, I can answer this for you. What you need is called a Champ Keypad. People put these on Ebay once in a while. It is basically the keypad and a port on the end to plug in a one button joystick or two button joystick.

 

Yeah, I know what it is...old, used hardware with dirty and/or worn contacts (at a premium, to boot).

 

My post was actually a request for feedback on use of these joysticks with the Colecovision, along with a suggestion for a new, professionally built joystick. I know it might require some electronics along with the keypad itself, but I also know I'm not the only person who would be interested.

[gilsaluki]

Come guys. Those that have received, played with their new "toys" let's hear from ya. More time on the Super 78. I mentioned the throw was longer than I was used to, this is true. But, as I get used to it, I am beginning to love it. I played rounds of Galaxian on my 8-bit and it was fantastic. I cannot believe I have not tried arcade-style joysticks before. I am becoming a convert. I could never afford the arcade games when I was younger, so my experience with arcade games is limited. I think I missed out. This stick is growing on me. At first the size kinda put me back. Now I am thankful. It's heft, is you will, keeps it solid, steady, does not slip and slide around the desktop. I am thinking I made the right decision. However, I was wondering something. When this thread was first started, the proposed prices were lower ($99.00). What happened? Parts, time, labor? Still thankful for the effort and glad I purchased. My thoughts, for what they are worth.

[edladdin]

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

 

Thanks for these reviews and feedback!

 

 

 

Seagull 78 Sega Genesis adapter arrived yesterday.

PROS:

-Beautiful housing/casing - feels and looks professional - a very solid small device.

-Comes with Velcro tie attached to device cord to adjust and maintain cord length.

-Tested with 3 button and 6 button Genesis controllers - Works perfectly with button 1 mapped to B, and button 2 mapped to C.

-No lag, response is perfect.

CONS:

*Preface: This is common and often the case for some controllers when a sturdier metal housing in which you insert the plug is utilized, as opposed to plastic.*

-Extremely slight/thin shredding around one of the controller plugs (Original 3 button); approximately 1/32-1/64" - does not affect plug tightness regarding fit into the adapter or reverting back to utilization in the Genesis.

Additional comments:

-Shipped fast and padded like precious China. [seriously dude, overkill but very much appreciated ]. Super padded bubble envelope in addition to 2-3 layers of bubble wrap around the device itself.

At the time these are (still) selling for less than $25, with coupon, brings it to less than $20. First class shipping brought the total to under $24.

Needless to state, highly recommended.

 

 

Thanks for the great feedback!

 

I'm glad you liked the packing. You cannot possibly underestimate the destructive power of the postal and package delivery process! My great fear with the joystick controllers is that we'll have spade connectors knocked loose from the microswitches for the same reason. It would be much more foolproof to solder all connections, but I figure the people that would pay +$99 for a controller might indeed wear out a microswitch and need to replace it someday.

 

I apologize for the shave delivered by the metal DB9 fixture! I'm sure glad it did not compromise your connector in any way. Using the metal version over a plastic housing allowed us to build the unit with no fasteners or glue. The flat metal mounting plate wedges perfectly behind the enclosure screw posts, which allowed us to keep the whole unit tiny and keep the cost down.

 

 

Got my Super 78 today. Packaged really well. One of the rubber feet feel off, not enough stick-um, but I had a replacement rubber foot--no problem. The build quality is really good. I like the metal casing and the colors. The blue is like the Track and Field controller. As for the action: The button(s) placement is perfect. I like the sloped angle to the controller, nice to rest your palm on. As for the stick itself, there is a lot of throw, movement. There are audible clicks, that is nice. It take some getting used to when playing Pac Man type games, you really have to command it to go in the direction you want. This is not a knock, just reality. I am used to joysticks with lesser throw distance. But, it does feel nice and very arcade-like. I started to adjust to it after a few games with Pac Man and Ms Pac Man. Millipede was excellent. Have not tried it with a game that requires two buttons yet. Overall, a great effort. Thanks for doing this for the community. We are so lucky to have people still interested and developing new products for our Ataris.

 

Likewise, thanks for all your comments! You are right, the throw on the Zippyy joysticks definitely allow you to lean into the games. I have a "Psychopad" that I got years ago for my Playstation 1 and both the stick and the thrown are much smaller on that. The Zippyy's really seem to be built for arcade restoration and/or MAME cabs.

 

I was nervous about those rubber feet and I'm disappointed with this result. I've found a replacement - a thru-hole mounted foot that we can attach with the four enclosure bolts. They are about the same size as the stick-ons and will allow us to make a foolproof attachment. We're going to switch to those immediately, and I will be very happy to send sets of these feet to you and the other two guys as well. If you would like to have these but don't want to open up your Super 78, send it back and we will install them for you.

 

You are right about the maze games! The weakness of the 8 position restrictor plate is the games where you want to land in the cardinal directions of up, down, left, and right. With those games the "square" pattern means your cardinal directions are in the flat spots, not guided naturally into the corners as with a 4 position/diamond plate. You put it perfectly - you have to take command. You can see in the attached pic the impact of the restrictor plates. The Zippyy's restrictor plate can actually be set to either 4 or even 2 positions (Galaga, Joust), but that requires going into the enclosure and a screwdriver, so its not something to do in a moment. That's the great strength of the All-Play 4/8 joystick, that you can switch back and forth in an instant with the hinged control panel. And the All-Leaf stick has no restrictor plate at all.

 

I'm definitely very happy to make this hardware available to everyone - controllers and adapters alike! I was SO shocked by the utter terribleness of the Pro Lines when I got my 7800 this year...
Back in the day it took some adjusting to get tight with the 5200 controllers, but after that I could play all day. That's not remotely possible with the Pro Lines, which are literal punishment. I cannot believe they were being used by the GCC guys during game development. They must have been using test rigs built with arcade components or surely they would have made a change. While the console was definitely behind the 8-ball with regards to trying to catch up with the NES after the 1986 release, the Pro Lines must have been the nails in the coffin IMHO.

[edladdin]

Come guys. Those that have received, played with their new "toys" let's hear from ya. More time on the Super 78. I mentioned the throw was longer than I was used to, this is true. But, as I get used to it, I am beginning to love it. I played rounds of Galaxian on my 8-bit and it was fantastic. I cannot believe I have not tried arcade-style joysticks before. I am becoming a convert. I could never afford the arcade games when I was younger, so my experience with arcade games is limited. I think I missed out. This stick is growing on me. At first the size kinda put me back. Now I am thankful. It's heft, is you will, keeps it solid, steady, does not slip and slide around the desktop. I am thinking I made the right decision. However, I was wondering something. When this thread was first started, the proposed prices were lower ($99.00). What happened? Parts, time, labor? Still thankful for the effort and glad I purchased. My thoughts, for what they are worth.

 

Thanks again gilsaluki!

 

I wanted to completely remove holding onto/fighting the controller from the equation so the players can focus exclusively on gameplay and joystick control at any level of intensity, which is why both the Super 78s and Supreme 78s come in large and heavy cases, big enough to sit comfortably across the lap. If you can believe it, the Supreme 78s are four inches wider!

 

The original post includes both retail and the discounted AtariAge prices for all items. My plan is for the random members of the public to see and pay the higher prices on the website*, but to supply this community with standing discounts through the coupon codes. AtariAge has been a fantastic resource since the first time I came here to download Stella many years ago, and the tech information available slashed the time and research required to build the Edladdin products. The coupons are my humble effort to give back, so they are not going anywhere.

 

With all of that said, it looks like we are going to have to ask for a bit more for the Supreme 78s than originally stated... The oak cases landed at $40.00 each rather than the $30.00 on which I had originally budgeted. Even still, there will be a coupon code posted here that will bring the price down significantly for anyone following this thread. Speaking of which, I should have both of these models up on the website by the end of next week.

 

After the Supremes are launched I will post the finalized/actual parts lists and prices for all products to facilitate DIY efforts for any that are interested in building their own, as well as drawings for the Seagull 78. This info will also break out labor, packaging/labels, and profit for the retail vs AtariAge sales prices. Folks will be able to decide whether it is worth it to pay us to build a controller or do it themselves. Building Atari controllers is definitely not the road to riches, but I still wish I could go back and tell the 11 year old me that this is happening! :-)

 

* It remains to be seen if there IS an Atari buying public beyond this community!

[edladdin]

Just curious...

 

Can anyone report on if/how well these operate with a Colecovision (I'm interested in both Seagull 78 adapters and/or Super 78 controller)?

 

I'm assuming I can use a Y-connector with one of these on one side and a Colecovision controller on the other so I can use the numeric keypad. If so, can you use both buttons?

 

PS to Edladdin: it sure would be great if you were inclined to add a Colecovision-compatible numeric keypad to the Super 78, adding the SuperColeco to your line of fantastic joysticks.

 

Thank you for your kind words!

 

Once we get a little father down the road I am interested in pursuing either the idea of the Y connector + keypad or an all-in-one solution. I admit I have been thinking of this primarily for the Atari 5200, but it seems like it would be a good fit for the Colecovision too. Truth is I know almost nothing about the Colecovision. Even as a kid I only remember playing it once, as none of my circle of friends had one. But it seems like a pretty straightforward concept.

[gilsaluki]

Okay. So there are a lot of do-it-selfers, hackers on this site. I love Maze games (Pac Man, Ms PM, etc), think I am in need of a 4-way arcade joystick. Edladdin, is it possible for me to add a 4-way Pac-Man style, short throw JS onto my Super 78 (seems there is enough room on the box) to add another JS for the express use of playing my favorite DOT EATER? You think I could just tap into the existing wiring to do so. You knew hackers would eventually do this. Pac-Man joysticks are available online for a reasonable cost.

[edladdin]

Okay. So there are a lot of do-it-selfers, hackers on this site. I love Maze games (Pac Man, Ms PM, etc), think I am in need of a 4-way arcade joystick. Edladdin, is it possible for me to add a 4-way Pac-Man style, short throw JS onto my Super 78 (seems there is enough room on the box) to add another JS for the express use of playing my favorite DOT EATER? You think I could just tap into the existing wiring to do so. You knew hackers would eventually do this. Pac-Man joysticks are available online for a reasonable cost.

 

Do you mean to have two joysticks in the one enclosure - an 8 and a 4? Sure, you could totally do that!

 

I was surprised to learn during the development process that I play almost any game with button action using left hand on stick and right on buttons. But on maze games the right wants to do the driving. If you are a switcher you probably want the Pacman (leaf) stick right in the center, which is nice and comfortable for that hand without requiring the enclosure to shift all off balance. There should be plenty of space in the enclosure to do that, and your right would still be free to move back to the buttons. Depth of controller will be your challenge with the panel sized Pacman joysticks, as the enclosure is not that deep. It might need to be a little lower than the left joystick to clear the first button.

 

It would be no problem to double the harness over to the second stick so that either would work at any time. You can tug off the spade connectors and solder in the twin feeds, then add new connectors all around. And the aluminum panel is relatively easy to work with. So yeah, have at it! I'd be delighted to have anyone interested to mod these controllers!

 

Here is the drawing for the enclosure:

http://www.hammondmfg.com/pdf/1456PH1.pdf

 

This is also totally something that Edladdin could do for anyone ordering a Super 78 going forward. I can price that as an option using either the less expensive Zippyy's set for the 4 position restrictor plate, or use the leaf stick that is in the All-Leaf Supreme 78.

 

One factor that might influence stick choice for some... I just realized that the All-Leaf joysticks have classic molded red joystick balls that cannot be changed or customized! This is a change from the Zippyys and the Omni 4/8s, both of which have threaded shafts that make ball changes a snap. So if customization of the knob is important, the leaf stick is not going to work.

 

Likewise, we can deliver a 4 position stick on a Super Twin 78, where the P1 stick is the regular 8 position Zippy and the P2 stick is the leaf joystick, which will work in either 4 or 8 position games. In this case you keep your independent P1 P2 cords and button sets, so you keep your two player and Robotron 2084 capability. Yet you are only a cord change away from being able to drive either control sets as Player 1.

[edladdin]

Okay. So there are a lot of do-it-selfers, hackers on this site. I love Maze games (Pac Man, Ms PM, etc), think I am in need of a 4-way arcade joystick. Edladdin, is it possible for me to add a 4-way Pac-Man style, short throw JS onto my Super 78 (seems there is enough room on the box) to add another JS for the express use of playing my favorite DOT EATER? You think I could just tap into the existing wiring to do so. You knew hackers would eventually do this. Pac-Man joysticks are available online for a reasonable cost.

 

Other Super 78 variations I have considered that would also be easy for anyone else to do:

 

Track and Field Mod: Add a pair of buttons that mirror left and right joystick inputs for classic race pounding madness.

Paddle Mod: Very easy to add one or two potentiometers with nice knobs for 2600 paddle games. I haven't tried this yet as I just repotted my paddles using Best Electronic parts.

Trackball Mod: The depth would be the concern for this one. You might have to move to the 17" version of this enclosure, which feels huge with 11" of depth.

Art Mods: Very easy to add custom control panel overlay with artwork of any design, or directly paint the enclosure. After we get the core of the product line launched I want to go back and deliver this as an option, as well as work on our own custom art packages.

[gambler172]

Hi Guys

got my items today

very profesdional work

Thanx a lot

greetings Walter

[+GoldenWheels]

Got my Seagull 78 adapter last week (My wife loved the purple envelope btw). Have thrown a few Sega and non-sega pads at it, plus an Asciiware SG Clutch stick. All worked like a charm. Love it.

 

As previously mentioned by trebor, the edladdin end did shave down the upper shoulders on the DB9 connectors in each case. Not a big deal at all but figured I'd toss it out there.

[atomickneedrop]

Yep, got my seagull last week. Using a Doc's arcade command stick, works great.

[BrianC]

Hi, I just wanted to reply on the Seagull 78 Sega Genesis adapter. Wow. I'm now able to use my Sega Genesis Arcade joystick I have on my 7800. I put my Jr Pacman in and was over the top happy to be able to use this. It fully allowed the joystick to keep up with the moves on the screen. I have a Arcadian arcade joystick that I am using. The action is just beautiful. To finally be able to use this type of controller on my 7800. Thank you so much Edladdin

I don't doubt the adapter works great and I plan to get one, but I feel it's worth mentioning that Jr. Pac-Man is a single button game and has no problem with the Genesis pad by itself or the standard Atari 2600 joysticks.

 

edit: tapatalk messed up the formatting, though I tried to fix the post back up.

Edited December 6, 2014 by BrianC