atari-kev Posted November 7, 2018 Share Posted November 7, 2018 Hi All, my wife brought me a FB9 Gold for my 40th last month, works great and love all the memories it brings back. My 2 favs are Kaboom and Super Breakout which work better with the paddle. I brought a set of paddle controls from Ebay to use. When I plug them in and try to use them I get told to switch off my joystick as it interferes with the paddle controls, so I do and I can't use my paddles. Not matter what I do I can't get the paddles to work, all I get is one full turn of the paddle and then the same "switch off your joystick" message comes up. Please help me and tell me what I am doing wrong? I read the manual that said only plug in the paddles after you start a game, which I have done and still nothing. Any helps or tips for a tech tragic would be greatly appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeremyR Posted November 7, 2018 Share Posted November 7, 2018 Unfortunately the FB9 needs specific, FB9 only paddles. I have no idea why. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atari-kev Posted November 7, 2018 Author Share Posted November 7, 2018 Thanks for that, really appreciate the help. Just to confirm will my paddles work with the FB8, I have the chance to swap at my local Target. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atari Nut Posted November 7, 2018 Share Posted November 7, 2018 Atari-kev, listen to a sound sample of my 9 Gold from this thread... http://atariage.com/forums/topic/284759-flashback-9-gold-sound-issue/?p=4151901 This was taken from Return To Haunted House but the sound is similar sporadically in all games. Does your 9 Gold have the same issues? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atari-kev Posted November 7, 2018 Author Share Posted November 7, 2018 Atari Nut can't confirm as I only played very briefly some games and then released that the paddles didn't work (just found out non compatible with FB9) so haven't given it a good run and probably won't as I am going to exchange to FB8 gold so I can use my paddles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atari Nut Posted November 7, 2018 Share Posted November 7, 2018 I would think twice about swapping the FB9 for the FB8. The FB9 uses Stella for emulation. The FB8 uses AtGames own emulation which is not as good as Stella. The FB9 has SD card support so you can add additional ROMs. The FB8 doesn't. I think you'd be better off just waiting and getting the FB9 paddles. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atarifan88 Posted November 9, 2018 Share Posted November 9, 2018 I have the FB8 and the lag with the paddles makes playing games as impossible as using the joysticks. Let's hope this has been fixed on the FB9. Time will tell... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrBeefy Posted November 10, 2018 Share Posted November 10, 2018 I have the FB8 and the lag with the paddles makes playing games as impossible as using the joysticks. Let's hope this has been fixed on the FB9. Time will tell... probably why they require special paddles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtariLeaf Posted November 10, 2018 Share Posted November 10, 2018 Would the issue also be the switch in emulation? I believe I heard that they're using Stella this year which is great so could that be part of the issue with needing new paddles? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FifthPlayer Posted November 11, 2018 Share Posted November 11, 2018 (edited) I also have the FB8 and have the same problems with lag making most paddle games unplayable (specifically Kaboom and Super Breakout). if the paddle games are important to you, you should sit and wait for the special paddles that work with the FB9. Edited November 11, 2018 by FifthPlayer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenixdownita Posted November 11, 2018 Share Posted November 11, 2018 I also have the FB8 and have the same problems with lag making most paddle games unplayable (specifically Kaboom and Super Breakout). if the paddle games are important to you, you should sit and wait for the special paddles that work with the FB9. ... and wait for someone to confirm they work as expected and the lag does not break those games. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atari-kev Posted November 13, 2018 Author Share Posted November 13, 2018 Thanks all for your help on this, is there any word on when FB9 specific paddles are being released (in Australia more to the point) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtariLeaf Posted November 13, 2018 Share Posted November 13, 2018 Bill has mentioned before that he will make an announcement when they are 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephenJ Posted January 6, 2019 Share Posted January 6, 2019 Still no announcement about the paddles...bummer. I'm holding off getting the FB9 until I hear at least an ETA. All the best everybody, StephenJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtariLeaf Posted January 6, 2019 Share Posted January 6, 2019 The longer it goes the more I think they'll never happen, at least not for this years model. As far as I know Bill has been silent on the issue aside from saying he'll let us know when he knows so I'm guessing he's in the dark too. OR he does know and he's not allowed to say anything. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forrest Posted January 6, 2019 Share Posted January 6, 2019 I watched a Flashback 9 Gold teardown video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9v0s3REUVs Near the end of the video, the reviewer states the Atari paddles sort of work, but are too sensitive. Atari paddles have 1 Mohm pots. Could the fix be as simple as switching to a 100K pot? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
radiohead Posted January 6, 2019 Share Posted January 6, 2019 (edited) The longer it goes the more I think they'll never happen, at least not for this years model. As far as I know Bill has been silent on the issue aside from saying he'll let us know when he knows so I'm guessing he's in the dark too. OR he does know and he's not allowed to say anything. I also feel that we're not going to see the new paddles until the FB10 next fall. I think the Blast Flashback wireless paddles were more of a priority to AtGames. The inclusion of the SD Card probably was enough to distract us from getting better paddles (I had the FB4 & FB8 - the paddle control was always pretty spotty.) There would be no reason to keep buying anymore Atari Flashbacks (for me anyway) had the paddles came out this year. I suspect it'll be a selling point for the next model, as well as maybe a cartridge port (like the Sega). Future flashbacks may also include Atari 5200 and 7800 games too. Otherwise, how much further can this product line go? In the meantime, I do really like the FB9. I'm using joystick conversions for some of the paddle games, which have better control than the AtGames versions. (Thanks to those responsible for those roms!) Edited January 6, 2019 by radiohead 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boggis the cat Posted January 13, 2019 Share Posted January 13, 2019 (edited) Near the end of the video, the reviewer states the Atari paddles sort of work, but are too sensitive. Atari paddles have 1 Mohm pots. Could the fix be as simple as switching to a 100K pot?Its about 13:00 minutes in where he tries to use standard paddles. I couldnt get standard paddles to work at all, and couldnt get past that warning about wireless controllers. One thing I noted was that the warning only pops up when the resistance is less than approximately 70 kOhm. That implies that the Flashback 9 isnt detecting a paddle connected if the resistance is over 70 kOhm. More fiddling required to see if the special paddle requirements can be determined. Edited January 13, 2019 by boggis the cat 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forrest Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 boggis the cat, Thanks for the info. I should have mentioned that my 100K pot suggestion was just a guess. Looks like your on the right track. Forrest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrlefty Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 I watched a Flashback 9 Gold teardown video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9v0s3REUVs Near the end of the video, the reviewer states the Atari paddles sort of work, but are too sensitive. Atari paddles have 1 Mohm pots. Could the fix be as simple as switching to a 100K pot? This is the kind of thing I would like to try on a followup to my previous vid about the paddles... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boggis the cat Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 I should have mentioned that my 100K pot suggestion was just a guess. Forrest Worked it out. Paddles require a 10 kOhm pot to work correctly, otherwise they are wired the same. So, 100 times the current draw from the Flashback 9 specific paddle. Seems like overkill, but perhaps the idea was to save the cost of an otherwise-necessary amplification? (An additional transistor doesnt seem like a huge cost, to maintain backward compatibility.) You had the right idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forrest Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 Boggis, Thanks for the update. Now to find some 10K pots... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boggis the cat Posted January 16, 2019 Share Posted January 16, 2019 Now to find some 10K pots...Part number for a suitable 10 kOhm potentiometer:Bourns PDF241-S425F-103B0 You could use any 10 kOhm, 24 mm pot with a 25 mm long shaft (flatted / D shaft type). The Bourns one is pricey, but is good quality and rated for one million cycles. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
radiohead Posted January 18, 2019 Share Posted January 18, 2019 I followed boggis the cat's instructions in this thread: http://atariage.com/forums/topic/287000-flashback-9-special-buttons/ I replaced the potentiometer with a 10K Ohm and it worked! Now I'm off the purchase a set of new pots for my paddles. If/when AtGames releases their official paddles, then I'll have 2 sets for 4-player Warlords. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrlefty Posted January 20, 2019 Share Posted January 20, 2019 I followed boggis the cat's instructions in this thread: http://atariage.com/forums/topic/287000-flashback-9-special-buttons/ I replaced the potentiometer with a 10K Ohm and it worked! Now I'm off the purchase a set of new pots for my paddles. If/when AtGames releases their official paddles, then I'll have 2 sets for 4-player Warlords. Did you find a pot that fits as-is, or did you have to shorten the shaft and use back packing instead of the nut? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.