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DOUBLEDOWN Custom ColecoVision Controllers


doubledown

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14 hours ago, doubledown said:

No problem...I'm trying to get all of the new ones out before the pre-order so that people can have the choice then, versus ordering 1 (which is available now), then I come out with something new later, and they wish they had that one instead.  Not to say that I'll ever stop making new designs...but just kind of my thought at this point.  

Looking forward to what's offered for a pre order!

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5 minutes ago, Mr. John ColecoVision said:

Looking forward to what's offered for a pre order!

Me too...oh wait I can partially tell you now.  

 

You can look at my website HERE (also linked in my signature) to see what I've done thus far...mind you my website is just a Google site that I use as a portfolio, its not a web-store.  Pretty much anything I've made before I can/will offer with a few exceptions:

 

With this upcoming pre-order, I'm not looking to do any ColecoVision Hand Controllers (or Nintendo or Jaguar, to CV conversions)...maybe later, but not at this upcoming phase.  In the ColecoVision section of my site, pretty much anything in the Joystick / Grip / Enhanced / Experience controllers sections will be offered, with the exception of the models marked as "L"imited "E"ditions, such as the #2495 Display Editions.  The only other caveat is locating "donor" hardware in the cases of some of the controllers that use vintage arcade original controls or donor housings.  In these instances, the donor hardware needs to be found, and it's cost(s), will directly affect the price of the finished controller.  

 

Additionally, controllers I have listed in the Atari / Nintendo / Sega sections would be available too.  

 

Plus any new controllers I finish up between now, and when I start the pre-order phase would also be available.  

 

To give you some idea, if memory serves (from the last batch), and if donor housings are still available in the $50-ish range, I can tell you regarding say, the VVG Joystick Controllers:

 

Coleco Black

CollectorVision Phoenix

Super Action (Orange)

Super Action (Red)

...were in the $210 range

 

Q*bert

...was in the $225 range

 

Donkey Kong

Donkey Kong Junior

Ms. Pac-Man

Pac-Man

...were in the $275 range

 

Mouse Trap (Joystick controller...not the Experience controller)

...was in the $350 range

 

More info to come, along with more new controllers (as always), but if there is any 1 or 2 other specific controllers you were looking at, or thinking of, post it here, and I'll ball-park price it so that you have some idea.  

 

Also if anybody has some amazing idea for a controller that I haven't done yet (the more ridiculous/elaborate the better)...post that too...I'm always looking to outdo myself!

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I'd have to go back and "math up" Vanguard, but I wanna say (and don't quote me), that one is somewhere between $350-$400 ish.  

 

Spy Hunter is amazingly close to being finished (I mean really freaking close).  I assembled 98% of it last night but couldn't finish it because I lost a couple of pieces.  The enclosure for Spy Hunter is a steel industrial, NEMA rated housing, with a hinged door (which is the face that the controls are on).  I had to disassemble the latches and hinges from the door & enclosure body for machining, and painting...and apparently I lost the latches...because now I can't find them.  Literally everything else is done...I just need 2 stupid little quarter-turn latches to fill the 2 holes in the front door, and to button up the housing.  I ordered a replacement set today, which are supposedly in stock, and only about 120 miles away in Aurora, OH...so fingers crossed I get them in a couple of days so that I can unveil it.  Spy Hunter was a huge pain to engineer, but now that it done, it's replication can be "easy", albeit time consuming.  It can be offered as a "standard" or "deluxe" version...the deluxe version will include the gas & brake pedals, the standard version won't.  I will say that I am also extremely happy with the artwork on this one, and the unique shape of this enclosure (versus the others that I've used) allowed me for some new opportunities regarding the artwork, that I haven't previously been able to do.  I would really hope to get these replacement parts tomorrow, or Thursday, but I just have to wait.

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1 hour ago, doubledown said:

I'd have to go back and "math up" Vanguard, but I wanna say (and don't quote me), that one is somewhere between $350-$400 ish.  

 

Spy Hunter is amazingly close to being finished (I mean really freaking close).  I assembled 98% of it last night but couldn't finish it because I lost a couple of pieces.  The enclosure for Spy Hunter is a steel industrial, NEMA rated housing, with a hinged door (which is the face that the controls are on).  I had to disassemble the latches and hinges from the door & enclosure body for machining, and painting...and apparently I lost the latches...because now I can't find them.  Literally everything else is done...I just need 2 stupid little quarter-turn latches to fill the 2 holes in the front door, and to button up the housing.  I ordered a replacement set today, which are supposedly in stock, and only about 120 miles away in Aurora, OH...so fingers crossed I get them in a couple of days so that I can unveil it.  Spy Hunter was a huge pain to engineer, but now that it done, it's replication can be "easy", albeit time consuming.  It can be offered as a "standard" or "deluxe" version...the deluxe version will include the gas & brake pedals, the standard version won't.  I will say that I am also extremely happy with the artwork on this one, and the unique shape of this enclosure (versus the others that I've used) allowed me for some new opportunities regarding the artwork, that I haven't previously been able to do.  I would really hope to get these replacement parts tomorrow, or Thursday, but I just have to wait.

If I could like and be sad about this post I would haha. Like that Spy Hunter is almost done as it sounds super cool and sad that it is delayed due to lost parts.

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Tell me about it.  I got the paint buffed out after work at a buddies house, went back to work for assembly, got the CPO artwork and all the the other hardware installed, then when looking for the latches and hinges...couldn't find the latches.  I looked for probably 20 minutes, and then another 10 or 15 minutes at home (on the off chance they were there) and no luck.  Sucks to pay $20 for replacement parts I shouldn't need, but such is life I guess.  The only saving grace (if things work out) is that they're "in stock", and the company is only a few hours away in the same state so shipping should be quick.  I'll check tomorrow to see if they provided a tracking number to find out if I'll get them tomorrow, Thursday, possibly Friday, or after the holiday weekend (worst case scenario).  So stay tuned to be amazed!  I promise its worth the wait...at least it will be to the kid in all of us who would have killed to play Spy Hunter with a steering yoke at their house, versus my personal childhood experience of using a WICO Command Control (bat handle) on my cousin's C-64.  I never actually played the ColecoVision port of Spy Hunter as a kid...the 2 friends who had ColecoVisions didn't have it apparently. 

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Potentially amazing news, Spy Hunter & ColecoVision fans...I received my enclosure's replacement latches today.  Unfortunately its been so long since I removed them, I don't remember what the original ones looked like exactly, so I won't be able to verify that they're the correct ones until I get home after work.  So maybe the unveil is tonight...maybe not...stay tuned!

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No this one's not for the ColecoVision...but I figured I might as well post it here in my thread so they're all here in one place.  

 

Unveiling my: Gaplus Edition - VVG Experience Controller (PS1/PS2)

 

YoK6Wk.png

 

Gaplus (or Galaga 3)...was the sequel to Galaga, and thus the 2nd sequel to Galaxian.  When I found this game in Mame years and years ago...I never much cared for it.  I certainly wan't any good at it, and while it is the sequel to my favorite game Galaga and the gameplay is "similar"...it was just too radically different for my tastes (keep in mind I was playing Mame games with a keyboard in those days).  Fast forward to about 3 months ago when I'm "stuck" at home due to the statewide lockdown...for something "new", I started looking into the many arcade compilation titles available for the PS1 & PS2.  I found them all available on ebay, including Namco Museum Vol. 2...which features Gaplus as one of the 6 included games.  So I decided to give it another chance, and no surprise...I still sucked at it...honestly, I was lucky to get 40,000 per game.  Living in the information age we exist in, I started looking up some info online regarding strategy, and was trying to figure out any tips or tricks I hadn't quite got a handle on yet.  After finding some good information, including a few very helpful tricks, I gave it another shot...and voila, a few things clicked...and I was getting better.  So I decided I'd built myself a proper controller for it...to further my mastery of this vastly underappreciated game, my current high score is now at 505,500.  FYI, due to the 8-way movement required in the game...attempting to play this game with anything other than a quality 8-way joystick...is an exercise in absolute futility!  

 

Built into a Hammond Mfg. flat-topped enclosure and featuring:

 

Bally/Midway 8-way, leaf-switch, red ball-knob joystick...a vintage arcade original, sourced and refurbished...and the same as was found in the original cabinets

 

Four-piece arcade, leaf-switch push-button, Red...wired to the X button (for in-game firing) (adjusted for a very short throw...and trip-wire sensitivity)

 

Four-piece arcade, leaf-switch push-buttons (2), White...wired to the Select & Start buttons (for in-game and menu navigation)

 

Switchcraft, chrome bezel, push-buttons (4), Red...wired to the Square, X, Circle & Triangle buttons (for menu navigation/selections)

 

As a PlayStation 1 & 2 controller, with an 8-way joystick, and 1 button...it can be used with a bunch of the vintage games on the available compilation titles, and the hardware/controls are "arcade-accurate" for Gaplus and also Bosconian (which is on Namco Museum Vol. 1). 

 

By-the-by the donor PCB I used for this controller was pulled from a HORI, PS2 Virtua Fighter Evolution arcade stick I had from way back:

 

m5eyYW.jpg

 

...versus pad-hacking a Dual-Shock controller.  This was mainly done because the HORI PCB is larger and a lot easier to wire to...plus now I can use this donor housing for a custom controller...maybe for the ColecoVision...who knows.  

 

My current plan is to create 1 custom controller for each of "The Galaxian 5" (play on words...like The Jackson 5)...Galaxian, Galaga, Gaplus, Galaga '88, and Galaga Arrangement.  I figured I'd "George Lucas" this...and start in the middle here with Gaplus.  But as there are ports of Galaxian and Galaga for the ColecoVision and of course some of the Ataris...this may be relevant to some of you.  While the initial ones I'll be making will be for me...for the PlayStation consoles, once completed, the Galaxian and Galaga versions could be reproduced for the ColecoVision, for anybody interested...so stay tuned for those at some point here in the future.

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To celebrate the upcoming 1 year anniversary of, this topic (and with it, its 13,500+ views, and 350+ replies), and my “self-proclaimed” triumphant return to the ColecoVision hardware scene…I thought, I want to create something special. 

 

Over this past whirlwind of a year, I’ve created:

 

9 new ColecoVision Hand Controller themes

3 new ColecoVision SpectraVideo SV-103 themes

12 new ColecoVision Joystick Controller designs

1 new ColecoVision Grip Controller design

5 new ColecoVision Enhanced Controller designs

8 new ColecoVision Experience Controller designs

…plus 15 other new Controller designs for various Atari, Nintendo, Sega, and Sony consoles. 

 

But as I’m not one to simply sit back and rest on my laurels, I’m always looking ahead…to what could be.  So I got to thinking, what else could I create…what would set this new controller apart from the rest…and what features and/or options haven’t I explored yet?  After some deep pondering, a little bit of design time, and then some further pondering…I came up with the idea.  So I ordered the necessary parts and hardware, and now I just had to sit back and wait for them to arrive.  Then literally, 1 day after I ordered all of the parts, I had a brainstorm, I did a bit of re-design, and now I had an even better idea…for which I would, of course, have to order even more parts for (and pay additional shipping costs for)…but I feel it was warranted. 

 

So, without further ado…I present to you, my Coleco Edition – VVG Signature Controller:

 

kR6jVi.png

 

To the untrained eye, this would simply appear to be another run-of-the-mill, incredibly robust, arcade quality, ergonomically perfect, Super Action buttoned…ColecoVision joystick controller…but you would be wrong.

 

Let’s start with the styling.  This controller was designed to be subtle, not “themed” for any one particular game or character; it was simply intended, to match the styling of the original ColecoVision console and its Super Action controllers.  So you may be thinking, hmmm…that’s a good looking controller…but it’s just not flashy enough for my tastes.  Don’t worry…I’ve got you covered…let there be light:

 

2APELd.png

 

With the installation of the 4 “color & order-correct” Super Action buttons, and by selecting translucent, iL, concave plunger push-buttons, with a dedicated On/Off switch…they can be LED illuminated to provide you with that extra bit of pizzazz, that will leave your friends yellow, orange, purple, and blue with envy.  Cherry micro-switches were installed into these push-button, but not your average Cherry switches.  The D44Y series of “standard” Cherry switches, require 285 grams of operating force…which in a joystick can be fine, but in a button, is a bit fatigue inducing...so most opt for the D44X’s “light” actuating force of 75 grams.  But as I don’t need micro-switches capable of handling 10A of 120VAC…I selected the even lighter D41X series…which only require 45 grams of force for actuation.  The result, a very satisfying, light-touch requiring, vintage arcade feeling, push-button…that will offer years and years of reliable service. 

 

There has always been 1 glaring problem when a Super Action buttoned, ColecoVision joystick controller is made…the button orientation when playing Front Line.  In order, from left to right, the Super Action buttons are wired/programmed as follows:

 

Yellow – Fire

Orange – Rotate your weapon clock-wise (right of top-dead-center)

Purple – Rotate your weapon counter clock-wise (left of top-dead-center)

Blue – Throw grenade & enter/exit a tank

 

The problem exists with the middle 2 buttons, the orange and purple buttons.  The physically installed “left” of these two buttons (orange)…rotates your weapon…to the right.  While the physically installed “right” of these two buttons (purple)…rotates your weapon…to the left.   See the problem…press the left button to rotate right, and press the right button to rotate left…my brain doesn’t work well in this scenario.  So, the easy fix, is to simply flip the wiring, but then you have a controller that’s a real “bleep-show” for every other game.  So my solution, install a dedicated switch that will allow for on-the-fly switching of these 2 buttons’ wiring, to provide enhanced compatibility and game-play for Front Line, a game that I am very fond of. 

 

Then we come to the age old question that has plagued joystick builders for years…4-way joystick, or 8-way joystick.  If the controller is being built for 1 game, the choice is clear.  You simply select the joystick appropriate for the game it is intended to be played with.  But when making a “universal” controller, you have to choose the lesser of 2 evils.  Choose an 8-way joystick so that you can play all games with it, but suffer in-game deaths when you accidentally hit a diagonal on a game made for a 4-way…or choose a 4-way joystick, for perfect game compatibility with 4-way games, but loose compatibility with 8-way games.  One solution, has always been to select a joystick that can be re-configured for both 4-way and 8-way use…which usually requires tools to open up the controller and move the sub-gate.  Alternatively you can use a joystick with a tool-free rotational sub-gate, and cut an access hole/slot/arc into the bottom of the controller housing so that you can manipulate it completely without tools and without opening the housing.  Let me offer to you, a 3rd option…the Ultimarc ServoStik

 

OCuGTQ.jpg

 

The fine people of Ultimarc decided to take it upon themselves to help us mortals with this age old problem.  They started with a Sanwa JLW joystick, which on its own, features a tool-free, rotational, 8-way square / 4-way diamond sub-gate, and then they created a replacement sub-gate, a servo motor, and a controller board, which when used in concert will manipulate this sub-gate (from 4-way to 8-way, and back) with the ease of simply pushing of a button (or in this case a switch), and it will do it in less than 1 second; simple…no more “settling”.  You want to play Donkey Kong, Pac-Man, or some other 4-way games properly, press the switch for the 4-way orientation.  You want to play Zaxxon, Venture, or some other 8-way games properly, press the switch for the 8-way orientation.  Presto change-o! 

 

Normally these ServoStiks are intended to be used in an arcade cabinet, or in a custom controller built for something like Mame…where 5VDC is readily available for the power required to operate them.  Unfortunately, the ColecoVision doesn’t supply any power to the controller ports, so I installed a panel-mounted, (4) AA cell battery tray on the front face of the enclosure as the power source…which also powers the illuminated push-buttons.  Purportedly, the ServoStik needs “constant” power to maintain the position of the sub-gate…but fortunately I find this to be untrue.  There is more than enough friction/resistance in the sub-gate mounting, and the motor with its gearbox to properly hold the sub-gate where it is, even without constant power.  So true, this controller does need power to manipulate the sub-gate, the power can be turned off however, once it’s orientation has been switched, if you are looking to conserve battery life.  FYI the current draw of the controller board is approximately 50mA when on, and “holding” position, and it momentarily jumps to 140mA, for the less than the 1 second it takes to switch to either 4-way or 8-way. 

 

oYC5QJ.png

 

Then, to finish out the controller, I created a custom 12-button keypad, using red plunger, black body Samducksa 16mm pushbuttons, which reside accessible in the middle of the control panel, between the various red cap, black bezel NKK switches mounted above and below.  The CPO was kept simple.  It was drawn as a simulated stainless steel panel, like those found on the ColecoVision console and Super Action Controllers, with identifying text for all of the centrally located buttons, and switches. 

 

So there you have it, my Coleco Edition – VVG Signature Controller.  For a recap of the components used:

 

**Hammond Mfg., 14” x 8” aluminum enclosure (as always, reinforced and weighted)

 

**Ultimarc ServoStik, electric-switching, 4-way / 8-way joystick, with red ball knob

 

**iL, PSL-L, concave push-buttons w/ Cherry micro-switches, translucent yellow, orange, purple, and blue, w/ LED illumination

 

**NKK, ON-NONE-ON rocker switch, red, w/ LED power “ON” indicator (main power switch)

 

**Samducksa, 16mm, red push-buttons, (installed as 12 button keypad)

 

**NKK, ON-NONE-ON rocker switch, red (push-button LEDs power switch)

 

**NKK, (ON)-OFF-(ON) rocker switch, red, (4-way / 8-way joystick selector switch)

 

**NKK, ON-NONE-ON rocker switch, red (S.A. - YOPB / F.L. - YPOB push-button wiring configuration switch)

 

And for you left-handers (right hand joystick, left hand buttons), don’t think I forgot about you…you may prefer this version instead:

 

WQiG6W.png

 

Enjoy!

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I remember we talked about this a while back.  I like the layout and artwork concept...looks great.  I would really need to spend some time with this game to understand it's game-play and control scheme.  Looking at your drawing...is the orange circle a joystick?

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14 minutes ago, doubledown said:

Looking at your drawing...is the orange circle a joystick?

Yep.  :)

 

Also, according to the manual of the game, the right trigger button is never used, so both "FIRE / ACTION" buttons would be mapped to the left trigger button. But this would need to be verified, obviously.

 

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I played a few minutes earlier, and when at the Gunner positions you need to manipulate the joystick to aim, and press the Left fire button to shoot.  So it would either need to be a pistol grip (with trigger), or top fire style joystick...or the fire / action button should probably be on the right side for use with your right hand.  Then if moved, your left wrist wouldn't be resting on top of them while manipulating the joystick.  Again...I would really need to sit down and read the manual to figure out how to play this game.  

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I had a read-through of the Dam Busters manual this morning...what an incredibly complicated game!  I found out there is an instance when both Left and Right fire buttons are required.  When on the 1st Engineering screen, if you wish to adjust all 4 Throttles, or all 4 Boosters simultaneously, you need to select a specific one (first Throttle, or last Booster), then press both side buttons and manipulate the joystick to adjust.  So I could definitely envision having these 2 buttons on the right side of the controller for this purpose.  

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2 hours ago, doubledown said:

I had a read-through of the Dam Busters manual this morning...what an incredibly complicated game!  I found out there is an instance when both Left and Right fire buttons are required.  When on the 1st Engineering screen, if you wish to adjust all 4 Throttles, or all 4 Boosters simultaneously, you need to select a specific one (first Throttle, or last Booster), then press both side buttons and manipulate the joystick to adjust.  So I could definitely envision having these 2 buttons on the right side of the controller for this purpose.  

Interesting, I missed that.  :) 

 

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I did a little "pricing research" for a potential WarGames controller today...and that could/would be one seriously expensive controller if made as a full-fledged Experience Controller with large square illuminated push-buttons.  So much so, that I'm not sure at this point that I would create/make that one...unless it was commissioned, and basically pre-sold before I made it.  To order the (7) large square illuminated push-buttons, (3) rectangular illuminated push-buttons, and the LED bulbs to replace the standard incandescent bulbs, would be in the neighborhood of $150.00...my cost.  Then another $40 for the battery pack/tray, and an NKK switch as the power toggling switch, to power the LEDs.  None of which includes the housing (or housing(s) if done really fancy), the joystick, any other buttons and/or switches necessary, artwork, wiring...and the inevitable machining and assembly time.  I could probably find my way to make/create what I would consider to be an Enhanced Controller version...using the Sanwa 24mm square (non-illuminated) push-buttons I used in my Star Cursor controller versus the large HAPP buttons, which also eliminates the need for any power.  I'll have to think about it a little more.  

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3 hours ago, doubledown said:

I had a read-through of the Dam Busters manual this morning...what an incredibly complicated game!

Yep, it's a full-fledged flight simulator at its core. That's why a controller like the one I proposed would be nice, because the placement of the buttons would be more intuitive while you're trying to keep up with everything that's going on around your plane.

 

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31 minutes ago, Pixelboy said:

Yep, it's a full-fledged flight simulator at its core. That's why a controller like the one I proposed would be nice, because the placement of the buttons would be more intuitive while you're trying to keep up with everything that's going on around your plane.

 

I agree and completely understand.  It could also be "reasonably" priced (all relative obviously) too if there wasn't anything crazy added to it, and no overly expensive components were selected for it's build.  It could either be squeezed into a 14" x 8" enclosure (maybe/possibly), or more appropriately installed into a 17" x 11" or  20" x 11" housing (larger enclosure would allow for larger, easier to slap buttons).  The joystick component would be in the $20-ish range...assuming some modern available 8-way joystick (ball-top or bat-top), then 11-ish buttons of size(s)/color(s) TBD, which are normally only a few dollars each...wired to a Hand Controller PCB, plus a custom cable...and of course artwork and time.  Luc...I assume you're calling "dibs" on this one!?!  ?

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So a few days ago in the "ColecoVision Prototype Consoles" post/thread...there was mention/proof that the Expansion Module #2 was additionally planned to be sold/packaged with Bump 'N Jump, as an alternate to the Turbo pack-in.  This lead to some discussion regarding the controls of the game, namely how the ColecoVision port can make use of the EM#2 (or Hand Controller or SAC), whereas the arcade cabinets (DECO & Bally/Midway) officially used an 8-way joystick plus a "Jump" button.  So for the sake of trying it, I tried Bump 'N Jump with the EM#2...and really don't care for it.  The steering's insensitivity/unresponsiveness is not to my liking at all for this game.  Technically, and with 100% arcade accuracy...my Gaplus controller (in post #358 above), if it were wired for the ColecoVision...and had different artwork and button colors...would be an arcade accurate, Bump 'N Jump - VVG Experience Controller...as that controller uses the exact same Bally/Midway, 8-way leaf-switch joystick, that was common to those 2 games, along with a couple of others, including Bosconian and Gorf (Cocktail).  But regardless, the discussion got me thinking, and I had an idea for a pretty radical Bump 'N Jump - VVG Enhanced Controller...using an arcade controller type that I haven't used yet.  So while it won't be arcade accurate (again that would be my Gaplus controller with different artwork), it will be, I think, a cool, and very unique hardware control scheme alternative for Bump 'N Jump (and possibly a few other games).  I've still got a few things to work on / figure out for this one, but hopefully I'll have something to show you all soon.  

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19 minutes ago, doubledown said:

So a few days ago in the "ColecoVision Prototype Consoles" post/thread...there was mention/proof that the Expansion Module #2 was additionally planned to be sold/packaged with Bump 'N Jump, as an alternate to the Turbo pack-in.  This lead to some discussion regarding the controls of the game, namely how the ColecoVision port can make use of the EM#2 (or Hand Controller or SAC), whereas the arcade cabinets (DECO & Bally/Midway) officially used an 8-way joystick plus a "Jump" button.  So for the sake of trying it, I tried Bump 'N Jump with the EM#2...and really don't care for it.  The steering's insensitivity/unresponsiveness is not to my liking at all for this game.  Technically, and with 100% arcade accuracy...my Gaplus controller (in post #358 above), if it were wired for the ColecoVision...and had different artwork and button colors...would be an arcade accurate, Bump 'N Jump - VVG Experience Controller...as that controller uses the exact same Bally/Midway, 8-way leaf-switch joystick, that was common to those 2 games, along with a couple of others, including Bosconian and Gorf (Cocktail).  But regardless, the discussion got me thinking, and I had an idea for a pretty radical Bump 'N Jump - VVG Enhanced Controller...using an arcade controller type that I haven't used yet.  So while it won't be arcade accurate (again that would be my Gaplus controller with different artwork), it will be, I think, a cool, and very unique hardware control scheme alternative for Bump 'N Jump (and possibly a few other games).  I've still got a few things to work on / figure out for this one, but hopefully I'll have something to show you all soon.  

Oh man I am excited to see this. If it is even 1/10th as exciting as the Spy Hunter turned out it will be amazing.

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It definitely won't be as "over the top" as Spy Hunter...but it doesn't need to be...but I think it will be pretty cool never the less.  It should also work well for Up 'n Down, and possibly Road Fighter, although I would need to examine the necessary controls for Road Fighter to verify this.  

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Well I found, and worked out a deal for the "unique" arcade control I'll need for this Bump 'N Jump controller.  Amazingly it is local too, so hopefully I'll be able to pick it up here in the next day or two so I can start looking at sizing/installation and the likes.  And a guy over at the KLOV forums was able to get me large, "pretty clean" pictures of the CPO artwork for its use.  If I can use them, it'll save me the $40+ of purchasing a reproduction CPO and scanning it myself.  

 

Out of curiosity, does anybody have a Road Fighter manual they could send me images of?  Obviously I'm not looking for this to make copies or any such nonsense.  I'm just looking for verification of any controls/buttons/keypad keys necessary for this game to verify or discount it's compatibility with this possible controller.  

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Well there was a lot of progress with my upcoming Bump 'N Jump controller this weekend.  I spent most of Saturday with the engineering, the controls layout, and drawing the artwork...which came out beautifully.  Due to my unique control-scheme for this one (when compared to the original arcade cabinet), I couldn't simply duplicate the original arcade CPO.  But, I was able to replicate the overall look and re-use some of the original elements (and colors) so that it's look & theme is unmistakably "Bump 'N Jump."  I machined the enclosure today, and also got all of the artwork printed/laminated/trimmed, then applied, and cut out for all of the hardware.  I had almost everything I needed for this one except for a few push-buttons, and one more special part for the controls.  I'll get everything else I'm missing ordered tomorrow...and fingers crossed I'll have this one finished up and unveiled some time this week.  I really think it's going to be very surprising & shocking when you see it...I'm very excited for this one.  Stay tuned!

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