DOUBLEDOWN Custom ColecoVision Controllers

[Mr. John ColecoVision]

Any update for the Asteroids controllers?

[Pixelboy]

32 minutes ago, Mr. John ColecoVision said:

Any update for the Asteroids controllers?

Good question, and I'll be answering this in an upcoming Team Pixelboy News Bulletin, hopefully within a couple of weeks. I'm waiting for some stuff to come together before I post the bulletin.

 

[Mr. John ColecoVision]

9 minutes ago, Pixelboy said:

Good question, and I'll be answering this in an upcoming Team Pixelboy News Bulletin, hopefully within a couple of weeks. I'm waiting for some stuff to come together before I post the bulletin.

 

Nice, would be great if it's still happening!

[doubledown]

2 hours ago, Mr. John ColecoVision said:

Any update for the Asteroids controllers?

I'm just waiting on new software!  ?  With that being said...I've been immensely enjoying mine...

 

 

...with other existing softwares!

[0078265317]

On 7/16/2019 at 10:35 AM, doubledown said:

Howdy folks.  As I started digging through boxes and boxes upon boxes last night to start sorting and separating all of my ColecoVision stuff I plan on selling here in the near future, I found a box approximately 20"x20"x20" full of ColecoVision hand controllers and was thinking about a run of custom ColecoVision controllers like I've done before as a way to help move them.  Just trying to determine if there is any interest in something like this currently before I get too far into it.  I'm not sure what theme these would be, but obviously I like the idea of a 2 controller set like Pac-Man / Ms. Pac-Man & Donkey Kong / Donkey Kong Junior as I've done before.  I also find it better when its an arcade port as I attempt to stylize them like the actual arcade cabinets using their color schemes and artwork.  Please chime in with any interest and theme ideas and we'll go from there.  Also note, anybody who owns both sets of my previous controllers would obviously have to buy this new set to keep their collection complete!

 

Previously made controllers:

 

Pac-Man & Ms. Pac-Man

 

Donkey Kong & Donkey Kong Jr.

You always do good work.  These are nice.  Could it possible to modify these by adding a start, pause, and reset and making them work on 5200 with my masterplay clone.  Or too much trouble.

[doubledown]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but use of a MasterPlay with the 5200, makes use of a "master" 5200 controller (for S/P/R and keypad functions, plus possibly analog centering values), and a "slave" 9-pin digital controller for game-play directional control and at minimum 1 fire button.  So with that in mind, do you see these as the 5200 "master" controller or the "slave" digital controller?

[Mr. John ColecoVision]

2 hours ago, doubledown said:

I'm just waiting on new software!  ?  With that being said...I've been immensely enjoying mine...

 

 

...with other existing softwares!

Reminds me of a smokey Pizza Hut...love it!

[doubledown]

5 minutes ago, Mr. John ColecoVision said:

Reminds me of a smokey Pizza Hut...love it!

I developed my love for, and honed my skills at Galaga at a Pizza Hut!  Back when restaurants had "Smoking" and "Non-Smoking" sections right next to each other with no physical barriers/dividers of any kind.  Good times...god times!

[Ruggers Customs]

8 hours ago, doubledown said:

I developed my love for, and honed my skills at Galaga at a Pizza Hut!  Back when restaurants had "Smoking" and "Non-Smoking" sections right next to each other with no physical barriers/dividers of any kind.  Good times...god times!

Yep, same here.  In high school we would sometimes take lunch and skip the next period to eat the pizza buffet, smoke lots of cigarettes and play Galaga at our local Pizza Hut.  That and the cocktail Pac-man machines.  I'm currently shopping around locally for an old busted up, unloved Galaga machine to restore.

[Mr. John ColecoVision]

12 hours ago, doubledown said:

I'm just waiting on new software!  ?  With that being said...I've been immensely enjoying mine...

 

 

...with other existing softwares!

I have 2 of these bad boys requested, can't wait to get some pizza grease on them!

[doubledown]

18 minutes ago, Mr. John ColecoVision said:

I have 2 of these bad boys requested, can't wait to get some pizza grease on them!

No eating or drinking near the controllers, and wash all of the boogers, peanut butter & jelly, and pizza grease off your hands before you touch them! 

 

True story, I remember as a kid, a pair of sisters/babysitters that we had for a while, had a computer or gaming system of some kind (I was too young to know what it was) in their basement rec room, and their parents' rule was no food or drink near the machine...for obvious reasons.  So sure enough, one them, at some point, going against the rules...spilled pop all over the machine or keyboard or some such.  I remember when we got our Tandy 1000EX we had the no food/drink rule for a while...but obviously we all know how that goes.  I can say that I never spilled anything onto or into mine...or rest assured, I would still be feeling that spanking to this day, I'm sure.  

[flickertail]

56 minutes ago, doubledown said:

No eating or drinking near the controllers, and wash all of the boogers, peanut butter & jelly, and pizza grease off your hands before you touch them! 

 

True story, I remember as a kid, a pair of sisters/babysitters that we had for a while, had a computer or gaming system of some kind (I was too young to know what it was) in their basement rec room, and their parents' rule was no food or drink near the machine...for obvious reasons.  So sure enough, one them, at some point, going against the rules...spilled pop all over the machine or keyboard or some such.  I remember when we got our Tandy 1000EX we had the no food/drink rule for a while...but obviously we all know how that goes.  I can say that I never spilled anything onto or into mine...or rest assured, I would still be feeling that spanking to this day, I'm sure.  

I once spilled a glass of water onto the keyboard of an Apple IIe that my mom brought home from her school over Christmas break. Obviously, it was school district property.

 

I immediate turned it off. Let it sit for a day (or maybe more accurately pretended I wasn't anywhere near it - "What me? No I didn't do anything to it. I'm shocked you would even ask."), and turned it back on the next day and it worked fine. Probably a combination of not getting water on parts that couldn't take it and not actually getting a whole lot inside the keyboard.

[+FujiSkunk]

*types this while munching Fritos and drinking soda in front of his own computer and his work laptop... but hey, the soda is sugar-free at least*

[doubledown]

1 hour ago, FujiSkunk said:

*types this while munching Fritos and drinking soda in front of his own computer and his work laptop... but hey, the soda is sugar-free at least*

That's a time-out mister!  Wait 'till your father gets home!  You're gonna get it then!  ?

[doubledown]

For those interested...with regards to my recently created "Coleco Edition - VVG Signature Controller":

 

 

I have had a couple of people contact me about this controller regarding it's availability (will it be sold, will it be limited edition), and it's price.  To answer these here...yes; it will be sold/offered...no; it will not be a "limited edition"...and the price is; $500.00 (plus shipping).  Obviously, it is expensive (but that's kind of what I do), and believe me it was expensive to build.  The joystick (with it's required control board, and shipping from the U.K.) alone, costs me $85, and it takes more than 10 or hours to machine, assemble, wire and test.  With all that said, and before anybody asks, no it cannot be customized...this is my "Signature" controller...built how I wanted it, decked out with the features and options I wanted it to have, and representing my brand.  If you want a different color or shape of joystick knob, fine replace it yourself after you buy one.  If you want different color buttons, fine replace them yourself after you buy one.  Regarding this particular controller, I've adopted Henry Ford's 1909 statement that "Any customer can have a car painted any colour that he wants so long as it is black."  I do plan to add an additional artwork "face-plate" to the front of it it (to the left of the battery tray), with it's model name, my logo, and the likes...I just haven't had time recently to finish it up.  And as I've done with my other "large" controllers, each controller will be individually serialized, and paired with a matching serialized instruction manual. 

 

With all that said, no I'm not currently taking pre-orders, but I did have an idea...if there is enough interest.  So I am keeping the **PROTOTYPE** serial numbered controller as mine, and I've already built the 001 serial numbered controller; I'm just waiting for the D41X micro-switches for the push-buttons so that I can finish up the last bit of wiring.  So my idea...was for something along the lines of a raffle for this one (the 001)...again if there is enough interest.  My thought was, the controller is $500, divide that by the number of "tickets" sold, and that is the price per ticket.  So if 10 people were interested, each "ticket" would be $50, and you would have a 1-in-10 chance of winning.  If 50 people were interested, each "ticket" would be $10, and you would have a 1-in-50 chance of winning.  After some period of offer/interest time, say 1 or 2 weeks, the "ticket" price would be determined (based on the number of people), payments requested/received, and then the winner's name would be drawn and announced.  I honestly thought of this, as a way that someone who maybe couldn't normally afford a controller like this, would have an opportunity to win one.  And again...I'm not interested in selling an unlimited number tickets at a fixed price where I make an exponential amount of money for this one controller, it would still be "sold" at it's $500 price, just funded by a group of people, and won by one lucky person.  Perhaps if it's popular enough, it could be done again.  So nothing official regarding this yet (I would create a separate post if moving forward with this "raffle" idea), I just wanted to gauge the interest in this idea/concept, and/or consider any other alternative thoughts or ideas that anybody else had regarding something like this.  Let me know.  

[Loafer]

I’d do it if there is at least a minimum of 10 people participating. I’ve got disposable income for “stupid take a gamble” stuff (Kickstarter support proves that lol) but I do currently put a cap on it at $50 so if we get at least 9 other dudes/dudettes to take a chance, this gambling son of a bitch is in!  I would recommend doing a single take video of the names being put into a bowl and then drawing the winning entry. There’s always one that ends up being a doubting Thomas, even with someone like you and your impeccable rep, so this protects you.  Just a recommendation, I’d be in regardless because... well like I said, your character has an impeccable reputation

[doubledown]

Yeah, my thought was 10 people would be the absolute minimum...and obviously with more people...it's even less per person.  The simple raffle idea isn't anything set in stone...it was just a "get the ball rolling" idea/possibility.  I remember we did a contest years back, where it was a Rock-Paper-Scissors bracketed-tournament, for how we chose/determined the winner.  I wouldn't want to do any sort of contest like high-score, or guess the number closest type concept.  The video drawing (if a simple raffle) is a good idea though, and I completely understand the reasoning, although admittedly I probably wouldn't have thought of it.  But I also never shoot video of anything...no YouTube, Snapchat, Tik-Tok, FaceTime, or any of the millions of other apps out that people who need attention use for this old man.  We'll just have to wait and see if there is enough interest, or any other better ideas.  

[doubledown]

Bump ‘n’ Jump (or Burnin’ Rubber if you prefer) is an overhead-view racing game, created by Data East in 1982.  The arcades of the day saw releases from both Data East and Bally/Midway, each noticeably different from each other regarding their respective cabinets’ artwork, but they did share the same hardware controls…(1) 8-way joystick, and (1) “Jump” button.  Pushing the joystick up (away from you) will cause your car to accelerate, and pulling the joystick down (toward you) slows you down.  To steer your car, simply manipulate the joystick left or right to avoid traffic, and/or dangerous obstacles.  The reason for the use of an 8-way joystick (vs. that of a 4-way), is so that you can accelerate or brake whilst steering (and vice-versa).  The “Jump” button allows your car to jump over (or onto) other cars, and over obstacles and water hazards…so long as you’re traveling at a speed greater than 100.  A simple enough concept, an adorable graphical styling, and a super catchy background tune…all add up to make Bump ‘n’ Jump one fun arcade game. 

 

Fast forward 2 years, to 1984, and we got a wonderful port of Bump ‘n’ Jump for our beloved ColecoVisions and Coleco ADAMS.  Obviously the stock Coleco Hand Controllers (as well as the Super Action Controllers) provide all of the necessary “controls” to play properly Bump ‘n’ Jump, but this port also allowed for the use of Coleco’s Expansion Module #2…presumably so that they could advertise an ever expanding library of compatible games to help boost it’s hardware sales.  While I feel that the EM#2 could have been an OK control alternative, in practice I don’t like it.  The insensitivity of the steering requires entirely too much effort, there is no speed coasting due to the EM#2’s gas pedal being a simple on/off switch, and attempting to manipulate the short nubby joystick up or down to act as your “Jump” button, I find just plain awkward. 

 

Fast forward 36 more years, to now…2020.  The ColecoVision fan-base is strong, I apparently have a flair for the dramatic (and long-winded posts), and I obviously have an unwavering amount of talent & vision which allows me to create the greatest custom game controllers ever built…in my humble opinion of course.  So while Bump ‘n’ Jump, is in fact, arcade-accurately playable with a simple 8-way joystick and a “Jump” button…I don’t love having my throttle and steering controls manipulated with a single input device, I would prefer them to be separate.  But I also don’t like how the EM#2 controls work/react either…what to do, what to do!?!  So I got to thinking, considering all of the different types of arcade hardware/controls ever made,  and working within the limitations of the ColecoVision hardware, and considering the existing programming of the ColecoVision port of Bump ‘n’ Jump…how could I make it better?  Let’s assume for a minute, that I was working for Data East or Bally/Midway back in ‘81/’82…what would I have proposed as a control-scheme & layout for this game?  So unveiling my vision…my: Bump ‘n’ Jump – VVG Enhanced Controller:

 

 

 

 

Let’s start with the artwork I guess.  I chose Data East’s marquee artwork, simply because I liked it better than the Bally/Midway version, and the Data East Bump ‘n’ Jump title font is the same as what was used on the ColecoVision game packaging; Bally/Midway used a different font for their title art.  Additionally as the DECO cabinets were conversion cabinets, their marquees often included the game info and points card on them, which all fits very nicely onto the front of this enclosure.  For the Control Panel Overlay artwork however, I styled mine after the Bally/Midway CPO, the reason being, again, personal preference.  As the DECO cabinets were conversion cabinets, their CPO artwork was usually generic, but since the Bally/Midway units were dedicated cabinets, they had specific artwork for the game.  Now, as my control scheme and layout is radically different than its arcade counterpart, this means I couldn’t simply duplicate the existing artwork, but I did mimic it how and where I could.  The colors, striping, and fields around the controls are all inspired by the original, and I’ve even included the titular racer, “Jumpin’ John” for good measure.

 

 

Now…onto the parts that really matter… the controls.  For the steering, I wanted to replace the mechanics of simply slapping a joystick left or right, but I didn’t want to use the encoder based steering of the EM#2 either (which would also cause the loss of speed coasting, and require a foot pedal).  I decided I wanted something rotational, without getting too out of hand with custom parts, and while using components that still had some vintage arcade provenance.  So how did I do it you ask?  Well remember a couple months back, I got a hold of a few Bally/Midway Space Invaders & Galaxian cocktail cabinet control panels…both of which featured a 2-way “rotational” lever control.  Using this vintage, Bally/Midway control hardware, I removed the 1.75” straight control lever, and found/bought/modified a 3-5/32” diameter, 3-spoked, black nylon (w/steel hub), industrial equipment hand-wheel, to use as my “steering wheel.”  It seems a little small…and…how does it work…you may be thinking/wondering.  So this 2-way controller allows for approximately 10 degrees of rotation each way off of center, before it hits its hard stops.  It has approximately 3-5 degrees of dead-band before the contacts make, then, the remaining 5-7 degrees is contact & over-travel.  My concept is that you manipulate the wheel as you would, say, a paddle controller.  Your fingertips, friction grip the wheel around its outer edge, and you can easily twist it the few degrees necessary/allowable back and forth to control your steering… and due to its limited rotation, it allows for very quick directional changes.  This hand-wheel I chose is available in a few different sizes, with this one being the smallest, and the one I found the most comfortable for how I wanted to handle/manipulate it.  Alternatively, if you went with something really large, like the 8” version that is available, I’d be worried about the extra torque that could be generated, which maybe could/would damage the hardware underneath. 

 

 

So with the steering explained, how about acceleration and braking (the throttle controls) you ask.  I knew I didn’t want a foot pedal (or pedals) for this one, so something like a 2-way vertical joystick could have been used.  But then if I just used a simple 2-way joystick, how would you access the necessary “Jump” button at a moment’s notice?  Enter the HAPP/iL - Up/Down, Turbo Handle Shifter, w/ thumb switch.  This controller is currently made in about 5 or 6 variations…analog or digital, 1 switch or 2 (digital only), and latching (up or down) or spring-to-center.  Because the game’s programming allows for speed coasting, you don’t need to constantly hold the throttle to maintain speed.  Obviously the people at Data East were big fans of Newton’s first law of motion, which states that “an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force” (that high school physics class is finally starting to pay off).  So once you reach any given speed you can let go of the throttle control, and your car will maintain that speed unless you bump into another car, or jump (as this causes a loss of speed).  So because of this concept, I selected the spring-to-center version…which basically acts just like any other 2-way joystick...but it does so, with a super snazzy T-handle grip, and a thumb button.  In this case, I’ve obviously wired the thumb button as the jump button, so that all of the game’s necessary controls are right in your hands.  And I have to admit, throwing this throttle lever back and forth during game-play is incredibly satisfying! 

 

 

Additional controls include (2) HAPP micro-switch pushbuttons (white) as the P1/P2 start buttons, which are wired to keypad buttons 1/2/3/4 & 5/6/7/8 respectively, through a 4-position, 2-pole rotary switch, which allows for Player/Difficulty game menu selections.  Also (2) Switchcraft pushbuttons (black) are installed as a “Start” button (wired to keypad button 1, which selects the Standard Hand Controller option at the initial menu), and the other, as a “Menu” button (wired to the keypad button #) to return you to the Player/Difficulty selection menu after your game is over. 

 

So there you have it, my vision of what the Bump ‘n’ Jump control scheme “could have been.”  Also, as this controller does in fact feature Up/Down/Left/Right & Left Fire button controls, plus keypad buttons 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/#, it can be used for many games other than just Bump ‘n’ Jump.  It also works great for Up ‘n Down and Road Fighter, plus it’s technically compatible with a substantial number of games from the ColecoVision library.  I was just playing Pitfall and Donkey Kong with it a little earlier.  And granted, while probably not my “go-to” controller for either Pitfall or Donkey Kong, after a few quick deaths, the controls were second nature and definitely playable.  Feel free to dream about this fabulous controller the next time you’re playing Bump ‘n’ Jump with a Hand Controller, or even worse, the EM#2!

[Mr. John ColecoVision]

Bump & Jump controller looks amazing. 

 

Count me in for raffle and a pre-order for 1 controller if you do one

 

Thanks, these are just incredible controllers!!

Edited July 27, 2020 by Mr. John ColecoVision

[doubledown]

The Bump 'n' Jump controller came out exceptionally well, and it plays as good as it looks...it provides a very unique game-play feel.  Additionally, building this one did provide some inspiration for a controller I've wanted to build for a while now.  It will be "slightly different" form it's arcade counter-part due to the programming not being able to handle the proper controller, but it should simulate it very well.  I'll have to order some parts and do some prototyping, but I think it will work out.

[doubledown]

So I decided to see what I could come up with, for a modestly-price (but not “cheap”) joystick controller for the ColecoVision…versus some of the over-the-top controllers I’ve been making as of late.  Also, I had a few new hardware items I wanted to work on/with, which I incorporated here…so here it is, unveiling my:

 

Coleco Black Edition – VVG Standard Controller:

 

 

Here’s the “short & sweet” list of details:

 

** Hammond Mfg. 14” x 8” aluminum enclosure – unmodified (no additional bracing or fasteners, simply CNC machined for the installation of the controls)

 

** iL EuroJoystick 2, 8-way, black, bat-knob joystick, w/ Cherry micro-switches – modified (molded shaft shoulder cut 0.281” shorter, which lowers the overall height of the shaft/knob for better ergonomics when installed in a thin metal panel)

 

** iL PSL-L, concave push-buttons (2), dark gray, w/ Cherry micro-switches (75g)

 

** Custom-made 12-button keypad, w/ C&K key-switch buttons, (10) grey, (2) black, surrounded by a Coleco Hand Controller inspired CPO w/ button legends

 

** ColecoVision console inspired front face-plate artwork

 

** Custom-made 6’ cable

 

Alternately, the standard joystick shaft w/ molded bat knob can be replaced with an iL threaded shaft (long) and ball knob, maintaining the same height…should you prefer:

 

 

-or-

 

the standard joystick shaft w/ molded bat knob can be replaced with an iL threaded shaft (short) and ball knob, lowering the height, similar to the Japanese joysticks…should you prefer:

 

 

So that’s the “short & sweet” version of what I’ve made here (full details, in the “long version” below), and this one is currently available for sale:

 

$155.00 (plus shipping) with the iL factory standard black bat knob

 

-or-

 

$165.00 (plus shipping) with an iL threaded shaft (long or short) and a 35mm black ball knob.

 

So like I said, this one is for sale…just send me a PM if you’re interested, and this one is sold on a first come first serve basis.  I ordered some fasteners today to finish the PCB mounting; the ones I had were a little too long.  I should receive them in a couple days, meaning that this controller should/can be ready to ship by the end of this week.

 

 

Now, for those interested in a little more detail, below is the “Long Version”:

 

Enclosure:  I selected Hammond Mfg.’s, 14” x 8”, aluminum sloped-topped enclosure, but in a cost saving effort I left the enclosure’s assembly / structure…as factory standard.  So rather than increasing the size & quantity of the assembly fasteners, drilling & tapping new and existing holes, cutting / painting / and installing steel bracing (as I normally do with these enclosures), the enclosure is simply assembled how it was designed by the Hammond Mfg. engineers…with four (4) screws.  When I first started using these enclosures I found a need to “beef” them up by adding a bit of strength, rigidity, and weight to their design; and while I will continue to “beef-up” these enclosures for my other models & editions, the purpose of this build, was to lower the overall cost. 

 

Joystick:  Unless you opt for a no-name, knock-off joystick (sourced from ebay or Amazon) there really isn’t much cost to be saved in this department.  The most common brand-name joystick models (i.e. from HAPP, iL, Sanwa, Seimitsu) are all mass-produced in such great quantities that they’re all reasonably priced in the $15 - $25 range.  Granted, knock-off models can be had at closer to the $8 - $10 range, I was intent on building a “low-priced” controller…not a “cheap” controller.  So I opted for the iL EuroJoystick 2 (w/ Cherry micro-switches) for this project, for a couple of reasons.  One, it’s actually one of the least expensive brand-name joysticks on the market, at around $15; two, it’s probably the strongest and most robust joystick on the market; and three, in all honesty I really prefer it’s firmer spring-tension and feel over its Japanese counterparts.  Now the one downfall of the iL, is the bat-topped handle…the only way it is sold, and with a height better suited when installed into a thick, wooden control panel.  When installed into a thin metal panel, like in this enclosure, it’s a bit taller than it should be, ergonomically speaking.  Normally I would simply install spacers between the underside of the panel and the joystick base to “drop-mount” it the depth that I wanted, but this enclosure doesn’t have enough depth to do this.  So I realized that I could put the joystick handle in my lathe and cut a new higher shoulder on the molded shaft section, which allows me to lower the overall height of the handle for better ergonomics in these metal enclosures.  Additionally, iL does sell threaded replacement shafts, at 2 different lengths, so if you prefer a ball knob (versus a bat knob), that is still an option; and it only adds about $10 to the cost (depending on the selected ball knob).

 

Push-Buttons:  The currently available push-buttons basically work out like the joysticks do.  Brand-name versions are greatly massed-produced and reasonably inexpensive at around $3 a piece; and there are of course knock-offs available, which can be had for even a little bit cheaper.  But again, as I was going for “low-priced”, and not “cheap”, so I selected iL PSL-L concave push-buttons, as I really prefer their vintage styled concave plungers (vs. the Japanese style convex plungers).  I also opted for the upgraded Cherry micro-switches (75g), simply because they’re a better switch, and only about $1 more each, when purchasing them with the buttons.  I had considered installing (4) push-buttons, versus the standard (2), but again looking to save costs I decided on the simple (2) button version.  Plus when you look at the (7) games that require, or can make use of, the S.A. buttons…there’s not really much need for the (2) extra buttons.

 

*Super Action Baseball, Football, and Soccer…all additionally require the “Speed Roller” for game-play.  So even with the (2) extra buttons, they’re still not playable.

 

*Spy Hunter and Star Trek: S.O.S…both offer play styles with (2) buttons plus keypad buttons, or (4) S.A. buttons…so the extra (2) buttons aren’t “required.”

 

*Front Line…the left to right installation of the (4) S.A. buttons for right hand button manipulation, Y/O/P/B, causes a mismatch with the O/P buttons, where the left button...rotates right, and the right button...rotates left, causing a bit of confusion.  Plus there are two homebrew ports which allow for game-play with only (2) buttons. 

 

*Rocky: Super Action Boxing…which leaves this as the (1) and only game, out of (7), which requires all (4) S.A. buttons, but doesn’t require the Speed Roller.  As I’m not a great fan of this game, and I assume most aren’t either…I decided not to concern myself with it. 

 

Keypad:  I tried something new here with the keypad.  I’ve never been a huge fan of membrane switches.  Granted, they are, completely functional; I simply prefer the actuation and feel, of a mechanical type push-button.  Previously I’ve used a couple of different panel mount push-button switches to create my own keypads, but due to their sizes, prices, and/or color availability, I looked for something new for this project.  I found these C&K thru-hole, key-switch buttons when researching a new option.  As a thru-hole, PCB mount switch, they don’t simply install individually into holes in the control panel.  They all have to be mounted to a PCB to create a “keypad assembly,” that is then mounted to the underside of the control panel, whereas the button caps slightly protrude through the panel’s surface.  As a point of reference, they are basically the same concept as (and have a very similar feel to) the Reset button on the ColecoVision console itself.  They have a short, snappy-ish, tactile feel, but not super-short, and not super-snappy feeling…again very satisfying, and similar to the CV’s Reset button.  Then when I found out I could get them in grey and black to match the colors/look of the Hand Controller’s keypad…it seemed like a no-brainer.  To finish off the keypad’s look, and to provide legends for the individual buttons, I created a Hand Controller inspired CPO to surround and identify them.

 

So that's it, simple, efficient, and cost-effective.  

[doubledown]

The available Coleco Black Edition - VVG Standard Controller, unveiled/listed in post #396...has been sold.  

[CanadianTenor]

Very cool standard coleco controller!

Edited August 8, 2020 by CanadianTenor

[doubledown]

Out of curiosity...how many people are "interested" in my ColecoVision: Mouse Trap Edition - VVG Experience Controller (full details HERE)

 

 

...at some point here in the not too far off future (some couple of months from now lets say)?

 

I ask because I know there is 1 person for sure looking for one, and I had previously been contacted by one other person about it too.  The biggest problem with this controller...is the fact that parts are purchased from so many vendors for this one, that if I order the parts for only 1 controller...that 1 buyer gets hit with the burnt of that extra cost.  But if parts are being ordered to build more than 1, the shipping costs get divided up, and a few of the items can get a little bit of price discounting, which helps bring down the price to each buyer.  When I looked into the pricing a little while back, it looked like this for quantities:

 

1) - $590.00

2) - $515.00

3) - $490.00

4) - $455.00

5+) - no more big savings after this, until we'd get to something like quantities of 25-50...which I don't think is really probable.

 

So you can see, there is a $135 (per controller) price difference, from when 1 is bought & built, versus when 4 are being bought and built simultaneously.  

 

Granted this concept of "saving on shipping" and quantity discounting, can/does apply to any of the controllers I build...but again this particular controller, is supplied from so many vendors...that it makes a huge difference.  So I'm just trying to gauge the interest in this particular controller right this moment.  So looking at the possible prices above, please let me know if you have any interest in getting one of these.  Again, not right this second...in a few months or so, whereas some sort of deposit would be due with intent, then the remainder and shipping would be due when ready to ship.  Let me know either via PM, and/or response here.  Thanks.

[Mr. John ColecoVision]

Any chance of a Spy Hunter run?