So, for a PC controller, or a more Standard Sega controller, to work with the Atari5200, just how many elements needed?

[Giles N]

Just how many links of connection or adaption does one have to go through to get

1) a 15 Pin PC joystick to work

2) a typical 9 pin joy-something to work,

...with the Atari5200?

 

What elements are needed?

What are they called (when searching them up), and what do they do?

 

Anyone one in for giving a short summaric lesson, lecture, presentation or a combination of these, on the subject?

 

To me its just a jungle of parts and ports and pins and cables...

 

(I try to pick up some hints here and there, but someone knowing a littlebit of what the Atari5200 needs, and why such and such must be used to adapt what part would be welcome).

 

Thanks,

Edited August 5, 2019 by Giles N

[ave1]

For a PC controller with gameport connector to work on the 5200 (1 and 2 button games), you need a single adapter. These have been made by Atariage member, bohoki, in the past. I'm not sure when he's planning on making the next batch of them... 

 

To get a 9 pin Atari controller working (1 button compatibility) on the 5200 you have a few options:

 

1) Masterplay Interface controller adapter (actually offers compatibility with the 2 button games if you purchase the adapter with the additional button that has adhesive). These were made in the 80's and show up on Ebay from time to time, though they are quite rare. 

 

2) Use a bohoki PC to 5200 controller adapter and plug that into an adapter that converts 9 pin controllers to 15 pin PC gameport (made by an Ebayer from Greece, Ikonsgr74). This gets Atari, Master System, and Genesis controllers compatible (2 button compatibility for the Sega controllers). 

 

3) Find a Masterplay Clone (for Atari 1 button compatibility and Sega controller 2 button game compatibility) which are rare these days.  These were made by various people including Atariage members, lowbudget and Atariguy1021. 

 

4) Redemption adapters were made available in the early 2000s here at Atariage and there were 3 kinds:  one that made 7800 controllers compatible (2 button support), one for 9 pin Sega/Atari Controllers (Sega controllers have 2 button support), and one for PC gameport controllers (2 button compatibility).  These are very rare these days. 

 

All this is covered on various videos I've made on my Wired-Up Retro Youtube channel if you want to check it out. 

 

Oh yeah, here is one more weird option if you like using paddles (you need a Wico 5200 splitter cable and two 9 pin solderless connectors for this):  

 

 

 

 

Edited August 5, 2019 by ave1
Additional information added.

[+DrVenkman]

For Masterplay clone boards you can assemble yourself, contact @smbaker - I built a pair of these last year and they work great. 

[Giles N]

On 8/5/2019 at 1:53 PM, DrVenkman said:

For Masterplay clone boards you can assemble yourself, contact @smbaker - I built a pair of these last year and they work great. 

I´m all blank on assembling harware-units of any category...

[Giles N]

On 8/5/2019 at 1:53 PM, DrVenkman said:

For Masterplay clone boards you can assemble yourself, contact @smbaker - I built a pair of these last year and they work great. 

Have you considered making a greater number of these, and sell, like to us here and on ebay?

Edited August 7, 2019 by Giles N

[+DrVenkman]

20 minutes ago, Giles N said:

Have you considered making a greater number of these, and sell, like to us here and on ebay?

No, not really. The boards are @smbaker's design. He sells them to people individually from time to time if you contact him. I bought these from him, then used his bill of materials to order the parts to build them. In my photos, the bare boards are mounted to an acrylic standoff than another AtariAge member had made. He had some extras and sent a pair to me. 

 

But the point is, the boards are inexpensive (about $10 - $12 each, if I recall correctly). Parts to build two came to about $30 maybe. So a pair of Masterplay clones came to about $25 each I think, aside from the acrylics. They're easy to build if anyone can handle a soldering iron.