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I designed a joypad for the XE/XEGS, anyone with a 3D printer want to take a crack at it?


jeremysart

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Alright, who with controller modding/building experience and a 3D printer want's to make this happen? ? I'm a sucker for matching, and there are quite a few XE games that just play better with a joypad over a stick.. but there aren't really any controllers that match the XE/ XEGS... so I designed this abomination! And with a 3D printer + the guts of a Sega Genesis controller, the dream can be a reality.. oh.. I'm the only one dreaming of this? ?

 

But seriously. If anyone has the time and skill to make something like this, let me know your price!

Polish_20220325_102046972.jpg

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You seem to be forgetting it's not just about printing a case, an entire circuit board would also have to be created for it!

 

Just buy a 7800 control pad and paint it grey, Just by the design and lines it's obvious to me the 7800 pad was originally designed for the XEGS and then they decided to go with the old joysticks anyway and make the controllers for the 7800 since the XEGS doesn't use two button controllers anyway, not with original unhacked games anyway. . But even if both buttons work the same on an XEGS, it still would have been better to sell with the XEGS just because the competition like Sega and Nintendo had similar control pads and not joysticks designed in the 70's!

 

I also like my controllers and peripherals to match, so I made my 7800 pad look to fit the part better myself. I own an 800 and XL's though, so it really doesn't fit their design either, but it would definitely look better with an XE machine if painted grey to match! The XEGS lines are exactly the same as the style of the 7800 pad!

 

It will work fine with an XEGS or any Atari 8-bit/16-bit system (aside from the 5200) and could even be modified with the Atari 8-bit Joy2B+ upgrade for two button use with all the games hacked for two button use!

 

without thumbstick:

joypad2.thumb.jpg.b7c654120b4eddefb64d2629602ad62d.jpg

with thumbstick:

 

Atari_7800_Control_Pad_Press_Kit.thumb.jpg.d6022aef2465087ba2cb8a7c7585675a.jpg

 

My customized one for my customized 7800:

 

20220325_124824.thumb.jpg.ca54bd4a2ba3b030c36bc8a96bfdd6c0.jpg

Edited by Gunstar
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50 minutes ago, thanatos said:

Looks like something @Benheck could build.  I'd certainly like a matching gamepad. 

Probably can't have the logos on there though without getting Atari lawyers on your back.

 

If you're making it for yourself and for personal use, I'd say you can do pretty much anything you'd like. You probably wouldn't be able to sell though.

 

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Sorry @jeremysart, I missed the bit about using the guts of a genesis controller.

 

But I still think you would do a lot better to use a 7800 pad, the thumb pad/stick are already a matching grey buttons are red, all it needs would be to remove the black case halves and paint them grey.

 

I understand that is a "rough" sketch, but most likely if someone actually designs that in CAD program and saves as an .stl for printing, you will also have to find some one with all the right colors of filament you want or you'll be painting anyway. Plus, I'm not sure you really took into account just how a Sega Genesis PCB would fit inside what you have designed. It will have to be designed around the Genesis control PCB for size in all dimensions and button and D-pad placement. The basic design aesthetic is fine, but not currently right for a Genesis controller PCB.

 

However, after seeing some prices for 7800 pads these days, this may be the cheaper way to go.

 

 

 

 

Edited by Gunstar
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2 hours ago, Gunstar said:

You seem to be forgetting it's not just about printing a case, an entire circuit board would also have to be created for it!

 

Just buy a 7800 control pad and paint it grey, Just by the design and lines it's obvious to me the 7800 pad was originally designed for the XEGS and then they decided to go with the old joysticks anyway and make the controllers for the 7800 since the XEGS doesn't use two button controllers anyway, not with original unhacked games anyway. . But even if both buttons work the same on an XEGS, it still would have been better to sell with the XEGS just because the competition like Sega and Nintendo had similar control pads and not joysticks designed in the 70's!

 

I also like my controllers and peripherals to match, so I made my 7800 pad look to fit the part better myself. I own an 800 and XL's though, so it really doesn't fit their design either, but it would definitely look better with an XE machine if painted grey to match! The XEGS lines are exactly the same as the style of the 7800 pad!

 

It will work fine with an XEGS or any Atari 8-bit/16-bit system (aside from the 5200) and could even be modified with the Atari 8-bit Joy2B+ upgrade for two button use with all the games hacked for two button use!

 

without thumbstick:

joypad2.thumb.jpg.b7c654120b4eddefb64d2629602ad62d.jpg

with thumbstick:

 

Atari_7800_Control_Pad_Press_Kit.thumb.jpg.d6022aef2465087ba2cb8a7c7585675a.jpg

 

My customized one for my customized 7800:

 

20220325_124824.thumb.jpg.ca54bd4a2ba3b030c36bc8a96bfdd6c0.jpg

Did you paint that yourself?

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2 hours ago, orpheuswaking said:

Did you paint that yourself?

The thumb pad, thumb stick and buttons (not the right shade of red originally) I painted myself. Actually the thumb stick is one I printed with my 3D printer as the original was missing when I acquired it used with the 7800. I made the label for it myself as well. The Atari name and main case are original unpainted, though shinier than normal because I used Rejuvenate brand plastic and paint restorer. If you mean the system as a whole, yes, I custom painted it myself too, though only the ridge on the console where the console buttons are and the front controller panel. 

 

I did all of this after I got my Dragonfly device for the 7800 and it is red, and I wanted the system to match better with it, and I didn't want to paint the Dragonfly device, so I decided to paint up the rest of the system and make badges for the control pad and the Dragonfly device. I also modified a Kraft Starmaster joystick for 7800 2-button and painted it to match as well (sorry I just took the picture of the Starmaster and picked a bad angle; the base fire button is red).

 

 

20220114_154756.thumb.jpg.f8fcc0cd354df032ff92d339a8715e00.jpg20220325_181538.thumb.jpg.cbcfd364311d3b31ad17966a2eb681a7.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

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2 hours ago, gilsaluki said:

Not lovin' the glossy paint myself.

Actually, it's not glossy paint, it's satin paint and satin clear coat, it looks glossy in the picture due to both the flash and it was freshly wiped down with Rejuvenate plastic and paint restorer and protector. The shine fades after a few days but the plastic underneath (or paint/clear coat) looks new again or keeps it looking new, above and beyond the clear coat. These are heavily used devices by me and I intend to keep them looking good and easy to wipe clean.

 

The picture of the entire system above was also taken right after a rejuvenate wipe-down, when the close up I showed first of the 7800 pad was taken. The Starmaster controller (pictured above) that I just took a picture of shows what it looks like weeks after Rejuvenate is applied, not so shiny...

And the extra shiny buttons on the 7800 pad is because they are rounded and I used a flash photography.

 

And the only black paint was used on the D-pad of the 7800 controller and the top button on the Starmaster controller, otherwise it is all original plastic cleaned and rejuvenated.

 

I like to custom paint consoles, especially if they need it do to scratches or yellowing (yeah I tried retro-brite on everything I own twice, it works, for about a year. Paint is a more permanent solution and helps protect the plastic underneath from further atmospheric and light damage to boot. Retro-brite helps accelerate the degradation. So I went back to painting cosmetically poor condition consoles instead. The Atari 800 in my Avatar is the only custom computer job I've done, after attempting retro-brite twice, and then the old brittle plastic cracking from use and needing case repair anyway.

 

I have custom painted Dreamcast, Jaguar&CD and 7800 consoles. I recently restored my Vader 2600's trim paint too, but kept it original looking. I also fully restored a Bally Arcade recently to original, it just depends on damage or the Jag and 7800 I did for the hell of it. I have blogs posted on some stuff, some more to come too, most are still ongoing.

 

Besides, all that matters really is I like them. I didn't do it for you.

 

 

Edited by Gunstar
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heres some info to get you going. i made a couple of these and used the extra button for 'UP' - this helps with jumping games and driving games that need a constant up-press for throttle

Fun Fact: the old 5-core cable is ideal for SIO devices

 

NES to A8 connections.jpg

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6 hours ago, Justin Payne said:

There is always this. It looks like they just made NES controllers grey but offers two buttons.

 

I was looking everywhere yesterday to show him that exact controller, but all I found were the ones made to match the 2600, 7800, MSX and several others but not that. But I was looking for where they were being sold, not on a Youtube video. I'm glad you found it to show because I also stumbled upon a couple of 7800 controller pads and saw that they were selling these days for close to $100! So my idea of painting a 7800 controller grey, while the most fitting controller, with the right design and a real Atari controller, it just ain't worth the money it is fetching. I'm glad mine came with my 7800, along with a pro-controller and a couple of games, and all with shipping for $200.

 

And while that XE one and the others I mentioned do all have the same basic design as an NES pad, I think all these ones for sale are actually 3D printed controllers and not old NES pads.

Edited by Gunstar
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35 minutes ago, xrbrevin said:

heres some info to get you going. i made a couple of these and used the extra button for 'UP' - this helps with jumping games and driving games that need a constant up-press for throttle

Fun Fact: the old 5-core cable is ideal for SIO devices

 

NES to A8 connections.jpg

What controller is that PCB from? Is that the 7800 pad PCB? I've never opened the one I have now, or another I had about 15 years ago, so I don't know what it looks like (if that isn't from the 7800 pad, then I think I'll open mine up just to see what it DOES look like. I modded a Genesis controller myself for all three buttons to work with the Joy2B+ schematics. There are many games hacked for multiple buttons on the Atari now, including some of those that use up for jump or throttle too now. And the list is growing for 3 button games to,o I think, though I haven't looked at the latest Joy2B+ hacked games list. The only game I play that uses all three buttons, atm, is Star Trek: Strategic Operations Simulator. The same can be done to 7800 pads with two buttons, but since I have my Genesis 3 button now, I just left the 7800 pad as-is, compatible for two buttons with the 7800.

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Hi @Gunstar

its from an NES, apologies i shouldve mentioned that!

 

on another note, i have a 7800 joypad that i improved using gameboy rubber contact pads. it improved the the buttons perfectly - super tactile - but the Dpad is still janky. do you know of a suitable replacement?

cheers

 

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45 minutes ago, xrbrevin said:

Hi @Gunstar

its from an NES, apologies i shouldve mentioned that!

 

on another note, i have a 7800 joypad that i improved using gameboy rubber contact pads. it improved the the buttons perfectly - super tactile - but the Dpad is still janky. do you know of a suitable replacement?

cheers

 

I haven't opened mine t see the contact pads, so I don't know about suitable replacements for it specifically. But I own an original Jaguar pro-controller and the rubber contact pads all pretty much wore out on it after about 20 years of constant use and I used replacements to repair it from a Mad Catz controller for the Dreamcast, and all rubber contact buttons I've seen are pretty similar, some round, some square. The Mad Catz had square ones and the Jag pro-controller had round ones, but I just trimmed the corners off and they fit and work wonderfully. It wouldn't surprise me if most any brand could do the trick, even if you have to do a bit of trimming-just don't trim too close to the rubber "spring" part (which is the part that always wears out on these control pads, just like the old Atari Joysticks were usually the metal contact bubbles that would crack.

 

Actually, it just occurred to me that I did have my 7800 controller pad open when I was painting the D-pad and buttons, but I didn't pay any attention to the PCB or contact pads at that time, not enough to remember, which is why I didn't remember...

Edited by Gunstar
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20 hours ago, Gunstar said:

You seem to be forgetting it's not just about printing a case, an entire circuit board would also have to be created for it!

 

Just buy a 7800 control pad and paint it grey, Just by the design and lines it's obvious to me the 7800 pad was originally designed for the XEGS and then they decided to go with the old joysticks anyway and make the controllers for the 7800 since the XEGS doesn't use two button controllers anyway, not with original unhacked games anyway. .

joypad2.thumb.jpg.b7c654120b4eddefb64d2629602ad62d.jpg

 

Atari_7800_Control_Pad_Press_Kit.thumb.jpg.d6022aef2465087ba2cb8a7c7585675a.jpg

 

My customized one for my customized 7800:

 

20220325_124824.thumb.jpg.ca54bd4a2ba3b030c36bc8a96bfdd6c0.jpg

 

I'm not forgetting anything at all! It's a rough sketch to outline an idea for a custom controller that would be built around the PCB from. Genesis 3 button controller, I would just not be using the contacts for the start, select, A or C buttons. The CX78 is not a great option, they are not only difficult to find (especially in the US) and expensive, but they're not a great controller, I don't like how high the dpad sits, and I'd still have to take it apart and paint everything to match it the way I want (which I'd likely have to do either way, but if I'm going to pay $80 + shipping from the UK for a controller, I'd rather pay someone to take my design, create something similar to it in Blender around a Genesis PCB, save it as an STL, print it and ship me the shell and buttons where I can then paint and assemble it assuming they don't have the colors I want)

 

Also, I've already seen the RetroGameBoyz controllers, and I don't like them at all because they simply just look like an NES controller, which might be just fine but defeats the purpose of designing a joypad that looks like something that may have actually been released for the XEGS in 1987. I have sent the an email though seeing if they can make something similar worth a shot.

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3 hours ago, Gunstar said:

I modded a Genesis controller myself for all three buttons to work with the Joy2B+ schematics.

Could you share a picture of the connection to document in the Joy 2B+ project I have several of other joysticks and gamepads that are easy to make. ?

Edited by ascrnet
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2 hours ago, ascrnet said:

Could you share a picture of the connection to document in the Joy 2B+ project I have several of other joysticks and gamepads that are easy to make. ?

I got the document/schematics from the Joy 2B+ site I'm pretty sure, if not there I got them int the Joy 2B+ thread topic here from a year or two ago.

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33 minutes ago, Justin Payne said:

@Gunstar Yeah, I don't think that's an NES controller painted grey. If they were, I wouldn't recommend buying one just for the fact that I like to save, and repair, old hardware but if is a new case, they definitely made the mold from an NES controller.

NesAtari.jpg

The design similarities are of course obvious, but if you look close, the select and start buttons are a different width and the rectangle they are sitting in is smaller than the NES controllerand the corners are slightly more rounded. The red buttons might be smaller too which means the holes they protrude through are smaller. I do realize that the photo of the NES controller was taken slightly closer and at a different angle, so I could be mistaken about the red buttons, but I'm not about the select and start, it's clearly smaller on the XE pad than the NES pad.

 

I would say a copy of the NES design, but not an NES mold, unless there were different versions of the NES controller. I never owned an NES so I wouldn't know about joypad revisions. I know the recessed cable hole and the notch seem to give it away that it's NES, but I think that might be why they did that, to make the customer think they same mold was used or that it's a customized NES controller. I could be wrong, for sure, but I have very good observational abilities as an artist.

 

But I don't recall saying or implying that the XE pad here or the others I mentioned were painted NES controllers. I've seen close-ups of the 2600 wood grain, 7800 rainbow and a couple of others and THEY were clearly 3D printed.

 

Those small pastel buttons on it aren't real are they?! If they are I'd snatch that up in a second to have the console keys on the joypad! But I don't see how they could be going through the 9-pin joystick port...

Edited by Gunstar
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13 minutes ago, Gunstar said:

I got the document/schematics from the Joy 2B+ site I'm pretty sure, if not there I got them int the Joy 2B+ thread topic here from a year or two ago.

i see you didn't understand me. i don't want the schematic since i made it?, i was referring to a picture of the modification to use 3 buttons from a sega gamespad. an example NES:

nesjoy2b04.jpg

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28 minutes ago, ascrnet said:

i see you didn't understand me. i don't want the schematic since i made it?, i was referring to a picture of the modification to use 3 buttons from a sega gamespad. an example NES:

nesjoy2b04.jpg

Sure I can post a picture of it. I customized it too, to go with my custom white Atari 800CX I have a blog about in my profile, it's not finished yet though...the Joy 2B+ mod is finished, just not the other customization's...I removed the START button and replaced it with 3 LED's, one for each button, blue, white, blue that light up when the corresponding button is pressed. but that's all hush-hush top secret hidden under the electrical tape.

 

I still intend to ad an Atari logo and the areas directly around the d-pad and buttons I intend to paint grey, the three colors I used for the rest of my 800CX. I included a picture of the Atari chrome badge that will go on it too.

 

I know you only wanted the first picture, but the price you pay is my show-and-tell.?

 

 

 

 

 

 

20220326_132240.jpg

 

That white curved streak over the middle button pad below, is a string of silicon glue that got that stretched over it when I opened it up. I didn't notice while taking the picture.

20220326_132428.jpg

20220326_132044.jpg

20220326_132922.jpg

Edited by Gunstar
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7 hours ago, jeremysart said:

 

I'm not forgetting anything at all! It's a rough sketch to outline an idea for a custom controller that would be built around the PCB from. Genesis 3 button controller, I would just not be using the contacts for the start, select, A or C buttons. The CX78 is not a great option, they are not only difficult to find (especially in the US) and expensive, but they're not a great controller, I don't like how high the dpad sits, and I'd still have to take it apart and paint everything to match it the way I want (which I'd likely have to do either way, but if I'm going to pay $80 + shipping from the UK for a controller, I'd rather pay someone to take my design, create something similar to it in Blender around a Genesis PCB, save it as an STL, print it and ship me the shell and buttons where I can then paint and assemble it assuming they don't have the colors I want)

 

Also, I've already seen the RetroGameBoyz controllers, and I don't like them at all because they simply just look like an NES controller, which might be just fine but defeats the purpose of designing a joypad that looks like something that may have actually been released for the XEGS in 1987. I have sent the an email though seeing if they can make something similar worth a shot.

I understand, sorry, you have more of a clue about it than I gave you credit for, and I should know better as it often happens to me.

Anyway, after seeing the prices of 7800 pads and even $40 for someone else's custom design, if I needed an XE controller, I'd make one of my own design too. I was thinking one could still get a CX78 for about the price of the custom ones for sale. Also, I like the 7800 pad, especially because of the d-pad design to use with a thumb stick or not, and after printing out a thumb stick for my CX78, I love it, worlds better to me than just the d-pad. and I think the d-pad is much better to use with the stick, as I think Atari intended. I like using the thumb stick with my CX78 more than I like my customized Genesis controller's d-pad without a thumb stick, and probably any other d-pad. But I wouldn't pay $90-100 for one, when I can get a genesis controller for about $15-20 and mod it to work with the 7800.

 

But everyone has controller preferences, and mine actually come down to the individual game, which is why I have 3-4 or more, different controllers for all my systems. So go for it, my idea wasn't as good as I thought, due to pricing.

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On 3/26/2022 at 7:12 AM, Gunstar said:

I was looking everywhere yesterday to show him that exact controller, but all I found were the ones made to match the 2600, 7800, MSX and several others but not that. But I was looking for where they were being sold, not on a Youtube video. I'm glad you found it to show because I also stumbled upon a couple of 7800 controller pads and saw that they were selling these days for close to $100! So my idea of painting a 7800 controller grey, while the most fitting controller, with the right design and a real Atari controller, it just ain't worth the money it is fetching. I'm glad mine came with my 7800, along with a pro-controller and a couple of games, and all with shipping for $200.

 

And while that XE one and the others I mentioned do all have the same basic design as an NES pad, I think all these ones for sale are actually 3D printed controllers and not old NES pads.

I have one of these.  The quality is pretty good.  They are NOT converted NES pads.  I have a few of the NES converted pads as well.  These are ok.  I still like my Atari ones better.  For games like Pacman, requiring immediate directional changes and reversals, a good joystick with a short throw is still king to me. The Epyx 500 is one of my favs.  The Powerplayer is another good one.  Both are clickey and responsive. 

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