Paddle/Driving controller pinouts?

[jeepnut24]

Where can I find this info? Im looking for the pinouts for the paddles and driving controllers. Also what is the Driving controller? I know the paddle is a 1 Meg potentiometer, but what is the driving controller?

THanks

[Tsukasa]

First, the pinouts are here http://www.atariage.com/2600/archives/sche...sories_Low.html

 

Second, the driving controller is a 16 position, rotary binary switch. What that means is that when you turn the switch, it increases or decreases the binary-coded-decimal count (depending on the direction that you turn it).

For example, there are 4 pins plus a common ground.

 

Here is the logic diagram,

[jeepnut24]

Thanks a million. I checked the FAQ, but I guess I didn't look closely enough. All the info I needed is right there. Well except for the pinouts on the booster grip.

[Tsukasa]

Here is the pinout/schematic for the booster grip.

[Stingray]

Thanks a bunch for that info on the booster brip. I've been trying to track that down myself.

 

-S

[jeepnut24]

Yeah, Ive got one, I just haven't had the time to work out the pinouts. Thanks again for the schematics. I haven't had the time to test it all out yet. Maybe tonight? Im going to try without a switching mechanism first. I think I may have found one that will work without multiple switches though.

[jsoper]

Im going to try without a switching mechanism first. I think I may have found one that will work without multiple switches though.

I'm not quite sure what you mean by all that, but do you know that one of

the booster grip buttons is redundant with the normal fire button and doesn't

really need to be supported? My website has an adapter circuit for a genesis

controller that may make things clearer.

[Tsukasa]

Actually the booster grip's buttons are independent from the regular button. The regular button grounds pin 6, while the booster grip buttons tie the two paddle inputs to +5V. Therefore, if you wanted to write a game that uses 3 independent buttons, you could.

[jsoper]

OK, ok, it's only redundant when playing Omega Race. People have been saying for years that new 3-button games are possible, but I don't think any homebrewer would want to limit their potential market that much.

[jeepnut24]

Yeah, I knew about the second booster grip button. As for the switching I was talking about, that was aimed at Stingray. Im in the process of working on a single "super" controller for the 2600. The switching refered to switching between a controller and a paddle and driving controller. I really don't think Ill need one at all though.

[Tsukasa]

I have considered making a super controller as well. You really don't need switching at all Because the paddles use their own control analog control lines and use the left and right directions for buttons. The same goes for the driving controller, it's knob alternates the up and down directions on a normal joystick, plug one in and use a Testcart and you'll see what I mean.

The only problem is if you wanted to use it with Warlords or another simultaneous multiplayer paddle game you would have to create a sort of master-slave unit with a sensing socket that would use the built-in paddle if nothing is connected. Both paddles on the same controller would be killer for Marble Craze though.

[Rob Mitchell]

Second, the driving controller is a 16 position, rotary binary switch.  What that means is that when you turn the switch, it increases or decreases the binary-coded-decimal count (depending on the direction that you turn it). For example, there are 4 pins plus a common ground.  Here is the logic diagram,

 

No .. The above is incorrect and the diagram does not apply for this controller.

 

The Driving Controller is a low resolution quadrature encoding device (16 transitions per revolution). It has only 2 pins plus common ground. Thus there are only four logic states which can be observed with a Test Cart (Atari or Vectrex) or a multimeter.

 

Do a GOOGLE search for quadrature encode or decode and you will find nice tables/illustrations about what the driving controller / Trakball / computer mouse do.

 

Rob Mitchell, Atlanta, GA

[Stingray]

Both paddles on the same controller would be killer for Marble Craze though.

 

I've been thinking the same thing. A couple of Pots and a project box and you could cook up a super Marble craze controller for a few bucks.

 

-S

[jeepnut24]

The only problem is if you wanted to use it with Warlords or another simultaneous multiplayer paddle game you would have to create a sort of master-slave unit with a sensing socket that would use the built-in paddle if nothing is connected. Both paddles on the same controller would be killer for Marble Craze though.

 

Please explain? I plan to build both paddles into the controller.

[Tsukasa]

Rob,

 

Oh, I see what you're saying. The driving controller acts like a thumbwheel on a mouse. You could use a BCD switch as a substitute if you wired it properly.

 

 

Jeepnut24,

 

I was thinking of something along the lines of a DPDT relay that is energized when you plug the external paddle in. The relay would swap the internal pot and button with the external ones. I would suggest that you stick with the standard paddle pinout so that you could use regular paddles as the external instead of having to make a custom one.

[Rob Mitchell]

Both paddles on the same controller would be killer for Marble Craze though.

 

I've been thinking the same thing. A couple of Pots and a project box and you could cook up a super Marble craze controller for a few bucks.

 

-S

 

Someone did that last year .. and it was a custom job! If you choose to do this .. don't forget to put in a pushbutton!

 

I on the other hand went to the local discount grocery and bought a square plastic wash bin and some cheap velcro straps. I drilled a bunch of holes for velcro straps .. and secured the two paddles in place. One on the right outside and the other on the front outside of the bin. Works great .. and I have not done anything to the original paddles!

 

Rob Mitchell, Atlanta, GA