cimerians Posted May 22, 2004 Share Posted May 22, 2004 You know this probably doesn't belong in this topic and I know the subject sounds contradicting but I'm greatly diappointed by the stelladapter: The slight delay it causes simply still cannot replace the real thing, although it does come so very close than ever before. The great thing about the Stelladapter is that I will never have to use a horrid keyboard again. The delay for me is pretty much not noticeable on games that don't require fast responses but try and play Cosmic Ark or Frostbite and that nano-second delay just kills it for me. I guess its unavoidable because the adapter must translate the data, send it to the PC via USB etc etc. Ahhh....at least I still have the real Atari hooked up. Anyone else notice this or am I just paranoid and too concious about the controls? I definitely can "feel" a slight delay though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D.Yancey Posted May 22, 2004 Share Posted May 22, 2004 Trying to use the paddles on Kaboom! is a real let down. There is a huge dead spot right in the middle of the board, so you have to spin the knob a lot further to get past it. I can't even begin to get through the higher levels like this. I haven't really even tried any serious action games with the joystick. But, it does work and is MUCH better than any other controllers I have yet seen! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisbid Posted May 22, 2004 Share Posted May 22, 2004 this is pretty much why i dont like to play emulators in general. i have a couple of regular USB controllers, and the delay just drives me nuts. does the same thing happen with xbox controllers on xbox emulators? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cimerians Posted May 22, 2004 Author Share Posted May 22, 2004 I know it drives me crazy but at the very least its better than a keyboard. I haven't tried any Xbox emulators....yet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onkyo_emu Posted May 22, 2004 Share Posted May 22, 2004 I got the Atari adapter from http://www.sealiecomputing.com/retrozone/r...ropadatari.html and it works like a champ. The first thing I did was play cosmic ark. No paddle support, but I don't have any. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eckhard Stolberg Posted May 22, 2004 Share Posted May 22, 2004 Trying to use the paddles on Kaboom! is a real let down. There is a huge dead spot right in the middle of the board, so you have to spin the knob a lot further to get past it. I can't even begin to get through the higher levels like this. I haven't really even tried any serious action games with the joystick. But, it does work and is MUCH better than any other controllers I have yet seen! You are using a Linux emulator, right? By default there is a threshold around the center position for generic joysticks. This will go away, if you calibrate the Stelladaptor with the paddles plugged in. Use a command like "jscal -c /dev/js0" and set minimum to 0, center to 128 and maximum to 254 when asked. Then the paddles should go smoothly from one end to the other in a VCS emulator. I think there also is a way to record the calibration results so that you don't have to do this everytime you turn on your computer, but I don't use Linux myself, so I forgot what it was. In Windows it's usually better not to calibrate the Stelladapter to get the best results, BTW. Ciao, Eckhard Stolberg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joesmooth Posted May 23, 2004 Share Posted May 23, 2004 And you should only notice a delay with the paddle control, not with the driving control or joystick functionality. The paddle delay is due to the fact that there is a long process of performing an analog-to-digital conversion of the paddle's potentiometer value, converting it into the proper USB packet format, sending the USB packet to the PC, having the PC's OS push the packet to whatever application requires it (the emulator), and then having the emulator convert the data into whatever it is being used for. So, it's a hard problem to solve. Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cimerians Posted May 23, 2004 Author Share Posted May 23, 2004 Holy cow! Thanks for the link onkyo_emu! I've been looking for an NES usb hookup Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cimerians Posted May 23, 2004 Author Share Posted May 23, 2004 Sorry Joe....I notice it on the joystick control. Sometimes I think its not there, but then I notice it especially on a reflex heavy game. I tried the Stelladapter on more than one PC so I know it can't be my PC (i got a high-end machine too). Its so small you can't notice it on most games but try Cosmic Ark or Megamania....games I played for hundreds of hours on a real system. Switch to the stelladapter and its just not exactly as responsive, its like a few fractions off (enough for me to get killed ) I guess I'm super picky eh? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danno Posted May 23, 2004 Share Posted May 23, 2004 you could try this: http://www.geocities.com/deonvdw/Docs/PPJoyMain.htm It's a Win2k driver to use joysticks on your parallel port. IT's FREE! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susuwatari Posted May 23, 2004 Share Posted May 23, 2004 I'm trying to build a PSX/PS2 controller adapter. Nonworking PSX console can be found on eBay for under a dollar and if you don't get raped by shipping, you can cannibalize the controller module easily. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tillenterprises Posted May 23, 2004 Share Posted May 23, 2004 I use the Stelladapter on MAME, and it's great to use a real Atari joystick on arcade classics like Time Pilot and Donkey Kong. Actually- I got one of my highest scores ever on each of these games using the Stelladapter. However, I was looking forward to using Atari paddles on Arkanoid on MAME, but can't seem to get them to work right- they either zip to one side or the other of the screen, even after calibration. Oh well... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onkyo_emu Posted May 23, 2004 Share Posted May 23, 2004 cimerians- I've been using the RetroPad with FCE Ulta non stop all week. You won't be disappointed if you get it. I know what a slight delay can do for you on Cosmik Ark. I don't think I'm quite as hardcore as you. In fact, I know I'm not. . .but I really think that you'd be pleased with that piece. Like I said earlier, the Stelladaptor does have paddle support while the Sealie piece doesn't, but it sure seems good to me. Just remembering how a CX-40 felt in my hands, I shaved about 5 seconds off my Grand Prix time from using various PC and Sony controllers for StellaX. (not that they were working bragging about.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cimerians Posted May 23, 2004 Author Share Posted May 23, 2004 you could try this: http://www.geocities.com/deonvdw/Docs/PPJoyMain.htm It's a Win2k driver to use joysticks on your parallel port. IT's FREE! Danno: Perfect no delay!!!!!!!!! The only problem I had was changing the axis for the Atari Joystick and finding an old parallel cable that I purchased in the early years of emulation. Thanks so much, this is perfect!! onkyo_emu: I got the NES and SNES controllers....can't wait to try em' out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danno Posted May 24, 2004 Share Posted May 24, 2004 you could try this: http://www.geocities.com/deonvdw/Docs/PPJoyMain.htm It's a Win2k driver to use joysticks on your parallel port. IT's FREE! Danno: Perfect no delay!!!!!!!!! The only problem I had was changing the axis for the Atari Joystick and finding an old parallel cable that I purchased in the early years of emulation. Thanks so much, this is perfect!! onkyo_emu: I got the NES and SNES controllers....can't wait to try em' out. Yep. No delay at all. And it supports everything from the CX-40 up thru PS2 Dualshock Analog controllers. In most cases, the adapter cable you need to build for any of the controllers it supports Cost less than $5.00 in parts from Radio Shack, and take less than 15 minutes to build. No waiting for shipment, no shipping and handling charges, etc. For me, the key was being able to use my Atari 7800 Pro-Line controller with support for both fire buttons using MESS for 7800 and 2600 games and my Sega Master system pad in KEGA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Mitchell Posted May 24, 2004 Share Posted May 24, 2004 In most cases, the adapter cable you need to build for any of the controllers it supports Cost less than $5.00 in parts from Radio Shack, and take less than 15 minutes to build. What is the wiring diagram for this? Rob Mitchell, Atlanta, GA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danno Posted May 24, 2004 Share Posted May 24, 2004 In most cases, the adapter cable you need to build for any of the controllers it supports Cost less than $5.00 in parts from Radio Shack, and take less than 15 minutes to build. What is the wiring diagram for this? Rob Mitchell, Atlanta, GA Right there on the website I linked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian M Posted May 24, 2004 Share Posted May 24, 2004 I own a Stelladapter and I have not really noticed any "delays" in my games. The only issues I've experienced thus far are some paddle games that are a bit too sensitive. Aside from that, it's been OK. Again, emulation is NOT the ideal way to play your Atari games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
awace Posted October 30, 2010 Share Posted October 30, 2010 I dont have a stelladaptor but did use a $14 joystick w analog looks like a ps1 joystick and you can assign analouge to paddle and it seems to work now all i have to do is remove the pot from the usb stick and solder wires to a paddle and mabie i could get it to work that would be cool also WHEN I USE A USB STICK W winxp and stellax it works great exept for paddle games witch i have used mouse also using the twin joystick usb joystick from microcenter i was able to get it to work yes it centers but thats becase the joystick has a detent to center the ananlog control but that dont prevent me from just soldering the top and the top from each pot to the ends of the atari pot and gnding the middle and seing if i can use a atari paddle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoulBlazer Posted October 30, 2010 Share Posted October 30, 2010 Awace, you DO know this thread was SIX YEARS old, right? I'm sure by now any problems have long been fixed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deteacher Posted November 6, 2010 Share Posted November 6, 2010 I've used the Stelladaptor with Stella, Atari800Win and MAME and I've never noticed the delay. I'll have to take a closer look the next time I use it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arkanoid_376970 Posted November 6, 2010 Share Posted November 6, 2010 emulation is not the answer guys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deteacher Posted November 6, 2010 Share Posted November 6, 2010 emulation is not the answer guys! It's the answer when you don't have access to the actual hardware. I would love to have a complete Atari 800XL system up and running in my playroom. That's never going to happen. So, for me, emulation is the answer. Using Atari800Win with the Stelladaptor gets me as close to the real thing as I am ever going to get. Another example: Sometimes, I can't get to my Atari 7800 because the tv in the playroom is being used by the kids. Again, I turn to Stella and my trusty Stelladaptor. Obviously, playing on actual hardware is the best choice, but there are times when using an emulator is the answer because it's the only other option available when the gaming bug bites you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss 2600 Posted November 6, 2010 Share Posted November 6, 2010 Also, even if you have the proper console, you can play games you don't have or could never afford with emulators! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted November 10, 2010 Share Posted November 10, 2010 Also, even if you have the proper console, you can play games you don't have or could never afford with emulators! Well, for the 2600 there is Harmony. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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