Compatible Gamepads It will likely make games such as Pets Rescue a little easier to play, as I hate up to jump as it is. Are there any?
Well I have a PSX controller with a special Cyclone RX adapter to use with my C64, but I daren’t try it on my C16. It’s temperamental enough as it is with its metal connector casing for the pins and dodgy autofire.
It’s especially adapted for the C64, using up to jump for the second fire button, Has protective circuitry to prevent damage too, and looks a little safer than the cyclone, but will it be safe for our machine?
What about others, such as the Atari 7800 gamepad controller? https://goo.gl/images/DGtE8E Would it be any safer if you disabled the secondary fire button or rerouted it to replicate up?
This is something I feel we need. It must surely be possible, and pretty sure there would be enough interest.
Juts recently I found during arcade gameplay, that compared to the Xbox360 controllers my old Quickshot-II joysticks are less efficient, I can say slower. When I saw you recent collection, this question popped up, what the "real" gamers use for Plus/4 ?
Your hint is great on the new Atari gamepads. Especially, as they say: "• Safe for Commodore 64 - follows original Atari 2600 configuration will not damage your SID chip".
So it seems the not proper joysticks do NOT damage only the TED, but also SID chip (that also handles the joystick, with a little more protection). So they may also work.
The only issue here is the price, especially the shipping cost to EU. The landing price will be ~55USD, and that is not cheap at all (though I agree looks to be a superb device).
Re: Compatible Gamepads What would be interesting, if it were to be possible to create a couple of upgraded joystick ports which plugs straight into the cartridge port which protects our important chips, so we can use just about any gamepad or stick we wanted.
Edit:
I’ve decided to take the chance and ordered the rather expensive Commodore gamepad on eBay, with its second button reconfigurated for up. It will be perfect for Pets Rescue. Will let you know how I get on with it. I will not take the chance with my Cyclone RX adapter on my C16. It is iffy enough with my C64.
Re: Compatible Gamepads thanks for the info, later on please be kid to share with us: a) your experince with the gamepad, I also considering buying one. b) your new highscores
I've actually hacked it for use with an Apple 2 I have that works with an adaptor. The only difference with a c64/c16/Atari controller is that I wired button 2 to pin 9. It could just as easily be hacked to make button 2 be up. It's quite a lot of soldering and cutting of tracks and wiring though.
I had to super glue aluminium foil over the carbon pads as the carbon didn't work properly in shorting out the pcb contacts. The same method can often be used for tv remote controls when the carbon has worn off. You just use as hole punch that is used for punching holes in a sheet of paper.
I think I might properly register on these forums then I can post pics.
Aside from the time involved this gamepad has cost me about $6.
Re: Compatible Gamepads My gamepad will arrive Thursday. Not happy though. It should have arrived today but got a message telling me the item is being withheld due to import charges of £15.81 in total, as if it wasn’t expensive enough, but I’ve had no choice but to pay. I never had to pay these fees before, and wondering why it suddenly applies now.
Oh well, I will do a video review once it arrives, I hope the build quality is exceptional.
I recently purchased some retro computer stuff from the UK as well as USA and never paid any tax at all. Our Government does now tax everything from ebay at 10% though. I guess if my items got caught up by customs here I would have been slugged for it.
Re: Compatible Gamepads I decided to hack one of these cheap ebay NES USB Pads into a Commodore/Atari compatible pad with 2nd fire button as "up" Photos attached for reference. The ground needs sorting out so some cuts and joins are necessary. It is necessary to cut all traces that go to the IC blob as there are some resistances that cause problems if You don't.
The original carbon on these buttons is rubbish so I super glued some aluminium foil. Use a punch that puts holes in paper.
The modified pcb
installed pcb
A normal db9 female plug with the shielding removed ,then heat shrunk to make it sturdy
Thanks for fixing the photo's not showing up, I'll leave them this size as it's good reference if anyone wants to try this themselves. This one is a lot neater than the 1st attempt that I am using now for Amstrad cpc464. I'll have to order more so I can mod one for an Apple 2 I have.
Re: Compatible Gamepads Hey Chronos! Thank you for the hint! I ordered two, and will check the signals on the DB9 pins.
@Imperious Thank you for the details and hires pictures! Definitely it is not the same joypad, despite very similar facial and size, your PCB has two buttons, while the Aliexpress one has 4. When it arrived, I will open it up, and make some photos about the PCB and the components. Thank you for the hint on the self-adhesive alufoil, I have that one used for my chimney, but seems to be OK for joypads too .
If those very expensive C= joypads and the cheapo Aliexpress of Chronos are very similar to each other on PCB and component level (I mean very very very much), then we need to buy 50 of them (the cheapo version), rework them as you told, start a company producing high quality self-adhesive cover foil with C#ommandor text, and sell them for much higher price. We will be rich!
PS BTW this Commodore is NOT that Commodore. It is an interesting topic, but some Chinese companies put an CE mark on the product does NOT have EU regulation. How they can do it? Use a slightly different logo. seems very very similar, and may cheat unaware customers. https://ce-check.eu/ce-marking-topics/the-ce-mark-of-a-product-real-or-fake/ It is the case on that joypad, the C= logo is not correct, but from that point onwards they can say, it refers to a different Commodore company...
Re: Compatible Gamepads Thanks for that Link, I'll have to get some of those. Hopefully there are actually 9 wires inside that cable, some of these get manufactured with only what pins the maker intends to be used. I'll probably wait until MMS shows us what's inside that gamepad.
The Alfoil works fine but can come loose. I probably need to find something better than cheap super glue.
I don't think the chinese give a damn what markings they put on stuff like this, that's the problem with a self regulating marketplace.
Re: Compatible Gamepads Today I've received the gamepads from China, so i took apart one of them, and here's the pictures:
You can pry open the plug easily with a sharp knife, the two sides just glued together with superglue. The sad thing is, there is only 5 wires in the plug as Imperious suspected earlier
One of the possible solutions that I sacrifice one of my bad joysticks cable...
Re: Compatible Gamepads Mine arrived today. Comparing it to C64 and ATARI layout it becomed evident, that the UP position is not connected.
Fire button and Ground connected. So I suppose it is mixed up compared to C64. At least +5V is not connected, so maybe safe....
NES and SNES had different joystick connectors. Sega mega drive followed Atari layout Kempston also followed the ATARI/C64 layout,
The first top 4 pin need to be connected for the directions, at least. Do you have any ideas regarding original compatiblitiy? I have no ideas. Maybe that's why so cheapo
I still missing one pin. Though it will be not so hard to find the direction and the pin linkage
Re: Compatible Gamepads Some updates on my joypad project: After i realized that 5 wires don't enough, i've replaced the cable with a cat5e patch and a db9 serial female plug. Made some jumper wires hope you will see it on the pictures. Linked start,select and the fire buttons together, and mapped the other fire button (potx - second fire button to play properly mario on c64)
There is some patch with my 0.1 mm wire
Just a db9 serial plug
Testing on c64, i don't want to kill my precious TED
Zöld, piros etc, the colors of the wires
Right now, some weird effects occur (it can't go up, and when i press down it will move to the right ) so im on it
Compatible Gamepads
Hope they are safe, too!
Though it will be not so hard to find the direction and the pin linkage
