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720 Degrees Joystick Question

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Spacedueler:

I'm working on building my own joystick for 720 degrees. Can anyone who has the original, or remembers using one, tell me one detail. I'll try to word my question the best I can:

As you rotate the joystick around, does the knob have to slip through your grip, or can the knob or shaft spin independent of the spinner mechanism below the cp?

In other words, can you grip the joystick firmly and still rotate around in circles without loosening your grip. Like on old manual roll-up car windows. The knob is on it's own axis, dependent of the crank.
Thanks.

Paul Olson:

The joystick rotates freely, so you never have to loosen your grip on the ball.

Spacedueler:


--- Quote from: Paul Olson on January 08, 2012, 03:58:13 pm ---The joystick rotates freely, so you never have to loosen your grip on the ball.

--- End quote ---

That makes it a bit tougher to make it like the original, but will make for better gameplay. I'll post progress if it works out.

Spacedueler:

Another question regarding the optical encoder for anyone who may have the original 720 joystick wired to an opti-wiz, opti-pac, or mouse hack and connected to a PC. I'm running Windows XP, but I think anyone who can get their 720 stick moving the mouse cursor could give me their results. I seem to have the game working on my home built joystick (proto-type), I can play, the skateboard centers at the first rotation and stays calibrated. I want to know how exact (or not) my centering disc is working - is it "just" working, or is it functioning as the original.

On mine, as I rotate the joystick around, the mouse cursor moves left and right across the screen. (I simply used a blank Windows desktop for the testing background). Then as the joystick passes 12 o'clock, I get the following results on the Y axis (up and down). There seems to be 2 stages a I pass 12 o'clock in each direction:

(all numbers refer to an o'clock position)

Clockwise rotation:
-to set up the joystick, first rotate to 10, then to 2, then back to 10
-now slowly rotating back to 2, as I approach and pass 12, the cursor on the Y axis (up and down) moves slightly: DOWN-UP-DOWN (stage 1)
-then continuing to rotate clockwise all the way around as I approach and pass 12 the cursor moves slightly: UP-DOWN-UP-DOWN (stage 2)
-then continuing to rotate clockwise, every time I approach and pass 12, the results are the same as the previous: UP-DOWN-UP-DOWN


For counter-clockwise rotations, results are similar, but everything happens in reverse.

Counter-Clockwise rotation:
-to set up the joystick, first rotate to 2, then to 10, then back to 2
-now slowly rotating back to 10, as I approach and pass 12, the cursor on the Y axis (up and down) moves slightly: UP-DOWN-UP (stage 1)
-then continuing to rotate counter-clockwise all the way around as I approach and pass 12 the cursor moves slightly: DOWN-UP-DOWN-UP (stage 2)
-then continuing to rotate counter-clockwise, every time I approach and pass 12, the results are the same as the previous: DOWN-UP-DOWN-UP


I hope to find out if the original produces the same results as what is documented above in red. Please let me know if yours is the same. If it's different can you please document how yours moves and post it. Once I get this right I will be sharing my full build. I wonder how many out there are interested in having a 720 joystick that works like the original.





Xiaou2:

 At one time, Id thought about a car-window like solution...  but now I realize why Atari didnt do that.
For one, it might have resulted in pinched or smacked fingers, from getting under the lever-arm, or hit by it.
The next problem, is that if someone put their weight on the lever arm... it would have bent the main drive shaft.

 Its genius what they came up with.  Angling the main shaft, makes it nearly impossible to bend, even at the slanted angle.  Its much better supported, and Raised up enough to keep from trapping fingers.

 And even if someone used a sledgehammer to bend the joystick shaft.. the main internal drive shaft is actually vertical, connected via a horizontal drive arm.

 
 Without copying Atari's blueprint.. you might still be able to make a crank arm, but you would probably want to put a bearing directly under the gripped handle, vertically, on the end of the swing-arm itself.  The bearing would keep the player from bending the shaft, as it rolled along the control panel surface.  It would leave marks of course.  Might need a removable plexi/felt disc riding-surface, so that theres no wear on the CP itself.. and its easily replaceable.

 You can see assembly pics here:

http://jstookey.com/arcade/720/720-pictures.php




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