Rotary adapter for Happ/Midway 49-way Joystick

[fl0yd]

I've been working on an adapter to mate the midway 49-way with the rotary switches used in Happ's rotary joys.

[Tiger-Heli]

How do I mount 1Up's new spider adapter's after this is added?  Just kidding, I think it's a really cool idea.

I'm not in the market, but I'd be interested if I was.

Could you post the below-panel depth of the stick with the adapter mounted?

[Lilwolf]

LOOKS PRETTY SWEET!  I don't have one of the joysticks.. And have a dual snk30 control panel...  (so I wouldn't get one)...

Doesn't mean I'm not IMPRESSED!  GREAT JOB!

[Hoagie_one]

Thats awesome.  Any idea what the end cost might be?  Thats teh deciding factor for many people

[KenToad]

Yeah, I have to agree with Hoagie_one.  I'm very interested, but it all boils down to the price point.  Is it too early to give a hint of the possible hit to the checkbook or maybe one of those scenarios where the more you can sell, the cheaper you can sell it?  Anyway, the design looks great.  The possibilities are really starting to seem limitless.

KenToad

[ddockery]

I'd be interested if the price is reasonable.  Does i give a decent clicking feel when you rotate?

[fl0yd]

     -Could you post the below-panel depth of the stick with the adapter mounted?

I'll take the measurements when I get home.

    -Any idea what the end cost might be?
Not yet, the prototype was a freebie, now I need to get an idea on what the overall costs are going to be.  I'm not sure if I should just sell the sleeve adapter and provide a how-to, or sell the complete unit.  I was hoping to get an idea of interest because this will probably be the deciding factor for me.  The idea of soldering 12 wires onto the switches 1000 times is a bit frightening.

    -Does it give a decent clicking feel when you rotate?
It does, it is the exact switch used in the happ 12-way ikarii style.  Each of the positions has a 'stop' so it clicks at each position.

[Hoagie_one]

If I had to guess, I think $20 would be doable for a complete assembly.  Any more than that and I t hink people would just say skip it.  Even if it was just a kit that youhad to solder yourself, I think $20 would be reasonable...at the most.

[KenToad]

If I had to guess, I think $20 would be doable for a complete assembly. Any more than that and I t hink people would just say skip it. Even if it was just a kit that youhad to solder yourself, I think $20 would be reasonable...at the most.

Yeah, I'd say $20 as well, maybe $35 for two would hit me perfectly.  I don't mind soldering at all, either.  The magic numbers, I guess.  Maybe that's what first attracted me to RandyT's encoders?  He picked the magic numbers.  I'm dreaming of a stick that can do everything.

KenToad

[Hoagie_one]

with this adapter, the 49 way and the gp49, you have a ton of games y ou can play without swapping.  lol

[screaming]

HOLY CRAPOLA!

All I have to ask is WHEN?! 

The idea of soldering 12 wires onto the switches 1000 times is a bit frightening.

  I don't mind doing the soldering/assembling myself if it means I'll get it cheaper

-sab

[Tiger-Heli]

with this adapter, the 49 way and the gp49, you have a ton of games y ou can play without swapping.  lol

Also, the GP-Wiz49 gives you 23 inputs per stick, so you could easily use 12 inputs for the rotary function, 1 for start, 1 for Coin, 1 for Pause/Esc (split between two interfaces), and have 8 left for buttons.  Wire it this way, use MAME Analog Plus, and you don't need Druin's board.

[fl0yd]

with this adapter, the 49 way and the gp49, you have a ton of games y ou can play without swapping.

[Tiger-Heli]

with this adapter, the 49 way and the gp49, you have a ton of games y ou can play without swapping.  lol

Also, the GP-Wiz49 gives you 23 inputs per stick, so you could easily use 12 inputs for the rotary function, 1 for start, 1 for Coin, 1 for Pause/Esc (split between two interfaces), and have 8 left for buttons.  Wire it this way, use MAME Analog Plus, and you don't need Druin's board.

^^^
Now that is an idea I hadn't thought of.  Couldn't it be used to select the mode that the stick was in as well?

As long as you use the mode button or software controls (command-line switching) then yes, you still have 23 buttons and the mode-switching will work.  If you wanted the rotary switch to change modes, then you would lose 8 buttons, but you could use the GP-Wiz49 for the sticks and add one GPWiz or KeyWiz Eco for the buttons.

[brandon]

anyway this would work for the williams style 49-way>?

[Tiger-Heli]

also, how easily could this be made to work with a standard joystick like the comps or supers?  then it could possibly be a cheaper alternative to the standard happs rotary which as of today sells for about $45.

I believe the standard Happs rotary is based on the Happ Super, so probably could be done pretty easily, but not sure you can save any money with it.

[fl0yd]

also, how easily could this be made to work with a standard joystick like the comps or supers?

[fl0yd]

anyway this would work for the williams style 49-way>?

[brandon]

well dont quote me on that.. (wait too late )  its very possible that I could be mistaken.. I have two of those sticks on an Arch Rivals CP that somebody gave me but its in a storage complex across town so I can't test it at the moment.  If it could rotate I'm not sure how that would effect the rubber "spider" that centers the stick.. 

[Flinkly]

they rotate...and the spiders affect nothing.  it has a metal bushing that facilitates ease of rotation between the spider and the stick.  as to if it is possible to create on with a williams, i'm unsure.

[fl0yd]

they rotate...and the spiders affect nothing.

[specfire]

This is my 2nd post ever!

If this modification works, I will buy one, however, here is my concern:

As I understand it, the Midway/Happs 49 way joystick detects the position optically by detecting the position of the base of the joystick shaft.  With the sleeve on the shaft, I think it would alter what position is detected by the joystick.  This may just take some getting used to when in 49 way mode, however, with RandyT's GPWiz49, the other DRS modes probably wouldn't work well at all.

FlOyd, can you comment on how your prototype works in the various DRS modes?

Thanks,

Specfire

[Flinkly]

no, i don't, but the end of the shaft is very small.

[fl0yd]

Could you post the below-panel depth of the stick with the adapter mounted?

The clearance needed under my CP surface with the adapter mounted is 5.25 inches.  If you were to bend the connections of the switch outwards, it may be possible to decrease the overall depth needed by as much as .5 inches.

As I understand it, the Midway/Happs 49 way joystick detects the position optically by detecting the position of the base of the joystick shaft.

Not quite, the shaft actually moves 2 sliders at 90 degree angles to eachother.

[fl0yd]

i'm unaware as to how your assemblies connect to the shaft

This assembly replaces the lower sleeve completely.  It has been milled so that it has 2 different inner diameters.  1 is the diameter of the shaft, the other end is the diameter of the rotary switches post.  Both connections are secured using set screws.

[IntruderAlert]

When you're done maybe you should send one over to Kevin and let him write up a nice review for you at retroblast.com

[Lilwolf]

Ok... just to make the ultra in way cool.

How about adding a button to the joystick?

Your already replacing the bottom 1/2 of the shaft.  Whats the chance you could have the entire shaft replaced (as an option) with a hollow shaft... Then add a button (like those sweet ball top buttons someone was selling (usedelectronics??)

think of it though...

A 49 way with GP49 board for all the modes with a 12 way rotary AND top fire.  It
WOULD be the ULTIMATE joystick out there!

[fl0yd]

Your already replacing the bottom 1/2 of the shaft.

Just to clarify, the only parts that are being replaced are the plastic sleeves.  The shaft itself is not being modified.

That being said, I haven't seen what the ball top firing joys looked like, but I totally agree.  Having 1 stick that can do it all would be fantastic.

[IntruderAlert]

You mean like this one?


http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,22827.0.html

I guess the trigger type wouldn't work well in this application

[mahuti]

The problem with using a trigger stick in this application, is that you can't use the 2 available trigger stick types with the rotary in its current form.

Type 1; Has dangling wires... needs to be restricted. Can't work with a rotary, unless you want a restricted movement on your rotary (bad) or you would need some elaborate sliding wiring harness

Type 2; Has a plunger that hits a plate. The rotary covers the end of the stick where the plunger would exit. Also, the combination of the rotary & the plate would make for a very deep stick.

[specfire]

I'm glad I'm wrong and sorry about assuming that the detection scheme was the same as the P360.

So, put me down for one of the kits.  I would definitely prefer the basic kit vice a completed package.  I can do my own soldering etc.  Just to check though that you would sell the sleeve, armature, and 12-position switch together or would you just sell the sleeve and I would have to order the parts from Happ?  Either way is OK.

Specfire

[fl0yd]

Just to check though that you would sell the sleeve, armature, and 12-position switch together or would you just sell the sleeve and I would have to order the parts from Happ?

[IntruderAlert]

The problem with using a trigger stick in this application, is that you can't use the 2 available trigger stick types with the rotary in its current form.

Type 1; Has dangling wires... needs to be restricted. Can't work with a rotary, unless you want a restricted movement on your rotary (bad) or you would need some elaborate sliding wiring harness

Type 2; Has a plunger that hits a plate. The rotary covers the end of the stick where the plunger would exit. Also, the combination of the rotary & the plate would make for a very deep stick.

I suppose you could use a swivel connector on the wires but the trigger type control is out because the trigger would rotate into the wrong position when you turn it

[2600]

Based on the responses, I have a meeting with the plastics company to make a protoype for the the stabilizers.  Currently the one in the picure is from my Happ Rotary.  I'm not aware of Happ selling them without the whole rotary joystick.

I hope to have some cost estimates and delivery estimates by next week.

Happ part numbers for  the sleeve(96-1012-00) and the set screws (95-8031-00).

[fl0yd]

Happ part numbers for

[fl0yd]

Is there an ETA on this?

[armax]

Are you taking pre-orders?  if so, PLEASE pm me with details.  Great product!

[Tommy Boy]

Hey fl0yd,

In playtesting your prototype, does the 49-way/rotary combo feel any different when using the stick for normal (non-rotary) 4/8/49-way games?

In other words: Does the addition of the rotary capability degrade the sticks performance noticeably in any other mode? By looking at it, it seems possible that one could feel the effects of the stabilizer arm (perhaps by restricting or impeding movement slightly along certain vectors) while using the stick for Donkey Kong, Street Fighter, etc.  Have you noticed this effect?

I'm not saying a tradeoff might not be worth while...

[fl0yd]

I personally can't tell a difference, but I know there are people out there with a much finer sense of touch than me.

It is indistinguishable from my Happ Rotary 8 way if that is any consolation.

[dabone]

bump...


any news on pricing and availability?


Later,
dabone