UPDATED w/ pics: Mystery spinner... [Wico Red Housing...?]

[lharles]

So, I'm not in possession of my digital camera at the moment, (my wife has it), and as a result spent a lot of time finding this:



This is the one and only time I've seen this old school spinner...so I bought one.  Turns out there's another one I can buy...if it's still there when I go back.

I'll take pictures and post them when I've got the camera back.

The housing on the item says it's a 'WICO' so I thought I'd be able to find info from that.  No dice.

I spent an hour searching the US Patent office to find info. 

Anyway, this seems very sturdy and spins well.  From the diagrams and the device itself it looks like it can be mounted as a left-right device or a spinner.  I don't know how else to describe it.

Has anyone seen one of these before?  A web search turned up one post that seemed to reference this...back from 1997.  http://www.arcadehelp.com/archives/vectorlist/archive/9708/0090.html

Why isn't anyone makin' somethin like this?  [I know there are spinners out there!    I've bought one of the commercial offerings...]

Just looking at it, it looks like it might be fairly easy to mount, (two bolt holes for either direction of securing the device), and if you put some springs at the top and the bottom of those bolts I bet it would be pretty easy to make it act like a push/pull spinner...but I'm just a moron so I wouldn't really know.

I got another spinner too from the place I was at.  It's an old school spinner, the optic board on it says 'Atari '80'.  Looks like the Vortex from Oscar Controls which apparently is modeled after the Tempest spinner.

...so I'm babbling now.  Sorry, it happens. 

UPDATE stuff...










Video footage of the thing spinning: [Not done 'processing' at the time of the post update]


Second source for video:

http://www.archive.org/details/Old_WICO_Spinner_Red_Housing

[Timoe]

That thing is Freagin' Sweet.  Good for you!  

Go buy the other one and donate it to RandyT or someone.

[lharles]

I thought it was slick!  I actually got it in the hopes that someone could replicate it, (I'm not sure how and/or if I can/will use it).

I have no intention of selling it or anything of that nature.  I'd just like to see if there's a common use for it.  You know, perhaps a way that others can make one similar/identical for use.

Having already done business with Randy, I'd willing to send him the item for use in replicating it.  However, I don't know if there's any interest in that sort of thing at all. 

...and I added a second link to the video of the thing spinning, (BYOAC porn?), at archive.org. 

I'm addicted to this place.  I'm SO close to diving into building my final control panel and I check the forums here every 8.2 seconds for ideas/suggestions.  I'm quite certain that I'm clinically insane at this point. 

[Timoe]

There are a few games, I believe that used the side to side (spinner on its side) action.  I remeber reading a post about someone selling the rare control for a ridiculous amount of money on ebay.

If I remeber correct the picture of that control looked as though it was in far worse condition than yours.

[lharles]

There are a few games, I believe that used the side to side (spinner on its side) action.  I remeber reading a post about someone selling the rare control for a ridiculous amount of money on ebay.

If I remeber correct the picture of that control looked as though it was in far worse condition than yours.

Well, as much as I wouldn't mind having a 'ridiculous amount of money', I didn't get it for that purpose...I swear! 

It seemed like just about the most versatile option for a spinner that I'd seen.  I thought that the thing would be a pretty cool option for a spinner and I was surprised that, after I bought it, there seemed to be no information about it at all.

Finally, while I'm not good at fabrication, conceptually I can see how this thing could easily be modified to fit just about every use of a spinner imaginable - at least in the context of arcade controls. 

[pointdablame]

That is really cool, it's a like a spinner and Major Havok controller in one.

[krick]

Following your links, it appears that the game that used this spinner is called "Mad Planets".  From descriptions of the gameplay I find online, it sounds like a cross between Asteroids and Sinistar.  It uses a trigger stick to move and fire, and a spinner to rotate the ship. 

The controls kind of remind me of the Logitech Wingman Warrior.
It was a fun stick to play first person shooters with...

[quarterback]

There are a few games, I believe that used the side to side (spinner on its side) action.  I remeber reading a post about someone selling the rare control for a ridiculous amount of money on ebay.

That is really cool, it's a like a spinner and Major Havok controller in one.

pointdablame and timoe are both correct.  My guess is that there are people out there who'd pay a pretty penny for that style of 'roller/spinner'.

This place used to sell a Major Havoc repro for $125 http://www.basementarcade.com/arcade/4sale/forsale.html

Here's the thread about an eBay auction for a Major Havoc CP.  I don't know the final price (and the auction isn't on ebay anymore) but the first post says it went for "Over 4 bills"
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=30367.0

And here's a thread about Oscar Controls' planned repro.  You'll notice something familiar looking about 3/4s of the way down the first page:
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=24870.0

[lharles]

There are a few games, I believe that used the side to side (spinner on its side) action.  I remeber reading a post about someone selling the rare control for a ridiculous amount of money on ebay.

That is really cool, it's a like a spinner and Major Havok controller in one.

pointdablame and timoe are both correct.  My guess is that there are people out there who'd pay a pretty penny for that style of 'roller/spinner'.

This place used to sell a Major Havoc repro for $125 http://www.basementarcade.com/arcade/4sale/forsale.html

Here's the thread about an eBay auction for a Major Havoc CP.  I don't know the final price (and the auction isn't on ebay anymore) but the first post says it went for "Over 4 bills"
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=30367.0

And here's a thread about Oscar Controls' planned repro.  You'll notice something familiar looking about 3/4s of the way down the first page:
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=24870.0

Thanks, that's a lot of good info! 

[not an offer to donate/sell/disassemble]
Now what the he-double hockey sticks do I do with it? 
[/not an offer to donate/sell/disassemble]

[pointdablame]

I don't care if you said it's not an offer to donate... I still say you should send it to me.   

I'll even pay shipping 

[lharles]

I don't care if you said it's not an offer to donate... I still say you should send it to me.  

I'll even pay shipping 

Well, there's this whole thing of not knowin' ya', not knowin' where ya' live, not being sure where I left my socks, and stuff... 

Anyway...

Since I started this thread, I've sort of changed my perspective on this thing.

I've read about people working out a molding process with some local company or fabricator or the mystery 'guy' who machines parts for them here on the boards...perhaps someone will want to do that for this, er, thing.

For what it's worth, I'll look around and see if there's any way to do that locally.  I don't have any clue at all how I would go about this so it's bound to be slow if I'm the one to do it.  Let me qualify this by saying that I wouldn't be able to shell out a lot of money to do some sort of fabrication and it would be more informational than anything else.

I really think it would be a fun addition to the seemingly endless line of hardware available for the world o' arcade controls...but hey, I don't know anythin'.

...and 'pointdablame', I might consider giving you the spinner if you come over to my house and help me build this control panel.    I suck at carpentry.  If I could work with power tools effectively and/or had any capacity to imagine how to assemble large chunks of wood into something remotely pleasing to the eye, I'd be a happy camper.   

[NoOne=NBA=]

Somebody here bought an entire box of those Wico spinners about 1-1/2 years ago.
I don't remember who it was, but they've probably got 15 or so.

[Ahigh]

It is indeed the mad planets spinner.  I have one in my Mad Planets game.  It's made by Wico.

It spins almost as good as the tornado .. it's great.

--
- Ahigh

[lharles]

Well, now that it's been identified as the 'mad planets' spinner...where can I get them!?    I'm not sure the other one will be there when I go back, (it's a several hour trip I make only about once a month...    ).

Should I even mess with tryin' to replicate the one I have?

[lharles]

Got the second one!  WOOT!

Not gonna' even try and figure out how to duplicate these things.  I'm short on time...and brain power. 

Still, I like the movement of these spinner/rollers and I think I'll try and use em' in my...

'CONTROL PANEL OF DOOM!'

Okay, please forgive the interruption.

[ahofle]

So if it's a mad planets spinner, why does it have the 'roller' piece on the side?  Here's a shot of a Mad Planets CP and it looks like a normal spinner to me: