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Tutorial for hacking an Atari 2600 paddle to PC...

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WaverBoy:

Check this out:

http://random64.emuhq.com/doc3/Paddle2600-PC_eng.shtml

Has anyone here done this? Success?

IceCold:

RandyT:

--- Quote from: WaverBoy on May 18, 2003, 04:19:16 am ---Check this out:

http://random64.emuhq.com/doc3/Paddle2600-PC_eng.shtml

Has anyone here done this? Success?

--- End quote ---

IMHO, this is a hair-brained idea at best :)

The paddle controls have potentiometers in them and therefore have limited travel. Even if you were nutty enough to spend a lot of time getting this to work, you would have problems using it.

For example, you start a game with the modified paddle near the end of one direction of travel. But your avitar starts at the middle of the screen. This means you are stuck because you can't move the dial any further in one direction. If you started with the dial in the middle, it might work for a bit, but after a few fast movements, you would eventually end up not being able to move properly.

I'm also having trouble figuring out what one would gain from this. A normal spinner works on the same principle as the modified paddle, but doesn't have the limited travel.

I think this one falls under the saying "Just because you can do something, doesn't mean you should" ;)

RandyT

Wade:

Randy,

It might make no sense at all to modify a Paddle this way, but there are also the atari driving controls which look the same but don't have limited travel. However, I'm not sure if the driving controls will work properly with atari games that are supposed to use Paddles.

Wade

paigeoliver:

If you were going to hack a pair of Atari paddles, wouldn't it make a lot more sense just to wire the pair up as a single analog joystick through the gameport?

Each POT would be an axis and the buttons would be buttons.

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