The NEW Build Your Own Arcade Controls
Main => Main Forum => Topic started by: negative1 on October 17, 2020, 04:41:24 am
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As mentioned Atari has a 2 joystick/trackball controller out:
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http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,163722.0.html
This add-on, can also be used standalone.
I will get it tomorrow, and write a review of it.
It's also from microcenter:
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https://www.microcenter.com/product/624264/atari-usb-spinner
(https://90a1c75758623581b3f8-5c119c3de181c9857fcb2784776b17ef.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/624264_119578_01_front_zoom.jpg)
(https://90a1c75758623581b3f8-5c119c3de181c9857fcb2784776b17ef.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/624264_119578_02_package_zoom.jpg)
Bring precision rotary control to your arcade with the addition of this USB spinner. This spinner is designed to be mounted in any button hole found on a Micro Center arcade cabinet. The USB connection makes it quick and easy to hook the controller up to a Raspberry Pi or any other retro gaming computer. The one dimensional control is ideal for classic arcade games like Avalanche and Tempest.
later
-1
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got the spinner today:
(https://i.imgur.com/VnxbF3o.jpg)
package:
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contains the spinner top, spinner bottom part with connector, 1 connector pcb-> usb
Installation:
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choose a button to replace or drill hole in panel
1) unlock and open up panel
2) locate button, and disconnect wiring to button
3) unscrew washer around button, and unscrew the button
4) attach connecter with USB to bottom of spinner
5) thread spinner through the button hole
6) tighten washer to secure spinner
7) put spinner top on shaft
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thoughts and quick tests
its a very sturdy and heavy duty spinner, good weight
and spins very freely.
looks good with the atari symbol on it. and the ridges
on the side make for a good grip
its very silent.
test
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ran a quick test on MAME for windows.
the spinner is recognized as a mouse input.
fired up tempest, adjust the settings and sensitivity
to the lowest, and was able to play just fine.
further tweaks for other games will be needed.
will be testing it out on the xbox one with tempest also.
recommendation:
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price / value is definitely worth it, and the fact you don't
have to drill into a panel makes it superior just for that.
no tools are needed to install, and no maintenace afterwards.
good value, and sturdy build make it worth $49.99
recommended 5/5 stars
later
-1
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Can you select which axis the spinner uses (X, Y, or Z?) or do you need to use multimouse for a multi spinner setup?
Any pics of the back side?
How much clearance do you need under the panel?
Scott
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Can you select which axis the spinner uses (X, Y, or Z?) or do you need to use multimouse for a multi spinner setup?
Any pics of the back side?
How much clearance do you need under the panel?
Scott
I actually have 3 controllers hooked up in Mame.
1) Trackball as my my main mouse
2) Then I added the spinner from the controller (it has its own USB)
3) The trackball on the control panel (it also has its own USB)
Once you assign the controller in the game, MAME picks up the device,
but I don't know if you can assign it an ID, or which has priority.
I will post some pictures of the spinner mechanism shortly here.
I think the bottom side is much shorter, it's about the 2/3 the
length of a normal button shaft.
later
-1
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The total length of spinner and controller is about 2 1/2 inches.
Here is a comparison with the normal button:
(https://i.imgur.com/9jr4VmM.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/ILENg5T.jpg)
here it is inside:
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(https://i.imgur.com/tC5Onfx.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/VYH0ybD.jpg)
later
-1
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Thanks for the reply, but you didn't address the important part of the first question.
Can you select which axis the spinner uses (X, Y, or Z?)
If so, there should be a jumper or switch on the PCB.
- There doesn't appear to be space for that, but something could be hiding behind that blue wire. :P
Scott
P.S. Pics of black plastic on a black background with poor lighting? *sigh* At least the button shows up well in the pics. ::) :lol
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Well it is hard holding up a control panel and taking pictures at the same time. I think -1 did a great job. I am happy he did the review which leads me to one question:
Can you get rid of the Atari Logo somehow?
Is there a screw hole that allows another top to be used?
It's kind of a deal breaker. Its distracting.
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Curiosity got the best of me, so I just ordered one. I'll check in with my impression once I get it in hand.
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Well it is hard holding up a control panel and taking pictures at the same time. I think -1 did a great job. I am happy he did the review which leads me to one question:
Can you get rid of the Atari Logo somehow?
Is there a screw hole that allows another top to be used?
It's kind of a deal breaker. Its distracting.
Yes because lord knows it would be too much effort to take the two disconnected things out of the control panel and sit them on a white sheet of paper. ::)
If I'm not mistaken it's a rebranded version of this:
https://www.amazon.com/GRS-USB-Button-Hole-Spinner/dp/B08HNB5933 (https://www.amazon.com/GRS-USB-Button-Hole-Spinner/dp/B08HNB5933)
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Well it is hard holding up a control panel and taking pictures at the same time. I think -1 did a great job. I am happy he did the review which leads me to one question:
Can you get rid of the Atari Logo somehow?
Is there a screw hole that allows another top to be used?
It's kind of a deal breaker. Its distracting.
thanks,
i think its a sticker, and can be peeled off.
i like it.
later
-1
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Can you select which axis the spinner uses (X, Y, or Z?) or do you need to use multimouse for a multi spinner setup?
Scott
scott, there is no dipswitches on there that i can see.
however, i can ask the help support people on microcenter.
they always come up with some way to rewire things on the control board.
as as test, i hooked up 3 spinners, and a trackball to MAME.
they showed up as multimouse, so yes, that works.
later
-1
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Picked one of these up last night, haven't hooked it up yet, but the build quality feels good, heavy and spins freely. They had one installed in a display cab in the store and it looked good even though it didn't match the color scheme of the cab. I have a vinyl cutter so I will probably make a replacement decal.
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The new arcade1up atari pong jr uses
different spinners on this dedicated unit:
(https://www.reviewgeek.com/thumbcache/0/0/2fef331425bd08a3b98475e03ce53c90/p/uploads/2020/10/x258f63b9.png.pagespeed.gp+jp+jw+pj+ws+js+rj+rp+rw+ri+cp+md.ic.6BrVi8B9Xo.jpg)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_wzDZ91Eqg
https://www.atari.com/atari-mini-pong-jr-brings-the-classic-pong-arcade-experience-to-homes-for-holiday-2020/
Key Features of the Atari Mini PONG Jr.:
Lightweight and compact in size
Perfect for home, office, and on-the-go
Play with AI or friends
Ten AI difficulty levels
Intuitive interface, simple to use controls
7.9 Inch LCD Panel
Lithium Rechargeable battery (3) for portable use
USB powered
later
-1
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Pong doesn't use spinners it uses paddles (pots) unless a1up screwed up again.
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Pong doesn't use spinners it uses paddles (pots)
Yes, the original arcade game uses pots, but this is a very different setup running different software.
- There have been a few advances in both hardware and software in the last 48 years. :lol
For this application it makes more sense to use a spinner.
- No worries about damage from vigorously cranking the knob and slamming into the physical stop.
- No worries about wear/dirt/corrosion on the resistive element causing jitter.
Scott
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Well it is hard holding up a control panel and taking pictures at the same time. I think -1 did a great job. I am happy he did the review which leads me to one question:
Can you get rid of the Atari Logo somehow?
Is there a screw hole that allows another top to be used?
It's kind of a deal breaker. Its distracting.
There is a set screw that holds the black knob on the shaft, so yes, you could use another top.
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There is a set screw that holds the black knob on the shaft, so yes, you could use another top.
For anyone wanting to use an alternate top, is the shaft 6mm or 1/4"? (6.35mm)
Scott
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On a similar note, not quite.
Just bought the GRS Spinner v2 for the upcoming Asteroids 8-1 partycade:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07P5WJ7BC/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
No way, i was going to use the stock one.
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51uRN4DqBbL._AC_SX569_.jpg)
later
-1
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There is a set screw that holds the black knob on the shaft, so yes, you could use another top.
For anyone wanting to use an alternate top, is the shaft 6mm or 1/4"? (6.35mm)
Scott
Looks closer to 5/8" to me! The tape is touching the shaft. Sorry I don't have calipers.
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On a similar note, not quite.
Just bought the GRS Spinner v2 for the upcoming Asteroids 8-1 partycade:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07P5WJ7BC/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
No way, i was going to use the stock one.
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51uRN4DqBbL._AC_SX569_.jpg)
later
-1
There is a knock-off version of this as well for $35 on amazon.... I'm kind of curious on this one as well.... the bearings look ok, I just wonder about that goofy board they are using to compensate for the a1up's weirdness and if it's ignored when using it on the pc.
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Looks closer to 5/8" to me!
I think you mean 5/16", which is very close to 8mm.
5/16" = 0.3125" = 7.9375mm.
The important takeaway is that you won't be able to use spinner tops from GGG (1/4"/6.35mm) or Ultimarc (6mm) with this Atari spinner.
Scott
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On a similar note, not quite.
Just bought the GRS Spinner v2 for the upcoming Asteroids 8-1 partycade:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07P5WJ7BC/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
No way, i was going to use the stock one.
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51uRN4DqBbL._AC_SX569_.jpg)
later
-1
There is a knock-off version of this as well for $35 on amazon.... I'm kind of curious on this one as well.... the bearings look ok, I just wonder about that goofy board they are using to compensate for the a1up's weirdness and if it's ignored when using it on the pc.
the pcb board adds different delays needed for pc/pi/arcade 1up.
the knockoffs are just that, poorer quality than the originals, and some people have had
issues with them, from some of the posts i saw about it.
later
-1
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Looks closer to 5/8" to me!
I think you mean 5/16", which is very close to 8mm.
5/16" = 0.3125" = 7.9375mm.
The important takeaway is that you won't be able to use spinner tops from GGG (1/4"/6.35mm) or Ultimarc (6mm) with this Atari spinner.
Scott
DOH, of course 5/16. It's not over a half inch shaft. :o
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Got mine in today. Feels very solid and spins nicely. Looks like you can solder a couple of buttons to it if needed (RLG) pins, I'm guessing Right, Left , Ground for mouse buttons. Haven't hooked it up to anything yet but no regrets so far.
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Got to play with it a little yesterday. Soldered wires to RLG pins and hooked up a couple of buttons on my tester panel. Plugged USB in to PC and played some Tempest. Worked great without tweaking any analog settings. Buttons work without noticable delay.
Looks like these are now on sale for $39
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It doesn't look like it has much weight. Does it spin pretty well when playing Tempest? I seem to remember that spinner spinning pretty freely and long. Can you "whip" it back and forth as sometimes needed for that game?
J_K_M_A_N
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Would you mind unscrewing the pcb so we can see the chopper mechanism? I'm curious how they've engineered that and if it's something we can replicate.
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I've just ordered the GRS button hole spinner. For $60. I cannot have that Atari logo staring at me when I game. ;D
I tried the mouse hack method and I guess I am getting too old and impatient as I broke two encoder wheels assembling it. :lol
Not sure if it has been reviewed on here before but it has two arcade buttons which is a nice feature.
I get it today so I will rate it.
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The GRS spinner arrived and took 5 minutes to install. The weight on the spinner is pretty good and very accurate.
I wonder if it will work on the OG Xbox...
Well I can confirm that the spinner works perfectly in CoinOPS 8 Massive. Make sure you use Gameport 3. :applaud:
It's works without any messing around, unlike Retropie which just getting it to work on one game was a complete FPITA.
So I would hazard a guess that the Atari Spinner will work too. :applaud:
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I was just in my local store, they're on sale for $39 right now. The fight stick with trackball is $119 ($79 without trackball). Store also carried the replica Tron flightsticks that have been popping up.
Crazy (but nice) that Microcenter has committed to retro arcade gaming to this extent. I'd have loved to have had a one-stop shop when I built my cab many years back.
https://www.microcenter.com/product/624264/atari-usb-spinner
https://www.microcenter.com/product/623128/atari-dual-fight-stick-with-trackball-usb
https://www.microcenter.com/product/623127/atari-dual-fight-stick-usb
https://www.microcenter.com/product/621616/baolian-tron-arcade-flight-stick
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Appreciate the links!
I was wondering where those could be had in a more direct fashion than stumbling through amazonia
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I picked one of the Atari spinners up yesterday. I cannot find a tooth count anywhere though. I would think we would need that to do the math for the settings to make it feel like the real deal (as much as that is possible). Anyone happen to find that info?
J_K_M_A_N
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After messing with it for a while, I am guessing it is around 720 (if the Turbo Twist 2 is 1200). That seems to give decent results using the formula found here (http://wiki.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/Spinner_Turn_Count).
J_K_M_A_N
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After messing with it for a while, I am guessing it is around 720 (if the Turbo Twist 2 is 1200). That seems to give decent results using the formula found here (http://wiki.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/Spinner_Turn_Count).
J_K_M_A_N
DarthMarino said that he calculated that the GRS button hole spinner has a resolution of 750. Maybe this spinner uses similar hardware?
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It's probably the same spinner underneath. I feel better knowing that our findings were similar. It seemed like that max I would get was around 750 though sometimes it was lower but never under 700. The method I was using is not an exact science unfortunately.
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Using the formula in the link above, 720 and 750 would be very close. Close enough for me. I tried a few more games using the 720 and they all felt pretty good.
J_K_M_A_N
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eta prime review of atari pong:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fylXZvv0lmA
later
-1
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I got one of these to put in the Microcenter Atari Fight Stick without the trackball.
I agree with everything that's been posted here. When I had my cab, I had a TT2 and it was my go-to, but at this price point, the Atari spinner is a no-brainer to me.
The build quality seems solid. I've played a bit of Tempest with it and it seems to hold up.