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49-ways, first look.
Minwah:
--- Quote from: Howard_Casto on August 18, 2004, 08:15:38 am ---So 49-ways are the same as an analog stick, just blockier, with fixed positions.
--- End quote ---
This is why I wonder about Space Harrier, since the position of the on-screen character is relative to the sticks physical position. I wonder if the 'blockyness' of the 49-way would make it difficult to reach or stay in certain positions on-screen?
For analog stick games where the 'analog-ness' controls say the speed of a character (eg RoadRunner), I wouldn't think there would be so much of a problem, if any.
spidermonkey:
Just for the record,Roadrunner uses a hall effect stick which actually does do a much better job then a 49-way does as far as mimicing a true analog stick. Foodfight however does use a true balltop analog stick. I wish Dave would come up with a board that could interface Roadrunner and I-Robot style hall effect sticks. It would be much easier then trying to hack the guts of a Dreamcast controller.
Kremmit:
I've got some 49 way sticks for sale/trade if anybody wants em:
http://www.arcadecontrols.org/yabbse/index.php?board=2;action=display;threadid=23469
Spidermonkey- you're hacking a Dreamcast controller to use a Hall stick? How? Does it work? I've got a Hall stick floating around here with no way to use it...
SirPoonga:
Looks like saint may need to update his controls page
49-Way Joystick
(The bulk of this information taken from a posting by Ray on the message board)
The 49-way joystick is meant to mimic an analog joystick. An example of a game it is used in is Sinistar. Each axis has 6 LED's and detectors:
+3
+2
+1
0 (center...no LED/detector)
-1
-2
-3
Since there are two directions, you have 49 possible positions (7x7). Deflecting the joystick interupts the various detectors so the game board knows how far you've pushed the stick. The game then interprets this however it wants (pseudo analog signal)
Two options to interface to a PC: 1. Write a driver to remap these inputs as key inputs to an analog input (ouch)! 2. Do some PIC programming (with support logic) to make the digital inputs to an analog output that is suitable for the PC game port.
Obviously, this is not an ideal joystick to use.
u_rebelscum:
--- Quote from: Minwah on August 18, 2004, 10:37:53 am ---u_rebel didn't link to it earlier, but I found his 49-way page *very* informative:
http://www.urebelscum.speedhost.com/49waySticks.html
--- End quote ---
Heh, I forget about it. :-[
--- Quote from: spidermonkey on August 19, 2004, 12:25:33 am ---Just for the record,Roadrunner uses a hall effect stick which actually does do a much better job then a 49-way does as far as mimicing a true analog stick. Foodfight however does use a true balltop analog stick. I wish Dave would come up with a board that could interface Roadrunner and I-Robot style hall effect sticks. It would be much easier then trying to hack the guts of a Dreamcast controller.
--- End quote ---
The Dreamcast hall effect system is very different than the arcade hall effect system. Just some of the differences:
DC HE = 5 volts, arcade HE = 12 volts;
DC two sensors per axis, arcade one sensor per axis;
DC sensors are still made, arcade sensor manufactor doesn't do HE sensors any more and haven't for a decade (but neither controller are made any more),
DC based on distance of magnet from sensor ("head-on"), arcade based on orientation of magnet toward sensor ("slide-by"; distance plays very little in this setup).
FWIW,
AFAIK all analog HE sensors on sale now are 5 volts (or close to that).
You can buy analog HE joysticks for industrical use at $200+. ( http://www.chproducts.com/oem/hall_home.html , http://www.p-qcontrols.com/model_112.html )
More info on the arcade's "slide-by" sensing can be found in http://www.allegromicro.com/techpub2/an/an27702.pdf page 5. DC's uses two "head-on" sensing setups per axis, one on each side of the joystick (same pdf linked, page 4).
Just use a PC analog joystick. HE and POT joysticks are interchangable, as long as the ranges match up.
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