Spinner Turn Count
Purpose
This is intended to be a page to keep track of the correct turns ratio of spinner/dial/paddle/trackball-controlled arcade games. Below is comma-separated text, hopefully this is a useful format.
Q: How do I use this information?
A: To tweak the analog sensitivity in MAME to better emulate real hardware.
An example from the first link below:
Tempest, 72 count
if the control you use has 1200 counts per turn, the sensitivity calculation is: Sensitivity = 100 * 72 / 1200 = 6%
Links (Recommended Reading)
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=61381.0
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=23967.0
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=42401.msg474159#msg474159
Data
Effective_Tooth_Count = teeth that pass through the optical sensor per revolution of the knob (multiply by any gear ratios to obtain)
Counts_Per_Revolution = could be 1x, 2x, or 4x of the Effective_Tooth_Count (depends on original hardware interpretation of optical sensor information)
Other_Notes = quantitative information relating to game play (like degrees of turn from one side of the screen to another - useful for potentiometer games like Warlords)
| Game | Effective_Tooth_Count | Counts_Per_Revolution | Other_Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 720 degrees | 72 | 144 | |
| Ivan Ironman Offroad | 154.286 | Geared: 60 teeth on the steering wheel shaft, meshes with a 14 tooth gear on the encoder shaft, which has 36 teeth on its encoder wheel | |
| Disks of Tron | 128 | ||
| Tron | 128 | From Manual - Same encoder disc part # as DOT | |
| Blasteroids | 72 | ||
| Tempest | 72 | 1 full turn moves 5 spaces on first screen | |
| Pole Position | 102 6/7 | 102 6/7 | Geared: 60 tooth gear on wheel shaft, 14 tooth gear on 24 tooth encoder disk shaft => (60 / 14) * 24 = 102 6/7 |
| Arkanoid | 486 | 486 | Geared: The knob attaches to shaft #1, which has a 72 tooth gear on it. That gear turns a 16 tooth gear on shaft #2. Shaft #2 also has a 72 tooth gear on it, which then turns a 16 tooth gear on shaft #3. Shaft #3 also has the encoder wheel on it, which has 24 teeth. 120-130 deg = one traversal across the screen |
| Revenge of DOH | 486 | 972 | Same spinner as Arkanoid |
| RoadBlasters | 24 | Limited Wheel/Yoke | |
| Kick / Kickman | 12 | Ball-shaped roller. | |
| Omega Race | 64 | 64 | Omega Race uses a 6-bit (64-position) rotary encoder |
| Super Speed Race | 64 | 64 | 6-bit rotary encoder |
| Dark Planet | 64 | 64 | 6-bit rotary encoder |
| Turbo | 2 1/2 turns to go across the screen | ||
| Mad Planets Aztarac |
Both appear to use the same spinner (from manuals on arcarc) | ||
| Atari: Sprint Super Sprint Championship Sprint APB Drag Race Fire Truck |
36 | 1/2 turn is 90 deg | |
| Blasteroids | 36 | Needs verification, based on encoder disc image in manual. Included as it's consistent with encoder resolution from other Atari spinner games | |
| Happ 2.25 inch trackball | 149.2 (no wear) | 2.25 inch ball, 0.362 inch roller, 24 tooth encoder disc | |
| Happ 3 inch trackball | 167.4 (no wear) | 3 inch ball, 0.43 inch roller, 24 tooth encoder disc | |
| Atari 4.5 inch trackball | 330.6 (no wear) | 4.5 inch ball, 0.49 inch roller, 36 tooth encoder wheel |
Pot Based
| Game | Gear Ratio | Other_Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Warlords | 1 | 120-130 deg one traversal end to end of castle |
| Final Lap | 2/3 | |
| Moto Frenzy | 1 | |
| Breakout | 1 | |
| Super Breakout | 1 | 120-130 deg one traversal across the screen |
| Star Wars | 15/7 (left/right) 30/7 (up/down) | Yoke |
| Paperboy | 30/7 (left/right) 30/7 (up/down) | Yoke |
Trackball Games: Game Name, Notes
Crystal Castles, 1st screen BB moves length of line above his head from center of trackball moved to one side
Centipede, 1 trackball move 1 end to other (stock tb) 2 1/2 mushroom lengths
Missle Command 1 full end to end visible trackball movement goes from left to the right of the little bump after the missile base
