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Joysticks

2009-01-14T17:32:38Z

DelugeIA: /* Conventional Digital Joysticks: 8-way, 4-way & 2-way */

A '''Joystick''' is a device to let you manually control direction of movement in an arcade game. This article describes the most common types of joysticks used in arcade cabinets and game systems.

==Conventional Digital Joysticks: 8-way, 4-way & 2-way==
[[image:Stick-principal.jpg|200px|thumb|right|Stick diagram by JoyMonkey]]
Conventional joysticks are fairly simple devices without which Pac-Man would be ghost-fodder. When the joystick shaft is moved in any direction, the lower end of the stick is levered in the opposite direction and makes contact with switches, these switches are what tells Pac-Man to move and in which direction.

[[image:Directions.gif|left]]By using four switches at the base of the joystick, 8 directions can be achieved; Up, Down, Left and Right as well as the four corner positions which are triggered by two switches being activated simultaneously. When you press the joystick diagonally up and to the right, both the "up switch" and the "right switch" are triggered simultaneously, indicating your diagonal move. Joysticks like this are known as 8-way joysticks.

Some joysticks were designed to specifically prevent the player from moving diagonally. For example, joysticks used in Pac-Man and Donkey Kong both have physical restrictions preventing the joystick from moving to the diagonals. Since the joysticks only allow movement in 4 directions (Up, Down, Left and Right) they are known as 4-way joysticks. While it is possible to use an 8-way joystick when playing 4-way games, it's not recommended, as accidentally hitting a diagonal with the joystick can create problems during gameplay, such as causing Mario to stand still or Pac-Man to become confused between moving up or to the side.

Other games, such as Defender, Joust, Mario Brothers and Galaga, used a 2-way joystick since movement was only necessary from left to right or up to down. While it may not be historically accurate, it is generally not a problem to use either 4-way or 8-way joysticks for these games.

Standard 8-way only joysticks:
:* [http://www.happ.com/joysticks/competition_joy.htm Happ Competition]
:* [http://www.happ.com/joysticks/ultimate_joy.htm Happ Ultimate] ([http://www.retroblast.com/20041130273/Hardware/RetroBlast-Review-Happ-Controls-Ultimate-Joystick.php review]) (can be ordered 2, 4, or 8-way)
:* [http://retroblast.com/reviews/joysticks/wico.html Wico 8-way Leafswitch Joystick (discontinued)].

Standard 4-way only joysticks:
:* Happ Ms.Pac/Galaga Reunion
:* Betson Ms.Pac/Galaga Reunion
:* [http://www.happ.com/joysticks/ultimate_joy.htm Happ Ultimate] ([http://www.retroblast.com/20041130273/Hardware/RetroBlast-Review-Happ-Controls-Ultimate-Joystick.php review]) (can be ordered 2, 4, or 8-way)
:* [http://www.retroblast.com/reviews/joysticks/wico.html Wico 4-Way Leafswitch (discontinued)].

====8-Way to 4-Way Switchable Joysticks====
Many 8-way joysticks that are sold can also be set to work in 4-way mode. There are two basic methods to change modes:

1) Changing a restrictor plate that only allows the joystick handle to be pushed in certain directions; or:

2) Changing the actuator (that's the small piece on the bottom end of the joystick shaft that makes contact with the switches) to only allow contact with one switch at a time.

Restrictor plate changes convert the joystick to "true" 4-way operation, and will give the best play. Actuator changes do not keep the handle from moving into the diagonal positions, this method only keeps the switches from being activated. The result is a "dead spot" in the corners, where the stick can be pushed, but no switches are hit. This is not much better than playing in standard 8-way mode, and is not reccomended. Adjusting these joystick usually involves opening up your control panel so you can access the lower section of the joystick base. Some models using a restrictor plate can be easily changed by hand once the control panel is open, while some others require the use of basic tools, like a screwdriver.

Joysticks that can be set to 4-way or 8-way operation via an actuator swap include:
:* [http://retroblast.com/reviews/joysticks/happsuper.html Happ Super], [http://www.retroblast.com/reviews/joysticks/happsp360.html Happ Perfect 360], [http://www.retroblast.com/reviews/joysticks/xgaming.html X-Gaming Joystick (X-Arcade)].

Joysticks that can be set to 4-way or 8-way operation via the restrictor plate include:
:* Suzo 500 (aka [http://ultimarc.com/controls.html Euro-Stik] or [http://groovygamegear.com/webstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=65&products_id=197 Omni-Stik]), [http://retroblast.com/reviews/joysticks/ultimarc_tstik.html Ultimarc T-Stik], Ultimarc Mag-Stik, [http://retroblast.com/reviews/joysticks/ultimarc_jstik.html Ultimarc J-Stik], [http://www.himuragames.com/store_joysticks.php Sanwa JLF-TP-8YT], [http://www.himuragames.com/store_joysticks.php Seimitsu LS-32].

In the last few years, some companies have added to this feature to allow the joystick to be switchable from above the control panel in some way. This makes it simple for anyone to switch the joystick between 4-way to 8-way from game to game, without having to access 'the guts' of the control panel.

Conventional joysticks that can be switched from above the control panel like this include:
:* [http://retroblast.com/reviews/joysticks/ultimarc_tstik.html T-Stik Plus], [http://retroblast.com/reviews/joysticks/ultimarc_magstikplus_part1.html Mag-Stik Plus], [http://retroblast.com/reviews/joysticks/prodigy.html Omni-Stik Prodigy].

====[[TRON joystick]]s====
TRON arcade machines had 8-way trigger joysticks that were restricted to make it difficult to go diagonally. This was necessary because some of the four games in TRON were developed for 4-way sticks, while others were able to use 8-ways. [[TRON_joystick|More on TRON joysticks here.]]

Also see [[Wiring Push Buttons and Conventional Digital Joysticks]].

==Unconventional Digital Joysticks==
[[image:Inductivestickopen.jpg|right|thumb|Inside a Suzo Inductive Stick]]
====[http://www.suzo.com/suzo/product.asp?nP=4545 Suzo Inductive Joystick]====
Instead of using conventional microswitches, Suzo Inductive sticks employ the use of a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferrite ferrite ring] at the base of the joystick shaft. An oscillating magnetic field is induced in the ferrite ring by the main coil in the centre of the PCB around the opening. This oscillating field within the ferrite ring induces a current in one or more of the eight smaller coils on the PCB. The exact position of the joystick is determined by the strength of the current in each coil. A potentiometer can be adjusted so that diagonal positions are ignored (resulting in 4-way output) or that diagonals are accepted (resulting in 8-way output.) The sensitivity of 8-way operation can be refined using the potentiometer. It is completely silent and is easily switchable between 4-way and 8-way using the aforementioned pot located on the bottom plate of the joystick.
[[Image:Suzo_Inductive_restrictor.JPG|right|thumb|Suzo Inductive Octagonal Restrictor]]
It has an octagonal restrictor to assist in locating the desired directions. There are 6 pins for the connection which are labeled on the bottom plate of the joystick: Ground/Earth; +5 VDC; Left; Right; Up; Down. It is a short throw joystick with a max travel of 5 degrees from centre. The joystick is designed to be undermounted without taking the joystick apart; this requires a hole in the panel approx 44 mm or 1 3/4". The joystick handle was produced in two sizes, a 32 mm ball handle (suitable for cocktail cabinets), and a 38 mm ball handle. This joystick is no longer produced but as of May 2006 some were still available from Groovy Game Gear and TNT Amusements.

====[http://retroblast.com/reviews/joysticks/happsp360.html Happ Perfect 360 (P360)]====

The Perfect 360 joystick is an optical joystick, which means that the position of the handle is read by optical switches, instead of conventional leaf switches or microswitches. This gives near-silent operation, as the handle & actuator never touch anything.

These sticks have a very smooth feel, largely due to the "no touch" action. P360 joysticks have a round restrictor, instead of the more common square restriction found on many other modern joysticks. This round restriction adds to the smoothness factor, because there are no corners to feel.

Connection- P360 joys require a little more effort to hook up- in addition to the Up, Down, Left, Right and Ground connections on standard joysticks, the P360 also needs a +5 volts connection. This is easy enough to get, as encoders such as the I-Pac and KeyWiz provide a +5v header. PC power supplies produce +5v on the red wire of the drive connectors. There is also +5v power available on USB & PS2 cables. +5 volt power is easy to find.

History- The Perfect 360 started out as an aftermarket add-on kit for Wico leafswitch joysticks. Models were later added to the product line to convert Happ Super, Competition, and Ultimate sticks, and possibly others as well. Happ eventually bought the rights to the P360 technology, and discontinued the kits. Happ began producing a complete stick instead, with the top half of a Wico joystick base (no longer sold by Wico by then) mated to a P360 bottom half.

Interchangability- P360 handles and Wico handles have been found to be interchangable. There are also replacement handles available from SlikStik. Wico Pear-top sticks used the same pivot cones and spacer sleeves.

====[http://www.retroblast.com/Hardware/Ultimarc-UltraStik-360-Review.php Ultimarc UltraStik 360]====
[[Image:UltraStik1.jpg|right|thumb|Ultimarc's Ultrastik 360]]
This offering from Ultimarc operates on similar principals to an inductive joystick, but offers many more custom features. Using its USB interface and the provided software, it's possible to easily switch the joystick between 2-way, 4-way, 8-way, analog and even 4-way diagonal (Q*Bert) modes. User defineable custom modes are also available.

When used via USB, Windows thinks of this joystick as a gamepad and allows you to hook-up 8 buttons straight to the joystick; so no seperate encoder (IPac, Keywiz etc) is necessary.

==49-Way Joysticks==
Once used in a small handfull of Williams, Midway and Atari games, 49 way joysticks live in a no-man's land between digital and analog joysticks. 49-way joysticks do not, as the name might seem to imply, point in 49 different directions. The number 49 comes from the number of positions the stick can report to the game hardware, including positions somewhere ''between'' "dead center" and "pushed all the way". Imagine a 7x7 grid (that's 49 squares) and you've got it. Games that originally used this hardware benefited from the extra info the joystick could report by allowing the player to control the on-screen character with more precision- both in the form of better directional control (24 discrete directions possible, if you count dead center), and 3 levels of speed control, based on how far from center the stick was pushed. For example, in [http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?letter=&game_id=9553 SiniStar], the player can make the ship move faster or slower, by varying how hard they push the stick, and the ship's movement is not limited to just 8 directions. Attempting to play this game (or others that originally used 49-way sticks) with a standard 8-way digital joystick tends to be frustrating- SiniStar is a very difficult game in the first place; take away the speed control and limit yourself to 8 directions, and it's ''really, really'' hard. More info on 49-way joysticks can be found at [http://urebelscum.speedhost.com/49waySticks.html What are 49-Way joysticks?] by URebelScum

Games that originally used 49-way joysticks include:

*SiniStar
*Blaster
*Arch Rivals
*Pigskin 621 A.D.
*Blitz
*Blitz '99
*Blitz 2000
*NFL Blitz 2000 Gold Edition
*NBA Showtime
*SportStation
*Gauntlet: Legends
*Gauntlet: Dark Legacy

For home gaming purposes, when paired with the [[Gamepad Encoders#GP Wiz49|GP Wiz49]] controller from [www.groovygamegear.com GroovyGameGear], these analog style joysticks have become a popular all-around stick. Using the GP-Wiz's various DRS modes, these joysticks can be easily switched between 8-way, 4-way, 2-way (vertical), 2-way (horizontal) and diagonal (Q*Bert style) modes without having to physically change the joystick hardware. This allows these sticks to be used to play any digital joystick games well. In addition, the two 49-way modes allow play for games that originally used 49-way sticks (and have emulator support that goes beyond 8-ways- not all 49-way games do), and also will play well for ''some'' games that originally used analog or Hall-Effect joysticks.

For those with a penchant for soldering here's a [http://www.arcadecollecting.com/info/49way_to_Hall.gif circuit on Arcadecollecting.com] that allows a 49-way to be connected with an an analog interface (Dualstrike hack etc).

There are three varieties of 49-way joystick: Williams, Midway, and Happ.

The Williams are easy to distinguish- they use a distinctive rubber centering "spider" on the bottom, and have balltop handles. Red balltops come from SiniStar; Orange come from Arch Rivals. There are also Williams optical sticks out there with Turquoise and Yellow balltops. These ''look'' like 49-ways, complete with centering spider. However, these sticks do not have as many optics, and the pin connector is different, with fewer pins. These sticks are 8-way only. Turquoise ones most likely come from Bubbles, however, some early Joust games shipped with Turquoise and Yellow optical sticks.

The Midway and Happ 49-ways are ''very'' similar, in fact the Happ is just the Midway stick with a minor re-design. (Happ bought the rights to a lot of Midway's parts business several years ago.) The Midway sticks have a smaller diameter shaft, and the centering grommet has a correspondingly smaller hole. Both have a black bat top handle. Replacement handles are available in a variety of colors (Happ variety only) at [www.groovygamegear.com].

==Analog Joysticks==

Analog joysticks are not bound by the limits digital joysticks face. Digital joysticks can only point in 8 (or fewer; see above) directions, or no direction at all (centered). Analog joysticks can point in (theoretically) an unlimited number of directions. Furthermore, Analog joystics can discern how far the handle has been pushed from the center position. Games take advantage of these properties to give the player a much greater level of control over their on-screen character. For example, the bird in [http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?letter=&game_id=9338 Road Runner] can run in more than just the 8 standard directions, and how far the player pushes the joystick from center determines how fast the Road Runner runs.

Most analog sticks use a pair of potentiometers, one to measure left-to-right movement (the X-axis), and one to measure forward-and-back movement (the Y-axis). A few games, however, used a "Hall Effect" stick. Hall effect sticks use Hall sensors and magnets to read the postion of the stick. The end result is the same, though- both types report to the game which direction and how far the stick is being pressed.

While the actual resolution of an analog joystick may be theoretically unlimited, the standard for analog joysticks connected to a PC is 256x256. Compare this to the 7x7 resolution of a 49-way joystick, or the 3x3 resolution of a standard 8-way joystick. This explains why it is difficult to play games that originally used analog controls with a standard 8-way stick; the stick simply can't control the on-screen character the way it was intended to be controlled. A 49-way stick is sufficient for ''some'' games that originally used analog controls, but not all of them. Road Runner, for example, can be adequately controlled with a 49-way joystick, as that stick would give the bird 24 directions to run in, and four speeds (including stopped)- which ought to be enough to outwit that dumb coyote. [http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?letter=&game_id=9773 Star Wars], on the other hand, cannot be played well with a 49-way, as that stick will only aim the X-Wing's blasters at 49 equally spaced spots on the screen, leaving Tie Fighters that are in-between those spots un-shootable. (Star Wars actually used an analog [[Flight Yoke]], rather than an analog joystick, but these controls are electrically identical, and actually interchangeable as far as the game is concerned.)

Games that used analog joysticks include:

{|
|
*Afterburner
*CyberSled ''(2 analog sticks per player; two players = 4 sticks)''
*Food Fight
*Jurrasic Park
*Maneater
*Pursuit
*Quarterback
*Rail Chase
*Red Baron
*Solar Assault
*Space Harrier
*Star Wars Trilogy
|
*Steel Talons
*T-Mek
*Tail Gunner
*Tail Gunner II
*Thunderblade
*World Series Baseball

*Escape From The Planet Of The Robot Monsters ''(Hall-Effect)''
*I, Robot ''(Hall-Effect)''
*Road Runner ''(Hall-Effect)''
|
*Apache 3 ''(yoke)''
*Hydra ''(yoke)''
*Lock-On ''(yoke)''
*Star Wars ''(yoke)''
*Stun Runner ''(yoke)''
*The Empire Strikes Back ''(yoke)''
*The Return Of The Jedi ''(yoke)''
*Turbo-Sub ''(yoke)''
|}

==Rotary Joysticks==

There are two types of rotary joysticks that often get confused: Mechanical rotary sticks, and Optical rotary sticks. Either can be interfaced with a PC.

Mechanical rotary sticks are the type that most people remember from games like Ikari Warriors. They have a 12-position rotary switch attached to the bottom of the joystick, which is turned by rotating the handle. Each turn of the handle is accompanied by a clicking sound, and distinct tactile feedback that lets the player know that a turn has been registered.

The SNK games used a stick called the LS-30, with yellow octagonal tops. The Data East games used the same sticks, but with a yellow barrel shaped top. Wico used to make a rotary stick, with a yellow balltop These were basically standard Wico leaf sticks, with the rotary switch added to the bottom. Happ still sells a mechanical rotary stick, which is basically a Happ Super with a rotary switch added to the bottom. Fl0yd at BYOAC figured out how to attach the rotary parts from a Happ rotary to the bottom of a Happ 49-way joystick, and still sells the kits to modify your own Happ 49-way.

Optical rotary sticks have an optical encoder wheel, similar to a spinner, instead. Caliber .50 used a stick called the Loop-24, with green octagonal tops.

Most games that used rotary joysticks used the rotary function to determine which direction the on-screen character was aiming. This allowed the player to shoot in a different direction from the direction of motion, all with one hand.

===Mechanical Rotary joystick games (LS-30, Happ Mechanical Rotary sticks)===
*Battle Field
*Top Gunner (bootleg)
*World Wars
*Ikari Warriors
*Victory Road
*Heavy Barrel
*Gondomania
*Bermuda Triangle
*Time Soldiers
*Guerilla War
*SAR - Search And Rescue
*Downtown
*Victory Road
*Midnight Resistance
*Ikari III - The Rescue
*Exterminator (unknown whether this used mechanical or optical rotary sticks)
*TNK III
*Battle Field (Japanese verion of Time Soldiers)
*Dogosoken (Japanese version of Victory Road)
*Makyou Senshi (Japanese version of Gondomania)
*Guevara (Japanese version of Guerrilla War)

===Optical Rotary games (Loop-24 or Happ Optical rotary sticks)===
*Caliber .50
*Touchdown Fever
*Touchdown Fever II

===Other "Rotary" games===
These games did ''not'' use rotary joysticks,
but are sometimes confused with rotary games.

*Frontline (Taito Aim-n-Fire)
*The Tin Star (Taito Aim-n-Fire)
*Wild Western (Taito Aim-n-Fire)
*Sherrif (rotary switch)
*Bandido (rotary switch, clone of Sherrif)
*Xybots (Twist-to-Turn)
*720 (Optical 720 spinner/joy hybrid)

==Mounting Joysticks==

==European vs US vs Japanese Joysticks==

Common US joysticks include those produced by:

*Happ
*Wico
*Atari
*Midway

[Most of the Happ 8/4-way joysticks (including the Supers and Competitions) are actually manufactured by a Spanish company ([http://www.industrias-lorenzo.com Industrias-Lorenzo]) and are therefore technically European joysticks, while most of the Happ analog joysticks are based on Atari designs.]

Common European joysticks include those produced by:

*Suzo
*Industrias-Lorenzo

Common Japanese joysticks include those produced by:

*Sanwa
*Semitsu

==Games with Dual Joysticks==
List (not complete) of games that uses dual sticks.

*[http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?game_id=10319 Vindicators]
*[http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?game_id=10167 Total Carnage]
*[http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?game_id=9591 Smash TV]
*[http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?game_id=7426 Crazy Climber]
*[http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?game_id=7427 Crazy Climber 2]
*[http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?game_id=8279 Karate Champ]
*[http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?game_id=8280 Karate Champ Player Vs Player]
*[http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?game_id=8358 Krull]
*[http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?game_id=9299 Rescue]
*[http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?game_id=8700 Minefield]
*[http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?game_id=11015 Complex X]
*[http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?game_id=9300 Rescue Raider]
*[http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?game_id=8456 Lost Tomb]
*[http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?game_id=6934 Assault]
*[http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?game_id=7139 Black Widow]
*[http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?game_id=9451 Screw Loose]
*[http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?game_id=9347 Robotron: 2084]
*[http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?game_id=9648 Space Dungeon]
*[http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?game_id=7059 Battlezone]
*[http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?game_id=7813 Fire Trap]
*[http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?game_id=7353 Cloak & Dagger]
*[http://www.arcade-history.com/?n=star-guards&page=detail&id=2617 Star Guards]
*[http://www.arcade-history.com/?n=water-match&page=detail&id=3148 Water Match]

==Discontinued Joysticks and Reproductions==
[[LS-30_Switch_Service | LS-30 Rotary Switch disassembly and service]]<br>
[http://www.mikesarcade.com/arcade/njoysticks.html Nintendo joystick guide (Mike's Arcade)]<br>
[[Joystick_Database | Table with assorted stick info (wip)]]

==See Also==
* [[Controls]]

[[Category:Controls]]
[[Category:Index]]

Joysticks

2009-01-14T17:22:39Z

DelugeIA: /* Conventional Digital Joysticks: 8-way, 4-way & 2-way */

A '''Joystick''' is a device to let you manually control direction of movement in an arcade game. This article describes the most common types of joysticks used in arcade cabinets and game systems.

==Conventional Digital Joysticks: 8-way, 4-way & 2-way==
[[image:Stick-principal.jpg|200px|thumb|right|Stick diagram by JoyMonkey]]
Conventional joysticks are fairly simple devices without which Pac-Man would be ghost-fodder. When the joystick shaft is moved in any direction, the lower end of the stick is levered in the opposite direction and makes contact with switches, these switches are what tells Pac-Man to move and in which direction.

[[image:Directions.gif|left]]By using four switches at the base of the joystick, 8 directions can be achieved; Up, Down, Left and Right as well as the four corner positions which are triggered by two switches being activated simultaneously. When you press the joystick diagonally up and to the right, both the "up switch" and the "right switch" are triggered simultaneously, indicating your diagonal move. Joysticks like this are known as 8-way joysticks.

Some joysticks were designed to specifically prevent the player from moving diagonally. For example, joysticks used in Pac-Man and Donkey Kong both have physical restrictions preventing the joystick from moving to the diagonals. Since the joysticks only allow movement in 4 directions (Up, Down, Left and Right) they are known as 4-way joysticks. While it is possible to use an 8-way joystick when playing 4-way games, it's not recommended, as accidentally hitting a diagonal with the joystick can create problems during gameplay, such as causing Mario to stand still or Pac-Man to become confused between moving up or to the side.

Other games, such as Defender, Joust, Mario Brothers and Galaga, used a 2-way joystick since movement was only necessary from left to right or up to down. While it may not be historically accurate, it is generally not a problem to use either 4-way or 8-way joysticks for these games.

Standard 8-way only joysticks:
:* [http://retroblast.com/reviews/joysticks/happcompetition.html Happ Competition], [http://www.retroblast.com/20041130273/Hardware/RetroBlast-Review-Happ-Controls-Ultimate-Joystick.php Happ Ultimate] (can be ordered in 8 way, 4-way, or 2-way models], [http://retroblast.com/reviews/joysticks/wico.html Wico 8-way Leafswitch Joystick (discontinued)].

Standard 4-way only joysticks:
:* Happ Ms.Pac/Galaga Reunion, Betson Ms.Pac/Galaga Reunion, [http://www.retroblast.com/reviews/joysticks/happultimate.html Happ Ultimate (can be ordered in 8 way, 4-way, or 2-way models],[http://www.retroblast.com/reviews/joysticks/wico.html Wico 4-Way Leafswitch (discontinued)].

====8-Way to 4-Way Switchable Joysticks====
Many 8-way joysticks that are sold can also be set to work in 4-way mode. There are two basic methods to change modes:

1) Changing a restrictor plate that only allows the joystick handle to be pushed in certain directions; or:

2) Changing the actuator (that's the small piece on the bottom end of the joystick shaft that makes contact with the switches) to only allow contact with one switch at a time.

Restrictor plate changes convert the joystick to "true" 4-way operation, and will give the best play. Actuator changes do not keep the handle from moving into the diagonal positions, this method only keeps the switches from being activated. The result is a "dead spot" in the corners, where the stick can be pushed, but no switches are hit. This is not much better than playing in standard 8-way mode, and is not reccomended. Adjusting these joystick usually involves opening up your control panel so you can access the lower section of the joystick base. Some models using a restrictor plate can be easily changed by hand once the control panel is open, while some others require the use of basic tools, like a screwdriver.

Joysticks that can be set to 4-way or 8-way operation via an actuator swap include:
:* [http://retroblast.com/reviews/joysticks/happsuper.html Happ Super], [http://www.retroblast.com/reviews/joysticks/happsp360.html Happ Perfect 360], [http://www.retroblast.com/reviews/joysticks/xgaming.html X-Gaming Joystick (X-Arcade)].

Joysticks that can be set to 4-way or 8-way operation via the restrictor plate include:
:* Suzo 500 (aka [http://ultimarc.com/controls.html Euro-Stik] or [http://groovygamegear.com/webstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=65&products_id=197 Omni-Stik]), [http://retroblast.com/reviews/joysticks/ultimarc_tstik.html Ultimarc T-Stik], Ultimarc Mag-Stik, [http://retroblast.com/reviews/joysticks/ultimarc_jstik.html Ultimarc J-Stik], [http://www.himuragames.com/store_joysticks.php Sanwa JLF-TP-8YT], [http://www.himuragames.com/store_joysticks.php Seimitsu LS-32].

In the last few years, some companies have added to this feature to allow the joystick to be switchable from above the control panel in some way. This makes it simple for anyone to switch the joystick between 4-way to 8-way from game to game, without having to access 'the guts' of the control panel.

Conventional joysticks that can be switched from above the control panel like this include:
:* [http://retroblast.com/reviews/joysticks/ultimarc_tstik.html T-Stik Plus], [http://retroblast.com/reviews/joysticks/ultimarc_magstikplus_part1.html Mag-Stik Plus], [http://retroblast.com/reviews/joysticks/prodigy.html Omni-Stik Prodigy].

====[[TRON joystick]]s====
TRON arcade machines had 8-way trigger joysticks that were restricted to make it difficult to go diagonally. This was necessary because some of the four games in TRON were developed for 4-way sticks, while others were able to use 8-ways. [[TRON_joystick|More on TRON joysticks here.]]

Also see [[Wiring Push Buttons and Conventional Digital Joysticks]].

==Unconventional Digital Joysticks==
[[image:Inductivestickopen.jpg|right|thumb|Inside a Suzo Inductive Stick]]
====[http://www.suzo.com/suzo/product.asp?nP=4545 Suzo Inductive Joystick]====
Instead of using conventional microswitches, Suzo Inductive sticks employ the use of a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferrite ferrite ring] at the base of the joystick shaft. An oscillating magnetic field is induced in the ferrite ring by the main coil in the centre of the PCB around the opening. This oscillating field within the ferrite ring induces a current in one or more of the eight smaller coils on the PCB. The exact position of the joystick is determined by the strength of the current in each coil. A potentiometer can be adjusted so that diagonal positions are ignored (resulting in 4-way output) or that diagonals are accepted (resulting in 8-way output.) The sensitivity of 8-way operation can be refined using the potentiometer. It is completely silent and is easily switchable between 4-way and 8-way using the aforementioned pot located on the bottom plate of the joystick.
[[Image:Suzo_Inductive_restrictor.JPG|right|thumb|Suzo Inductive Octagonal Restrictor]]
It has an octagonal restrictor to assist in locating the desired directions. There are 6 pins for the connection which are labeled on the bottom plate of the joystick: Ground/Earth; +5 VDC; Left; Right; Up; Down. It is a short throw joystick with a max travel of 5 degrees from centre. The joystick is designed to be undermounted without taking the joystick apart; this requires a hole in the panel approx 44 mm or 1 3/4". The joystick handle was produced in two sizes, a 32 mm ball handle (suitable for cocktail cabinets), and a 38 mm ball handle. This joystick is no longer produced but as of May 2006 some were still available from Groovy Game Gear and TNT Amusements.

====[http://retroblast.com/reviews/joysticks/happsp360.html Happ Perfect 360 (P360)]====

The Perfect 360 joystick is an optical joystick, which means that the position of the handle is read by optical switches, instead of conventional leaf switches or microswitches. This gives near-silent operation, as the handle & actuator never touch anything.

These sticks have a very smooth feel, largely due to the "no touch" action. P360 joysticks have a round restrictor, instead of the more common square restriction found on many other modern joysticks. This round restriction adds to the smoothness factor, because there are no corners to feel.

Connection- P360 joys require a little more effort to hook up- in addition to the Up, Down, Left, Right and Ground connections on standard joysticks, the P360 also needs a +5 volts connection. This is easy enough to get, as encoders such as the I-Pac and KeyWiz provide a +5v header. PC power supplies produce +5v on the red wire of the drive connectors. There is also +5v power available on USB & PS2 cables. +5 volt power is easy to find.

History- The Perfect 360 started out as an aftermarket add-on kit for Wico leafswitch joysticks. Models were later added to the product line to convert Happ Super, Competition, and Ultimate sticks, and possibly others as well. Happ eventually bought the rights to the P360 technology, and discontinued the kits. Happ began producing a complete stick instead, with the top half of a Wico joystick base (no longer sold by Wico by then) mated to a P360 bottom half.

Interchangability- P360 handles and Wico handles have been found to be interchangable. There are also replacement handles available from SlikStik. Wico Pear-top sticks used the same pivot cones and spacer sleeves.

====[http://www.retroblast.com/Hardware/Ultimarc-UltraStik-360-Review.php Ultimarc UltraStik 360]====
[[Image:UltraStik1.jpg|right|thumb|Ultimarc's Ultrastik 360]]
This offering from Ultimarc operates on similar principals to an inductive joystick, but offers many more custom features. Using its USB interface and the provided software, it's possible to easily switch the joystick between 2-way, 4-way, 8-way, analog and even 4-way diagonal (Q*Bert) modes. User defineable custom modes are also available.

When used via USB, Windows thinks of this joystick as a gamepad and allows you to hook-up 8 buttons straight to the joystick; so no seperate encoder (IPac, Keywiz etc) is necessary.

==49-Way Joysticks==
Once used in a small handfull of Williams, Midway and Atari games, 49 way joysticks live in a no-man's land between digital and analog joysticks. 49-way joysticks do not, as the name might seem to imply, point in 49 different directions. The number 49 comes from the number of positions the stick can report to the game hardware, including positions somewhere ''between'' "dead center" and "pushed all the way". Imagine a 7x7 grid (that's 49 squares) and you've got it. Games that originally used this hardware benefited from the extra info the joystick could report by allowing the player to control the on-screen character with more precision- both in the form of better directional control (24 discrete directions possible, if you count dead center), and 3 levels of speed control, based on how far from center the stick was pushed. For example, in [http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?letter=&game_id=9553 SiniStar], the player can make the ship move faster or slower, by varying how hard they push the stick, and the ship's movement is not limited to just 8 directions. Attempting to play this game (or others that originally used 49-way sticks) with a standard 8-way digital joystick tends to be frustrating- SiniStar is a very difficult game in the first place; take away the speed control and limit yourself to 8 directions, and it's ''really, really'' hard. More info on 49-way joysticks can be found at [http://urebelscum.speedhost.com/49waySticks.html What are 49-Way joysticks?] by URebelScum

Games that originally used 49-way joysticks include:

*SiniStar
*Blaster
*Arch Rivals
*Pigskin 621 A.D.
*Blitz
*Blitz '99
*Blitz 2000
*NFL Blitz 2000 Gold Edition
*NBA Showtime
*SportStation
*Gauntlet: Legends
*Gauntlet: Dark Legacy

For home gaming purposes, when paired with the [[Gamepad Encoders#GP Wiz49|GP Wiz49]] controller from [www.groovygamegear.com GroovyGameGear], these analog style joysticks have become a popular all-around stick. Using the GP-Wiz's various DRS modes, these joysticks can be easily switched between 8-way, 4-way, 2-way (vertical), 2-way (horizontal) and diagonal (Q*Bert style) modes without having to physically change the joystick hardware. This allows these sticks to be used to play any digital joystick games well. In addition, the two 49-way modes allow play for games that originally used 49-way sticks (and have emulator support that goes beyond 8-ways- not all 49-way games do), and also will play well for ''some'' games that originally used analog or Hall-Effect joysticks.

For those with a penchant for soldering here's a [http://www.arcadecollecting.com/info/49way_to_Hall.gif circuit on Arcadecollecting.com] that allows a 49-way to be connected with an an analog interface (Dualstrike hack etc).

There are three varieties of 49-way joystick: Williams, Midway, and Happ.

The Williams are easy to distinguish- they use a distinctive rubber centering "spider" on the bottom, and have balltop handles. Red balltops come from SiniStar; Orange come from Arch Rivals. There are also Williams optical sticks out there with Turquoise and Yellow balltops. These ''look'' like 49-ways, complete with centering spider. However, these sticks do not have as many optics, and the pin connector is different, with fewer pins. These sticks are 8-way only. Turquoise ones most likely come from Bubbles, however, some early Joust games shipped with Turquoise and Yellow optical sticks.

The Midway and Happ 49-ways are ''very'' similar, in fact the Happ is just the Midway stick with a minor re-design. (Happ bought the rights to a lot of Midway's parts business several years ago.) The Midway sticks have a smaller diameter shaft, and the centering grommet has a correspondingly smaller hole. Both have a black bat top handle. Replacement handles are available in a variety of colors (Happ variety only) at [www.groovygamegear.com].

==Analog Joysticks==

Analog joysticks are not bound by the limits digital joysticks face. Digital joysticks can only point in 8 (or fewer; see above) directions, or no direction at all (centered). Analog joysticks can point in (theoretically) an unlimited number of directions. Furthermore, Analog joystics can discern how far the handle has been pushed from the center position. Games take advantage of these properties to give the player a much greater level of control over their on-screen character. For example, the bird in [http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?letter=&game_id=9338 Road Runner] can run in more than just the 8 standard directions, and how far the player pushes the joystick from center determines how fast the Road Runner runs.

Most analog sticks use a pair of potentiometers, one to measure left-to-right movement (the X-axis), and one to measure forward-and-back movement (the Y-axis). A few games, however, used a "Hall Effect" stick. Hall effect sticks use Hall sensors and magnets to read the postion of the stick. The end result is the same, though- both types report to the game which direction and how far the stick is being pressed.

While the actual resolution of an analog joystick may be theoretically unlimited, the standard for analog joysticks connected to a PC is 256x256. Compare this to the 7x7 resolution of a 49-way joystick, or the 3x3 resolution of a standard 8-way joystick. This explains why it is difficult to play games that originally used analog controls with a standard 8-way stick; the stick simply can't control the on-screen character the way it was intended to be controlled. A 49-way stick is sufficient for ''some'' games that originally used analog controls, but not all of them. Road Runner, for example, can be adequately controlled with a 49-way joystick, as that stick would give the bird 24 directions to run in, and four speeds (including stopped)- which ought to be enough to outwit that dumb coyote. [http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?letter=&game_id=9773 Star Wars], on the other hand, cannot be played well with a 49-way, as that stick will only aim the X-Wing's blasters at 49 equally spaced spots on the screen, leaving Tie Fighters that are in-between those spots un-shootable. (Star Wars actually used an analog [[Flight Yoke]], rather than an analog joystick, but these controls are electrically identical, and actually interchangeable as far as the game is concerned.)

Games that used analog joysticks include:

{|
|
*Afterburner
*CyberSled ''(2 analog sticks per player; two players = 4 sticks)''
*Food Fight
*Jurrasic Park
*Maneater
*Pursuit
*Quarterback
*Rail Chase
*Red Baron
*Solar Assault
*Space Harrier
*Star Wars Trilogy
|
*Steel Talons
*T-Mek
*Tail Gunner
*Tail Gunner II
*Thunderblade
*World Series Baseball

*Escape From The Planet Of The Robot Monsters ''(Hall-Effect)''
*I, Robot ''(Hall-Effect)''
*Road Runner ''(Hall-Effect)''
|
*Apache 3 ''(yoke)''
*Hydra ''(yoke)''
*Lock-On ''(yoke)''
*Star Wars ''(yoke)''
*Stun Runner ''(yoke)''
*The Empire Strikes Back ''(yoke)''
*The Return Of The Jedi ''(yoke)''
*Turbo-Sub ''(yoke)''
|}

==Rotary Joysticks==

There are two types of rotary joysticks that often get confused: Mechanical rotary sticks, and Optical rotary sticks. Either can be interfaced with a PC.

Mechanical rotary sticks are the type that most people remember from games like Ikari Warriors. They have a 12-position rotary switch attached to the bottom of the joystick, which is turned by rotating the handle. Each turn of the handle is accompanied by a clicking sound, and distinct tactile feedback that lets the player know that a turn has been registered.

The SNK games used a stick called the LS-30, with yellow octagonal tops. The Data East games used the same sticks, but with a yellow barrel shaped top. Wico used to make a rotary stick, with a yellow balltop These were basically standard Wico leaf sticks, with the rotary switch added to the bottom. Happ still sells a mechanical rotary stick, which is basically a Happ Super with a rotary switch added to the bottom. Fl0yd at BYOAC figured out how to attach the rotary parts from a Happ rotary to the bottom of a Happ 49-way joystick, and still sells the kits to modify your own Happ 49-way.

Optical rotary sticks have an optical encoder wheel, similar to a spinner, instead. Caliber .50 used a stick called the Loop-24, with green octagonal tops.

Most games that used rotary joysticks used the rotary function to determine which direction the on-screen character was aiming. This allowed the player to shoot in a different direction from the direction of motion, all with one hand.

===Mechanical Rotary joystick games (LS-30, Happ Mechanical Rotary sticks)===
*Battle Field
*Top Gunner (bootleg)
*World Wars
*Ikari Warriors
*Victory Road
*Heavy Barrel
*Gondomania
*Bermuda Triangle
*Time Soldiers
*Guerilla War
*SAR - Search And Rescue
*Downtown
*Victory Road
*Midnight Resistance
*Ikari III - The Rescue
*Exterminator (unknown whether this used mechanical or optical rotary sticks)
*TNK III
*Battle Field (Japanese verion of Time Soldiers)
*Dogosoken (Japanese version of Victory Road)
*Makyou Senshi (Japanese version of Gondomania)
*Guevara (Japanese version of Guerrilla War)

===Optical Rotary games (Loop-24 or Happ Optical rotary sticks)===
*Caliber .50
*Touchdown Fever
*Touchdown Fever II

===Other "Rotary" games===
These games did ''not'' use rotary joysticks,
but are sometimes confused with rotary games.

*Frontline (Taito Aim-n-Fire)
*The Tin Star (Taito Aim-n-Fire)
*Wild Western (Taito Aim-n-Fire)
*Sherrif (rotary switch)
*Bandido (rotary switch, clone of Sherrif)
*Xybots (Twist-to-Turn)
*720 (Optical 720 spinner/joy hybrid)

==Mounting Joysticks==

==European vs US vs Japanese Joysticks==

Common US joysticks include those produced by:

*Happ
*Wico
*Atari
*Midway

[Most of the Happ 8/4-way joysticks (including the Supers and Competitions) are actually manufactured by a Spanish company ([http://www.industrias-lorenzo.com Industrias-Lorenzo]) and are therefore technically European joysticks, while most of the Happ analog joysticks are based on Atari designs.]

Common European joysticks include those produced by:

*Suzo
*Industrias-Lorenzo

Common Japanese joysticks include those produced by:

*Sanwa
*Semitsu

==Games with Dual Joysticks==
List (not complete) of games that uses dual sticks.

*[http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?game_id=10319 Vindicators]
*[http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?game_id=10167 Total Carnage]
*[http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?game_id=9591 Smash TV]
*[http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?game_id=7426 Crazy Climber]
*[http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?game_id=7427 Crazy Climber 2]
*[http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?game_id=8279 Karate Champ]
*[http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?game_id=8280 Karate Champ Player Vs Player]
*[http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?game_id=8358 Krull]
*[http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?game_id=9299 Rescue]
*[http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?game_id=8700 Minefield]
*[http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?game_id=11015 Complex X]
*[http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?game_id=9300 Rescue Raider]
*[http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?game_id=8456 Lost Tomb]
*[http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?game_id=6934 Assault]
*[http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?game_id=7139 Black Widow]
*[http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?game_id=9451 Screw Loose]
*[http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?game_id=9347 Robotron: 2084]
*[http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?game_id=9648 Space Dungeon]
*[http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?game_id=7059 Battlezone]
*[http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?game_id=7813 Fire Trap]
*[http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?game_id=7353 Cloak & Dagger]
*[http://www.arcade-history.com/?n=star-guards&page=detail&id=2617 Star Guards]
*[http://www.arcade-history.com/?n=water-match&page=detail&id=3148 Water Match]

==Discontinued Joysticks and Reproductions==
[[LS-30_Switch_Service | LS-30 Rotary Switch disassembly and service]]<br>
[http://www.mikesarcade.com/arcade/njoysticks.html Nintendo joystick guide (Mike's Arcade)]<br>
[[Joystick_Database | Table with assorted stick info (wip)]]

==See Also==
* [[Controls]]

[[Category:Controls]]
[[Category:Index]]

Glossary

2009-01-13T23:18:37Z

DelugeIA: /* C */

{{TOCabc}}
==A==
*'''[[Analog]]''', Analog data is data considered to be continuously variable -- that is, data that is not simply on or off (see ''digital''). Temperature is a good example of analog data.
*'''[[FYI:_Arcade_Authenticity|Arcade Authenticity]]''', A measure of how accurately a game visually compares to it's original arcade version (i.e. the original game PCB playing on the arcade monitor it was intended to).

==B==
*'''Bemani''', synonymous with the rythm and dance game genre. Originally from ''Be''at''Mani''a - the first rythm game in the genre.
*'''[[Bezel]]''', A shroud surrounding the monitor of an arcade cabinet so as to frame the monitor and hide the inner workings of the arcade cabinet.
*'''Bucking magnet''', A magnet that is glued to the back of a speaker magnet to counteract the magnetic field the speaker produces. Normally used to allow placement of speakers close to monitors without the speaker's magnetic field distorting the monitor's picture.
*'''BYOAC''' short for "Build Your Own Arcade Controls". Also the name of the [http://arcadecontrols.com/ website] and [http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/ community] that spawned this Wiki.
*'''BYOACer''' a member of the Build Your Own Arcade Controls community.
*'''Breakout Cable''' A VGA Cable that you can make or purchase to hook up you Regular VGA/SVGA Pc Video Card to an Arcade Monitor. You also need to use a special software to drive your Video card to the level of the Arcade Monitor. In the FREE Section, there is a small diagram of how to make this [http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=38228.0 Breakout Cables] (4th post down).

==C==
* '''Cab''' Short for "Arcade ''cab''inet".
* '''[[Cabinet friendly software|Cabfriendly software]]''' Software that is easily operated on an arcade cabinet.
* '''Cap-kit''', [[Capacitor Kit]] - The capacitors (electronic components) on monitor circuit boards tend to go bad after a while, causing color and picture distortion. Replacing the capacitors (and other related electronic components) will often fix such problems. The collection of capacitors and other components that are needed to repair the monitor are referred to as a "cap-kit."
* '''CMYK''' CMYK is a color description scheme used in printing, and stands for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and blacK. Mixing various amounts of these four colors produces the other colors needed in the printing process.
* '''Cockpit cabinet''' An arcade cabinet that is enclosed. The player sits inside the cabinet to play the game.
* '''Cocktail cabinet''' An arcade machine that is shaped like a small table. Players sit at the table and play the game looking down on the monitor. The monitor is oriented so that it is facing upwards.
* '''[[Coin Doors|Coin door]]''' A metal door on an arcade cabinet where players insert money or tokens to be able to play the game.
* '''COM''' Common - a connector on a microswitch that is always used, regardless of whether the other connector used is NC or NO.
* '''Control panel''' The panel of wood or metal on an arcade cabinet or desktop arcade controller that is the home for the pushbuttons, joysticks, and other arcade controls used by the arcade machine.
* '''Console''' can have different meanings dependant of the context it is used in:
:#short for "Game console" (see glossary [[#G|G: Game console]])
:#The keyboard/screen combination from which a (remote) computer is operated
:#The commandline interface to directly issue basic commands to the computer's operating system (example: The DOS version of MAME is lauched from a DOS-console).
* '''CP''' Short for "[[Control panel]]"
* '''CPO''' Acronym for "Control Panel Overlay." A CPO is a piece of vinyl or similar material originally used to cover the metal or wood control panel, display control instructions and branded game art.
* '''CRT''' Cathode Ray Tube - a type of monitor with a glass tube. You are probably most familiar with a CRT monitor in the form of older televisions and computer monitors (non-LCD based).

==D==
*'''DDR''' Dance Dance Revolution. A series of dance arcade games made by Konami. The series is named ''Dancing Stage'' in Europe, however many Europeans refer to the games by the DDR name.
*'''Degaussing''' The process of demagnetizing (removing the magnetic field) of a monitor that can build up over time or occur from external sources, to remove the color or picture distortion caused by the field.
*'''Desktop arcade controller''' A box that holds arcade controls use to play video games. The box is usually somewhere around 3 feet in width and 1.5 feet deep, and is designed to sit on a desktop when played. Unlike a full arcade cabinet, a desktop arcade controller only holds the arcade controls and internal electronics. No monitors, speakers, or computer are part of a desktop arcade controller. Some people have designed a complete "arcade-in-a-box" that goes beyond this definition, including the computer inside the controller, but this is rare.
*'''Digital''' Digital data is data that is either on or off, one or zero, high or low. A pushbutton is a good example of data that is represented digitally. The button is either pressed, or not pressed. The amount that the pushbutton is pressed is not measured. A pushbutton that is pressed half-way down is still considered to be "off" until it makes final contact with the microswitch beneath it, at which point it is considered "on." Compare to ''Analog''.
*'''Diode''' A diode is a device that in simplest terms only allows electricity to flow in one direction. A diode has two ends: a cathode (-) and an anode (+). Current can only flow from the anode to the cathode, but not the other direction. [[Electronic_Components#Diodes| Diodes]] are sometimes used in [[keyboard_Hacks|keyboard hacks]].
*'''DIY''' Do It Yourself.
*'''DPI''' Dots Per Inch. Printing term used to describe the resolution of an image. For digital files, it may be better to think of DPI as pixels per inch.

==E==
*'''Emulator''' A piece of software designed to make one computer act as another computer or arcade hardware. See also [[Emulators]].
*'''Encoder''' An electronic component, usually a microchip, that takes analog or digital signals from a device and encodes it in a format that the computer is able to understand. See [[encoders]].
==F==
*'''Front End''' Software GUI used to launch game roms in one or more emulators
==G==
*'''Game console''' A video game system designed for home play with a TV (or occasionally a computer monitor). Systems such as the Nintendo 64 and Sony Playstation are game consoles.
*'''Game console controller''' The unit that plugs into a game console to control the game play. These are usually handheld pads with an analog mini-joystick that controls direction, a digital flat control wheel that serves the same function, and pushbuttons.
*'''Ground Wire''' The Ground Wire will carry electricity from the Encoder to each Microswitch. People usually use black wire for the Ground Wire.
*'''GUI''' Acronym for "Graphic User Interface". A front end is an example of a GUI for MAME. The basic MAME is without a GUI, MAME32 is a version with a GUI.

==H==
*'''Hack''' As used here, modifying a device to use it in a way that is different than originally intended. For instance, using the electronics of a mouse to connect an arcade trackball.
*'''High resolution''' A monitor with a refresh rate of 31.5kHz.
*'''Hot Wire''' A wire that carries electricity from a Microswitch to an Encoder. In our case, this usually only occurs when the button for the Microswitch is pressed.

==I==
*'''Isolation transformer''' A transformer that sits between the building electrical outlet and the monitor, isolating the monitor from the building electrical system.
==J==
*'''JAMMA''' - '''Japanese Amusement Machine Manufacturers' Association'''
A trade association based in Japan; it also the namesake of a trade show hosted in Japan; additionally, JAMMA is a wiring standard for arcade machines that allows for interchangability of video game PCBs without having to re-wire the arcade machine.
*'''Joystick''' Any of a large variety of devices used to control arcade machines. The joystick has a shaft that extends above the control panel that is manipulated by the player, activating switches (microswitch or leaf switch) at the base of the joystick beneath the control panel, thereby controlling game play.
==K==
*'''Keyboard blocking''' A technique used by keyboard manufacturers to prevent ''ghosting'' problems. After a certain number of keys are pressed at the same time, further keypresses are blocked.
*'''Keyboard Encoder''' - A device used to interpret signals from arcade buttons and joysticks into standard keystroke signals. See [[encoders]].
*'''Keyboard ghosting''' A problem that occurs in older keyboards that do not feature keyboard blocking in which phantom keystrokes are generated when too many keys are pressed at the same time. For instance, pressing "A" and "C" and "E" at the same time may generate a fourth phantom "T" keystroke.
*'''Keyboard matrix''' The grid in which a keyboard encoder maps keystrokes. The grid corresponds to the physical electronic traces on the keyboard circuit. A keyboard encoder that has a total of 20 keyboard traces can be arranged in a 10 x 10 matrix, allowing 100 total keystrokes. It can also be arranged in a 12 x 8 matrix, allowing 96 total keystrokes, or any other combination. The manner and method in which a keyboard matrix is designed varies from manufacturer to manufacturer.
*'''Kill switch''' A switch that is designed to turn off a circuit when the button is released. Usually used as a precaution on the back door of arcade machines. When the back door is opened, the button is released, killing the power inside the arcade cabinet.
*'''KLOV''' The [http://www.klov.com Killer List of Video Games website].

==L==
*'''LCD Screen''' - '''L'''iquid '''C'''rystal '''D'''isplay. Some front ends support small LCDs, typically connected to one of the computer's serial ports, to display the name of the game that is currently running.
*'''[[pushbuttons#Leafswitch Pushbuttons|Leaf Switch]]''' - A switch type commonly used on older buttons and joysticks. It consisted of two metal contacts, that when united, completed a circuit.
*'''Leafs''' - Short form for ''leaf switch''
*'''Lexan''' An acrylic plastic used to protect control panels and occasionally as a protective barrier in front of a monitor, available in both clear and smoked varieties. See ''Plexiglas''.
*'''[[Light gun]]''' An amusement gun with optical electronics. The spot that is aimed at is determined optically by the gun electronics. Contrast with ''positional guns''.
*'''Low resolution''' A monitor with a refresh rate of 15.75 kHz. Usually referred to as standard resolution.

==M==
*'''MAME''' Acronym for "Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator". See also [[Arcade_Emulators#MAME|Arcade emulators]].
*'''Mame32''' Windows version of MAME with built in GUI
*'''Marquee''' Usually located at the top of an arcade machine, this is normally a back-lit colorful sign displaying the name of the video game. Marquees are designed to draw attention to the game.
*'''Medium resolution''' A monitor with a refresh rate of 25 kHz.
*'''[[pushbuttons#Microswitch Pushbuttons|Microswitch]]''' A switch with three contacts, two of which are used at any one time. When the small button at the top of the switch is pressed (or released), a circuit is completed between the two contacts in use, activating the button. The three contacts are NC, NO, and COM. NO and COM are primarily used in arcade machine applications.
*'''Multimeter''' A multimeter is an electronic measuring instrument that combines several functions in one unit. The most basic instruments include an ammeter, voltmeter, and ohmmeter. See the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multimeter Multimeter Wikipedia entry]

==N==
*'''NC''' Normally Closed - a connector on a microswitch used when a button is considered idle when it is pressed, and activated when it is not pressed. A kill-switch that disables an arcade machine when the back door is opened, releasing the pressure on the switch, is an example of a situation in which you would want to use the NC connector instead of the NO connector.
*'''NO''' Normally Open - a connector on a microswitch used when a button is considered idle when it is not pressed.
*'''NOS''' Acronym for "New Old-Stock." This term is most commonly used to describe original, unused vintage items for sale or auction. Many times unused stock may be found stored away untouched for years. NOS items are not reproductions, they were manufactured by the original manufacturer and should be close to perfect condition.
*'''NTSC''' A television standard mainly used in the US and Japan. It uses 525 lines and 60-fields (interlaced) per second giving 30fps. NTSC stands for National Television System Committee who set the TV standards in the US. It has a some colour issues which were corrected when PAL was developed, and TV engineers will refer to NTSC as "Never Twice the Same Colour".

==O==
*'''OEM''' Acronym for "Original Equipment Manufacturer." An OEM was the originator of a specific part. Parts from an OEM should be more accurate than reproduction parts made for the aftermarket. Reproduction parts are usually not considered 100% fully interchangeable with parts from the OEM.
*'''Optical encoder''' The encoder that is the heart of a mouse or other optical device. It takes the data from the detector and sends the information to the computer.
==P==
*'''PAL''' A television standard widely used in Europe and Australia. PAL is based on the US NTSC standard, but unlike NTSC (used in the US and Japan) it uses 625 lines and 50-fields (interlaced) per second giving 25fps. Also, PAL stands for Phase Alternate Line, because the phase of the color carrier is alternated from line to line. This alternation helps cancel out phase errors, and gives a superior colour reproduction compared to NTSC ('hue' control is not needed on a PAL TV set) even though both are composite colour signals.
*'''PCB''' Printed Circuit Board - the circuit boards at the heart of an arcade machine.
*'''Plexiglas''' An acrylic plastic used to protect control panels and occasionally as a protective barrier in front of a monitor, available in both clear and smoked varieties. Plexiglas is a brand name that is often used as a generic term. Lexan is another brand of acrylic plastic that is often used.
*'''Positional gun''' An amusement gun with analog electronics, whose aim is determined by the position of two potentiometers (pots) at the base of the gun. As the gun is aimed, the potentiometers are moved, translating into horizontal and vertical positioning of the gun's aim.
*'''POT''' Short for potentiometer, a variable resistor whose resistance changes as a shaft is turned. A volume knob is an example of a potentiometer.
*'''Port''' A port can be either a connection on a computer circuit board or a remake of a game/application on another system than the first release. For example the arcade game Pac-Man was ported from the Arcade to various home computer systems.

==Q==
*'''Quick disconnects''' Small connectors used as method to connect wires to microswitches without the need to solder the wire directly to the microswitch. Usually abbreviated as QDs or MQDs (male quick disconnects) and FQDs (female quick disconnects).

==R==
*'''Raster graphics''' A raster-based graphic, such as a JPEG file, is composed of tiny dots, or pixels. Contrast it with ''vector graphics''.
*'''Raster monitor''' A monitor that draws images on screen as a series of dots. Contrast it with ''vector monitor''.
*'''Refresh rate''' The rate at which a monitor re-draws the images on the screen, broken into horizontal refresh rates and vertical refresh rates. Phosphors on the screen begin to lose their charge quickly and have to be refreshed to keep the image on the screen.
*'''Resolution''' The size of the screen display on a monitor. Most PC users will be familiar with 640x480, 800x600, and 1024x768 resolutions, although many other resolutions are possible. Arcade machine typically used much lower resolutions.
*'''Restrictor plate''' A metal plate that fits over a joystick, restricting its movement so that an eight-way joystick functions like a four-way joystick.
*'''RGB''' RGB is a color description scheme used for monitors and sometimes in printing, and stands for Red, Green, and Blue. Mixing various amounts of these three colors produces the other colors needed. Contrast with ''CMYK''.
*'''RGVAC''' Acronym for the usenet newsgroup [http://groups.google.com/group/rec.games.video.arcade.collecting?hl=en rec.games.video.arcade.collecting]. This is a newsgroup for arcade collectors and those interested in restoring arcade cabinets to their original form. Regulars to the newsgroup aren't too fond of people that convert rarer arcade cabinets into ermulator cabinets.
*'''ROM''' Acronym for "Read Only Memory". ROMs contain program code, graphics and sound data that is used by the arcade hardware to run the games. Think of it as a CD on a chip. Many emulators require ROM image files to work. See Also [[ROMs]].

==S==
*'''SCART''' A connector found primarily on European televisions providing stereo sound and video inputs.
*'''Spinner''' An optical device used to control on-screen movement along a single axis, usually the X axis. As the spinner is turned the on-screen cursor (or arcade game image) is moved correspondingly.
*'''Standard resolution''' A monitor with a refresh rate of 15.75 kHz.
==T==
*'''[[T-Molding]]''' A plastic strip placed around the edges of an arcade cabinet for protective and decorative purposes. The strip is shaped like a T, with the long part of the T fitting in a groove in the edges of the cabinet.
*'''Trackball''' An optical device used to control on-screen movement along the X and Y axes. As the ball is rolled the on-screen cursor (or arcade game image) is moved correspondingly.
*'''Trigger-grip joystick''' A joystick that has a fire button in the shaft.

==U==
*'''Upright cabinet''' An arcade machine that stands approximately six feet tall with the monitor facing the players while the player stands at the machine.
==V==
*'''Vector graphics''' A vector-based graphic is composed of a series of mathematically described lines that form shapes.
*'''Vector monitor''' A monitor that draws images on screen as a series of lines.
*'''VOM''' Acronym for Volt-Ohm-Milliemmeter. See multimeter entry.
==W==
'''Wrapper''' additional applications that allow certain emulators to work properly with a frontend or arcade setup.

==X==
''-No entries yet-''
==Y==
*'''YMMV''' Acronym for "Your Mileage May Vary," an idiom meaning: "if you attempt this procedure, your results may differ from my results." Common to message boards.
*'''Yoke''' Two meanings:
:# A flight yoke used to control flying games.
:# Part of a monitor's electronics resting behind the picture tube.

==Z==
''-No entries yet-''
==0..9==
*'''2-way joystick''' A joystick that only moves in 2 directions, left-right or up-down. Very few games used a 2-way joystick. [http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?letter=S&game_id=9662 Space Invaders (KLOV link)] is one such game.
*'''4-way joystick''' A joystick that moves in 4 directions, normally up-down-left-right. Some games, such as [http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?letter=Q&game_id=9182 Qbert (KLOV entry)], used a 4-way joystick rotated 45 degrees such that they movement was to the diagonals instead of straight up/down/left/right. Playing a 4-way based game with an 8-way joystick can be extremely frustrating.
*'''8-way joystick''' A joystick that moves in the 4 cardinal directions (up-down-left-right) and the diagonals as well. Playing an 8-way based game with a 4-way joystick can be extremely frustrating.
*'''49-way joystick''' A joystick that has 3 possible positions in each cardinal direction, plus a center position, allowing for a total of 49-different possible positions (7 on the X axis, 7 on the Y axis, 7*7=49).

[[Category:Index]]