BYOAC OLD Wiki - User contributions [en]

Joysticks

2007-03-18T20:11:10Z

Kremmit: /* Rotary Joysticks */

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/reviews/joysticks/happultimate.html 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.]]

==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://retroblast.com/reviews/Ultimarc_Ultrastick_0925006-01.html 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 additon, 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.

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 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]

Common European joysticks include those produced by:

*Suzo

Common Japanese joysticks include those produced by:

*Sanwa
*Semitsu

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

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

MAME

2007-03-12T19:43:48Z

Kremmit: /* Dedicated cabinet info */

{{WorkInProgress|talk:Arcade Emulators}}

<gallery>
Image:MAME_Logo.jpg|MAME Logo
Image:MAME32.jpg|MAME32 Frontend
</gallery>

* '''OS: ''' Windows, Linux and others
* '''Cost: ''' Open Source
* '''Re-mappable keys: ''' Yes
* '''Monitor orientation(s): ''' Depend of game
* '''Emulated System(s):''' [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MAME MAMETM]
* '''Unique games emulated:''' 3000+
* '''Homepage: [http://www.mame.net''' Mame]
* '''Additional Requirements:''' [[Game Roms]]

 

==What is MAME?==
('''M'''ultiple '''A'''rcade '''M'''achine '''E'''mulator) is one of (if not the) most widely used videogame emulators. Currently, it supports over six thousand different arcade games. Standard versions of MAME can be found an [http://www.mame.net MAME.net], intermediate versions and development notes are at [http://www.mamedev.org MAMEDev.org].

Since MAME is an open source project, many people have created modified versions with various extra tweaks and features. You can find some versions on it own page ([[Mame Modified Versions]]).

==Dedicated cabinet info==
MAME is the main reason, you create your own arcade controls and put MAME into your cabinet.

The default MAME keys to wire your controls to can be found at: http://www.mameworld.net/easyemu/mameguide/mamecontrol.htm

==How do I set it up?==

==Support Files==
MAME or its modified versions support extra files form of cheats, hiscore saving and more.

* '''CHEAT'''
Cheat.dat is useful for both players and developers. Cheating allows players to get past difficult situations and it let's developers test games without having to be good at all the games.

'''Homepage:''' http://cheat.retrogames.com/

 

* '''HIGH SCORE'''
Hiscore.dat is a complimentary file to help Mame in saving high scores. Most Mame games save their high scores by default, but over 2500 games do not save their high scores.

The Hiscore.dat file tells Mame some additional information and how to read and store the high scores using the /hi directory instead of /nvram.

'''Homepage:''' http://www.mameworld.net/highscore/

 

* '''COMMANDS'''
[[Image:command.png|right|thumb|Command.dat screenshot]]
Commands can be shown either in game or in a front end. Commands allow users to view, among other things, the individual command lists for games. This is especially useful for Fighting Games, but can also show users what individual buttons (and combinations) do without having to press them all. The screenshot is from within MAME Plus!

'''Homepage:''' http://home.comcast.net/~plotor/command.html

''Note: Command.dat isn't supported by the official MAME build - a [[Mame_Modified_Versions | Modified Version of MAME]] is required. Alternatively [[Other Software|Johnny 5]] can read command.dat files''

 

==See Also==
[http://www.mameworld.net/maws/ MAWS]: Pesents a searchable index of the over 3000 original games (not including clones) that MAME emulates.

[http://nonmame.retrogames.com/ NonMAME] Maintains a list of games not emulated in MAME that are emulated by other projects.

[http://unmamed.mame.net/ unMAMEd] Maintains a list of games that have not been emulated in MAME - including many games that are actively being sought out so that their ROMs can be dumped.

[[Category:Software]]

Driving Controls

2006-07-17T22:53:55Z

Kremmit: added Star Fire to yoke game list

In the real world, you can't drive a car or steer a bike with a joystick and buttons, and the same holds true for some of the best games ever made. Games that put the player in the driver's seat of a racecar or spaceship, or riding a motorcycle or bicycle. These games need specialized controls, like steering wheels, pedals, shifters, and handlebars. If you feel the need for speed, you'll likely also need some of the following:

{{Cleanup}}

== Steering Wheels ==
While steering wheels come in all shapes and sizes, there are two basic types once you get under the control panel: Optical and Analog.

''Optical (360 degree wheels)''

Optical wheels spin freely, all the way around, as many turns as you like. (With one notable exception, that is- see "Roadblasters" below.) The electronics consist of an optical encoder wheel, that spins through two infrared emitter/receiver pairs. If that sounds like the description of a spinner, that's becausen optical wheel really ''is'' a spinner with a big steering wheel in place of the knob. These connect through the same hardware as a spinner, too- a Mouse Hack, Opti-Pac, Opti-Wiz, or similar.

Games that used Optical wheels include:

#Pole Position
#Championship Sprint
#Ivan Stewart's Super Off-Road
#Roadblasters
# and many more..

Roadblasters is an interesting exception to the rule. Roadblasters used a unique optical controller, that was limited to 270 degrees of travel. The Roadblasters controller can be interfaced the same as any other optical wheel, but cannot be used to play any other optical wheel games, because of the limited travel. (The Roadblasters controller also pops up in discussion of Flight Yokes, see below.)

''Analog (270 degree wheels)''

Analog wheels do not turn freely throughout the full 360 degrees of the circle. Analog wheels have a limited range of motion- typically described as 270 degrees, though in reality, the acutal number of degrees varies from controller to controller. The shape of the these controllers varies as well- since the control doesn't spin all the way around, there's no need for it to be a circular wheel. Likewise, since the control doesn't spin, wires can be run into the controller without fear of twisting and breakage- and the arcade manufacturers took advantage of this by adding buttons, triggers and the like to these controllers. The electronics are a simple potentiometer (plus switches for any buttons or triggers). Like other potentiometer-based devices (see Analog Joysticks), Analog wheels interface through a DualStrike hack, AKI, A-Pac, or other similar device.

Games that used Analog wheels include:

#Spy Hunter
#Out Run
#Power Drift
#Road Riot 4wd
#Hard Drivin'
#and many more...

== Flight Yokes ==

Some games gave the player more than just a steering wheel- they gave you a yoke. The primary example, of course, is Star Wars, though that's not the only one- see list below. The yoke consists of a set of handles that can be rotated forward and back, as well as turning right and left. Thumb buttons and triggers are also standard. The electronics consist of two potentiometers- one for the right-to-left (X-Axis) movement, and one for the foreward-and-back (Y-Axis) movement. As with other potentiometer-based controllers, these are interfaced through a Dual Strike hack, A-Pac, AKI or similar. Electronically, a yoke is identical to an analog joystick, and indeed, you can use a yoke to play analog joystick games, and vice-versa.

Games that used a yoke include:

*Star Wars
*The Empire Strikes Back
*Return of the Jedi
*Turbo Sub
*Hydra
*S.T.U.N. Runner
*Lock-On
*Apache 3
*Hyperdrive
*Star Fire

'''"Almost" Yokes'''

There are also quite a few controllers out there that look like yokes, or even work like yokes, but are for one reason or another, just not quite yokes.

*Starship One: This flight controller turns right to left, and pulls/pushes in/out, rather than the handles twisting back and forth. You could call it a yoke, but you probably wouldn't want to try aiming in Star Wars by pushing and pulling!

*Paperboy: These bike handlebars turn right to left, and also push forward and back. Again, you could call it a yoke, but it probably wouldn't play very well with true yoke games.

*Enduro Racer: These motorcycle handlebars turn right to left, and can also be pulled back, much the same as you'd do when popping a wheelie on a bicycle. It's got both X and Y axis control, but the Y axis would be awfully difficult to use in aiming X-Wing lasers.

*Roadblasters: This controller looks very much like a Star Wars yoke, to the point that early versions acutally had the same metal handgrips, thumb buttons and triggers. Two things keep Roadblasters from being a yoke: The handgrips don't move, so there's no Y-axis control; and the electronics are actually optical in nature, rather than potentiometer based. Determined users have converted these, but it requires considerable new parts, engineering, and metalwork.

*Road Riot 4WD: This controller looks like it might be a yoke at first glance, but the handles don't move, so there's no Y-axis control. This is really just a 270 degree analog steering controller.

*Spy Hunter: With handgrips sporting both triggers and thumb buttons on both sides, the Spy Hunter wheel could be a yoke, if only it had forward/back movement. It doesn't, though.

== Handlebars ==

Who ever saw a bicycle with a steering wheel? Well, OK, one kid at my school had one, but that was the exception that proves the rule. Motorcycle and bicyle games wouldn't be right without a set of handlebars. In general, handlebars are the same, electronically speaking, as Analog steering wheels. They use a potentiometer to measure left/right travel, and interface through an A-Pac, AKI, or Dual Strike Hack. Some handlebars include buttons, brake levers, twistable throttle grips, and even foreward-to-back motion (Paperboy and Enduro Racer).

Games that used handlebars include:

*Hang-On
*Super Hang-On
*Enduro Racer
*Paperboy
*Wild Riders
*and many more...

== Pedals ==

Gas, brake, and clutch- you can't drive a car without pedals. Some games used just one for gas, some add a brake, and a few used all three. There are two basic types of pedals:

''Analog''

Analog pedals use a potentiometer to determine how far the pedal is being pushed, and therefore can tell the game how much gas to use, or how hard to brake. Analog pedals interface through an AKI, A-Pac, or Dual Strike hack.

''Digital''

Digital pedals are simply "on" or "off". Games that used digital pedals cannot tell how much gas or brake you are using, it's all or nothing. Basically a button for the foot.

== Shifters ==

Some driving games, you just pushed down the pedal and went. Others looked for more realism, and added a high/low gear shifter. Other games took it further, with 3, 4, or more gears. Some shifters also included a "Turbo" button on the handle.

''Constant-press vs. Momentary-press''

Different shifters report their positon to the game differently. Some push a switch constantly for each gear, while others only close a switch momentarily. Many use a position where ''no'' switch is closed to indicate one of the gears, or neutral.

''How MAME handles shifter inputs''

MAME's handling of these different types of shifters is even more unpredictable. Some games use momentary switches, some use constant. Some games use the same method that the original controls used for that game; some do not. Some control schemes can be re-mapped to make use of a different shifter type, and some cannot.

''What's it mean to me?''

What this means, is that no one shifter will play every game in MAME. If you're planning on incorporating a shifter, you will need to do considerable research into the requirements of the games most important to you in order to determine the type of shifter you will need.

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

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

User talk:Kremmit

2006-03-22T05:39:18Z

Kremmit: Drew still eats it.

Is discussing my own user page just pure sillyness?

Really, I just wanted another chance to put "Drew still eats it" in the summary.

== Oh, hey, what's this little plus sign for? ==

Just pushing butons now to see what they do.

Oh, and Drew still eats it.

== Fixt ;-) ==
--[[User:Drewkaree|DrewKaree]] 13:27, 18 March 2006 (EST)

User talk:Kremmit

2006-03-22T05:38:39Z

Kremmit: Drew still eats it.

Is discussing my own user page just pure sillyness?

Really, I just wanted another chance to put "I have a small farm animal fetish" in the summary.

== Oh, hey, what's this little plus sign for? ==

Just pushing butons now to see what they do.

Oh, and Drew still eats it.

== Fixt ;-) ==
--[[User:Drewkaree|DrewKaree]] 13:27, 18 March 2006 (EST)

2006-03-18T07:07:14Z

Kremmit: Put it back again. Needs fixing, but will have to wait.

{| cellpadding="10" width="100%"
| style="width:50%" |
=='''The Basics'''==
A lot of people will look at an arcade cabinet and say "Hey, that looks easy- it's just a screen, some wood and some buttons.", but arcade cabinets aren't quite as simple as many people think. Here's a good place to start learning about the various ins and outs of arcade machines in general.
* [[Arcade Cabinet 101]]
* [[Basic guide to build a cabinet]]
* [[Desktop control panel|No space for a full cab? Try a desktop control panel]]
* [[Bemani or DDR arcade|The Bemani/Dance arcade experience]]
* [[Connecting a PC to an Arcade Cabinet|Connecting a PC to an Arcade Cabinet (an overview)]]
* [[JAMMA]]
* [[Restoration]]
* [[Vendors|Vendors/Kits/Parts/Artwork]]
* [[Glossary]]

=='''Building Materials'''==
If you're planing on building an arcade cabinet from scratch, these are some of the materials you might end up using for various elements of the cabinet.
* [[Wood products]]

* [[Plastics]]

* [[Finishes]]

=='''Tools'''==
Building your own arcade machine is no simple task and requires the correct tools as well as the knowledge of how to use each one correctly and safely. Hopefully you already own some of these tools and are well versed in their operation. If not, here's a few things you might want to add to your shopping list.
* [[Project Arcade|Project Arcade - The Book]]

* [[Hand Tools]]
** [[Safety Equipment|Safety Equipment]]

** [[Marking Tools|Marking Tools]]
** [[Measuring Devices|Measuring Devices]]
** [[Sandpaper/Sanding Blocks|Sandpaper/Sanding Blocks]]
** [[Clamps|Clamps]]

** [[Sawhorses/Stands|Sawhorses/Stands ]]
** [[Wire Strippers/Crimpers|Wire Strippers/Crimpers]]
** [[Hammer/Screwdriver|Hammer/Screwdriver]]
** [[Fasteners|Fasteners]]

* [[Power Tools]]

=='''Arcade Art'''==
Great games became classics with a little help from their captivating branding & design. Here you'll find articles on design, printing, and techniques that will add visual interest to your cabinet.
*[[Overview & Options to Consider]]
*[[Creating Your Own Art From Scratch]]
*[[Vector tracing]]
*[[Restoring & Recreating Artwork]]
*[[Applying CPOs]]
*[[Graphics software]]
*[[Raster versus Vector artwork]]
|

=='''Arcade Control Hardware'''==
Here's the reason most people enter this hobby; to play the games you love with actual arcade hardware, just as they were intended. There's a vast array of different controls out there...
* [[Joysticks]]

* [[Pushbuttons]]

* [[Trackballs]]
* [[Spinners]]
* [[Light Guns]]

* [[Driving Controls]]

=='''Interfacing Controls With Your PC'''==
Hooking up various arcade controls to a home PC can be a daunting task. Here are some of your options...
* [[Keyboard Hacks]]
* [[Encoders|Encoders]]
** [[Keyboard Encoders|Keyboard Encoders]]

** [[Gamepad Encoders|Gamepad Encoders]]

** [[Rotary Encoders|Rotary Encoders]]

** [[Optical Encoders|Optical (Mouse) Encoders]]

* [[USB Game Pad Hack]]
** [[Dual Strike Hack]]

=='''Video'''==
* [[Arcade Monitors]]
* [[PC Monitors]]
* [[Televisions]]

* [[Video Cards]]
** [[ArcadeVGA|ArcadeVGA Video Card ]]
** [[Custom display modes (Windows) - Powerstrip]]


=='''Software'''==
* [[Software Overview]]
** [[Emulators]]
*** [[Arcade Emulators]]
*** [[Console Emulators]]
*** [[Handheld Emulators]]
*** [[Home Computer Emulators]]
*** [[Other Emulation]]
** [[Simulators and remakes]]
** [[PC Games]]
** [[Front-Ends]]
*** [[Screens, Titles & Extras]]
** [[Jukebox Software]]
*** [[CD Ripping]]
** [[Other Software]]
*** [[Design applications]]
*** [[Other Software#Label Layout Software|Label Layout Software]]
*** [[Other Software#Utilities|Utilities]]
* [[DOS vs Windows]]
* [[Hiding Windows]]


=='''Miscellaneous'''==
* [[Electronic Components]]
* [[Lighting]]
** [[LED-Wiz|LED-Wiz]]
* [[Electrical Supplies]]
* [[Coin Doors]]
* [[Light Guns]]

2006-03-18T06:57:56Z

Kremmit: Changed USB Gamepad hack to include joysticks and non-USB

{| cellpadding="10" width="100%"
| style="width:50%" |
=='''The Basics'''==
A lot of people will look at an arcade cabinet and say "Hey, that looks easy- it's just a screen, some wood and some buttons.", but arcade cabinets aren't quite as simple as many people think. Here's a good place to start learning about the various ins and outs of arcade machines in general.
* [[Arcade Cabinet 101]]
* [[Basic guide to build a cabinet]]
* [[Desktop control panel|No space for a full cab? Try a desktop control panel]]
* [[Bemani or DDR arcade|The Bemani/Dance arcade experience]]
* [[Connecting a PC to an Arcade Cabinet|Connecting a PC to an Arcade Cabinet (an overview)]]
* [[JAMMA]]
* [[Restoration]]
* [[Vendors|Vendors/Kits/Parts/Artwork]]
* [[Glossary]]

=='''Building Materials'''==
If you're planing on building an arcade cabinet from scratch, these are some of the materials you might end up using for various elements of the cabinet.
* [[Wood products]]

* [[Plastics]]

* [[Finishes]]

=='''Tools'''==
Building your own arcade machine is no simple task and requires the correct tools as well as the knowledge of how to use each one correctly and safely. Hopefully you already own some of these tools and are well versed in their operation. If not, here's a few things you might want to add to your shopping list.
* [[Project Arcade|Project Arcade - The Book]]

* [[Hand Tools]]
** [[Safety Equipment|Safety Equipment]]

** [[Marking Tools|Marking Tools]]
** [[Measuring Devices|Measuring Devices]]
** [[Sandpaper/Sanding Blocks|Sandpaper/Sanding Blocks]]
** [[Clamps|Clamps]]

** [[Sawhorses/Stands|Sawhorses/Stands ]]
** [[Wire Strippers/Crimpers|Wire Strippers/Crimpers]]
** [[Hammer/Screwdriver|Hammer/Screwdriver]]
** [[Fasteners|Fasteners]]

* [[Power Tools]]

=='''Arcade Art'''==
Great games became classics with a little help from their captivating branding & design. Here you'll find articles on design, printing, and techniques that will add visual interest to your cabinet.
*[[Overview & Options to Consider]]
*[[Creating Your Own Art From Scratch]]
*[[Vector tracing]]
*[[Restoring & Recreating Artwork]]
*[[Applying CPOs]]
*[[Graphics software]]
*[[Raster versus Vector artwork]]
|

=='''Arcade Control Hardware'''==
Here's the reason most people enter this hobby; to play the games you love with actual arcade hardware, just as they were intended. There's a vast array of different controls out there...
* [[Joysticks]]

* [[Pushbuttons]]

* [[Trackballs]]
* [[Spinners]]
* [[Light Guns]]

* [[Driving Controls]]

=='''Interfacing Controls With Your PC'''==
Hooking up various arcade controls to a home PC can be a daunting task. Here are some of your options...
* [[Keyboard Hacks]]
* [[Encoders|Encoders]]
** [[Keyboard Encoders|Keyboard Encoders]]

** [[Gamepad Encoders|Gamepad Encoders]]

** [[Rotary Encoders|Rotary Encoders]]

** [[Optical Encoders|Optical (Mouse) Encoders]]

* [[PC Game Pad / PC Joystick Hack]]
** [[Dual Strike Hack]]

=='''Video'''==
* [[Arcade Monitors]]
* [[PC Monitors]]
* [[Televisions]]

* [[Video Cards]]
** [[ArcadeVGA|ArcadeVGA Video Card ]]
** [[Custom display modes (Windows) - Powerstrip]]


=='''Software'''==
* [[Software Overview]]
** [[Emulators]]
*** [[Arcade Emulators]]
*** [[Console Emulators]]
*** [[Handheld Emulators]]
*** [[Home Computer Emulators]]
*** [[Other Emulation]]
** [[Simulators and remakes]]
** [[PC Games]]
** [[Front-Ends]]
*** [[Screens, Titles & Extras]]
** [[Jukebox Software]]
*** [[CD Ripping]]
** [[Other Software]]
*** [[Design applications]]
*** [[Other Software#Label Layout Software|Label Layout Software]]
*** [[Other Software#Utilities|Utilities]]
* [[DOS vs Windows]]
* [[Hiding Windows]]


=='''Miscellaneous'''==
* [[Electronic Components]]
* [[Lighting]]
** [[LED-Wiz|LED-Wiz]]
* [[Electrical Supplies]]
* [[Coin Doors]]
* [[Light Guns]]

User talk:Kremmit

2006-03-18T06:54:03Z

Kremmit: Oh, hey, what's this little plus sign for?

Is discussing my own user page just pure sillyness?

Really, I just wanted another chance to put "Drew eats it" in the summary.

== Oh, hey, what's this little plus sign for? ==

Just pushing butons now to see what they do.

Oh, and Drew eats it.

User talk:Kremmit

2006-03-18T06:53:10Z

Kremmit: Drew eats it.

Is discussing my own user page just pure sillyness?

Really, I just wanted another chance to put "Drew eats it" in the summary.

User:Kremmit

2006-03-18T06:51:43Z

Kremmit: Drew Eats It.

What's this space for, anyway?

So far, I've filled in some of the joysticks page, started the spinners page and driving controls page.

And Drew eats it.

Talk:Contents

2006-03-18T06:49:27Z

Kremmit:

I think without video cards or onboard video, there wouldn't BE any video going to any of the other options. My feeling is that video cards/onboard video should come first, with the physical screen type they will be viewed on second.

I also like moving the ArcadeVGA to the video cards section

== Toned down the contents page ==

The contents page will get more topics as the Wiki expands. The keyboard encoder section for example eats up a lot of space and consists largely out of productcodes. As the Wiki gets bigger it is impossible to list all subsections of articles on the contents page. If a section would require mention on the contents page, the section should probably have its' own article then.
I removed those entries if people object, please discuss here first. Remember that we can put those back in at any time we wish. [[User:Felsir|Felsir]] 02:22, 8 March 2006 (EST)
:Instead of removing I commented them out ( < ! --- tags ). Makes it easier to revert. Anyway, if we decide to keep the page like this I will remove the commented parts. [[User:Felsir|Felsir]] 02:30, 8 March 2006 (EST)

== Toning down further? ==

Contents page still seems unwieldy to me. Maybe it's time to kill all the direct links to sub-secions, and instead have the primary sections link to their own contents page. A quick descriptive paragraph for primary section should still be included on the main Contents page. Anyone agree, disagree? Anyone else even reading the talk pages?
[[User:Kremmit|Kremmit]] 01:49, 18 March 2006 (EST)

Talk:Driving Controls

2006-03-18T06:42:37Z

Kremmit: signed, just how Felsir likes it! :)

Filled in this blank page today.

Lots of work still needed- images and links are all sorely lacking. Formatting will probably need to be brought in line with Wiki-Wide standards, once they emerge. Further discussion is needed on several topics- Shifters especially need attention from an expert on the troubles with MAME and shifters. PC alternatives to Arcade controllers are not discussed yet.
[[User:Kremmit|Kremmit]] 01:42, 18 March 2006 (EST)

Talk:Driving Controls

2006-03-18T06:41:32Z

Kremmit: What's done, what's not done yet

Driving Controls

2006-03-18T06:37:51Z

Kremmit: formatting

{{Cleanup}}

In the real world, you can't drive a car or steer a bike with a joystick and buttons, and the same holds true for some of the best games ever made. Games that put the player in the driver's seat of a racecar or spaceship, or riding a motorcycle or bicycle. These games need specialized controls, like steering wheels, pedals, shifters, and handlebars. If you feel the need for speed, you'll likely also need some of the following:

== Steering Wheels ==
While steering wheels come in all shapes and sizes, there are two basic types once you get under the control panel: Optical and Analog.

''Optical (360 degree wheels)''

Optical wheels spin freely, all the way around, as many turns as you like. (With one notable exception, that is- see "Roadblasters" below.) The electronics consist of an optical encoder wheel, that spins through two infrared emitter/receiver pairs. If that sounds like the description of a spinner, that's becausen optical wheel really ''is'' a spinner with a big steering wheel in place of the knob. These connect through the same hardware as a spinner, too- a Mouse Hack, Opti-Pac, Opti-Wiz, or similar.

Games that used Optical wheels include:

#Pole Position
#Championship Sprint
#Ivan Stewart's Super Off-Road
#Roadblasters
# and many more..

Roadblasters is an interesting exception to the rule. Roadblasters used a unique optical controller, that was limited to 270 degrees of travel. The Roadblasters controller can be interfaced the same as any other optical wheel, but cannot be used to play any other optical wheel games, because of the limited travel. (The Roadblasters controller also pops up in discussion of Flight Yokes, see below.)

''Analog (270 degree wheels)''

Analog wheels do not turn freely throughout the full 360 degrees of the circle. Analog wheels have a limited range of motion- typically described as 270 degrees, though in reality, the acutal number of degrees varies from controller to controller. The shape of the these controllers varies as well- since the control doesn't spin all the way around, there's no need for it to be a circular wheel. Likewise, since the control doesn't spin, wires can be run into the controller without fear of twisting and breakage- and the arcade manufacturers took advantage of this by adding buttons, triggers and the like to these controllers. The electronics are a simple potentiometer (plus switches for any buttons or triggers). Like other potentiometer-based devices (see Analog Joysticks), Analog wheels interface through a DualStrike hack, AKI, A-Pac, or other similar device.

Games that used Analog wheels include:

#Spy Hunter
#Out Run
#Power Drift
#Road Riot 4wd
#Hard Drivin'
#and many more...

== Flight Yokes ==

Some games gave the player more than just a steering wheel- they gave you a yoke. The primary example, of course, is Star Wars, though that's not the only one- see list below. The yoke consists of a set of handles that can be rotated forward and back, as well as turning right and left. Thumb buttons and triggers are also standard. The electronics consist of two potentiometers- one for the right-to-left (X-Axis) movement, and one for the foreward-and-back (Y-Axis) movement. As with other potentiometer-based controllers, these are interfaced through a Dual Strike hack, A-Pac, AKI or similar. Electronically, a yoke is identical to an analog joystick, and indeed, you can use a yoke to play analog joystick games, and vice-versa.

Games that used a yoke include:

*Star Wars
*The Empire Strikes Back
*Return of the Jedi
*Turbo Sub
*Hydra
*S.T.U.N. Runner
*Lock-On
*Apache 3
*Hyperdrive

'''"Almost" Yokes'''

There are also quite a few controllers out there that look like yokes, or even work like yokes, but are for one reason or another, just not quite yokes.

*Starship One: This flight controller turns right to left, and pulls/pushes in/out, rather than the handles twisting back and forth. You could call it a yoke, but you probably wouldn't want to try aiming in Star Wars by pushing and pulling!

*Paperboy: These bike handlebars turn right to left, and also push forward and back. Again, you could call it a yoke, but it probably wouldn't play very well with true yoke games.

*Enduro Racer: These motorcycle handlebars turn right to left, and can also be pulled back, much the same as you'd do when popping a wheelie on a bicycle. It's got both X and Y axis control, but the Y axis would be awfully difficult to use in aiming X-Wing lasers.

*Roadblasters: This controller looks very much like a Star Wars yoke, to the point that early versions acutally had the same metal handgrips, thumb buttons and triggers. Two things keep Roadblasters from being a yoke: The handgrips don't move, so there's no Y-axis control; and the electronics are actually optical in nature, rather than potentiometer based. Determined users have converted these, but it requires considerable new parts, engineering, and metalwork.

*Road Riot 4WD: This controller looks like it might be a yoke at first glance, but the handles don't move, so there's no Y-axis control. This is really just a 270 degree analog steering controller.

*Spy Hunter: With handgrips sporting both triggers and thumb buttons on both sides, the Spy Hunter wheel could be a yoke, if only it had forward/back movement. It doesn't, though.

== Handlebars ==

Who ever saw a bicycle with a steering wheel? Well, OK, one kid at my school had one, but that was the exception that proves the rule. Motorcycle and bicyle games wouldn't be right without a set of handlebars. In general, handlebars are the same, electronically speaking, as Analog steering wheels. They use a potentiometer to measure left/right travel, and interface through an A-Pac, AKI, or Dual Strike Hack. Some handlebars include buttons, brake levers, twistable throttle grips, and even foreward-to-back motion (Paperboy and Enduro Racer).

Games that used handlebars include:

*Hang-On
*Super Hang-On
*Enduro Racer
*Paperboy
*Wild Riders
*and many more...

== Pedals ==

Gas, brake, and clutch- you can't drive a car without pedals. Some games used just one for gas, some add a brake, and a few used all three. There are two basic types of pedals:

''Analog''

Analog pedals use a potentiometer to determine how far the pedal is being pushed, and therefore can tell the game how much gas to use, or how hard to brake. Analog pedals interface through an AKI, A-Pac, or Dual Strike hack.

''Digital''

Digital pedals are simply "on" or "off". Games that used digital pedals cannot tell how much gas or brake you are using, it's all or nothing. Basically a button for the foot.

== Shifters ==

Some driving games, you just pushed down the pedal and went. Others looked for more realism, and added a high/low gear shifter. Other games took it further, with 3, 4, or more gears. Some shifters also included a "Turbo" button on the handle.

''Constant-press vs. Momentary-press''

Different shifters report their positon to the game differently. Some push a switch constantly for each gear, while others only close a switch momentarily. Many use a position where ''no'' switch is closed to indicate one of the gears, or neutral.

''How MAME handles shifter inputs''

MAME's handling of these different types of shifters is even more unpredictable. Some games use momentary switches, some use constant. Some games use the same method that the original controls used for that game; some do not. Some control schemes can be re-mapped to make use of a different shifter type, and some cannot.

''What's it mean to me?''

What this means, is that no one shifter will play every game in MAME. If you're planning on incorporating a shifter, you will need to do considerable research into the requirements of the games most important to you in order to determine the type of shifter you will need.

Driving Controls

2006-03-18T06:37:25Z

Kremmit: very basic article; expansion needed from a shifter expert

{{Cleanup}}

In the real world, you can't drive a car or steer a bike with a joystick and buttons, and the same holds true for some of the best games ever made. Games that put the player in the driver's seat of a racecar or spaceship, or riding a motorcycle or bicycle. These games need specialized controls, like steering wheels, pedals, shifters, and handlebars. If you feel the need for speed, you'll likely also need some of the following:

== Steering Wheels ==
While steering wheels come in all shapes and sizes, there are two basic types once you get under the control panel: Optical and Analog.

''Optical (360 degree wheels)''

Optical wheels spin freely, all the way around, as many turns as you like. (With one notable exception, that is- see "Roadblasters" below.) The electronics consist of an optical encoder wheel, that spins through two infrared emitter/receiver pairs. If that sounds like the description of a spinner, that's becausen optical wheel really ''is'' a spinner with a big steering wheel in place of the knob. These connect through the same hardware as a spinner, too- a Mouse Hack, Opti-Pac, Opti-Wiz, or similar.

Games that used Optical wheels include:

#Pole Position
#Championship Sprint
#Ivan Stewart's Super Off-Road
#Roadblasters
# and many more..

Roadblasters is an interesting exception to the rule. Roadblasters used a unique optical controller, that was limited to 270 degrees of travel. The Roadblasters controller can be interfaced the same as any other optical wheel, but cannot be used to play any other optical wheel games, because of the limited travel. (The Roadblasters controller also pops up in discussion of Flight Yokes, see below.)

''Analog (270 degree wheels)''

Analog wheels do not turn freely throughout the full 360 degrees of the circle. Analog wheels have a limited range of motion- typically described as 270 degrees, though in reality, the acutal number of degrees varies from controller to controller. The shape of the these controllers varies as well- since the control doesn't spin all the way around, there's no need for it to be a circular wheel. Likewise, since the control doesn't spin, wires can be run into the controller without fear of twisting and breakage- and the arcade manufacturers took advantage of this by adding buttons, triggers and the like to these controllers. The electronics are a simple potentiometer (plus switches for any buttons or triggers). Like other potentiometer-based devices (see Analog Joysticks), Analog wheels interface through a DualStrike hack, AKI, A-Pac, or other similar device.

Games that used Analog wheels include:

#Spy Hunter
#Out Run
#Power Drift
#Road Riot 4wd
#Hard Drivin'
#and many more...

== Flight Yokes ==

Some games gave the player more than just a steering wheel- they gave you a yoke. The primary example, of course, is Star Wars, though that's not the only one- see list below. The yoke consists of a set of handles that can be rotated forward and back, as well as turning right and left. Thumb buttons and triggers are also standard. The electronics consist of two potentiometers- one for the right-to-left (X-Axis) movement, and one for the foreward-and-back (Y-Axis) movement. As with other potentiometer-based controllers, these are interfaced through a Dual Strike hack, A-Pac, AKI or similar. Electronically, a yoke is identical to an analog joystick, and indeed, you can use a yoke to play analog joystick games, and vice-versa.

Games that used a yoke include:

*Star Wars
*The Empire Strikes Back
*Return of the Jedi
*Turbo Sub
*Hydra
*S.T.U.N. Runner
*Lock-On
*Apache 3
*Hyperdrive

'''"Almost" Yokes'''

There are also quite a few controllers out there that look like yokes, or even work like yokes, but are for one reason or another, just not quite yokes.

*Starship One: This flight controller turns right to left, and pulls/pushes in/out, rather than the handles twisting back and forth. You could call it a yoke, but you probably wouldn't want to try aiming in Star Wars by pushing and pulling!

*Paperboy: These bike handlebars turn right to left, and also push forward and back. Again, you could call it a yoke, but it probably wouldn't play very well with true yoke games.

*Enduro Racer: These motorcycle handlebars turn right to left, and can also be pulled back, much the same as you'd do when popping a wheelie on a bicycle. It's got both X and Y axis control, but the Y axis would be awfully difficult to use in aiming X-Wing lasers.

*Roadblasters: This controller looks very much like a Star Wars yoke, to the point that early versions acutally had the same metal handgrips, thumb buttons and triggers. Two things keep Roadblasters from being a yoke: The handgrips don't move, so there's no Y-axis control; and the electronics are actually optical in nature, rather than potentiometer based. Determined users have converted these, but it requires considerable new parts, engineering, and metalwork.

*Road Riot 4WD: This controller looks like it might be a yoke at first glance, but the handles don't move, so there's no Y-axis control. This is really just a 270 degree analog steering controller.

*Spy Hunter: With handgrips sporting both triggers and thumb buttons on both sides, the Spy Hunter wheel could be a yoke, if only it had forward/back movement. It doesn't, though.

== Handlebars ==

Who ever saw a bicycle with a steering wheel? Well, OK, one kid at my school had one, but that was the exception that proves the rule. Motorcycle and bicyle games wouldn't be right without a set of handlebars. In general, handlebars are the same, electronically speaking, as Analog steering wheels. They use a potentiometer to measure left/right travel, and interface through an A-Pac, AKI, or Dual Strike Hack. Some handlebars include buttons, brake levers, twistable throttle grips, and even foreward-to-back motion (Paperboy and Enduro Racer).

Games that used handlebars include:

*Hang-On
*Super Hang-On
*Enduro Racer
*Paperboy
*Wild Riders
*and many more...

== Pedals ==

Gas, brake, and clutch- you can't drive a car without pedals. Some games used just one for gas, some add a brake, and a few used all three. There are two basic types of pedals:

''Analog''

Analog pedals use a potentiometer to determine how far the pedal is being pushed, and therefore can tell the game how much gas to use, or how hard to brake. Analog pedals interface through an AKI, A-Pac, or Dual Strike hack.

''Digital''

Digital pedals are simply "on" or "off". Games that used digital pedals cannot tell how much gas or brake you are using, it's all or nothing. Basically a button for the foot.

== Shifters ==

Some driving games, you just pushed down the pedal and went. Others looked for more realism, and added a high/low gear shifter. Other games took it further, with 3, 4, or more gears. Some shifters also included a "Turbo" button on the handle.

''Constant-press vs. Momentary-press''
Different shifters report their positon to the game differently. Some push a switch constantly for each gear, while others only close a switch momentarily. Many use a position where ''no'' switch is closed to indicate one of the gears, or neutral.

''How MAME handles shifter inputs''
MAME's handling of these different types of shifters is even more unpredictable. Some games use momentary switches, some use constant. Some games use the same method that the original controls used for that game; some do not. Some control schemes can be re-mapped to make use of a different shifter type, and some cannot.

''What's it mean to me?''
What this means, is that no one shifter will play every game in MAME. If you're planning on incorporating a shifter, you will need to do considerable research into the requirements of the games most important to you in order to determine the type of shifter you will need.

Driving Controls

2006-03-18T06:28:30Z

Kremmit: Basic article; but then how much can you say about pedals?

{{Cleanup}}

In the real world, you can't drive a car or steer a bike with a joystick and buttons, and the same holds true for some of the best games ever made. Games that put the player in the driver's seat of a racecar or spaceship, or riding a motorcycle or bicycle. These games need specialized controls, like steering wheels, pedals, shifters, and handlebars. If you feel the need for speed, you'll likely also need some of the following:

== Steering Wheels ==
While steering wheels come in all shapes and sizes, there are two basic types once you get under the control panel: Optical and Analog.

''Optical (360 degree wheels)''

Optical wheels spin freely, all the way around, as many turns as you like. (With one notable exception, that is- see "Roadblasters" below.) The electronics consist of an optical encoder wheel, that spins through two infrared emitter/receiver pairs. If that sounds like the description of a spinner, that's becausen optical wheel really ''is'' a spinner with a big steering wheel in place of the knob. These connect through the same hardware as a spinner, too- a Mouse Hack, Opti-Pac, Opti-Wiz, or similar.

Games that used Optical wheels include:

#Pole Position
#Championship Sprint
#Ivan Stewart's Super Off-Road
#Roadblasters
# and many more..

Roadblasters is an interesting exception to the rule. Roadblasters used a unique optical controller, that was limited to 270 degrees of travel. The Roadblasters controller can be interfaced the same as any other optical wheel, but cannot be used to play any other optical wheel games, because of the limited travel. (The Roadblasters controller also pops up in discussion of Flight Yokes, see below.)

''Analog (270 degree wheels)''

Analog wheels do not turn freely throughout the full 360 degrees of the circle. Analog wheels have a limited range of motion- typically described as 270 degrees, though in reality, the acutal number of degrees varies from controller to controller. The shape of the these controllers varies as well- since the control doesn't spin all the way around, there's no need for it to be a circular wheel. Likewise, since the control doesn't spin, wires can be run into the controller without fear of twisting and breakage- and the arcade manufacturers took advantage of this by adding buttons, triggers and the like to these controllers. The electronics are a simple potentiometer (plus switches for any buttons or triggers). Like other potentiometer-based devices (see Analog Joysticks), Analog wheels interface through a DualStrike hack, AKI, A-Pac, or other similar device.

Games that used Analog wheels include:

#Spy Hunter
#Out Run
#Power Drift
#Road Riot 4wd
#Hard Drivin'
#and many more...

== Flight Yokes ==

Some games gave the player more than just a steering wheel- they gave you a yoke. The primary example, of course, is Star Wars, though that's not the only one- see list below. The yoke consists of a set of handles that can be rotated forward and back, as well as turning right and left. Thumb buttons and triggers are also standard. The electronics consist of two potentiometers- one for the right-to-left (X-Axis) movement, and one for the foreward-and-back (Y-Axis) movement. As with other potentiometer-based controllers, these are interfaced through a Dual Strike hack, A-Pac, AKI or similar. Electronically, a yoke is identical to an analog joystick, and indeed, you can use a yoke to play analog joystick games, and vice-versa.

Games that used a yoke include:

*Star Wars
*The Empire Strikes Back
*Return of the Jedi
*Turbo Sub
*Hydra
*S.T.U.N. Runner
*Lock-On
*Apache 3
*Hyperdrive

'''"Almost" Yokes'''

There are also quite a few controllers out there that look like yokes, or even work like yokes, but are for one reason or another, just not quite yokes.

*Starship One: This flight controller turns right to left, and pulls/pushes in/out, rather than the handles twisting back and forth. You could call it a yoke, but you probably wouldn't want to try aiming in Star Wars by pushing and pulling!

*Paperboy: These bike handlebars turn right to left, and also push forward and back. Again, you could call it a yoke, but it probably wouldn't play very well with true yoke games.

*Enduro Racer: These motorcycle handlebars turn right to left, and can also be pulled back, much the same as you'd do when popping a wheelie on a bicycle. It's got both X and Y axis control, but the Y axis would be awfully difficult to use in aiming X-Wing lasers.

*Roadblasters: This controller looks very much like a Star Wars yoke, to the point that early versions acutally had the same metal handgrips, thumb buttons and triggers. Two things keep Roadblasters from being a yoke: The handgrips don't move, so there's no Y-axis control; and the electronics are actually optical in nature, rather than potentiometer based. Determined users have converted these, but it requires considerable new parts, engineering, and metalwork.

*Road Riot 4WD: This controller looks like it might be a yoke at first glance, but the handles don't move, so there's no Y-axis control. This is really just a 270 degree analog steering controller.

*Spy Hunter: With handgrips sporting both triggers and thumb buttons on both sides, the Spy Hunter wheel could be a yoke, if only it had forward/back movement. It doesn't, though.

== Handlebars ==

Who ever saw a bicycle with a steering wheel? Well, OK, one kid at my school had one, but that was the exception that proves the rule. Motorcycle and bicyle games wouldn't be right without a set of handlebars. In general, handlebars are the same, electronically speaking, as Analog steering wheels. They use a potentiometer to measure left/right travel, and interface through an A-Pac, AKI, or Dual Strike Hack. Some handlebars include buttons, brake levers, twistable throttle grips, and even foreward-to-back motion (Paperboy and Enduro Racer).

Games that used handlebars include:

*Hang-On
*Super Hang-On
*Enduro Racer
*Paperboy
*Wild Riders
*and many more...

== Pedals ==

Gas, brake, and clutch- you can't drive a car without pedals. Some games used just one for gas, some add a brake, and a few used all three. There are two basic types of pedals:

''Analog''

Analog pedals use a potentiometer to determine how far the pedal is being pushed, and therefore can tell the game how much gas to use, or how hard to brake. Analog pedals interface through an AKI, A-Pac, or Dual Strike hack.

''Digital''

Digital pedals are simply "on" or "off". Games that used digital pedals cannot tell how much gas or brake you are using, it's all or nothing. Basically a button for the foot.

== Shifters ==

''Constant-press vs. Momentary-press''
''How MAME handles shifter inputs''

Driving Controls

2006-03-18T06:23:19Z

Kremmit: added quick handlebars article

{{Cleanup}}

In the real world, you can't drive a car or steer a bike with a joystick and buttons, and the same holds true for some of the best games ever made. Games that put the player in the driver's seat of a racecar or spaceship, or riding a motorcycle or bicycle. These games need specialized controls, like steering wheels, pedals, shifters, and handlebars. If you feel the need for speed, you'll likely also need some of the following:

== Steering Wheels ==
While steering wheels come in all shapes and sizes, there are two basic types once you get under the control panel: Optical and Analog.

''Optical (360 degree wheels)''

Optical wheels spin freely, all the way around, as many turns as you like. (With one notable exception, that is- see "Roadblasters" below.) The electronics consist of an optical encoder wheel, that spins through two infrared emitter/receiver pairs. If that sounds like the description of a spinner, that's becausen optical wheel really ''is'' a spinner with a big steering wheel in place of the knob. These connect through the same hardware as a spinner, too- a Mouse Hack, Opti-Pac, Opti-Wiz, or similar.

Games that used Optical wheels include:

#Pole Position
#Championship Sprint
#Ivan Stewart's Super Off-Road
#Roadblasters
# and many more..

Roadblasters is an interesting exception to the rule. Roadblasters used a unique optical controller, that was limited to 270 degrees of travel. The Roadblasters controller can be interfaced the same as any other optical wheel, but cannot be used to play any other optical wheel games, because of the limited travel. (The Roadblasters controller also pops up in discussion of Flight Yokes, see below.)

''Analog (270 degree wheels)''

Analog wheels do not turn freely throughout the full 360 degrees of the circle. Analog wheels have a limited range of motion- typically described as 270 degrees, though in reality, the acutal number of degrees varies from controller to controller. The shape of the these controllers varies as well- since the control doesn't spin all the way around, there's no need for it to be a circular wheel. Likewise, since the control doesn't spin, wires can be run into the controller without fear of twisting and breakage- and the arcade manufacturers took advantage of this by adding buttons, triggers and the like to these controllers. The electronics are a simple potentiometer (plus switches for any buttons or triggers). Like other potentiometer-based devices (see Analog Joysticks), Analog wheels interface through a DualStrike hack, AKI, A-Pac, or other similar device.

Games that used Analog wheels include:

#Spy Hunter
#Out Run
#Power Drift
#Road Riot 4wd
#Hard Drivin'
#and many more...

== Flight Yokes ==

Some games gave the player more than just a steering wheel- they gave you a yoke. The primary example, of course, is Star Wars, though that's not the only one- see list below. The yoke consists of a set of handles that can be rotated forward and back, as well as turning right and left. Thumb buttons and triggers are also standard. The electronics consist of two potentiometers- one for the right-to-left (X-Axis) movement, and one for the foreward-and-back (Y-Axis) movement. As with other potentiometer-based controllers, these are interfaced through a Dual Strike hack, A-Pac, AKI or similar. Electronically, a yoke is identical to an analog joystick, and indeed, you can use a yoke to play analog joystick games, and vice-versa.

Games that used a yoke include:

*Star Wars
*The Empire Strikes Back
*Return of the Jedi
*Turbo Sub
*Hydra
*S.T.U.N. Runner
*Lock-On
*Apache 3
*Hyperdrive

'''"Almost" Yokes'''

There are also quite a few controllers out there that look like yokes, or even work like yokes, but are for one reason or another, just not quite yokes.

*Starship One: This flight controller turns right to left, and pulls/pushes in/out, rather than the handles twisting back and forth. You could call it a yoke, but you probably wouldn't want to try aiming in Star Wars by pushing and pulling!

*Paperboy: These bike handlebars turn right to left, and also push forward and back. Again, you could call it a yoke, but it probably wouldn't play very well with true yoke games.

*Enduro Racer: These motorcycle handlebars turn right to left, and can also be pulled back, much the same as you'd do when popping a wheelie on a bicycle. It's got both X and Y axis control, but the Y axis would be awfully difficult to use in aiming X-Wing lasers.

*Roadblasters: This controller looks very much like a Star Wars yoke, to the point that early versions acutally had the same metal handgrips, thumb buttons and triggers. Two things keep Roadblasters from being a yoke: The handgrips don't move, so there's no Y-axis control; and the electronics are actually optical in nature, rather than potentiometer based. Determined users have converted these, but it requires considerable new parts, engineering, and metalwork.

*Road Riot 4WD: This controller looks like it might be a yoke at first glance, but the handles don't move, so there's no Y-axis control. This is really just a 270 degree analog steering controller.

*Spy Hunter: With handgrips sporting both triggers and thumb buttons on both sides, the Spy Hunter wheel could be a yoke, if only it had forward/back movement. It doesn't, though.

== Handlebars ==

Who ever saw a bicycle with a steering wheel? Well, OK, one kid at my school had one, but that was the exception that proves the rule. Motorcycle and bicyle games wouldn't be right without a set of handlebars. In general, handlebars are the same, electronically speaking, as Analog steering wheels. They use a potentiometer to measure left/right travel, and interface through an A-Pac, AKI, or Dual Strike Hack. Some handlebars include buttons, brake levers, twistable throttle grips, and even foreward-to-back motion (Paperboy and Enduro Racer).

Games that used handlebars include:

*Hang-On
*Super Hang-On
*Enduro Racer
*Paperboy
*Wild Riders
*and many more...

== Pedals ==

''Analog''

''Digital''

== Shifters ==

''Constant-press vs. Momentary-press''
''How MAME handles shifter inputs''

Driving Controls

2006-03-18T06:06:20Z

Kremmit: formatting

Driving Controls

2006-03-18T06:06:00Z

Kremmit: formatting

Driving Controls

2006-03-18T06:05:08Z

Kremmit: formatting

Driving Controls

2006-03-18T06:03:59Z

Kremmit: edited list format

{{Cleanup}}
This page should contain brief descriptions of various Steering Wheels/Yokes/Pedals/Shifters available, and details of their setup. If any one portion of the page starts getting a little too long, a seperate page may be started for that topic.

In the real world, you can't drive a car or steer a bike with a joystick and buttons, and the same holds true for some of the best games ever made. Games that put the player in the driver's seat of a racecar or spaceship, or riding a motorcycle or bicycle. These games need specialized controls, like steering wheels, pedals, shifters, and handlebars. If you feel the need for speed, you'll likely also need some of the following:

== Steering Wheels ==
While steering wheels come in all shapes and sizes, there are two basic types once you get under the control panel: Optical and Analog.

''Optical (360 degree wheels)''

Optical wheels spin freely, all the way around, as many turns as you like. (With one notable exception, that is- see "Roadblasters" below.) The electronics consist of an optical encoder wheel, that spins through two infrared emitter/receiver pairs. If that sounds like the description of a spinner, that's becausen optical wheel really ''is'' a spinner with a big steering wheel in place of the knob. These connect through the same hardware as a spinner, too- a Mouse Hack, Opti-Pac, Opti-Wiz, or similar.

Games that used Optical wheels include:

#Pole Position
#Championship Sprint
#Ivan Stewart's Super Off-Road
#Roadblasters
# and many more..

Roadblasters is an interesting exception to the rule. Roadblasters used a unique optical controller, that was limited to 270 degrees of travel. The Roadblasters controller can be interfaced the same as any other optical wheel, but cannot be used to play any other optical wheel games, because of the limited travel. (The Roadblasters controller also pops up in discussion of Flight Yokes, see below.)

''Analog (270 degree wheels)''

Analog wheels do not turn freely throughout the full 360 degrees of the circle. Analog wheels have a limited range of motion- typically described as 270 degrees, though in reality, the acutal number of degrees varies from controller to controller. The shape of the these controllers varies as well- since the control doesn't spin all the way around, there's no need for it to be a circular wheel. Likewise, since the control doesn't spin, wires can be run into the controller without fear of twisting and breakage- and the arcade manufacturers took advantage of this by adding buttons, triggers and the like to these controllers. The electronics are a simple potentiometer (plus switches for any buttons or triggers). Like other potentiometer-based devices (see Analog Joysticks), Analog wheels interface through a DualStrike hack, AKI, A-Pac, or other similar device.

Games that used Analog wheels include:

#Spy Hunter
#Out Run
#Power Drift
#Road Riot 4wd
#Hard Drivin'
#and many more...

== Flight Yokes ==

Some games gave the player more than just a steering wheel- they gave you a yoke. The primary example, of course, is Star Wars, though that's not the only one- see list below. The yoke consists of a set of handles that can be rotated forward and back, as well as turning right and left. Thumb buttons and triggers are also standard. The electronics consist of two potentiometers- one for the right-to-left (X-Axis) movement, and one for the foreward-and-back (Y-Axis) movement. As with other potentiometer-based controllers, these are interfaced through a Dual Strike hack, A-Pac, AKI or similar. Electronically, a yoke is identical to an analog joystick, and indeed, you can use a yoke to play analog joystick games, and vice-versa.

Games that used a yoke include:

*Star Wars
*The Empire Strikes Back
*Return of the Jedi
*Turbo Sub
*Hydra
*S.T.U.N. Runner
*Lock-On
*Apache 3
*Hyperdrive

'''"Almost" Yokes'''

There are also quite a few controllers out there that look like yokes, or even work like yokes, but are for one reason or another, just not quite yokes.

#Starship One: This flight controller turns right to left, and pulls/pushes in/out, rather than the handles twisting back and forth. You could call it a yoke, but you probably wouldn't want to try aiming in Star Wars by pushing and pulling!

#Paperboy: These bike handlebars turn right to left, and also push forward and back. Again, you could call it a yoke, but it probably wouldn't play very well with true yoke games.

#Enduro Racer: These motorcycle handlebars turn right to left, and can also be pulled back, much the same as you'd do when popping a wheelie on a bicycle. It's got both X and Y axis control, but the Y axis would be awfully difficult to use in aiming X-Wing lasers.

#Roadblasters: This controller looks very much like a Star Wars yoke, to the point that early versions acutally had the same metal handgrips, thumb buttons and triggers. Two things keep Roadblasters from being a yoke: The handgrips don't move, so there's no Y-axis control; and the electronics are actually optical in nature, rather than potentiometer based. Determined users have converted these, but it requires considerable new parts, engineering, and metalwork.

#Road Riot 4WD: This controller looks like it might be a yoke at first glance, but the handles don't move, so there's no Y-axis control. This is really just a 270 degree analog steering controller.

#Spy Hunter: With handgrips sporting both triggers and thumb buttons on both sides, the Spy Hunter wheel could be a yoke, if only it had forward/back movement. It doesn't, though.

== Handlebars ==

== Pedals ==

[[Analog]]

[[Digital]]

== Shifters ==

[[Constant-press vs. Momentary-press]]
[[How MAME handles shifter inputs]]

Driving Controls

2006-03-18T06:01:57Z

Kremmit: Yoke article added

{{Cleanup}}
This page should contain brief descriptions of various Steering Wheels/Yokes/Pedals/Shifters available, and details of their setup. If any one portion of the page starts getting a little too long, a seperate page may be started for that topic.

In the real world, you can't drive a car or steer a bike with a joystick and buttons, and the same holds true for some of the best games ever made. Games that put the player in the driver's seat of a racecar or spaceship, or riding a motorcycle or bicycle. These games need specialized controls, like steering wheels, pedals, shifters, and handlebars. If you feel the need for speed, you'll likely also need some of the following:

== Steering Wheels ==
While steering wheels come in all shapes and sizes, there are two basic types once you get under the control panel: Optical and Analog.

''Optical (360 degree wheels)''

Optical wheels spin freely, all the way around, as many turns as you like. (With one notable exception, that is- see "Roadblasters" below.) The electronics consist of an optical encoder wheel, that spins through two infrared emitter/receiver pairs. If that sounds like the description of a spinner, that's becausen optical wheel really ''is'' a spinner with a big steering wheel in place of the knob. These connect through the same hardware as a spinner, too- a Mouse Hack, Opti-Pac, Opti-Wiz, or similar.

Games that used Optical wheels include:

#Pole Position
#Championship Sprint
#Ivan Stewart's Super Off-Road
#Roadblasters
# and many more..

Roadblasters is an interesting exception to the rule. Roadblasters used a unique optical controller, that was limited to 270 degrees of travel. The Roadblasters controller can be interfaced the same as any other optical wheel, but cannot be used to play any other optical wheel games, because of the limited travel. (The Roadblasters controller also pops up in discussion of Flight Yokes, see below.)

''Analog (270 degree wheels)''

Analog wheels do not turn freely throughout the full 360 degrees of the circle. Analog wheels have a limited range of motion- typically described as 270 degrees, though in reality, the acutal number of degrees varies from controller to controller. The shape of the these controllers varies as well- since the control doesn't spin all the way around, there's no need for it to be a circular wheel. Likewise, since the control doesn't spin, wires can be run into the controller without fear of twisting and breakage- and the arcade manufacturers took advantage of this by adding buttons, triggers and the like to these controllers. The electronics are a simple potentiometer (plus switches for any buttons or triggers). Like other potentiometer-based devices (see Analog Joysticks), Analog wheels interface through a DualStrike hack, AKI, A-Pac, or other similar device.

Games that used Analog wheels include:

#Spy Hunter
#Out Run
#Power Drift
#Road Riot 4wd
#Hard Drivin'
#and many more...

== Flight Yokes ==

Some games gave the player more than just a steering wheel- they gave you a yoke. The primary example, of course, is Star Wars, though that's not the only one- see list below. The yoke consists of a set of handles that can be rotated forward and back, as well as turning right and left. Thumb buttons and triggers are also standard. The electronics consist of two potentiometers- one for the right-to-left (X-Axis) movement, and one for the foreward-and-back (Y-Axis) movement. As with other potentiometer-based controllers, these are interfaced through a Dual Strike hack, A-Pac, AKI or similar. Electronically, a yoke is identical to an analog joystick, and indeed, you can use a yoke to play analog joystick games, and vice-versa.

Games that used a yoke include:

#Star Wars
#The Empire Strikes Back
#Return of the Jedi
#Turbo Sub
#Hydra
#S.T.U.N. Runner
#Lock-On
#Apache 3
#Hyperdrive

'''"Almost" Yokes'''

There are also quite a few controllers out there that look like yokes, or even work like yokes, but are for one reason or another, just not quite yokes.

#Starship One: This flight controller turns right to left, and pulls/pushes in/out, rather than the handles twisting back and forth. You could call it a yoke, but you probably wouldn't want to try aiming in Star Wars by pushing and pulling!

#Paperboy: These bike handlebars turn right to left, and also push forward and back. Again, you could call it a yoke, but it probably wouldn't play very well with true yoke games.

#Enduro Racer: These motorcycle handlebars turn right to left, and can also be pulled back, much the same as you'd do when popping a wheelie on a bicycle. It's got both X and Y axis control, but the Y axis would be awfully difficult to use in aiming X-Wing lasers.

#Roadblasters: This controller looks very much like a Star Wars yoke, to the point that early versions acutally had the same metal handgrips, thumb buttons and triggers. Two things keep Roadblasters from being a yoke: The handgrips don't move, so there's no Y-axis control; and the electronics are actually optical in nature, rather than potentiometer based. Determined users have converted these, but it requires considerable new parts, engineering, and metalwork.

#Road Riot 4WD: This controller looks like it might be a yoke at first glance, but the handles don't move, so there's no Y-axis control. This is really just a 270 degree analog steering controller.

#Spy Hunter: With handgrips sporting both triggers and thumb buttons on both sides, the Spy Hunter wheel could be a yoke, if only it had forward/back movement. It doesn't, though.

== Handlebars ==

== Pedals ==

[[Analog]]

[[Digital]]

== Shifters ==

[[Constant-press vs. Momentary-press]]
[[How MAME handles shifter inputs]]

Driving Controls

2006-03-18T05:32:58Z

Kremmit: Basic steering wheel discussion added

Driving Controls

2006-03-18T04:58:07Z

Kremmit: Rough outline- topic headers only

Trackballs

2006-03-18T04:52:27Z

Kremmit: added juggling balls

{{Cleanup}}
This page should contain brief descriptions of various trackballs available, and details of their setup. If any one portion of the page starts getting a little too long, a seperate page may be started for that topic.

== Mini Trackballs ==

== 2 ¼" Trackballs ==
These 2 ¼" trackballs were used in games such as Centipede, Millipede and Missile Command Cocktail.
Two and a quarter inches is the same size as a (U.S.) regulation billiard ball, and you can use a billiard ball in a 2 ¼" trackball assembly.

Available from [[Vendors|Happ, Suzo, Ultimarc]] and others.

== 3" Trackballs ==
These 3" trackballs are the most commonly seen in modern arcade machines, and are widely used in peoples home arcade machines. They are used in Capcom Bowling, Crystal Castles, the Golden Tee games and Marble Madness. Users have discovered that juggling balls are commonly 3" in size, and make good replacement balls.

Available from [[Vendors|Happ, Suzo, Ultimarc]] and others.

== 4 ½" Atari Trackballs (Missile Command, Atari Football) ==
{|
|[[Image:bigballs.jpg|left|thumb|4 ½" trackballs (w/o optical boards)]]
|These giant trackballs are sometimes known as 4-inch, but are actually four and a half inches in diameter. They were some of the first trackballs put into use, and are made of machined aluminum; clearly designed to survive intense abuse.

Putting one of these in your control panel is quite a commitment in terms of real estate. The metal frame is 6" square, 3 ½" tall, and the optical boards stick an aditional 2 inches beyond two of the corners, an effective 64 square inch footprint.

[[Vendors|Happ]] sells a 4 ½" trackball. This Happ trackball was used in the NeoGeo game 'The Irritating Maze' and can be connected in an identical manner to the Happ 3" trackballs. The ball itself is usable in an Atari 4 ½" (a 4 ½" diameter sphere is a 4 ½" diameter sphere), but the mechanism is a different, less industrial design.

Any 4 ½" diameter ball, particularly a candle-pin and/or duck-pin bowling ball, is a swap-out replacement for the 25+ year old originals.
|-
|[[Image:Atari_Steering.jpg]]

|The original optical boards on these are fairly easy to interface with an [[Optical_Encoders#Opti-PAC|Opti-PAC]] (and probably most other [[Optical_Encoders|optical control interfaces]]).

This is the pin-out for the 10-pin molex plug found on the optical boards:
{|
|'''Pin'''
|
|-
|1
|no signal
|-
|2
|no signal
|-
|3
|no signal
|-
|4
|Axis 1
|-
|5
|no signal
|-
|6
|no signal
|-
|7
|no signal
|-
|8
|Axis 2
|-
|9
| +5v
|-
|10
|ground
|}

There were a number of slightly different boards with this same pin-out.

On an Opti-PAC, the "A/HI" jumper should be set.
|}

There are a few [[Vendors|vendors]], particularly [[Vendors|The Real Bob Roberts]], that sell replacement bearings and steel roller-shafts for these (they are often referred to as 4" or Maxi- trackball rollers).

'''Related Links:''' [http://www.hardmvs.com/html/iMaze.htm 'The Irritating Maze' on HardMVS]

Trackballs

2006-03-18T04:49:57Z

Kremmit:

{{Cleanup}}
This page should contain brief descriptions of various trackballs available, and details of their setup. If any one portion of the page starts getting a little too long, a seperate page may be started for that topic.

== Mini Trackballs ==

== 2 ¼" Trackballs ==
These 2 ¼" trackballs were used in games such as Centipede, Millipede and Missile Command Cocktail.
Two and a quarter inches is the same size as a (U.S.) regulation billiard ball, and you can use a billiard ball in a 2 ¼" trackball assembly.

Available from [[Vendors|Happ, Suzo, Ultimarc]] and others.

== 3" Trackballs ==
These 3" trackballs are the most commonly seen in modern arcade machines, and are widely used in peoples home arcade machines. They are used in Capcom Bowling, Crystal Castles, the Golden Tee games and Marble Madness.

Available from [[Vendors|Happ, Suzo, Ultimarc]] and others.

== 4 ½" Atari Trackballs (Missile Command, Atari Football) ==
{|
|[[Image:bigballs.jpg|left|thumb|4 ½" trackballs (w/o optical boards)]]
|These giant trackballs are sometimes known as 4-inch, but are actually four and a half inches in diameter. They were some of the first trackballs put into use, and are made of machined aluminum; clearly designed to survive intense abuse.

Putting one of these in your control panel is quite a commitment in terms of real estate. The metal frame is 6" square, 3 ½" tall, and the optical boards stick an aditional 2 inches beyond two of the corners, an effective 64 square inch footprint.

[[Vendors|Happ]] sells a 4 ½" trackball. This Happ trackball was used in the NeoGeo game 'The Irritating Maze' and can be connected in an identical manner to the Happ 3" trackballs. The ball itself is usable in an Atari 4 ½" (a 4 ½" diameter sphere is a 4 ½" diameter sphere), but the mechanism is a different, less industrial design.

Any 4 ½" diameter ball, particularly a candle-pin and/or duck-pin bowling ball, is a swap-out replacement for the 25+ year old originals.
|-
|[[Image:Atari_Steering.jpg]]

|The original optical boards on these are fairly easy to interface with an [[Optical_Encoders#Opti-PAC|Opti-PAC]] (and probably most other [[Optical_Encoders|optical control interfaces]]).

This is the pin-out for the 10-pin molex plug found on the optical boards:
{|
|'''Pin'''
|
|-
|1
|no signal
|-
|2
|no signal
|-
|3
|no signal
|-
|4
|Axis 1
|-
|5
|no signal
|-
|6
|no signal
|-
|7
|no signal
|-
|8
|Axis 2
|-
|9
| +5v
|-
|10
|ground
|}

There were a number of slightly different boards with this same pin-out.

On an Opti-PAC, the "A/HI" jumper should be set.
|}

There are a few [[Vendors|vendors]], particularly [[Vendors|The Real Bob Roberts]], that sell replacement bearings and steel roller-shafts for these (they are often referred to as 4" or Maxi- trackball rollers).

'''Related Links:''' [http://www.hardmvs.com/html/iMaze.htm 'The Irritating Maze' on HardMVS]

Pushbuttons

2006-03-18T04:48:20Z

Kremmit: /* Microswitch Pushbuttons */

Pushbuttons are the simplest and most common form of control.

== Microswitch Pushbuttons==
[[Image:Happ-horiz-pushbutton.gif|right|thumb|120px|Microswitch Pushbutton]]
Pushbuttons come is various forms and shapes, though the most common is the Industrias Lorenzo (iL) horizontal microswitch pushbutton (aka Happ Horizontal Pushbutton). Due to the microswitch, these buttons have a 'clicky' activation that can seem a little alien to many old-school gamers. They are comprised of...
* Button plunger
* Button housing/bezel
* Spring
* Microswitch

The plunger top may be concave, flat, or convex. The microswitch can be orientated horizontally or vertically. Most people prefer horizontal orientation as these tend to be more reliable ([[horizontal versus vertical pushbuttons|read why here.]]) Microswitch pushbuttons are probably the most popular type of button using in arcade. Because of this they can be found in almost any color, including transparent. These also can be found with little men icons, generally used as start buttons for the player indicated.

These buttons are sold by numerous [[vendors]]. Common suppliers are [http://www.happcontrols.com/ Happ], [http://www.ultimarc.com Ultimarc], [http://www.fxbuttons.com FX Buttons] and [http://www.groovygamegear.com GroovyGameGear.]

Installation requires a 1 1/8" hole.

==Leafswitch Pushbuttons==
{| align=right
| [[image:Leafswitch-button.jpg|thumb|80px|Leafswitch Buttons]]
| [[image:Leafswitch-holder.jpg|thumb|80px|Leafswitch Holders]]
| [[image:Leafswitch-palnuts.jpg|thumb|80px|Leafswitch Pal Nuts]]
|}
Before microswitch pushbuttons appeared, leafswitch pushbuttons were the de facto standards and are still prefered by many people today. The main advantage to leafswitches over microswitched is that they're almost completely silent. They are comprised of...
* Button
* Button holder (usually with the actual leafswitch attached)
* Pal nut
As with most types of pushbuttons, they come in two lengths; long (1 7/8") for wooden panels and short (1 5/8") for metal panels.

It is occasionally difficult to find buttons of the appropriate color and the appropriate length for a particular project. In those situations, check [http://homearcade.org/BBBB/leafsw.html Leaf Switches & Button Solutions] by [http://homearcade.org/BBBB/siteindex.html The Real Bob Roberts] for potential solutions.

==Atari Volcano Buttons==
{| align=right
| [[Image:SirPsVolcano.jpg|right|100px]]
|
{| cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0
|[[Image:Ataributton.gif|right|52px]]
|[[Image:Volcano switch black.jpg|right|56px]]
|}
|-
| [[Image:Volcano switchs red n blk1.jpg|right|100px]]
| [[Image:Volcano switch n lens.jpg|right|100px]]
|-
| [[Image:Volcano switch lens1.jpg|right|100px]]
| [[Image:Volcano switchs red n blk2.jpg|right|100px]]
|}
Also known as cone buttons, volcano buttons are comprised of:
* Microswitch
* Lens (plunger)
* Plastic mounting clip/brace
* Plastic or aluminium cone

These were used as player start buttons in many Atari cabinets, available with illuminated red and later solid black lenses. The red button lens would blink when a player inserted a coin and remain lit during gameplay. Taller cones were used on fire buttons of Missile Command.

The actual switch used appears to be a [http://www.cherrycorp.com/english/switches/submini/db.htm Cherry DB3] sub-miniature microswitch. This switch is still available from Cherry, however the plastic mounting clip and lenses have been out of production for some time. The plastic cones have been re-produced by [http://www.gamecab.com/products.asp?cat=25 Gamecab], but are currently unnavailable.

[[Image:Eao 11-131.jpg|left|100px|EAO 11-131.825N switch with 11-931.2 red lens]]Charlie from Gamecab.com discovered that a company called EAO currently manufacures switch assemblies that are quite similar to the original Cherry P163 assemblies. They don't include an LED, but the neck is threaded the same as an Atari cone, so they work pretty well together. They are available from [http://www.newark.com/product-details/text/CD121/5134.html Newark In One].

Related BYOAC Forum threads: [http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?board=1;action=display;threadid=11468 1] -
[http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=11123.0 2] - [http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=42155.0 3] - [http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=42509.0 4]

Pushbuttons

2006-03-18T04:47:55Z

Kremmit: Added FX Buttons (Shawnzilla)

Pushbuttons are the simplest and most common form of control.

== Microswitch Pushbuttons==
[[Image:Happ-horiz-pushbutton.gif|right|thumb|120px|Microswitch Pushbutton]]
Pushbuttons come is various forms and shapes, though the most common is the Industrias Lorenzo (iL) horizontal microswitch pushbutton (aka Happ Horizontal Pushbutton). Due to the microswitch, these buttons have a 'clicky' activation that can seem a little alien to many old-school gamers. They are comprised of...
* Button plunger
* Button housing/bezel
* Spring
* Microswitch

The plunger top may be concave, flat, or convex. The microswitch can be orientated horizontally or vertically. Most people prefer horizontal orientation as these tend to be more reliable ([[horizontal versus vertical pushbuttons|read why here.]]) Microswitch pushbuttons are probably the most popular type of button using in arcade. Because of this they can be found in almost any color, including transparent. These also can be found with little men icons, generally used as start buttons for the player indicated.

These buttons are sold by numerous [[vendors]]. Common suppliers are [http://www.happcontrols.com/ Happ], [http://www.ultimarc.com Ultimarc], [www.fxbuttons.com FX Buttons] and [http://www.groovygamegear.com GroovyGameGear.]

Installation requires a 1 1/8" hole.

==Leafswitch Pushbuttons==
{| align=right
| [[image:Leafswitch-button.jpg|thumb|80px|Leafswitch Buttons]]
| [[image:Leafswitch-holder.jpg|thumb|80px|Leafswitch Holders]]
| [[image:Leafswitch-palnuts.jpg|thumb|80px|Leafswitch Pal Nuts]]
|}
Before microswitch pushbuttons appeared, leafswitch pushbuttons were the de facto standards and are still prefered by many people today. The main advantage to leafswitches over microswitched is that they're almost completely silent. They are comprised of...
* Button
* Button holder (usually with the actual leafswitch attached)
* Pal nut
As with most types of pushbuttons, they come in two lengths; long (1 7/8") for wooden panels and short (1 5/8") for metal panels.

It is occasionally difficult to find buttons of the appropriate color and the appropriate length for a particular project. In those situations, check [http://homearcade.org/BBBB/leafsw.html Leaf Switches & Button Solutions] by [http://homearcade.org/BBBB/siteindex.html The Real Bob Roberts] for potential solutions.

==Atari Volcano Buttons==
{| align=right
| [[Image:SirPsVolcano.jpg|right|100px]]
|
{| cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0
|[[Image:Ataributton.gif|right|52px]]
|[[Image:Volcano switch black.jpg|right|56px]]
|}
|-
| [[Image:Volcano switchs red n blk1.jpg|right|100px]]
| [[Image:Volcano switch n lens.jpg|right|100px]]
|-
| [[Image:Volcano switch lens1.jpg|right|100px]]
| [[Image:Volcano switchs red n blk2.jpg|right|100px]]
|}
Also known as cone buttons, volcano buttons are comprised of:
* Microswitch
* Lens (plunger)
* Plastic mounting clip/brace
* Plastic or aluminium cone

These were used as player start buttons in many Atari cabinets, available with illuminated red and later solid black lenses. The red button lens would blink when a player inserted a coin and remain lit during gameplay. Taller cones were used on fire buttons of Missile Command.

The actual switch used appears to be a [http://www.cherrycorp.com/english/switches/submini/db.htm Cherry DB3] sub-miniature microswitch. This switch is still available from Cherry, however the plastic mounting clip and lenses have been out of production for some time. The plastic cones have been re-produced by [http://www.gamecab.com/products.asp?cat=25 Gamecab], but are currently unnavailable.

[[Image:Eao 11-131.jpg|left|100px|EAO 11-131.825N switch with 11-931.2 red lens]]Charlie from Gamecab.com discovered that a company called EAO currently manufacures switch assemblies that are quite similar to the original Cherry P163 assemblies. They don't include an LED, but the neck is threaded the same as an Atari cone, so they work pretty well together. They are available from [http://www.newark.com/product-details/text/CD121/5134.html Newark In One].

Related BYOAC Forum threads: [http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?board=1;action=display;threadid=11468 1] -
[http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=11123.0 2] - [http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=42155.0 3] - [http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=42509.0 4]

Spinners and Dials

2006-03-18T04:42:49Z

Kremmit: added # of spinners for games that used more than two

{{Cleanup}}

=What is a Spinner?=

You might remember the spinner from games like Tempest and Arkanoid. The player turns a knob to move the on-screen character. But what's going on behind the scenes; what's that knob attached to?

Underneath the control panel, the shaft comes down from the knob above. Mounted on the shaft, is an optical encoder wheel- a flat disk with notches cut around the outside edge. These notches pass though a set of infra-red optics, that detect the notches as they spin by. There are two sets of optics, spaced such that they see the notches spin by just a little bit out of sync. The combined signal from both of these optics tells the game which direction the disk is turning, and how fast. This is also how a trackball works, as well as a ball-type PC mouse.

If you are buying or building a working spinner for your cabinet, you will need the Spinner (the mechanical part,) the optics(the part that watches the spinning,) and the optical encoder (the part that sends info to the computer.) If a manufacturer advertises "USB Connectivity" that generally means that it is an all in one solution, and no additional parts are required. Otherwise, you'll find that optics are generally included, but an encoder is not. In the rare occurence that your spinner does not have optics included, they can be built with parts from your local electronic store, or you can build them based off of a [[Optical_Encoders#Mouse_Hack|mouse hack.]] If the unit does not ship with an optical encoder, you can purchase one from an aftermarket seller. You can find out more about [[Optical_Encoders|optical encoders here.]]

=Spinner Varieties=

#Tempest- Fast spinning lightweight spinner, which is very popular with arcade enthusiassts. It has 72 teeth on the encoder wheel, with nylon upper and lower bearings on the shaft. This was the model for the Oscar Vortex aftermarket spinner.
#Arkanoid- The "geared" spinner. Rather than mounting the encoder wheel directly to the shaft, the Arkanoid spinner used two sets of gears between the knob and the encoder wheel, to make the spinner extremely sensitive. While the encoder wheel only has 24 notches, the gearing causes 486 notches to pass through the optics for every turn of the knob! Due to the lightweight and friction from the gearing, the Arkanoid spinner stops the instant you take your hand off the knob.
#Paddle- '''ADD CONTENT HERE'''
#Discs of Tron ''Push/Pull''- This spinner used a giant 128-notch encoder wheel with a push / pull switch feature built into the spindle shaft. When the player pulled up or down on the spinner, a leafswitch was activated. This was used to control the high / low aim of the disc in later levels of the game. Zwackery also used a Push/Pull spinner, and Forgotten Worlds used a push only (no pull) spinner. Oscar Controls marketed a Push/Pull spinner with a slightly different design, and a smaller 72 notch encoder wheel, but it is no longer available for purchase. The Oscar V2 had a Push option, and a Pull kit was rumored to be in the works before Oscar Controls closed down.

=Spinner Brands=
#[http://oscarcontrols.com/ Oscar Controls]- Was a popular manufacturer of spinners for the hobbyist market until recently. Several models were produced over the years, including the Model One, Pro, Vortex, Push/Pull, and V2. These spinners did not enclude an encoder and required connection to an [[Optical_Encoders#Opti-PAC|Opti-Pac]] or to a [[Optical_Encoders#Mouse_Hack|mouse hack]].
#[http://www.slikstik.com/spinfeat.htm SlikStik]- The Tornado is billed as the "longest spinning" spinner on the market, the Tornado is currently the spinner that's been on the market the longest. With an extra-small footprint, and dual-bearing design, the Tornado is very well made. Several knob options are also available. The Tornado comes with it's own USB or PS/2 interface. Plans to sell the Tornado with a plain-jane optic card have also been announced.
#[http://GroovyGameGear.com GroovyGameGear]- The TurboTwist is new to the market. Like the SlikStik Tornado, the TurboTwist also has a small footprint and a dual-bearing design. The TurboTwist has an extra-high resolution encoder wheel, and comes with it's own USB or PS/2 Opti-Wiz interface. The interface can be configured to put the spinner on the X, Y, or Z mouse axis, and will control other optic devices on the remaining two axes, such as a trackball, or additional spinners/steering wheels/optical rotary joysticks. A plain-jane optic card version has also been announced.
#[http://ArcadeGames4U.com ArcadeGames4U]- The cyclone is also new to the market. It has a dual-bearing design, with a lower resolution encoder wheel. The Cyclone ships with an optic card, but no interface.
#Build Your Own!- Many users have build their own spinners from whatever parts they had available- Hard drive bearings, skateboard bearings, whatever. Use your imagination, or use this guide created by Nathan Strum. [http://arcadecontrols.com/files/Miscellaneous/spinner.pdf Download the PDF guide here] for building your own. '''ADD LINK TO VARIOUS DIY ARTICLES ON BYOAC MSG BOARD'''

=FAQs=
==Two Spinners on a control panel; is it worth it?==
The answer is an unequivocal ''maybe''. There are several factors to keep in mind when trying to determine whether you should buy and install 2 spinners on your control panel.
#Budget- Spinners are somewhat expensive. Buying 2 aftermarket spinners with optics will set you back about $80-$160.
#Software- Can your software support 2 mice at the same time. Make sure you have a version of mame that can support 2 spinners if they're both individual USB units. If you have them both plugged into an [[Optical_Encoders#Opti-PAC|Optipac]] this won't be a problem.
#Space- Depending on the model, spinners can take up a lot of room under the surface of a control panel. The Oscar Controls Push/Pull spinner was approximately 5.5x6" for instance. Also, the more spinners you have, the less room you may have for other features and joysticks.
#Games- Most importantly, do you like an games that use more than 1 spinner? Below is a (non-definitive) list of multi-spinner games
##Paddle Games
###Arkanoid Returns
###Off the Wall (Atari)
###Off the Wall (Bally Sente)
###Warlords (uses 4!)
###Pop'n Bounce
###Plump Pop
###VS Blok Breaker
##Flying
###Blasteroids
###Two Tigers
##Driving
###Super Off Road
### Super Sprint (uses 3!)
###Championship Super Sprint
###Bad Lands
###Ironman Ivan Stewart's Super Off-Road (uses 3!)
###Ironman Stewart's Super Off-Road Track Pack (uses 3!)
###Danny Sullivan's Indy Heat
## Other
###Atari 2 player games
###Puzzloop

==If I can have only a spinner or a trackball... which should I choose==
'''insert pro/con arguments here'''
relevant links in msg board. delete links once the info has been added.
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=25477.0
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=37876.0
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=36036.0

Spinners and Dials

2006-03-16T06:42:49Z

Kremmit: Started to fill in blank page. Basic description of spinners; list of important spinners.

{{Cleanup}}

What is a Spinner?

You might remember the spinner from games like Tempest and Arkanoid. The player turns a knob to move the on-screen character. But what's going on behind the scenes; what's that knob attached to?

Underneath the control panel, the shaft comes down from the knob above. Mounted on the shaft, is an optical encoder wheel- a flat disk with notches cut around the outside edge. These notches pass though a set of infra-red optics, that detect the notches as they spin by. There are two sets of optics, spaced such that they see the notches spin by just a little bit out of sync. The combined signal from both of these optics tells the game which direction the disk is turning, and how fast. This is also how a trackball works, as well as a ball-type PC mouse.

Varieties of Spinner

There have been lots and lots of different spinners manufactured over the years. A few of the more common, or more interesting ones are listed below.

#Tempest- The spinner against which all others are compared. 72 teeth on the encoder wheel, with nylon upper and lower bearings on the shaft. This was the model for the Oscar Vortex.

#Arkanoid- The "geared" spinner. Rather than mounting the encoder wheel directly to the shaft, the Arkanoid spinner used two sets of gears between the knob and the encoder wheel, to make the spinner extremely sensetive. While the encoder wheel only has 24 notches, the gearing causes 486 notches to psss through the optics for every turn of the knob! The Arkanoid spinner also has no weight to speak of, so it stops the instant you take your hand off the knob.

#Discs of Tron- This spinner used a giant 128-notch encoder wheel. But the really interesting part is the up/down feature. When the player pulled up or down, a leafswitch was activated. This was used to control the aim of the disc in later levels of the game. Oscar made a Push/Pull spinner with a slightly different design, and a smaller 72 notch encoder wheel. Zwackery also used a Push/Pull spinner, and Forgotten Worlds used a push only (no pull) spinner. The Oscar V2 had a Push option, and a Pull kit was rumored to be in the works before Oscar Controls closed down.

#Oscar- Oscar isn't a specific spinner; Oscar Controls was a manufacturere of spinners to the hobbyist market until recently. Several models were produced over the years, including the Model One, Pro, Vortex, Push/Pull, and V2.

#SlikStik Tornado- Billed as the "longest spinning" spinner on the market, the Tornado is now the spinner that's been on the market the longest. With an extra-small footprint, and dual-bearing design, the Tornado is very well made. Several knob options are also available. The Tornado comes with it's own USB or PS/2 interface. Plans to sell the Vortex with a plain-jane optic card have also been announced.

#GroovyGameGear TurboTwist- New to the market, the TurboTwist also has a small footprint and a dual-bearing design. The TurboTwist has an extra-high resolution encoder wheel, and comes with it's own USB or PS/2 Opti_Wiz interface. The interface can be configured to put the spinner on the X, Y, or Z mouse axis, and will control other optic devices on the remaining two axes, such as a trackball, or additional spinners/steering wheels/optical rotary joysticks. A plain-jane optic card version has also been announced.

#ArcadeGames4U Cyclone- Also new to the market, the Cyclone has a dual-bearing design, with a lower resolution encoder wheel. The Cyclone ships with an optic card, but no interface.

#Build Your Own!- Many users have build their own spinners from whatever parts they had available- Hard drive bearings, skateboard bearings, whatever. Use your imagination!

Joysticks

2006-03-16T05:33:47Z

Kremmit: /* 49-Way Joysticks */

==Conventional Digital Joysticks==
[[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. Joysticks like this are known as 8-way.
Some joysticks were designed to restrict the player from moving diagonally; for example, joysticks used in Pac-Man and Donkey Kong. Though it is possible to use an 8-way joystick for these games, it's not recommended, as accidentally hitting a diagonal with the joystick will cause Mario to stand still and Pac-Man won't know if he should go up or to the side. Joysticks like this are known as 4-way.

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.

Standard 8-way only joysticks:
:* [http://retroblast.com/reviews/joysticks/happcompetition.html Happ Competition], [http://www.retroblast.com/reviews/joysticks/happultimate.html 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].

==Non-Conventional 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 the conventional microswitches, Suzo Inductive sticks use a magnet at the base of its shaft that is read by eight 'pads' on its PCB. It is completely silent and easily switchable between 4-way and 8-way using a pot under the joystick.
====[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.

==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 additon, 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.

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 Joysicks==

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. The Touchdown Fever games used a Happ Optical rotary, which is basically a Happ Super with the encoder wheel and optics added to the bottom.

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 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 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

Common European joysticks include those produced by:

*Suzo

Common Japanese joysticks include those produced by:

*Sanwa
*Semitsu

Joysticks

2006-03-16T05:22:36Z

Kremmit: /* 49-Way Joysticks */

==Conventional Digital Joysticks==
[[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. Joysticks like this are known as 8-way.
Some joysticks were designed to restrict the player from moving diagonally; for example, joysticks used in Pac-Man and Donkey Kong. Though it is possible to use an 8-way joystick for these games, it's not recommended, as accidentally hitting a diagonal with the joystick will cause Mario to stand still and Pac-Man won't know if he should go up or to the side. Joysticks like this are known as 4-way.

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.

Standard 8-way only joysticks:
:* [http://retroblast.com/reviews/joysticks/happcompetition.html Happ Competition], [http://www.retroblast.com/reviews/joysticks/happultimate.html 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].

==Non-Conventional 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 the conventional microswitches, Suzo Inductive sticks use a magnet at the base of its shaft that is read by eight 'pads' on its PCB. It is completely silent and easily switchable between 4-way and 8-way using a pot under the joystick.
====[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.

==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 additon, 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.

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 for the Happ variety ''only'' at www.groovygamegear.com.

==Analog Joysicks==

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. The Touchdown Fever games used a Happ Optical rotary, which is basically a Happ Super with the encoder wheel and optics added to the bottom.

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 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 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

Common European joysticks include those produced by:

*Suzo

Common Japanese joysticks include those produced by:

*Sanwa
*Semitsu

Joysticks

2006-03-16T05:08:03Z

Kremmit: /* Rotary Joysticks */

==Conventional Digital Joysticks==
[[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. Joysticks like this are known as 8-way.
Some joysticks were designed to restrict the player from moving diagonally; for example, joysticks used in Pac-Man and Donkey Kong. Though it is possible to use an 8-way joystick for these games, it's not recommended, as accidentally hitting a diagonal with the joystick will cause Mario to stand still and Pac-Man won't know if he should go up or to the side. Joysticks like this are known as 4-way.

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.

Standard 8-way only joysticks:
:* [http://retroblast.com/reviews/joysticks/happcompetition.html Happ Competition], [http://www.retroblast.com/reviews/joysticks/happultimate.html 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].

==Non-Conventional 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 the conventional microswitches, Suzo Inductive sticks use a magnet at the base of its shaft that is read by eight 'pads' on its PCB. It is completely silent and easily switchable between 4-way and 8-way using a pot under the joystick.
====[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.

==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 additon, 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.

==Analog Joysicks==

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. The Touchdown Fever games used a Happ Optical rotary, which is basically a Happ Super with the encoder wheel and optics added to the bottom.

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 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 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

Common European joysticks include those produced by:

*Suzo

Common Japanese joysticks include those produced by:

*Sanwa
*Semitsu

Joysticks

2006-03-11T08:18:03Z

Kremmit: /* Rotary Joysticks */

==Conventional Digital Joysticks==
[[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. Joysticks like this are known as 8-way.
Some joysticks were designed to restrict the player from moving diagonally; for example, joysticks used in Pac-Man and Donkey Kong. Though it is possible to use an 8-way joystick for these games, it's not recommended, as accidentally hitting a diagonal with the joystick will cause Mario to stand still and Pac-Man won't know if he should go up or to the side. Joysticks like this are known as 4-way.

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.

Standard 8-way only joysticks:
:* [http://retroblast.com/reviews/joysticks/happcompetition.html Happ Competition], [http://www.retroblast.com/reviews/joysticks/happultimate.html 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].

==Non-Conventional 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 the conventional microswitches, Suzo Inductive sticks use a magnet at the base of its shaft that is read by eight 'pads' on its PCB. It is completely silent and easily switchable between 4-way and 8-way using a pot under the joystick.
====[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.

==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 additon, 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.

==Analog Joysicks==

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.

Optical rotary sticks have an optical encoder wheel, similar to a spinner, instead.

----------------------------------------------------
Mechanical Rotary joystick games (LS-30 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
*Legendary Wings
*Victory Road
*Midnight Resistance
*Ikari III - The Rescue
*Exterminator
*TNK III
*Touchdown Fever

-------------------------------------
Optical Rotary games (Loop-24 sticks)
-------------------------------------
*Caliber .50

----------------------------------------------------
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

Common European joysticks include those produced by:

*Suzo

Common Japanese joysticks include those produced by:

*Sanwa
*Semitsu

Joysticks

2006-03-11T07:59:25Z

Kremmit: /* European vs US vs Japanese Joysticks */

==Conventional Digital Joysticks==
[[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. Joysticks like this are known as 8-way.
Some joysticks were designed to restrict the player from moving diagonally; for example, joysticks used in Pac-Man and Donkey Kong. Though it is possible to use an 8-way joystick for these games, it's not recommended, as accidentally hitting a diagonal with the joystick will cause Mario to stand still and Pac-Man won't know if he should go up or to the side. Joysticks like this are known as 4-way.

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.

Standard 8-way only joysticks:
:* [http://retroblast.com/reviews/joysticks/happcompetition.html Happ Competition], [http://www.retroblast.com/reviews/joysticks/happultimate.html 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].

==Non-Conventional 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 the conventional microswitches, Suzo Inductive sticks use a magnet at the base of its shaft that is read by eight 'pads' on its PCB. It is completely silent and easily switchable between 4-way and 8-way using a pot under the joystick.
====[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.

==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 additon, 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.

==Analog Joysicks==

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==

=Mounting Joysticks=

=European vs US vs Japanese Joysticks=

Common US joysticks include those produced by:

*Happ
*Wico
*Atari
*Midway

Common European joysticks include those produced by:

*Suzo

Common Japanese joysticks include those produced by:

*Sanwa
*Semitsu

Joysticks

2006-03-11T07:55:40Z

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

==Conventional Digital Joysticks==
[[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. Joysticks like this are known as 8-way.
Some joysticks were designed to restrict the player from moving diagonally; for example, joysticks used in Pac-Man and Donkey Kong. Though it is possible to use an 8-way joystick for these games, it's not recommended, as accidentally hitting a diagonal with the joystick will cause Mario to stand still and Pac-Man won't know if he should go up or to the side. Joysticks like this are known as 4-way.

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.

Standard 8-way only joysticks:
:* [http://retroblast.com/reviews/joysticks/happcompetition.html Happ Competition], [http://www.retroblast.com/reviews/joysticks/happultimate.html 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].

==Non-Conventional 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 the conventional microswitches, Suzo Inductive sticks use a magnet at the base of its shaft that is read by eight 'pads' on its PCB. It is completely silent and easily switchable between 4-way and 8-way using a pot under the joystick.
====[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.

==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 additon, 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.

==Analog Joysicks==

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==

=Mounting Joysticks=

=European vs US vs Japanese Joysticks=

Joysticks

2006-03-05T18:14:58Z

Kremmit: /* 49-Way Joysticks */

Joysticks

2006-03-05T17:40:37Z

Kremmit: /* Analog Joysicks */

Joysticks

2006-03-03T07:42:14Z

Kremmit: /* Analog Joysicks */

Joysticks

2006-03-03T06:51:34Z

Kremmit: /* Conventional Digital Joysticks */

Joysticks

2006-03-03T06:44:44Z

Kremmit: /* 8-Way to 4-Way Switchable Joysticks */