43589 3AUG88-2013 Utilities & Applications
CONVERTING ATARI JOYSTK TO WORK FOR C3
From: TOMPKINS To: ALL
IS THERE A HARDWARE PROJECT OR
IS THERE ANY WAY THAT I CAN
CONVERT RADIO SHACK’S ATARI
JOYSTICK TO WORK WITH MY COCO 3?
COULD IT BE IN RAINBOW, HERE IN
THE FORUM, OR IN THE DATABASE??
I THOUGHT THERE WAS A MESSAGE
IN THE FORUM ABOUT IT.
COULD THERE BE A HARDWARE
PROJECT IN RAINBOW ABOUT IT?
OR A PROGRAM?? THANKS A LOT!!!
43602 3AUG88-2253 Utilities & Applications
RE: CONVERTING ATARI JOYSTK TO WORK FOR (Re: Msg 43589)
From: ZACKS To: TOMPKINS
check out the advert for 4techs in the July 88 issue of The
Rainbow on page 94. Let me know how it works. I’m interested.
43614 4AUG88-0142 Utilities & Applications
RE: CONVERTING ATARI JOYSTK TO WORK FOR (Re: Msg 43589)
From: ARTFLEXSER To: TOMPKINS
If we are talking about the joysticks for the Atari 400 and 800 machines,
I don’t see how they could be made to work properly on a CoCo 3. Those
are not PROPORTIONAL joysticks like the CoCo uses. That is, they contain
only SWITCHES that report on/off in 8 (?) directions, rather than the
X/Y coordinates (0 to 63 on 2 axes) that CoCo joysticks report. Sure, you
could rig adapters to CONNECT them to the CoCo 3, but you’d need to
convert software to work with them. Perhaps the Rainbow ad Zacks refers
to contains some software as well? Or perhaps the Atari joystick that
the conversion is for IS a proportional type, unlike the original Atari
joysticks.
On second thought, it IS the case that many games for the Coco do not use the
proportional property of the CoCo joysticks. That is, the
games only care whether the X or Y coordinate is bigger than some value, and
don’t care what the exact X or Y value is, apart from that.
For games like that, a converted Atari joystick should work fine.
43675 5AUG88-1611 Utilities & Applications
RE: CONVERTING ATARI JOYSTK TO WORK FOR (Re: Msg 43589)
From: MARTYGOODMAN To: TOMPKINS
An issue of Rainbow a number of years back had exctly that conversion
in it. I forget which. The conversion is relatively trivial…
but is of limited value with many CoCo games. You see…
CoCo joysticks can send the computer ALL possible values between
Full one direction and full another. (actually translated
to64 different steps… or 256 different steps with the
hi res interface). But Atari joysticks ONLY report
they are tilted one way or another. NO gradations
of just HOW MUCH they are tilted. Thus, only SOME
CoCo games will wrk with a converted Atari joystick.
And NO drawing prorams will!
—marty
43735 6AUG88-1305 Utilities & Applications
RE: CONVERTING ATARI JOYSTK TO WORK FOR (Re: Msg 43675)
From: TOMPKINS To: MARTYGOODMAN
GREGMILLER HAS JUST TOLD ME THE
2 ISSUES OF RAINBOW FOR
CONVERTING THE ATARI JOYSTICK.
ONE OF THEM IS: 6/86 (I THINK).
THE OTHER IS IN AN ’84 ISSUE.
I FORGOT WHICH ONE.
ALSO, WOULD A CONVERTED ATARI
JOYSTICK WORK WITH MY HI-RES
JOYSTICK INTERFACE. I THINK
THAT IS ALSO CALLED ‘HI-RES
INPUT PACK’. (OOPS!: MAKE THAT
A ‘?’ BEFORE THE 2ND TO THE LAST
SENTENCE.) THANKS A LOT!
43605 3AUG88-2314 Utilities & Applications
RE: CONVERTING ATARI JOYSTK TO WORK FOR (Re: Msg 43602)
From: TOMPKINS To: ZACKS
I THINK I MIGHT TRY IT OUT AND
SEE HOW GOOD IT WORKS & HELPS!
THANKS!
43625 4AUG88-1824 Utilities & Applications
RE: CONVERTING ATARI JOYSTK TO WORK FOR (Re: Msg 43614)
From: ZACKS To: ARTFLEXSER
The way I understood the add, they probably was some special
software included with the package.
43743 6AUG88-1517 Utilities & Applications
RE: CONVERTING ATARI JOYSTK TO WORK FOR (Re: Msg 43735)
From: 6809ER To: TOMPKINS
The Convert Atari Joystick can only output a 0, 32 or 63 to a standard joystick
port. The Atari joystick is just four switchs, that only output on or off,
what is all. This switching data can be converted for center reading of 32,
left reading of 0 or right reading of 63. These are the center, left and right
position of a Color Computer joystick.
As for using it on with the Hi-res joystick interface, it would not work.
Besides, you would only get three positions of Left, Center or Right, not the
640 positions you get with a standard Color computer joystick or mouse.
Steve
43769 6AUG88-2311 Utilities & Applications
RE: CONVERTING ATARI JOYSTK TO WORK FOR (Re: Msg 43735)
From: MARTYGOODMAN To: TOMPKINS
As I noted in a previous note to you… and as Art Flexser also
pointed out… the Atari Joystick is NOT a positionning joystick.
It can ONLY detect whether the joystick is in center (off)
positon or in one of 8 different compass points. NOTHING more.
Unlike the theoretically infinite (actually 64 X and 64 Y position locations)
that a true CoCo joystick offers.
It would seem to me to be totally a waste of time to try to
use a converted Atari Joystick with a hi res interface for the
CoCo 3. I mean… hi res interfaces are generally used ONLY
with drawing and other programs that REQUIRE the positioning
capability of a real CoCo joystick. Therefore,
your converted Atari joystick would be utterly
useless in such cases.
—marty
P.S. Care to explain to us WHY you want to use such a lousey,
limited joystick on a CoCo, whose ordinary (and inexpensive)
joystick is SO far superior???
43903 9AUG88-0043 Utilities & Applications
RE: CONVERTING ATARI JOYSTK TO WORK FOR (Re: Msg 43743)
From: TOMPKINS To: 6809ER
THE TYPE OF ATARI JOYSTICK I
HAVE IS FROM RADIO SHACK.
ITS THE DELUXE COMPETITION ONE.
I THINK THAT ONE HAS 8 SWITCHES.
DOESN’T IT???
THANKS FOR THE INFO!
43905 9AUG88-0046 Utilities & Applications
RE: CONVERTING ATARI JOYSTK TO WORK FOR (Re: Msg 43769)
From: TOMPKINS To: MARTYGOODMAN
I GUESS THAT I DON’T NEED TO USE
THE HI-RES INTERFACE, AS I WILL
ONLY BE USING THE ATARI
JOYSTICK FOR GAMES.
THANKS!! P.S. I WANT TO USE THE
ATARI JOYSTICK BECAUSE I THINK
I HAVE MORE CONTROL WITH IT,
ESPECIALLY FOR GAMES!
43913 9AUG88-0119 Utilities & Applications
RE: CONVERTING ATARI JOYSTK TO WORK FOR (Re: Msg 43903)
From: 6809ER To: TOMPKINS (NR)
I don’t anything about Atari type joystick from Radio Shack, but most
Atari type joysticks use only 5 switchs. (Up, down, left, Right and fire.)
Add one switch if there is another fire button.
Steve
43986 11AUG88-0037 Utilities & Applications
RE: CONVERTING ATARI JOYSTK TO WORK FOR (Re: Msg 43903)
From: MARTYGOODMAN To: TOMPKINS (NR)
ALL Atari joysticks have FOUR switches… and can sense eight
distinct positions plus center. (one switche closed for N,S,E, and W,
and two switches closed for NE, SE, NW, and SW)
—marty
43987 11AUG88-0038 Utilities & Applications
RE: CONVERTING ATARI JOYSTK TO WORK FOR (Re: Msg 43905)
From: MARTYGOODMAN To: TOMPKINS (NR)
You are completely mistaken if you think an Atari joystick offers
“more control”. The opposite is true… it offers FAR FAR less control.
Tho in some cases, it helps to use a RS style joystick (like the DELUX
joystick) that can be optionally set to spring loaded center return.
—marty
43991 11AUG88-1821 Utilities & Applications
RE: CONVERTING ATARI JOYSTK TO WORK FOR (Re: Msg 43987)
From: ZACKS To: MARTYGOODMAN
The lack of the center return is my main gripe with the cheapo
RS joysticks, but the Deluxe is SOOO much more expensive. The
Atari joysticks would only be really useful is the software is
rewritten to sense relative to zero position over time, rather
that exact position in a grid at any given instant.
44019 12AUG88-0055 Utilities & Applications
RE: CONVERTING ATARI JOYSTK TO WORK FOR (Re: Msg 43991)
From: MARTYGOODMAN To: ZACKS
There are (or were) other brands of self centering joysticks.
Heck… I often see IBM PC Junior Joysticks on sale for $5 or so…
and these are perfectly excellent CoCo (or IBM “senior”)
joysticks, with optional self centering… all you need
do is solder a different connector to the cable!
Actually, SOME CoCo games were written as if the CoCo joystick
was an Atari joystick. In some cases because that was all
the programmer knew how to do (or was porting a game from
an Atari like system), and in other cases because
the author found only a few positions were needed.
Take ZAXXON… all it seems to know is UP, DOWN, and FORWARD.
—marty
44037 12AUG88-1825 Utilities & Applications
RE: CONVERTING ATARI JOYSTK TO WORK FOR (Re: Msg 44019)
From: ZACKS To: MARTYGOODMAN
Now, I’d like to take ZAXXON, I don’t have a copy and haven’t seen
it advertised anywhere. Do you know who may be selling it?
44038 12AUG88-1836 Utilities & Applications
RE: CONVERTING ATARI JOYSTK TO WORK FOR (Re: Msg 44037)
From: LINLEE To: ZACKS
Radio Shack sells Zaxxon
-Marlin-
44079 13AUG88-1245 Utilities & Applications
RE: CONVERTING ATARI JOYSTK TO WORK FOR (Re: Msg 44037)
From: 6809ER To: ZACKS
Zaxxon must be going on 6 years old by now, it was writen back in 1982. The
program was good (if not great) back in it’s day, times have passed it by.
The program uses a graphics mode that does not work well on a RGB monitor.
For these and other reasons, the programer of Zaxxon is working on a new
version of game for the Color Computer 3. With the new graphics drives from
games like Mine Rescue and Super Pitfall, it will have over 10 megabytes of
screen
gaphics!
(That’s more then the Aracde version!)
Because Sega will not sell the rights to Zaxxons these days, it will not
use the name or fly over the same paterns as the Acarde game. But that’s ok,
the first version on the color computer looked less like the acarde version
then this new version from Game Point Software.
If all goes right, The new verion of Zaxxon (still un-named) will be at the
next RainbowFest.
Steve Bjork, SRB Software
44098 13AUG88-1849 Utilities & Applications
RE: CONVERTING ATARI JOYSTK TO WORK FOR (Re: Msg 44037)
From: MARTYGOODMAN To: ZACKS
ZAXXON may still be available at some Radio Shack stores.
Steve (it’s author) may have something to say about that, too.
—marty
44103 13AUG88-1907 Utilities & Applications
RE: CONVERTING ATARI JOYSTK TO WORK FOR (Re: Msg 44037)
From: HARDWAREHACK To: ZACKS
Just wanted to say: “Right on!” to your reply about disk drives!
…Roger
44043 12AUG88-1847 Utilities & Applications
RE: CONVERTING ATARI JOYSTK TO WORK FOR (Re: Msg 44038)
From: ZACKS To: LINLEE
None of my local stores which carry CoCo 3 software (4) have
had ZAXXON in stock since I been CoCoing (months). Also, it’s
not listed in the RS 1988 catalog. Is it still sold? Can anyone
help me out?
44047 12AUG88-1907 Utilities & Applications
RE: CONVERTING ATARI JOYSTK TO WORK FOR (Re: Msg 44043)
From: COCONAUT To: ZACKS
Zack,
I think I saw Zaxxon in one of my local Shacks the other day…….
DougFisher
44063 13AUG88-0015 Utilities & Applications
RE: CONVERTING ATARI JOYSTK TO WORK FOR (Re: Msg 44043)
From: LINLEE To: ZACKS
Check with your local store manager. He should be able to order it for you.
-Marlin-
44087 13AUG88-1521 Utilities & Applications
RE: CONVERTING ATARI JOYSTK TO WORK FOR (Re: Msg 44079)
From: ZACKS To: 6809ER
Thanks for your comprehensive reply, Steve. I’ll be looking for the
new version.