Dragon's Lair Fans - Arcade Lifestyle

General Chat => Technical Area => Topic started by: eurotronic on June 23, 2012, 07:20:58 PM

Title: Choice of controller for "Pong-like"
Post by: eurotronic on June 23, 2012, 07:20:58 PM

Hi guys,
im currently working on a project of café table with video games included.
One of this table will feature a pong like game that a friend is coding atm.
I have the task of making the cabinet prototype.

Long story short, i need to find wich kind of controller is the best for my use.

(http://i49.servimg.com/u/f49/16/19/20/12/pot_an10.jpg)

I like the pot controller because it's very accurate, but it wears.. And as this cab is supose to be in a café, i guess it better be strudy. :P
The encoder wheel seem to be the weapon of choice, as there is no contact, it's virtualy immortal. But i never used such controller and i dont know how accurate it is.

Also i found some badass potentiometer with a life of 5M cycles (!!), but i dont know if they can handle 5M cycles of intense playing. :-\

Has you can see im a bit lost, so i need advice from hardcore spinner gamer.

-Did encoder wheels spinner are as accurate as a potentiometer controller?
-Do you ever know an arcade game with pot control instead of encoder wheels?

Thanks for reading,
David :)

Title: Re: Choice of controller for "Pong-like"
Post by: Etienne MacGyver on June 23, 2012, 08:48:19 PM

The encoder wheel is basicly the system used in a mouse, so if you hack a old mouse, and use the controller in combi with the lights and receivers, you can plug it straigt into a pc,

Thats my plan for a later project i want to do..

http://arcadecontrols.com/files/Miscellaneous/Mouse_to_Trackball_Instructions.pdf (http://arcadecontrols.com/files/Miscellaneous/Mouse_to_Trackball_Instructions.pdf)

http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-Arcade-Spinners-From-Old-Ball-Mice (http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-Arcade-Spinners-From-Old-Ball-Mice)

on the other hand, pong was created original also with potmeters, and if you take the heavy duty ones, you should be fine i guess

Title: Re: Choice of controller for "Pong-like"
Post by: eurotronic on June 24, 2012, 03:24:01 PM

Yep i ve notice the mouse hack.

But is this as accurate as a potentiometer?
Also the game 'll feature a 4P mode, can you plug 2 or 4 mices on a single pc? ???

Title: Re: Choice of controller for "Pong-like"
Post by: level42 on June 24, 2012, 03:37:50 PM

Both can work fine. Pong like games used pots mostly because at the time it was easier to handle in the hardware for the time, but take a look at Arkanoid which of course is just a next Breakout clone. Arkanood used an optical spinner ( like it did on the Atari ST but instead using the mouse).

If you use a pot you will need relatively expensive sturdy one's, something like the 5k pots Atari used in lots of their games (like SW).

Title: Re: Choice of controller for "Pong-like"
Post by: level42 on June 24, 2012, 03:51:43 PM

Pot I mean:
http://arcadefixit.com/product.sc;jsessionid=AEDE2514DD5A60BD26FF80C9F3D8DAAA.qscstrfrnt02?productId=827&categoryId=16

Title: Re: Choice of controller for "Pong-like"
Post by: eurotronic on July 02, 2012, 09:27:27 AM

Finnaly we decided to go with the encoder wheel.
Because of it's invulnerability, but also for coding easiness. :P

Thanks for the replies guys. ;)