The Revenge of the Spinner Files Thread

[Ice Cream Jonsey]

There will be another.

I want to build a panel for my roller and spinner. While I am at it, I will attach a joystick and two or three buttons to the thing. I've got all the parts, all I really have to do is get the wood ready.

I think I might paint it Zoo Keeper orange? To make myself get some Zoo Keeper orange?

I ordered this joystick tonight for the thing. HELLO, I AM GREEN! It is fully compatible with the IPAC encoder I bought like a light year ago, and I know that is a measurement of distance, not time.

[AArdvark]

Does it light up? That would be a nice touch for a video game.

[Ice Cream Jonsey]

I think I am going to buy some buttons that do light up. They do make joysticks that light, but that particular one just has a top that appears to be that way. I'll describe it better when it arrives, I think!

[Ice Cream Jonsey]

I did in fact buy buttons that light up! So they will be here in 2-3 days. I want to make them blue, so maybe having this giant-ass control box be orange isn't a good idea. Black it is!

[Worm]

Imagine waking up at your keyboard after a finishing off a bottle of gin only to see multiple invoices for arcade equipment on the monitor. Horrifying!

[Ice Cream Jonsey]

Here is my progress so far. The panel contains the following:

- A Rollie Electronics green 4/8 way joystick
- An I-PAC keyboard encoder (mounted to bottom)
- A RAM Controls Major Havoc roller
- A Ultimarc trackball/roller board (mounted to bottom)
- Two GroovyGameGear Electric Ice buttons (I have them set for blue and cyan)
- Three regular Happ buttons

Missing is the Apache Push/Pull Spinner my brother got me for Christmas a couple years ago. This is because I can't remember how to get the knob off.

Anyway, it looks much better in the dark and I am not a good enough photographer to do this justice.






The last control panel I made died when Frobozz jumped on it from the fireplace mantle. I now have the power of wooden dowels and gorilla glue, instead of just wood screws, to keep the thing together. So hopefully it will be a little more sturdy. He's already taken an active interest in it, though.

[Worm]

What is with the skateboard wheel?

[Ice Cream Jonsey]

Some glorious bastard, back in the 80s, said to himself, "A spinner won't do! How about a ROLLER!"

As a long time friend and confidant, who has kept me sane much like the holographic projection of Rimmer did Dave Lister in the TV show Red Dwarf, you are no doubt aware that I love color vector games. And unique controllers.

So, imagine if you will, the arcade game called MAJOR HAVOC! Major Havoc uses that roller. It also uses two buttons, one for jump and one for shield. It is also a color vector game. They go for about $2,000 these days, assuming you can find one.

Here is what the game looks like.



The roller allows movement along the x-axis. It was $99 on eBay. So I basically spent that much to play one game through MAME. Please don't hate me.

[bruce]

Imagine waking up at your keyboard after a finishing off a bottle of gin only to see multiple invoices for arcade equipment on the monitor. Horrifying!

What? No, that's not horrifying. That's just Wednesday morning.

Bruce

[AArdvark]

Hijacking an old thread because it's vaguely related to my next project.

I'm building a spinner so I can play Spy Hunter, Tempest and Omega Race. I got a spare Manual Pulse Generator from work. According to the terminals on the back it puts out 5VDC with every click. I'm going to remove the detent thingie so it spins freely and I'll add some weights to it for that free-wheling motion. First I have to hook it up to some kind of control and try it out. The mpg Is kinda big, about the size of a mayo jar lid. I may cannibalize an old Microsoft gamepad I have laying around and build a cool infernal machine. I have to hook stuff up and try it before any kind of design thought starts.

THE
FORM FOLLOWS
AARDVARK

[Jizaboz]

I recommend the Atari 2600 “racing controller” as the perfect make-shift spinner. I use mine to play Tempest and other spinner games on my Vectrex!

[AArdvark]

Industrial strength. Hope it doesn't end up looking like a Russian military arcade controller

[AArdvark]

[AArdvark]

[AArdvark]

I have to create more motivation for this project to be completed

[Ice Cream Jonsey]

Yes. Bumping so I can reply later.