I still have two CPC compatible joysticks, a Konix Speedking and I think the other is the Cheetah Bug. Both are fine to use.
Was there a joystick for the CPC that was recognised as being THE joystick to have?
Or, were all joysticks pretty much the same - the same/similar components in different cases?
Cheers,
Peter
I think I won my Cheetah Bug from an Amstrad Action competition but I can't find any proof of that and may be misremembering. I really liked that joystick though. Used it more on my Amiga than CPC, especially for Sensible Soccer (felt oddly fitting to control tiny lil dudes with a tiny joystick). The one that was plugged into my CPC most was the Cheetah Star Probe which I liked the design of with all it's angles. and used a heck of a lot on my 464.
The other joystick I used a lot was the more arcade-style Quickshot Maverick particularly because it was the only one I had where the two fire buttons could be set to do different things so that got a ton of use on my Amiga for games like Turrican II and James Pond 3 that made use of a 2nd fire button.
Tried a lot of other sticks at friends houses and Future Entertainment Shows but I was pretty happy with the ones I had.
Quote from: ComSoft6128 on 16:31, 19 April 18
I still have two CPC compatible joysticks, a Konix Speedking and I think the other is the Cheetah Bug. Both are fine to use.
Was there a joystick for the CPC that was recognised as being THE joystick to have?
Or, were all joysticks pretty much the same - the same/similar components in different cases?
Cheers,
Peter
The joystick that seems to get the most recognition as being the king of the 8 bit and 16 bit era is the competition pro, but I'm not sure it is as good as people remember but good for the time as it was microswitched, the one that can be had in green/pink/yellow is slightly better in my opinion, can't think what it is called at the moment.
I had (and still have) 2 Star Cursor joysticks. These controllers always seem to get a bad rap for being ugly and uncomfortable with poorly located buttons... but I've never had any problem using one nor did I find it that ugly.
These controllers had a steel shaft for the stick and 3 large arcade style buttons. There was a switch on the front to make all 3 buttons work as the same fire button or as separate buttons. The setting for 3 buttons didn't work on the CPC's joystick port, but it was quite simple to open up the controller and modify it so that all 3 buttons worked independently.
There was a switch on the base which could restrict stick movement to 4 way or 8 way.
All the functions (direction and buttons) were achieved using very robust large microswitches.
The controller was also built like a tank with a casing of robust durable plastic. It also had 4 suction cups on the base so it could be attached to a table surface if you didn't want to hold it.
Before I bought my second Star Cursor, I bought several other popular sticks that were currently on the market. None of those lasted very long and were all broken within months. I eventually got a second Star Cursor years later off ebay.
Never saw the Star Cursor - (one quick Google later) - looks sturdy, unlike the Amstrad joystick which came with my first 6128. Even though it was "free" it was quickly ditched for something better.
Quote from: ComSoft6128 on 06:31, 20 April 18
Never saw the Star Cursor - (one quick Google later) - looks sturdy, unlike the Amstrad joystick which came with my first 6128. Even though it was "free" it was quickly ditched for something better.
Did you have the jy1 or jy2 they were pretty awful i remember we bought some in boots but they kept breaking so my dad kept taking them back. Eventually we bought something better. I recall i had a delta something and i think i also had a cheetah bug at some point. I also had a gravis which was later available for the pc as a full analogue joystick which had a massive throw.
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The JY1 was the cheapest piece of crap they could throw together. The Competition Pro is probably the best you could get at the time.
Bryce.
Powerplay Cruiser! I think that was actually better than the competion pro but as you say Bryce the comp pro is generally regarded as the best.
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I had an Atari CX24 (https://atariage.com/controller_page.php?SystemID=7800&ControllerID=9) that came with my an Atari VCS 2600 Jr (I still have it, and it's indeed a 2600 and not a 7800), and when that one's switches were so worn off by heavy use that they didn't work, I got a Konix Speedking (http://www.cpcwiki.eu/index.php/File:Konix_speedking2.jpg), which (after heavy use as well) eventually broke its internal structure plastic bases.
Both joysticks were held with both hands, so it's always been hard / unusual for me to use a more common Atari CX40 (the original Atari controller) (https://atariage.com/controller_page.php?SystemID=2600&ControllerID=1) or any similar one-hand-only joystick.
Is there any way to use a modern USB joystick, preferably in a gamepad format, to connect to an actual Amstrad CPC 6128?
Quote from: George Schizas on 09:42, 20 April 18
Is there any way to use a modern USB joystick, preferably in a gamepad format, to connect to an actual Amstrad CPC 6128?
Must be. Cos I've certainly seen folk using modern USB wired and wireless mice with an Amiga and that uses the same 9 pin sockets the CPC does.
For me, the Wicco joysticks (https://www.google.com/search?q=wico+joystick&client=ubuntu&hs=VEu&channel=fs&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjQwo-ehMnaAhWEhSwKHeX8BhgQ_AUICigB&biw=1855&bih=959) = THE Amstrad joystick.
Solid stuff. Practically unbreakable. Just works.
Never used any other kind of joystick for the CPC.
The best joystick ever made
(https://i.imgur.com/XzVBwav.jpg)
fullstop
;D
Quote from: gaos74 on 16:51, 20 April 18
The best joystick ever made
(https://i.imgur.com/XzVBwav.jpg)
fullstop
;D
Actually it is the best as it is mine ;D ;D ;D
@Gaos beat me to it, I was about to google for a pic of it.
Sadly only available in Greece at the time, but you won't find a Greek recommending anything else. This beast was decades ahead of its time and just wonderful.
Quote from: Gryzor on 08:53, 21 April 18
@Gaos beat me to it, I was about to google for a pic of it.
Sadly only available in Greece at the time, but you won't find a Greek recommending anything else. This beast was decades ahead of its time and just wonderful.
It looks a bit like this one (https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180421/1ac900971703f9b0e9aa52e89accf79d.jpg)
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Quote from: tjohnson on 10:04, 21 April 18
It looks a bit like this one (https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180421/1ac900971703f9b0e9aa52e89accf79d.jpg)
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Only prettier [emoji16] (what is this anyhow?)
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Quote from: Gryzor on 10:07, 21 April 18
Only prettier [emoji16] (what is this anyhow?)
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Something i made myself :-) sanwa jlf joystick couple of 28mm buttons in a box
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... As I said, decades ahead of its time [emoji14]
(Nicely done, very nice indeed)
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Quote from: Gryzor on 10:10, 21 April 18
... As I said, decades ahead of its time [emoji14]
(Nicely done, very nice indeed)
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Yeah looks a nice joystick that one. I've got a competion pro here and is not all that tbh. Needs quite a heavy hand, could just be the one I've got but doesn't feel like it to me
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No, I was talking about your own just then, but I agree [emoji4]
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Quote from: Gryzor on 10:14, 21 April 18
No, I was talking about your own just then, but I agree [emoji4]
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Thanks i havent finished wiring it up yet the box is very nice quality. I cant remember the make off the top of my head but it's a component box made in japan. The buttons are gold leaf concave. Will be ace when it's finished
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I had a quickshot and cheetah 125+ to start with back in the day, they got the job done, but felt cheap and not very sturdy.
I remember going to " Toys R Us " to get some games for my Birthday, I can't remember what games I got that day, but I do remember seeing a joystick that I liked the look of in one of those glass cabinets that they used.
It was a Cruiser joystick, the blue one with the white buttons and red handle ( ball top ), I believe it was £10.
I found this joystick a lot better than the previous two, it felt sturdy compared to them, I also liked how you could tighten or loosen the handle, came in handy for a lot of games.
The fact it had micro switches was great too, if a direction or fire stopped working it was simple to swop a switch out.
I found a Cruiser joystick in a cupboard recently. Been there for about 25 years and never used. I will have a look at it tomorrow. It has two connectors on it, having checked the Wikipedia page for this it seems one is for the 16-bits, the other for 8-bits. If I plugged in the wrong connector to a 6128 or 6128 Plus would this cause any damage or just not work?
Cheers,
Peter
Quote from: ComSoft6128 on 13:56, 21 April 18
I found a Cruiser joystick in a cupboard recently. Been there for about 25 years and never used. I will have a look at it tomorrow. It has two connectors on it, having checked the Wikipedia page for this it seems one is for the 16-bits, the other for 8-bits. If I plugged in the wrong connector to a 6128 or 6128 Plus would this cause any damage or just not work?
Cheers,
Peter
I don't know if any damage would be caused if the wrong connector is plugged in.
If it has two connectors, one is probably for the Amstrad / C64 ( black one ), and the other is for the spectrum ( grey one ).
Edit from Joystick survey in May 89 issue of Amstrad Action, pages 28, 29 and 31:
"The clear Cruiser is the most advanced, yet there still seems little special about it. From the aircraft-style bunch there are three strong contenders: the Quickjoy, the Starprobe and the Quickshot. The best design awards goes to the Starprobe, with fire buttons on the base as well as the handle. It seems, however, less solid than the others. The choice comes down to hand comfort, as they all perform almost identically. The Quickjoy's trigger button is not as contoured as it could be, making prolonged use uncomfortable. The Quickshot's firing mechanisms allow a more relaxed grip, eventually tipping the balance in its favour.
Pick of the sticks: World beater
There are two contenders: the Wico Ergostick and the new Star Cursor from Microleisure. They are the only ones that are not just top of the range versions with added features, but genuine products in their own right. As Steve, a southpaw himself, points out. Both Wico and Konix casually alienate at least 20% of their market by ruling out left-handers. The verdict overall therefore goes to the Star Cursor. It is an excellent joystick, with a flexibility that suits it to just about every kind of game - with the possible exception of simulators, because of the choice of fire buttons and your ability to switch between them."
I was a cruiser guy as well. But it was the blue one with the red handle and the white buttons. It was later succeeded with two models, the full black one and the multi coloured green, pink and yellow one which was an utter horror to look at.
Still trying to track down a blue one. I kinda miss it. It was great for playing Renegade with cos you could just stick it to the table with the suction cups and move with your left hand and free your right hand to use the 3 attack keys and it felt like playing an arcade game. Couldn't do that with a Speedking, that's for certain!
Quote from: Shaun M. Neary on 10:51, 22 April 18
I was a cruiser guy as well. But it was the blue one with the red handle and the white buttons. It was later succeeded with two models, the full black one and the multi coloured green, pink and yellow one which was an utter horror to look at.
Still trying to track down a blue one. I kinda miss it. It was great for playing Renegade with cos you could just stick it to the table with the suction cups and move with your left hand and free your right hand to use the 3 attack keys and it felt like playing an arcade game. Couldn't do that with a Speedking, that's for certain!
I have a black cruiser, the green pink and yellow one is to much for me. Never seen a blue one though so maybe they are quite rare, if that is the case probably find the eBay sellers will want 99 quid boxed or something.
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Quote from: tjohnson on 11:32, 22 April 18
I have a black cruiser, the green pink and yellow one is to much for me. Never seen a blue one though so maybe they are quite rare, if that is the case probably find the eBay sellers will want 99 quid boxed or something.
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I'm under the impression that the blue one was first, because the stick was modelled slightly differently for the black and multicoloured ones. The blue one also didn't have the second port for Spectrums. Just standard 9pin port.
And some Tomahawk/Pacman porn.
Micro switches is the only way ;D
Telemach 200 is the only way to go ;)
(http://www.javipas.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/telemachprofessional.jpg)
My 2 beasts.
Pacman on the left (80s) and custom build on the right (last month):
(https://i.imgur.com/qvhl4jn.jpg)
I've always liked using the Quickshot QS-128F or "Maverick 1". I think it's a fairly decent non-micro-switched device that's quite robust and mine has been able to survive several years of Daley Thompson waggling.
(Yeah, I know, that last remark there sounds filthy)
Quote from: Flonky_Tash on 21:01, 24 April 18
I've always liked using the Quickshot QS-128F or "Maverick 1". I think it's a fairly decent non-micro-switched device that's quite robust and mine has been able to survive several years of Daley Thompson waggling.
(Yeah, I know, that last remark there sounds filthy)
Whatever about waggling Daley Thompson ;)
But it's a godsend of a stick for Hypersports and Combat School as well. 😃
Quote from: Shaun M. Neary on 12:33, 25 April 18
Whatever about waggling Daley Thompson ;)
But it's a godsend of a stick for Hypersports and Combat School as well. 😃
It also has two connectors, which I guess was used for the Amiga, as a lot of games were picky about which joystick port to use. So with this one you could plug both connectors in and just use the switch instead of swapping the ports. But enough about Amigas, they piss me off.
Quote from: Flonky_Tash on 12:44, 25 April 18
It also has two connectors, which I guess was used for the Amiga, as a lot of games were picky about which joystick port to use. So with this one you could plug both connectors in and just use the switch instead of swapping the ports. But enough about Amigas, they piss me off.
Actually it's a player 1 / player 2 switch for non simultaneous games for systems like the plus machines, c64 and the Sega Megadrive.
Quote from: Shaun M. Neary on 12:49, 25 April 18
Actually it's a player 1 / player 2 switch for non simultaneous games for systems like the plus machines, c64 and the Sega Megadrive.
Oh right :doh: . That makes more sense haha. To be fair I never actually used that function myself, I just took an educated guess.
Quote from: Flonky_Tash on 13:01, 25 April 18
Oh right :doh: . That makes more sense haha. To be fair I never actually used that function myself, I just took an educated guess.
Only got one of those sticks last year so learned it myself. Actually quite useful really. ;D
Quote from: Shaun M. Neary on 13:04, 25 April 18
Only got one of those sticks last year so learned it myself. Actually quite useful really. ;D
It's a useful joystick in general really, as you can switch between, Sega, Amstrad, MSX, Atari and Commodore. So it's great if you have multiple machines. But I guess that was fairly common too. Don't see that nowadays, can't use an xbox pad on a playstation, for example. Not that I'd want to anyway, I dislike modern consoles.
So it was my birthday, after a day in the office and spending some time with the kids eating cake I decided I would finish off my joystick. All complete, I used the wire from a bust JY-2 to give it an authentic look. Works like a dream and so much more responsive than some of the joysticks from back in the day. Both fire buttons act as fire 1.
Looks great! 8) Would love to play Fruity Frank or Sorcery with it.
It definitely looks extremely professional!
Quote from: ||C|-|E|| on 01:13, 28 April 18
It definitely looks extremely professional!
Thanks, the box was very nice quality and looks great. I would have preferred to make the buttons independent but the cable I used only supported the primary button. I could make a couple more up if anyone was interested but the issue is getting cables, I salvaged one from a broken JY-2 joystick but its not something I have a ready supply of.
They are standard D-sub connectors, readily available on the net. Use a bit of multicore cabe, solder it up as the cpc manual shows you. No need to bucher any of those quality JY01's for the cable!
I am really liking that people are making their own joysticks, modern microswitches are miles better than the in period leaf contacts. Plus if you manage to break a switch in the joy, the micros are simple an cheap to replace.
I've had a joystick project on the back burner for the last year or two. I have the stick, buttons (enough for Fire 1 & 2 and an additional UP). I've got a 'megadrive joypad extension cable' for a few quid off eBay which should hopefully do for wiring it up. I just need a nice case and some time to build it :)
My main reason for salvaging the lead from another joystick was to get the stopper to hold the lead in place between the two parts of the case and make it look more oem. The jy1/2 joysticks are pretty terrible, ok they are original equipment but anyone still using one is suffering unnecessarily!
Quote from: Lazy Dude on 11:21, 02 May 18
They are standard D-sub connectors, readily available on the net. Use a bit of multicore cabe, solder it up as the cpc manual shows you. No need to bucher any of those quality JY01's for the cable!
I am really liking that people are making their own joysticks, modern microswitches are miles better than the in period leaf contacts. Plus if you manage to break a switch in the joy, the micros are simple an cheap to replace.
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I remember suffering unnecessarily back in the day! But only so 2 joys could be plugged in . For 1 player I used a cheetah 125+ though as a child how I managed with such chunky grips I have no idea! And then there was the shit autofire that did not work >:(
Quote from: Skunkfish on 13:40, 02 May 18
I've had a joystick project on the back burner for the last year or two. I have the stick, buttons (enough for Fire 1 & 2 and an additional UP). I've got a 'megadrive joypad extension cable' for a few quid off eBay which should hopefully do for wiring it up. I just need a nice case and some time to build it :)
Sanwa or seimitsu? I like the elephant logo, so I use Sanwa!
Quote from: Lazy Dude on 15:24, 02 May 18
Sanwa or seimitsu? I like the elephant logo, so I use Sanwa!
My joystick uses sanwa. I have a home built arcade machine which i use il joysticks of the bat type, i prefer these to the sanwa as they are a little firmer in the hand . The buttons are gold leaf concave arcade buttons, they arent microswitched which i prefer for the buttons. I bought the stuff from arcadeworlduk.
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Quote from: Lazy Dude on 15:24, 02 May 18
Sanwa or seimitsu? I like the elephant logo, so I use Sanwa!
Lets call it 'Sanwa compatible'. I doubt it's genuine for the price I paid! :)
This is the joystick I used
https://www.arcadeworlduk.com/products/Sanwa-JLF-TP-8YT-Ball-Top-Joystick.html - I desoldered the 5pin connector and attached the wires directly
There are the buttons
https://www.arcadeworlduk.com/products/Gold-Leaf-Arcade-Button.html
This is the enclosure
http://cpc.farnell.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10001&langId=69&urlRequestType=Base&partNumber=EN83645&storeId=10180
Quote from: tjohnson on 21:11, 02 May 18
This is the joystick I used
https://www.arcadeworlduk.com/products/Sanwa-JLF-TP-8YT-Ball-Top-Joystick.html (https://www.arcadeworlduk.com/products/Sanwa-JLF-TP-8YT-Ball-Top-Joystick.html) - I desoldered the 5pin connector and attached the wires directly
There are the buttons
https://www.arcadeworlduk.com/products/Gold-Leaf-Arcade-Button.html (https://www.arcadeworlduk.com/products/Gold-Leaf-Arcade-Button.html)
This is the enclosure
http://cpc.farnell.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10001&langId=69&urlRequestType=Base&partNumber=EN83645&storeId=10180 (http://cpc.farnell.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10001&langId=69&urlRequestType=Base&partNumber=EN83645&storeId=10180)
You should have gone for a joystick that uses standard industrial micro-switches like the one in this set: https://www.ebay.de/itm/Zero-Delay-Arcade-USB-Encoder-PC-Joystick-Push-Taster-fur-MAME-Sanwa-AC782/401528837415 (https://www.ebay.de/itm/Zero-Delay-Arcade-USB-Encoder-PC-Joystick-Push-Taster-fur-MAME-Sanwa-AC782/401528837415)
You can seriously abuse them and even if a switch does break, you can swap it in minutes.
Bryce.
Quote from: Bryce on 21:49, 02 May 18
You should have gone for a joystick that uses standard industrial micro-switches like the one in this set: https://www.ebay.de/itm/Zero-Delay-Arcade-USB-Encoder-PC-Joystick-Push-Taster-fur-MAME-Sanwa-AC782/401528837415 (https://www.ebay.de/itm/Zero-Delay-Arcade-USB-Encoder-PC-Joystick-Push-Taster-fur-MAME-Sanwa-AC782/401528837415)
You can seriously abuse them and even if a switch does break, you can swap it in minutes.
Bryce.
Yeah I think in hindsight I would, I've actually had the joystick in a box for a couple of years having got it when I purchased the bits for my home built arcade machine a couple of years bacl but noticed the arcadeworlduk place also sells the model you mention https://www.arcadeworlduk.com/products/Sanwa-JLF-TM-8T-Ball-Top-Joystick.html
The joystick I used on my Neo Geo is one of the "real" ones (ie: the one's used by commercial arcade machine builders and almost completely made of metal), but these are getting difficult to find. It's absolutely bullet-proof, I couldn't break it if I wanted to. Can't remember which company it's from though.
http://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/other-retro/neo-geo/msg55627/#msg55627 (http://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/other-retro/neo-geo/msg55627/#msg55627)
Bryce.
And speaking of good/bad/ugly.... http://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/classifieds-38/joysticks-to-go/msg160284/#msg160284
Bryce.
Good morning.
It is Friday the 13th and I resurrect an old topic.
A famous joystick has also been resurrected.
I want to share with you the new custom build that I received.
This is the T.G.S. (aka The Greek Stick):
(https://i.imgur.com/RQO8G4U.jpg?1)
Remember the Tomahawk? This is better!
It has been created by dinohatzi (founding member of the Vintage Computers Society - vintagecomputerssociety.blogspot.com)
It can be customized with 1 or 2 buttons (left or right), autofire and different colors.
The casing is metallic and it has electrostatic paint.
I feel that I hold the Porsche of joysticks!!!
I am not affiliated with the creator. I just wish to give credit to such a nice effort so please do not misunderstand my post.
Can't wait to finish work today!!!
This is lovely! I think he also produces more designs, or am I thinking of someone else?
How much do they go for? And also, where did you order it?
I have asked dinohatzi to send me a link and I will share.
Here is the link:
https://tgsjoystick.wordpress.com/
Perfect, thanks!
I've just cleaned up 3 Zipstiks I bought on ebay. All 3 have different internals, the only microswitches that are the same is in the fire buttons, each of them have different directional microswitches for example.
One had some made in England, one had the same as the fire buttons and the last one had cheap looking generic ones with a not so satisfying click.
Zipstik has always been my preference but I wanted to let people know that you might not get what you're expecting if you buy one as it might not contain the switches you're used to.
My favorite joystick is my Wico Arcade joystick that I got with my Atari 800.
Will it work on my 6128 plus or do I need an adapter like on my Speccy? I don't have the 6128 plus yet its still in the UK :)
THanks
Bill
My two cents to this topic.
Here's my second DIY joystick. This one uses the Sanwa mechanism. It is ambidextrous.
(https://i.postimg.cc/Lgd06qvL/1-D50-F76-B-B981-4718-98-D1-44-CBE2-B7-F422.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/Lgd06qvL)
My alltime favourite joysticks are Commodore VG-260, Cruiser, Konix Navigator and Alberici Cobra among a few others.
I've ordered another Sanwa mechanism with buttons and an USB controller board. I'm going to try to create a joystick that can be connected to both PC and retro machines
A new great homemade joystick for CPC may have two differents fire buttons and not twice the same. 8)
(for information, I'm left handled and always use the left hand for the stick and right hand for the buttons, like on arcade cabinets)
I know why arcade cabinets have the joysticks for the left hand, but I don't necessarily agree with it. I've grown up using the right hand for the stick and left for the buttons. It's in my spine. Therefore, if I ever build an arcade cabinet, the stick will be on the right.
Quote from: protek on 23:57, 13 December 19
I know why arcade cabinets have the joysticks for the left hand, but I don't necessarily agree with it. I've grown up using the right hand for the stick and left for the buttons. It's in my spine. Therefore, if I ever build an arcade cabinet, the stick will be on the right.
I remember when cabinets moved from just buttons to stick, the stick was in the middle or right.
Many say that companies did that back then to make the games harder.
The buttons was on the right side to be able to fire faster and continue to be on the right side on any videogames systems today.
I'm used to using the stick in my right hand at home, but when I use an arcade machine the joystick on the left feels right, I can perform better on Bombjack for example using the arcade stick and buttons than using a right handed stick or a joypad.
I recently acquired a new Sanwa joystick with buttons and USB encoder.
What kind of connection would be required to have a DB9 connection beside the USB? Can it simply be achieved by connecting the microswitches of the joystick in both the USB encoder and a DB9 port?
Sure.
1- UP
2- DOWN
3- LEFT
4- RIGHT
5- FIRE 3
6- FIRE 2
7- FIRE 1
8- COMMON
9- COM 2 (if 2 sticks are used and not interconnected)