Small Joysticks and Trackballs ?

Wldfire

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Hello,
I am wondering if anyone knows of any small sized joysticks and/or trackballs that would work in a Nintendo Counter top cab? I got the cab for my wife from a warehouse visit we did recently and she wants me to put a 60n1 into it, but asked me if i could get a small joystick and trackball for it due to its size and her small hands.
I have looked around on the net, but so far couldn't find what i was needing.
Any help would be appreciated.
Thank you.
 

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You could drill a mini pool table ball or take the ball off an NES Advantage controller and swap the ball tops out.
 
Hello,
I am wondering if anyone knows of any small sized joysticks and/or trackballs that would work in a Nintendo Counter top cab? I got the cab for my wife from a warehouse visit we did recently and she wants me to put a 60n1 into it, but asked me if i could get a small joystick and trackball for it due to its size and her small hands.
I have looked around on the net, but so far couldn't find what i was needing.
Any help would be appreciated.
Thank you.

There are of course the original joysticks for a PC-10 counter top machine (link) which are tiny. The 25mm balltop joysticks used in Nintendo cocktail machines are small enough to work as well; a standard VS. or PC-10 upright joystick is probably small enough to work too.

Happ makes a 1 1/2" trackball (link) but it isn't cheap by any means. If you want smaller and cheaper you'd probably have to hack one of those trackball mice:

220px-Wireless-trackman-mouse.jpg
 
Thank you for the information! :)
I will have to do some looking around and see if i can come up with one of those Nintendo joysticks for her game.

Ouch on the price of the Happ trackball, very kewl but crazy expensive.
Never thought of hacking a trackball mouse. Hmmmmmm

Thanks for the info !! :)
 
OMG, please DO NOT convert a precious Playchoice countertop into a 60:1 (even if it's already converted to something else)

You'll have a problem with the negative sync on the monitor but the main thing is that controls will not fit into this. No way a standard arcade track ball will fit in there. Either way it will be really weird to play Mrs Pacman using a Nintendo playchoice counter joystick.

You could drill a mini pool table ball or take the ball off an NES Advantage controller and swap the ball tops out.

What are you talking about? Nintendo ball tops are already smaller than the advantage handle top.
Sanwa also makes ball tops in smaller sizes. Standards are 35mm but they do come in 30mm. I know cause I have a few of smaller size.
 
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OMG, please DO NOT convert a precious Playchoice countertop into a 60:1 (even if it's already converted to something else)

You'll have a problem with the negative sync on the monitor but the main thing is that controls will not fit into this. No way a standard arcade track ball will fit in there. Either way it will be really weird to play Mrs Pacman using a Nintendo playchoice counter joystick.

Hi and thank you for your reply. I do not know alot about these units. My wife spotted it in a warehouse we were in and wanted it right away.
I had heard finding parts for this game would be very hard and expensive, so was thinking the 60n1 as thats what she wanted.

What do you think? Worth restoring? whats it worth as is? and what do you think it would cost to fix it? and when spent does it have a decent resale value? I dont build my games to resell, but would like to have an idea if its a high price rebuild and not worth it, as i only have a limited budget. But dont mind spending the money on something special.

Thank you kindly.
 
Not sure about the size of stick you are looking for, but would you need smaller than a red tent stick?

You know, im feeling dumb here, i haven't even measured any of it yet. I should grab it tomorrow from my storage locker and bring it home and look at it a little more. Sucks someone converted it to some dumb gambling game. LOL
 
Hi and thank you for your reply. I do not know alot about these units. My wife spotted it in a warehouse we were in and wanted it right away.
I had heard finding parts for this game would be very hard and expensive, so was thinking the 60n1 as thats what she wanted.

What do you think? Worth restoring? whats it worth as is? and what do you think it would cost to fix it? and when spent does it have a decent resale value? I dont build my games to resell, but would like to have an idea if its a high price rebuild and not worth it, as i only have a limited budget. But dont mind spending the money on something special.

Thank you kindly.

A fully working playchoice counter is worth $700+ (depending on games) and this looks complete but the CP. It looks all hacked up also.

You will need to assess:

1) what is the wiring loom setup for. JAMMA? Poker conversion? Is there a PC10 board? Research prices. Games alone will cost you like $300+ for just 10 basic games w/ nothing rare.
2) what is going on with the monitor and how is that setup. Nintendo boards used negative sync and this is different from other JAMMA games.
3) there is no reprint of the CPO and those sticks are very HTF.

I think it's a bigmoney pit to restore to PC10. But a 60:1 is just WRONG
 
A fully working playchoice counter is worth $700+ (depending on games) and this looks complete but the CP. It looks all hacked up also.

You will need to assess:

1) what is the wiring loom setup for. JAMMA? Poker conversion? Is there a PC10 board? Research prices. Games alone will cost you like $300+ for just 10 basic games w/ nothing rare.
2) what is going on with the monitor and how is that setup. Nintendo boards used negative sync and this is different from other JAMMA games.
3) there is no reprint of the CPO and those sticks are very HTF.

I think it's a bigmoney pit to restore to PC10. But a 60:1 is just WRONG

I will have to tear it apart and see whats inside. I think its harness has been hacked for Jamma, looked like a Jamma harness.
So I guess if i can find some parts for a fair price it would be worth it maybe.

I understand you thinking its wrong! I have saved some games and been restoring them to what they should be just because i felt it was wrong.
Sorta leaves me thinking should i just build her a little tabletop game with heck a LCD as it doesnt matter that much for her i dont think, and heck its a 60n1 board. and then maybe sell this cab off to someone who can restore her to her original glory.
Tough call.
 
You also have to remember that the Playchoice cabinet wants to use a horizontal monitor. A 60 in 1 uses a vertical monitor. It would be a really tight squeeze. You might end up with a really small monitor.

For joysticks, I wonder if these would work:

50275500.jpg


http://na.suzohapp.com/joysticks/50275500.htm

It is a subminiature joystick sold by Happ. I can't find the dimensions, but it looks tiny and reminiscent of the ones on the Playchoice countertop.

I checked out Happ's small trackball, and MAN is that expensive!! Definitely not worth it.
 
I never even thought of the monitor orientation. Dammn.
I think maybe building a counter top cab like i have seen others built with a LCD monitor and then she can have her light up joystick/trackball and buttons. LOL

I sure appreciate everyones info!!
Thanks


You also have to remember that the Playchoice cabinet wants to use a horizontal monitor. A 60 in 1 uses a vertical monitor. It would be a really tight squeeze. You might end up with a really small monitor.

For joysticks, I wonder if these would work:

50275500.jpg


http://na.suzohapp.com/joysticks/50275500.htm

It is a subminiature joystick sold by Happ. I can't find the dimensions, but it looks tiny and reminiscent of the ones on the Playchoice countertop.

I checked out Happ's small trackball, and MAN is that expensive!! Definitely not worth it.
 
I wish there was a nice kit for cab like this to fit a 17" and a 60:1 board



1679138-ag_pacman_desktop_super.jpg
 
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Just scratch build a countertop, it will be easier than trying to convert that thing, then you can make the panel the little bit bigger it would need to be to use normal controls.
 
Just scratch build a countertop, it will be easier than trying to convert that thing, then you can make the panel the little bit bigger it would need to be to use normal controls.

Thanks! Im thinking that would be the better way to go really. She saw it, wanted it for a 60n1 and i didnt know much about it other then it was cute and thought it might work for her needs.

I ran to my storage locker and grabbed it a few mins ago. Quickly cleaned it up and snapped some pictures.
If anyones interested i posted them on my site on a page.
http://www.wldfiremachines.com/?page_id=834

Thanks again everyone!
 
I wish there was a nice kit for cab like this to fit a 17" and a 60:1 board



1679138-ag_pacman_desktop_super.jpg


Thats the kind of cab i have seen on the net and thought would be really neat to have for a 60n1. Then we saw this one in a warehouse and thought hey its already done. But now i see different.

Anyone have any plans for a countertop unit they can share?
 
Back in the 80s, I used an Epyx 500XJ joystick to build a small custom controller that I needed to beat a game. If I remember correctly it had the nicest little joystick with four switches. I still have the original around here somewhere. I'll look for it later and post some pics and measurements. It should work great for a mini arcade game.
 

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Back in the 80s, I used an Epyx 500XJ joystick to build a small custom controller that I needed to beat a game. If I remember correctly it had the nicest little joystick with four switches. I still have the original around here somewhere. I'll look for it later and post some pics and measurements. It should work great for a mini arcade game.

Hi! That's a kewl idea! Please do, would love to find out more about it, and even if i don't use the idea, maybe someone else might. :)
Thanks
 
Well I finally found it. I'm looking at this "creation" of mine and trying to remember why I built it in the first place. I made it sometime in the late 80's, so its like 24 years ago and I'm thinking "why the buttons, why on a piece of 1/4 plexi? Then I remembered. I had a Radio Shack computer, you know the big gray ones that had the monitor, keyboard, and floppies in it. I had gutted it and was planning on putting in a 13" TV and making two of these controllers so it would be like a mini arcade machine. I think I still have the gray computer case somewhere. I might have to dig it out too.

Here's some links to pics of the joystick.

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/oldbolthead/Joystick1.jpg

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/oldbolthead/Joystick2.jpg

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/oldbolthead/Joystick3.jpg

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/oldbolthead/Joystick4.jpg
 
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