Atari 7800 / 2600

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LamerDeluxe
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Re: Atari 7800 / 2600

Unread post by LamerDeluxe »

I received my Daptor d9 adapters and the paddle support for them, that Kitrinx added to this core, is really impressive. It works very smoothly and even supports four paddles (tried it with Video Olympics that we used to play when I was a kid).

I hope the other cores, like the Commodore ones, can get support added as well. I should make some request tickets. I'd love to play VIC-20 Omega Race using a paddle on the MiSTer. The C64 core has paddle options, but those don't seem to be compatible.

It already works with some of the arcade cores that support analog input. Often selecting 'paddle' as the input type doesn't work though, as that expects a MiSTer Spinner protocol. This might be confusing for newcomers. I also think the Daptor is a more elegant solution, as you don't have to modify your original paddle controllers for it.

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Re: Atari 7800 / 2600

Unread post by AmintaMister »

LamerDeluxe wrote: Sat Jan 21, 2023 12:16 pm

I received my Daptor d9 adapters and the paddle support for them, that Kitrinx added to this core, is really impressive. It works very smoothly and even supports four paddles (tried it with Video Olympics that we used to play when I was a kid).

I hope the other cores, like the Commodore ones, can get support added as well. I should make some request tickets. I'd love to play VIC-20 Omega Race using a paddle on the MiSTer. The C64 core has paddle options, but those don't seem to be compatible.

It already works with some of the arcade cores that support analog input. Often selecting 'paddle' as the input type doesn't work though, as that expects a MiSTer Spinner protocol. This might be confusing for newcomers. I also think the Daptor is a more elegant solution, as you don't have to modify your original paddle controllers for it.

Me too I would like to see C64 but in particular Vic 20 gain paddles support!

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Re: Atari 7800 / 2600

Unread post by AmintaMister »

LamerDeluxe wrote: Sat Jan 21, 2023 12:16 pm

I received my Daptor d9 adapters and the paddle support for them, that Kitrinx added to this core, is really impressive. It works very smoothly and even supports four paddles (tried it with Video Olympics that we used to play when I was a kid).

I hope the other cores, like the Commodore ones, can get support added as well. I should make some request tickets. I'd love to play VIC-20 Omega Race using a paddle on the MiSTer. The C64 core has paddle options, but those don't seem to be compatible.

It already works with some of the arcade cores that support analog input. Often selecting 'paddle' as the input type doesn't work though, as that expects a MiSTer Spinner protocol. This might be confusing for newcomers. I also think the Daptor is a more elegant solution, as you don't have to modify your original paddle controllers for it.

Please, can you write here a brief trial on how to match your working configuration? Thanks in advance!

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Re: Atari 7800 / 2600

Unread post by LamerDeluxe »

AmintaMister wrote: Wed Jan 25, 2023 1:30 am
LamerDeluxe wrote: Sat Jan 21, 2023 12:16 pm

I received my Daptor d9 adapters and the paddle support for them, that Kitrinx added to this core, is really impressive. It works very smoothly and even supports four paddles (tried it with Video Olympics that we used to play when I was a kid).

I hope the other cores, like the Commodore ones, can get support added as well. I should make some request tickets. I'd love to play VIC-20 Omega Race using a paddle on the MiSTer. The C64 core has paddle options, but those don't seem to be compatible.

It already works with some of the arcade cores that support analog input. Often selecting 'paddle' as the input type doesn't work though, as that expects a MiSTer Spinner protocol. This might be confusing for newcomers. I also think the Daptor is a more elegant solution, as you don't have to modify your original paddle controllers for it.

Please, can you write here a brief trial on how to match your working configuration? Thanks in advance!

To not have to configure the paddles in the main MiSTer menu, copy the file here to config/inputs on MiSTer:
viewtopic.php?p=66551#p66551

Set all dip switches on the Daptor D9 to the down position, for Atari 2600 mode. You could also use the auto-detect mode, but then you'd have to press a paddle button while connecting the USB plug.

With two Daptor D9s, you can use up to four paddles.

If you want, you can use another controller together with the paddles, to navigate the menus and control the 2600 console buttons.

In the 7800/2600 core menu, set the peripherals Port1 Input (and Port2 Input when using four paddles) to 'Paddle'.

Turn a paddle knob to have it detected as an input, a message should pop up on your screen.

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Re: Atari 7800 / 2600

Unread post by thorr »

If I am having problems, I connect the D9 to a Windows PC and open the USB Game Controllers control panel, click on properties and make sure the controllers are working right in Windows. Then I move them back to the MiSTer and get them working there. If the D9 isn't detecting the controller right, the MiSTer won't work with it, and Windows helps to test that.

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Re: Atari 7800 / 2600

Unread post by AmintaMister »

Thanks LamerDeluxe and Thorr!

I have these three adapters in picture but none of them seems to work with the .map files.

If I configure them in main mister Menu, in 7800 core it works or the know or the button, but not the two together...

IMG-2408.jpg
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IMG-2409.jpg
IMG-2409.jpg (86.17 KiB) Viewed 12709 times
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Re: Atari 7800 / 2600

Unread post by thorr »

The one on the left is the type that I use. If you haven't already, make sure it works in Windows with your paddles. Then look in your MiSTer.ini and see if you have defined anything for the core there and comment it out. I think on the previous page or so, I detailed exactly the steps I took to make it work with the map files.

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Re: Atari 7800 / 2600

Unread post by AmintaMister »

Ok, I've reset the previous configurations and now it perfectly works, thanks!

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Re: Atari 7800 / 2600

Unread post by bankshot »

Hi everyone, just saw the following on the 2600-daptor D9 firmware support page. Has anyone installed this yet? I'm hesitant to do it now that my 2600 paddles are working thanks to Kitrinx's updates and Thorr's config instructions:

02/01/23 - Release of 2600-D9 MiSTer firmware. Use the Atari 2600 dedicated mode (all switches down) for correct paddle scaling in the MiSTer 7800/2600 core. Use the AutoSense mode (all switches up) for the original paddle scaling in Stella.

02/04/23 - Fix a bit of jitter in the new MiSTer scaling.

Firmware Programming Instructions

Download the firmware version you want (right click, Save Link As) -

2600-daptor D9 230204.hex - latest release

2600=daptor D9 230204.hex - Alternate firmware: Want to play Stella with non-2600 controllers (including Atari 2800/Sears Video Arcade II)? Normally, Stella recognizes 2600-daptors and automatically maps the controller. However, if you want to play with non-2600 controllers, you need to be able to map the controller yourself, but Stella locks out the input mapping. This firmware will represent as a "2600=daptor" (note the "=" instead of "-") for non-2600 controllers. This stops Stella from recognizing it and you can access the input mapping. It will still be "2600-daptor" for 2600 controllers.

2600-daptor D9 Mr 230204.hex - special version to correct paddle scaling in MiSTer 7800/2600 core

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Re: Atari 7800 / 2600

Unread post by thorr »

Thanks for sharing! Someone has to be the first penguin. I will wait and watch for another penguin this time. I am sure it will be fine. Whoever dives in, be sure the check the deadzone before and after. I would hate for it to be too much or too little deadzone. Right now it seems pretty good when initializing the D9 with both paddle buttons pressed. :-)

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Re: Atari 7800 / 2600

Unread post by rhester72 »

Yes...unfortunately there are other issues currently with button mapping and there may be a grounding issue with MiSTer USB ports that's generating jitter. I think the firmware 'fix' is good (and likely final), but there's more work to be done.

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Re: Atari 7800 / 2600

Unread post by thorr »

rhester72 wrote: Wed Feb 08, 2023 12:52 pm

Yes...unfortunately there are other issues currently with button mapping and there may be a grounding issue with MiSTer USB ports that's generating jitter. I think the firmware 'fix' is good (and likely final), but there's more work to be done.

Did you install the firmware? What are the other issues with the button mapping? Were they caused by the firmware, or just in the core in general even with the old firmware? I have a separate hub I am using that I switch between my MiSTer and my PC with a pushbutton. It may be isolating the USB grounding issue because I don't have jitter problems.

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Re: Atari 7800 / 2600

Unread post by rhester72 »

There's a very active thread on the topic going on currently at AtariAge:

https://forums.atariage.com/topic/31827 ... e/page/15/

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Re: Atari 7800 / 2600

Unread post by bankshot »

Thanks rhester, that is very interesting about the grounding issue that several users are experiencing. It would be awesome if someone could try plugging the newly-firmwared D9 into the micro-USB port of the main DE10 Nano board with a USB OTG hub (I have two made by "MakerSpot") to see if the jitter issue persists in that way as well. Perhaps it has something to do with the connection from the main DE10 Nano board to the PC I/O board connection used for USB hub system boards.

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Re: Atari 7800 / 2600

Unread post by Lightwave »

It seems like the D9 itself may be the problem, as the same issue happens on a computer running the Stella emulator.

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Re: Atari 7800 / 2600

Unread post by iwantchai »

iCode has an adapter called the Duo Plus that has two ports for joysticks and 4 paddles. It also supports 7800 dual button sticks, Driving controllers, atari trackball, and even the ColecoVision joystick including the gamepad. 2 paddles connected to port 1 works great with MiSTer. See their channel on YouTube as it provides a walkthrough on how to setup the Mister easily to work with the device. Here is the link to the MiSTer config for Atari paddles video: https://youtu.be/WBbNq-gR7ao

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Re: Atari 7800 / 2600

Unread post by Missus »

Viewing/found this thread trying to get 2 player paddles working on 2600 via SNAC after finding a set at a used game store.

I found the unofficial/deprecated core solution, but it still kinda feels like i stepped in $#!+, haha!

Another +1 vote for native 2 player paddle in SNAC in 7800 core!

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Re: Atari 7800 / 2600

Unread post by CartoonDonkey »

In 15khz rgb, the standalone 7800 core doesn't show the menu on crt any longer.
It only shows on the hdmi output.

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Re: Atari 7800 / 2600

Unread post by HerrBerzerk »

Kitrinx wrote: Sat Jan 07, 2023 4:53 pm

the technical translation to atari controller pins is not portable, as that's very specific to the way the 2600 worked and isn't applicable to systems that used other means.

I'm am trying to understand/configure snac/db9 since the whole day and there are some things I don't understand:

1) What is the SNAC Analog option in the peripherals menu for? Is it the ADC over MIC-In being back?

2) Related to 1) What are the users at Atariage are talking about "@Kitrinx 's latest 7800 core with Paddle SNAC support"?

I don't get it. I just tried paddles again, just to make sure.
https://forums.atariage.com/topic/31827 ... nt=5208097

3) I have the db9 version from Antonio Villena with an db9 to 2-db9 adapter and on the original 2600 core from '21, I was able to use two original atari joysticks for two player games. With the recent 7800 core, I can always only get one db9 joystick to work, either player one or player two, no matter what I configure. Is this not implemented? Can I write a feature request?

Thank you!

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Re: Atari 7800 / 2600

Unread post by LamerDeluxe »

The creator of the Daptor D9 sent me a pair of Daptor PDLs to test if that would solve the paddle jitter problem. They use a different way of reading the paddle resistance.

At first I still had the same jitter problem with the PDL adapter. Turned out using a different USB cable fixed that. That same cable still had the jitter problem with the D9 adapter.

So the Daptor PDL is a good solution for using original Atari or Commodore paddles on the MiSTer. It has a MiSTer dip switch setting, though from what I understand, the correct range with the 7800 core is still being determined together with Kitrinx.

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Re: Atari 7800 / 2600

Unread post by thorr »

HerrBerzerk wrote: Fri Mar 17, 2023 4:52 pm

2) Related to 1) What are the users at Atariage are talking about "@Kitrinx 's latest 7800 core with Paddle SNAC support"?

Wow, that's great news! I assume there is an unreleased updated core out there that supports Paddles via SNAC. This will most likely be my preferred method. In order to use paddles with SNAC, you would need the Atari SNAC adapter that has the DB9 jack and the ADC (mini headphone) jack on it for paddle support. This works with an old unofficial 2600 core, and I am looking forward to finally retiring that core.

For your Antonio V. you would need the db9 to regular SNAC (USB jack) adapter, plus the Atari SNAC adapter You should ask him about 2-player support for the 7800 core.

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Re: Atari 7800 / 2600

Unread post by HerrBerzerk »

thorr wrote: Fri Mar 17, 2023 6:15 pm

You should ask him about 2-player support for the 7800 core.

I did ask him. Hi does not know. He said: "Maybe there is a bug in the core..."?!?

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Re: Atari 7800 / 2600

Unread post by thorr »

That is a very strange response. I was under the impression that Antonio made the necessary changes to the core to get 2-player support working and that is why he has separate cores that need to be downloaded. He would be the one to develop the 2-player support.

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Re: Atari 7800 / 2600

Unread post by iwantchai »

The iCode duo plus adapter does work with 2 paddles and it also works with the Atari trackball with the Mister. See their video here https://youtu.be/WBbNq-gR7ao

The adapter also supports many other controllers on the Mister with ultra low latency.

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Re: Atari 7800 / 2600

Unread post by HerrBerzerk »

iwantchai wrote: Sat Feb 11, 2023 11:00 pm

iCode has an adapter called the Duo Plus that has two ports for joysticks and 4 paddles. It also supports 7800 dual button sticks, Driving controllers, atari trackball, and even the ColecoVision joystick including the gamepad. 2 paddles connected to port 1 works great with MiSTer. See their channel on YouTube as it provides a walkthrough on how to setup the Mister easily to work with the device. Here is the link to the MiSTer config for Atari paddles video: https://youtu.be/WBbNq-gR7ao

Hi, I tried to follow everything in detail but paddles is not working for me. Joystick is working fine. Do you have any hints? Mister Settings?

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Re: Atari 7800 / 2600

Unread post by HerrBerzerk »

[/quote]

Hi, I tried to follow everything in detail but paddles is not working for me. Joystick is working fine. Do you have any hints? Mister Settings?
[/quote]

I found it out myself. You have to set the "paddles to left" setting in iCode. Now I'm struggling with the Indy 500 rotary controllers :-)

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Re: Atari 7800 / 2600

Unread post by virtuali »

CartoonDonkey wrote: Thu Mar 02, 2023 9:56 pm

In 15khz rgb, the standalone 7800 core doesn't show the menu on crt any longer. It only shows on the hdmi output.

I'm bumping this to report I have the same problem: the menu doesn't show on crt. Pressing the menu button will hide the 7800 logo image and will get a black screen, pressing it again will show the 7800 logo again. I'm using a Sony 14" TVv, connected with the analog board with a VGA->Scart RGB cable. Other cores, including the 5200 one, show the menu just fine.

EDIT:
I found the problem, it's the "Pause Core on OSD" setting that causes this problem if it's On. I fixed it by removing the atari7800 configuration from the sdcard\config folder, so it went to default, and I can confirm that is the option which causes the menu to stop working.

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Re: Atari 7800 / 2600

Unread post by skooter »

Was the 7800 core with Paddle SNAC support ever released?
There are some SNAC adaptors around with a switch to change between paddles and other analog inputs, so I guess there is some way to use it.

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Re: Atari 7800 / 2600

Unread post by Schuetze1111 »

I use the 200-daptor.com and the mister recognizes the paddle in the game and I can also move it, but the fire button does not work.

I figured it out myself. I first configured the paddles in the Mister menu and then in the core. I didn't have to assign the normal fire button there but the button as a paddle head.

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Re: Atari 7800 / 2600

Unread post by bankshot »

What was changed in the 7800 core recently?

In the recent past, I was able to use thorr's instructions to get my 2600 paddles working with the D9 adapter. After updating today, the instructions no longer work. The paddles move, but the fire button does not start the game.

I purchased a PDL adapter to eliminate the D9 jitter issue. I copied my D9 map file and renamed with the PID of the PDL.

With both adapters, the Mister kernel game input tester recognizes the paddle movements AND the fire/start button. When loading the 7800 core and selecting a paddle game (Breakout, Kaboom),the D9 paddle is extremely jittery and the fire button does nothing to start the game. With the PDL, the jitter is gone, but the fire button still does nothing to start the game.

When testing with the Mister kernel gamepad input tester, both the D9 and PDL work great, both the paddle sweep AND the fire buttons work great.

WTF is going on here?

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