Recreating a Competition Pro

[silentheaven83]

Hi everybody,

need your help here. Some months ago I bought the THEC64 Micro Switch Joystick for all C64 and Amiga related games, but I found it very unstable on the surface and stiff. It seems that che Speedlink one is the same.

Does anyone know a better joystick just for those games?

I also thought it was a great idea to build a new one using:

Deamonbite KTRL controller: https://www.daemonbite.com/product/ktrl-arcade-mini/
3D printed case like this one: https://www.ebay.it/itm/284207477074?ha ... Sw3GlgBzRV
Sanwa parts

Is there anyone who has already made it?
Thanks

[Chris23235]

I have 2 of these:

https://retro8bitshop.com/product/arcad ... -box-copy/

They are made with Sanwa compatible parts and the build quality is good (even if it is not Sanwa quality, but you can't expect that at this price). They are highly moddable.

They can also be ordered directly from the manufacturer, here more color options are available, but make sure to use the order from EU option. It costs more, but shipping from China takes ages with this dealer, EU was fine for me (3 weeks).

[FoxbatStargazer]

I have uh, several ArcadeRs. They're pretty cool except for one thing: I find it difficult to hold the base solidly enough with one hand to hit all the directions accurately with the other. Use the suction cups to plant it into a surface though and it becomes extremely solid and reliable, which just makes it obvious that these really are using arcade parts and not home joystick parts. Installing an octagonal gate instead of the default circular helps somewhat but it can still be a bit tricky to hold. It's flawless using a 4-way gate in hand but that obviously limits the games you can play with it.

Also see my other thread if you really want to get the autofire feature working on mister, I haven't had luck using a 2600 daptor D9 and it seems like Chris here also had trouble with another converter?

The other option out there is Monster joysticks retro kits, a similar combination of sanwa parts to a db-9 connector, though they are set up more like a mini-arcade stick than a traditional joystick, and are more expensive especially outside the UK. I don't have any experience with them, but the one complaint I've noticed not mentioned in glowing youtube reviews is that the material is a bit light and flimsy. It again looks fine placed on a table but may be questionable if used in your lap, where the weight of a proper arcade stick is important for stability. Although you can probably just attach your own weight to the bottom panel since you have to assemble it yourself anyways.

[silentheaven83]

Thank you both. I failed to mention that I meant with USB connection, but this ArcadeR seems good since it has suction cups.

Would I need this adapter to plug into the MISTer?
https://www.startech.com/it-it/schede-a ... i/icusb232

[limi]

I’d recommend using a DaemonBite-based adapter to keep lag low, not sure if anyone has tested the Startech one.

You can build your own, or buy a pre-assembled one, e.g. a dual version from Antonio Villena:

https://www.antoniovillena.es/store/pro ... e-genesis/

[Chol]

You could try to build this one:
https://github.com/svenpetersen1965/Joy ... e_and_atar
http://tech.guitarsite.de/joystick.html

[FoxbatStargazer]

There's latency tests for a bunch of USB adapters in the mister latency sheets. Other options in there include the Daptor D9 and Raphnet, though the latency tests a bit higher than Daemonbite but its still under 2 ms.

Edit: also I'm looking at the Zippy/ Seimetsu sticks now, they have lower engage distance which seems better than Sanwa JLF for a handheld joystick feel! I don't think anyone is producing a ready-made computer joystick with them though...

[aberu]

I concur, the daemonbite is excellent for low lag USB. It's also been tested as you can see from foxbat's post and it's right up near the top of the list (as in, lowest latency).

You could just do a daemonbite arcade adapter and use arcade buttons and sticks to make it happen like limi said. That would be the way to go!

[lamarax]

I believe you're better off hunting down an original specimen, and then refurbishing/reconstructing it as per the tenths of guides available (example) on youtube. It's quite easy really.

That said, I don't know how you'd cope with a single button controller in any core (including those that the Competition Pro Kempston joystick was intended for), unless you'd keep another controller (or of course the keyboard) in your hand at all times.

[disclaimer: I got an OG one and I find it useless]

[FoxbatStargazer]

I mean it's Amiga/ C64, so yeah you better have a keyboard ready. :p

The monster joystick comes with a second fire button, and the arcadeR can also have its second button mapped to two different buttons that the switch toggles between. You can assign these to whatever you want in Mister including menu. Though I noticed MegaAGS by default hacks quite a few games to use a second button for jump and the like.

[lamarax]

I mean it's Amiga/ C64, so yeah you better have a keyboard ready. :p

The monster joystick comes with a second fire button, and the arcadeR can also have its second button mapped to two different buttons that the switch toggles between. You can assign these to whatever you want in Mister including menu. Though I noticed MegaAGS by default hacks quite a few games to use a second button for jump and the like.

Fair enough, but in reality the Competition Pro doesn't have any electronics whatsoever in its guts. It's just a bunch of wires going to an Atari "standard" DB9. There are two buttons alright, but they're simply interchangeable. Good luck "programming" them

[Newsdee]

I really liked these mini joysticks from Arcade Forge.
I have one in a different color:

arcade_mini_joystick.jpeg (56.45 KiB) Viewed 4237 times

Unfortunately they don't make them anymore.
As a replacement, I tried to make as small a joystick as I could using Sanwa innards and a case from AliExpress.

There's a bunch of super cheap acrylic cases like this one:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32947858378.html

And I used button plugs to get rid of any unwanted holes:
https://focusattack.com/sanwa-obsm-30mm ... lug-black/

Most arcade encoders on AliExpress are horrible (+25ms) but I tried a bunch and had luck with the "Xin Mo" ones:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/33046902760.html

A deamonbyte is better if you can find it / build it, of course.

The result is not the same as a Competition Pro in size, but they are pretty light and have suction cups to fix it to a table to avoid slipping.
I built mine as a dedicated 4-way controller (+2 buttons) for pacman and early arcade cores.

Screenshot_20211110-134031_Gallery.jpg (326.03 KiB) Viewed 4231 times

[Newsdee]

It's just a bunch of wires going to an Atari "standard" DB9. There are two buttons alright, but they're simply interchangeable. Good luck "programming" them

There is the Amiga standard, where you can wire a 2nd button to the DB9. Then it can be mapped inside the MiSTer core to anything else (even Up).
But I agree that only 2 buttons is really limiting - I prefer those Competition Pro recreations with at least 2 extra buttons (a la NES)