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Atari 2600 Paddle Controller Reloaded

A remake of the Atari 2600 Paddle controller

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The Atari 2600 Paddle controllers have been used in several games being a very popular accessory. Nevertheless in some countries they were never official released which make them rare and expensive items although they are very simple devices, nothing more than a potentiometer with a push button.
This project describes how to build a pair of such controllers using materials ready available in Electronics stores.

Materials used:

Box:

Push Buttons:

Potentiometers (1M Ohm) with Knobs:

Wire and Sleeves:

DB-9 Female connector:

  • 2 × 1M OHm linear potentiometer
  • 2 × Potentiometer Knob
  • 2 × Push Button
  • 2 × Plastic Enclosure
  • 2 × Rubber Cable Sleeve

View all 8 components

  • Another pair of paddles

    danjovic11/18/2016 at 23:48 0 comments

    I've finished assembling a new pair of paddles for a friend. This time I have used the CR096/2 boxes.

    Since the button tabs were missing (haven't noticed that at the electronics store) it was necessary to 3D print the replacement tabs. At least the box manufacturer website have engineering drawings with quotes, which made thing easy for me to draw the 3D model in sketchup.

    The box have also a hole for a LED and the best way to fill this whole was using.... a LED!

  • Redrawn Schematics

    danjovic11/11/2015 at 15:57 0 comments

View all 2 project logs

  • 1
    Step 1

    Start by trying out the position of the potentiometer Knob and push button that is more ergonomic for the plastic box to be used in the project

  • 2
    Step 2

    Cut a piece of cardboard with the same dimensions as the top cover.

    Use the cardboard to mark the positioning of the holes

  • 3
    Step 3

    Take note of the dimensions

View all 21 instructions

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Discussions

mad.scientist.jr wrote 02/17/2021 at 14:35 point

Nice job and well explained. 

Next, what a lot of people could really use would be a cheap and easy interface to plug these into and use with a PC (any PC from Windows 9.x thru 10, Linux, and Mac) !!! Here we are in the 21st century with modern computers and you can’t plug 4 paddles into them like you can with a simple 1970s Atari! LoL

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dj-chol wrote 11/23/2017 at 09:22 point

Does this also work for the Commodore 64?

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danjovic wrote 11/17/2015 at 10:53 point

Thanks, I am glad that you liked it! I have built the paddles not only for my Atari, but as a side project for #AVeRCADEproject.
I have another project for Atari consoles that I think you might like it too: #AT26-Chuck 

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Greg Kennedy wrote 11/15/2015 at 03:42 point

Great work!  Now you can play Kaboom!

  Are you sure? yes | no

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