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CONSTRUCTION
NOTES:
(Last Updated 01/15/07)
Our design is an
exact replica of the original unit produced by Atari for use
in their 720 Degrees game in 1983. To date, nobody has ever
reproduced this controller to our knowledge. There is a high
demand for both the controller as well as the individual
components. The upper housing while common with several other
Atari joystick designs, has been in short supply for quite some
time. Being one of only a few parts which commonly fail, the
supply has reached an all-time low. This coupled with the lack
of reproduction pivot balls and lower housing components, those few
with existing 720 rotary controllers find themselves in a position
where they need parts.
This has been
an interesting reproduction project thus far. While not nearly
as difficult to produce as the Star Wars yoke for example, it's
still elaborate enough in design complexity to take note. Overall,
the rotary controller is a fairly straight-forward design, but the
customized components of the unit were an immediate concern.
Most note worthy were the large sprocket and the custom "dual
coupler" encoder board. The remainder of the assembly was
easy.
There
was some concern about the sprockets used on this assembly as well
as the chain. After some diligent research, the components
were sourced and the sprockets purchased. Atari originally
purchased the same sprockets and had them custom modified to fit the
assembly. We had to do the same, but this really was a
non-issue seeing as it was only a minor operation to modify the part
in question.
The
dual coupler encoder board was a major concern from the start.
In fact, it was such a concern that the project had to be put on
hold for a short time while the optical devices used on the board
were sourced. Eventually, a stash of the correct part was
located and purchased. From that point forward, the project
moved along at a brisk pace without additional concerns involved.
The
entire controller assembly is an exact replica of the original
controller. There were some updates made to a few components
which, hopefully, will extend the life of our reproduction units as
well as any existing units which are outfitted with our
components. The pivot ball and upper housing have always been
prone to an untimely demise. Therefore, both of our
reproduction parts have been upgraded to a much stronger type of
plastic. To be precise, we're using acetal homopolymer instead
of nylon. In terms of strength, the acetal homopolymer
outperforms nylon in nearly every category: Tensile strength,
compressive strength, hardness and impact strength. Acetal
provides high strength and stiffness while offering enhanced
dimensional stability and ease of machining. A semi-crystalline
material, Acetal also has a low coefficient of friction and good
wear properties-especially in wet environments. Because it absorbs
little moisture, Acetal demonstrates excellent stability for
close-tolerance machined parts. In high-moisture or submerged
applications, Acetal bearings outperform nylon 4 to 1. This material
is resistant to a wide range of chemicals, including many solvents.
The
pivot arm is also prone to wear. We're considering options for
the upgrade of this component as well. Stay tuned for news on
this component.
This project is
currently classified as "in production" at this point in
time. However, we are about to release our pre-production
units for testing and review. The following components will be
available shortly for individual purchase: pivot ball (039716-01),
dual optical coupler board (A043882-01), Encoder Disc (041787-02)
and Centering Disc (043807-01). Every completed reproduction part
will be 100% interchangeable with existing controllers made by Atari.
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