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First of all, what's an Atari Punk Console? Well in a nutshell it's a simple noise making circuit with two knobs, one for the frequency of square wave pulses and one for the length of the pulses. When you turn the knobs it makes rad video game-like noises, which is how it got it's name, coined by Kaustic Machines. It was originally published in a Radio Shack Engineers Notebook booklet written by Forrest M. Mims III and was called a "Stepped Tone Generator." Since then it has become an extremely popular circuit for hobbyists. Many people add cool features or build them into cool things.
So what makes ours unique? Joystick control!
Classic joysticks have two pots inside (variable resistors,) one for up and down, one for left and right. I made these control the APC circuit. Not only does this joystick have trim controls so you can tune the note you hear in the center, but the added switches change the range in tuned musical steps. This is an APC ready to play along with a band!
If this has been done before, I haven't found any with such capabilities. But in an effort to be open source I would like to guide you though what it took to build it, that you may possibly expand upon it and break further ground, and the whole human race can noisily benefit.
Behold: The Joey-Stick® by Wozn of Rooftop Ridicule
So what makes ours unique? Joystick control!
Classic joysticks have two pots inside (variable resistors,) one for up and down, one for left and right. I made these control the APC circuit. Not only does this joystick have trim controls so you can tune the note you hear in the center, but the added switches change the range in tuned musical steps. This is an APC ready to play along with a band!
If this has been done before, I haven't found any with such capabilities. But in an effort to be open source I would like to guide you though what it took to build it, that you may possibly expand upon it and break further ground, and the whole human race can noisily benefit.
Behold: The Joey-Stick® by Wozn of Rooftop Ridicule
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Signing UpStep 1Find the joystick
I bought mine when I was a kid, probably in the early nineties. Now the best place would probably be at a thrift store. try to find one with a lot of travel and range of motion. If there are trim controls even better. It's a good sign if the cable has a standard analog 15 pin PC joystick plug. Here's a good one.
Get creative and gut the analog stick from an old game controller like a PS1 or a Game Cube. Same deal inside. I once found a great joystick that stuck out the front of the radio on an '88 Chrysler LeBaron.
Get creative and gut the analog stick from an old game controller like a PS1 or a Game Cube. Same deal inside. I once found a great joystick that stuck out the front of the radio on an '88 Chrysler LeBaron.
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http://www.flickr.com/photos/stncilr/sets/72157625941392914/
Great instructable!
Do you know what the first apc was built in? Let me give you a clue...
Do you see the knobs in the corners? Atari joysticks were just four switches and had no degree of control. This joystick cannot replace the function of the knobs and control the sound in that fashion. That's why I said:
So what makes ours unique? Joystick control.
I'm not saying I'm the first to do this, it would be cool to see one that predates mine, I just haven't. I've seen a couple joystick-synths on you tube but they all either weren't APCs or had no degree of control. But nice try my friend. :)
Someone should beat me to the punch at making one with a gamecube joystick. That's what I want to try next, since I could get it really small.