Arkanoid board and spinner on Astro City?

[Don’s Arcade]

Hello I recently bought an Arkanoid board and I’m wondering what’s the best/cleanest way to put in a spinner on an Astro City. I don’t want it to be janky. I know first of all I have to get a Taito to Jamma adapter.

Someone also pointed out to me that there is a Taito Sega Panel (pictures) for the 1997 game Arkanoid Returns that I could use for an Astro City to put a spinner.

Also I looked up spinners and I can’t really find any or don’t know which one would be the right one. I know the original Arkanoid spinner from 1986 might be too old and crusty for an Astro City.

I just want a good clean setup for playing Arkanoid on an Astro City if possible.

Also I wonder how the Japanese cab for Arkanoid looked back then. I googled and I can’t really find anything.

So yes I got questions if anyone out there can answer lol

Thanks in advanced

 

[advans14]

the original arkanoid was never in a candy cab, but a table. so later versions i assume there was some sort of panel as mentioned. good questions though as well. anyone know of a good astro/blast panel original setup or template?

 

[skate323k137]

My blast city spinner panel is a spare 1p joystick panel with the spinner mounted to the sanwa joystick mount, and button plug holes in the extra buttons. It's probably exactly what OP does not want, but it's wired to normal connectors for the CP and swaps in just like any other panel. The optics are the HAPP Red board, and I use it with Taito F3 titles with the jumper set appropriately.

 

[Don’s Arcade]

My blast city spinner panel is a spare 1p joystick panel with the spinner mounted to the sanwa joystick mount, and button plug holes in the extra buttons. It's probably exactly what OP does not want, but it's wired to normal connectors for the CP and swaps in just like any other panel. The optics are the HAPP Red board, and I use it with Taito F3 titles with the jumper set appropriately.

Oh cool.

Does the spinner fit on the Blast City mount clean and flush?

What kind of spinner did you get?

Thx

 

[opt2not]

Original Taito spinners can be installed in an Astro City (or New Astro City) cleanly, depending on the CP you have. I installed into my 2P panel a while ago, and replace p2’s joystick (I’m right handed, spinners should go in the right hand).

If you have an original Sanwa CP, you’ll have to drill two mounting holes into the spinner’s mounting plate to get them to attach to the CP. Not a big deal.
Newer repro panels can use the stock holes for mounting.

There is plenty of space beneath the spinner to fit in the panel when closed, and you can either run the connection wires straight to the board, or do it neatly and make a harness that plugs into the control wiring (using those AMP UP connectors).

The spinner sits just about right above the CP.

Personally, I feel nothing beats the original Taito Spinners for Arkanoid-like games, especially if you’ve cleaned and re-greased the gears.

 

[advans14]

Looks sweet. Im left handed though. And used to playing games like tempest and omega race left handed! I think using an existing panels joystick hole is good!

 

[Don’s Arcade]

Original Taito spinners can be installed in an Astro City (or New Astro City) cleanly, depending on the CP you have. I installed into my 2P panel a while ago, and replace p2’s joystick (I’m right handed, spinners should go in the right hand).

If you have an original Sanwa CP, you’ll have to drill two mounting holes into the spinner’s mounting plate to get them to attach to the CP. Not a big deal.
Newer repro panels can use the stock holes for mounting.

There is plenty of space beneath the spinner to fit in the panel when closed, and you can either run the connection wires straight to the board, or do it neatly and make a harness that plugs into the control wiring (using those AMP UP connectors).

The spinner sits just about right above the CP.

Personally, I feel nothing beats the original Taito Spinners for Arkanoid-like games, especially if you’ve cleaned and re-greased the gears.

Oh wow thanks for the post. This is very helpful. Looks really good.

I know OG spinner is probably the best but any suggestions on new spinners? A 1986 spinner but be too used and banged up looking.

I mean I hope this doesn’t sound blasphemous but I saw a 1up spinner on Amazon lol.

https://www.amazon.com/ThunderStick...uNjMifQ==&sprefix=,aps,259&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1

 

[advans14]

1up is shit and are toys. Look for an og taito spinner

 

[opt2not]

I know OG spinner is probably the best but any suggestions on new spinners? A 1986 spinner but be too used and banged up looking.

I don’t.

New spinners don’t have the feel of the originals.

A 1986 Taito spinner can easily be restored. They’re industrial built, and are very serviceable.

Arcade 1ups are cheap and won’t last in the long run. They also don’t have the original feel.

In my opinion, if you’re going to run the original pcb, you might as well go all the way and get the original control for it.

 

[Don’s Arcade]

Ok original it is lol

 

[skate323k137]

Oh cool.

Does the spinner fit on the Blast City mount clean and flush?

What kind of spinner did you get?

Thx

Yeah it mounts fine, as @opt2not showed (fits fine in the blast as well as his cabs)

I actually don't know my spinner brand, but it was an older very heavy duty one and mounting it was like the photos opt2not shared. However, it came to me with a dead PCB so that's why I mentioned the "Happ Red Board," as this PCB brought it to functional life for Arkaniod again

 

[dos]

If you want it to look like it matches the Astro, try hunting down a set of Seimitsu LS-29 (they pop up on YAJ regularly) and put them in an Astro 2L6B panel (almost always easily found on YAJ). They're very similar to the Taito ones, but the dial itself is not metal. Build quality is what you'd expect for somenthing meant for arcade use, they are easily serviced and brought back to new-feeling condition.

Not my pics, the bottom one has faded and looks orange but in reality they match Astro pink

Here's what I did because I don't like switching panels, but it may be somewhat janky for you: https://www.arcade-projects.com/threads/my-solution-to-the-spinner-problem.20201/

EDIT: Here's @colour_thief 's thread on capturing the spinner input with a video of a really clean looking LS-29+Astro panel: https://www.arcade-projects.com/threads/spinner-controller-input-capture.23025/

 

[Don’s Arcade]

Oh so this is how the Japanese Arkanoid looked like. Same spinner as American cab.

View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=UE59IfH9qNc

 

[Don’s Arcade]

F—— it. I couldn’t find a good spinner so I just got the whole cab instead lol:p

 

[advans14]

Poor gorf!

 

[Don’s Arcade]

Arkanoid is really hard lol.

I grew up playing the SNES one in control pad so spinner is difficult lol

 

[Don’s Arcade]

So anybody know why the fire button is stuck on my Arkanoid? Lol

I bought new buttons and checked the wires but no result. It’s like the button is locked and permanently press down. The start button works fine but the fire buttons just don’t work.

 

[JoeAwesome]

What buttons?

 

[daskrabs]

I'm doing something very similar to @opt2not on my E2. I have a 2L8B panel with a Taito-style spinner in the 2P stick, and a DIY harness that allows me to play Arkanoid via JAMMA adapter (commercial) and Arkanoid 2 (DIY JAMMA adapter). This setup easily allows me to swap in other JAMMA stuff when I get bored. You Arkanoid fans need to get an Arkanoid 2 (Revenge of Doh) PCB. Super underrated.

 

[opt2not]

So anybody know why the fire button is stuck on my Arkanoid? Lol

I bought new buttons and checked the wires but no result. It’s like the button is locked and permanently press down. The start button works fine but the fire buttons just don’t work.

Do you have the connectors on the right?
You want Ground (COM) and NO (Normally Open) connected, like so: