Colecovision Custom Controller
Button Layout
When designing your own Custom Arcade Controller you can have as little or as many buttons as you like! If you want a smaller profile, you could go with fewer buttons to save on space (just the 2 fire buttons) or you could go with more buttons like I have to cater for all games that use the 1 to 4 buttons on the number pad. If you dont go with the number 1 to 4 buttons you can still start the game from the 2nd controller, but you will not be able to play games like mousetrap or miner 2049er as these require the use of the 1-4 buttons ingame. if you had enough room on your controller face, you could incorporate ALL buttons on the number pad. The choice is yours!
Green: Fire One
Purple: Fire two
Red: Number Pad 1
yellow: Number Pad 2
blue: Number Pad 3
black: Number Pad 4 or 5
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Note: I have added an extra input and cable inside the controller for the number 5 button on the numberpad so that i can swap this around when playing games that require the numberpad button 5 instead of 4, like mousetrap.
Pictures of the final product
The Finished Controller
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Final Words
Creating your own controller can be a lenghty process however if you enjoy the challenge or are just a huge colecovision fan like myself and are looking for an alternative to the, now aging serverly, orginal colecovision controller, it can be very rewarding. The end result for me was well worth the effort. The arcade colecovision custom controller turns my colecovision into a retro arcade machine and has all the feel of a real arcade machine. Some say that part of the colecovision experience is using the original controllers and i agree to a certain extent, but the fustration using a dodgy controller can really take away the fun of using the colecovision in the first place.
Good luck to you all and I hope that I have provided you with the information you need to make your own custom controller!
If you would like to ask me a question about my controller or any of the information on this webpage, please feel free to email me.
Chromesphere.com