Spinner Turn Count

Purpose

This is intended to be a page to keep track of the correct turns ratio of spinner/dial/paddle/trackball-controlled arcade games. Below is comma-separated text, hopefully this is a useful format.

Q: How do I use this information?

A: To tweak the analog sensitivity in MAME to better emulate real hardware.

An example from the first link below: Tempest, 72 count

if the control you use has 1200 counts per turn, the sensitivity calculation is: Sensitivity = 100 * 72 / 1200 = 6%

Links (Recommended Reading)

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=61381.0

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=23967.0

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=42401.msg474159#msg474159

Data

Effective_Tooth_Count = teeth that pass through the optical sensor per revolution of the knob (multiply by any gear ratios to obtain)

Counts_Per_Revolution = could be 1x, 2x, or 4x of the Effective_Tooth_Count (depends on original hardware interpretation of optical sensor information)

Other_Notes = quantitative information relating to game play (like degrees of turn from one side of the screen to another - useful for potentiometer games like Warlords)

Game	Effective_Tooth_Count	Counts_Per_Revolution	Other_Notes
720 degrees	72	144	LETA 2x (schematic)
Arkanoid	486	486	Geared: The knob attaches to shaft #1, which has a 72 tooth gear on it. That gear turns a 16 tooth gear on shaft #2. Shaft #2 also has a 72 tooth gear on it, which then turns a 16 tooth gear on shaft #3. Shaft #3 also has the encoder wheel on it, which has 24 teeth. 120-130 deg = one traversal across the screen
Aztarac		4x	Same spinner as Mad Planets
Blasteroids	72	288	LETA 4x (schematic)
Crater Raider	64	64
Dark Planet	64	64	6-bit rotary encoder
Disks of Tron	128	128
Ivan Ironman Offroad	154.286		Geared: 60 teeth on the steering wheel shaft, meshes with a 14 tooth gear on the encoder shaft, which has 36 teeth on its encoder wheel
Kick / Kickman	12		Ball-shaped roller.
Off the Wall	128	256	LETA 2x (schematic)
Omega Race	64	64	Omega Race uses a 6-bit (64-position) rotary encoder
Pole Position Pole Position II	102 6/7	102 6/7	Geared: 60 tooth gear on wheel shaft, 14 tooth gear on 24 tooth encoder disk shaft => (60 / 14) * 24 = 102 6/7
Revenge of DOH	486	972	Same spinner as Arkanoid
RoadBlasters	154 2/7		Wheel/Yoke: 60 tooth gear turns 14 tooth gear with 36 tooth encoder disc. Limited angle of rotation.
Super Speed Race	64	64	6-bit rotary encoder
Tempest	72	72	1 full turn moves 5 spaces on first screen
Tron	128	128
Two Tigers (conversion)	64	64
Tac/Scan Star Trek Zektor		1x	All use the same spinner
Turbo			2 1/2 turns to go across the screen
Mad Planets		1x
Subs Monte Carlo Super Sprint Drag Race Fire Truck	36
Sprint	36	36
Championship Sprint APB	36	72

Trackball Hardware

Trackball	resolution	Notes
Happ 2.25 inch trackball	149.2 (no wear)	2.25 inch ball, 0.362 inch roller, 24 tooth encoder disc
Happ 3 inch trackball	167.4 (no wear)	3 inch ball, 0.43 inch roller, 24 tooth encoder disc
Atari 4.5 inch trackball	330.6 (no wear)	4.5 inch ball, 0.49 inch roller, 36 tooth encoder wheel

Trackball Games

Game	Trackball	Multiplier	Notes
Crystal Castles	Midi-Trak	2x
Marble Madness	Midi-Trak	4x
Rampart	Midi-Trak	2x

Pot Based

Game	Gear Ratio	Other_Notes
Warlords	1	120-130 deg one traversal end to end of castle
Final Lap	2/3
Moto Frenzy	1
Breakout	1
Super Breakout	1	120-130 deg one traversal across the screen
Star Wars	15/7 (left/right) 30/7 (up/down)	Yoke
Paperboy	30/7 (left/right) 30/7 (up/down)	Yoke

Trackball Games: Game Name, Notes

Crystal Castles, 1st screen BB moves length of line above his head from center of trackball moved to one side

Centipede, 1 trackball move 1 end to other (stock tb) 2 1/2 mushroom lengths

Missile Command 1 full end to end visible trackball movement goes from left to the right of the little bump after the missile base

Atari LETA Chip: several of Atari's optical-control games used the LETA quadrature-decoder chip. It could be set to a 2x or 4x resolution. Therefore all of the below games are either 2x or 4x.
Major Havoc
Marble Madness
Crystal Castles
Rampart
Off The Wall
Blasteroids
720
Championship Sprint
Super Sprint
APB