N64 control stick: Analog or Digital?

[Limewater]

The N64 Analog stick does not use analog potentiometers. It uses light emitting sensor diodes and sensor wheels which give a more accurate direct digital read. The sensor wheels give direct correlation compared to potentiometers. However gameplay function itself is true analog, the more the stick is pushed the faster a game character would walk to run.

Well, there are a few problems here.

There is no such thing, to my knowledge, as a light emitting sensor diode. Calling it a sensor wheel is pretty misleading. The question of accuracy is pretty contentious-- you mention time stability in the talk page, but the N64 system probably has higher granularity quantization. The last sentence is very casual, and doesn't really fit the tone of the article.

On the TALK page, we're discussing removing almost the entire Analog Stick section (there is an Analog Stick Wikipedia article) , as it is kind of redundant, and only keeping a couple of parts of it.

[CRTGAMER]

The N64 Analog stick does not use analog potentiometers. It uses light emitting sensor diodes and sensor wheels which give a more accurate direct digital read. The sensor wheels give direct correlation compared to potentiometers. However gameplay function itself is true analog, the more the stick is pushed the faster a game character would walk to run.

Well, there are a few problems here.

There is no such thing, to my knowledge, as a light emitting sensor diode. Calling it a sensor wheel is pretty misleading. The question of accuracy is pretty contentious-- you mention time stability in the talk page, but the N64 system probably has higher granularity quantization. The last sentence is very casual, and doesn't really fit the tone of the article.

On the TALK page, we're discussing removing almost the entire Analog Stick section (there is an Analog Stick Wikipedia article) , as it is kind of redundant, and only keeping a couple of parts of it.

I think the analog information should stay, a clarification what analog actually means in relation to the N64 stick. Digital read with analog gameplay.

Here is a pic of a ball mouse, the N64 stick works similar. The sensor wheels are the black plastic that produce a shutter affect. There is a light emitter diode and a photo diode.

[Limewater]

I think the analog information should stay, a clarification what analog actually means in relation to the N64 stick. Digital read with analog gameplay.

That's where we're trying to come to consensus on the TALK page, or at least one of the places. The term "Analog" when applied to a controller doesn't really that something is actually technically analog.

I'm busy right now, but hope to discuss more over there either tonight or tomorrow.

Here is a pic of a ball mouse, the N64 stick works similar. The sensor wheels are the black plastic that produce a shutter affect. There is a light emitter diode and a photo diode.

Sure, but those are two separate things. As you wrote it, you make it sound like there is a single discrete component called a "light-emitting sensor diode" or whatever it was.

[CRTGAMER]

The happy conclusion.
I never was a wordsmith.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nintendo_6 ... alog_stick

Okay expanded my contribution.

Please feel free to edit it to make sense to you. I'll do the same, the point is to spread knowledge and not censor each other's contributions. I think the analog information should stay, a clarification what analog actually means in relation to the N64 stick. A Digital read with Analog Gameplay.

So for an update:

The N64 Analog stick does not use analog potentiometers. It uses light emitting diodes and photo detectors controlled by sensor wheels. The sensor wheels are plastic hubs which produce a shutter effect allowing for an accurate direct digital read. The sensor wheels give direct correlation to the stick position compared to potentiometers which can change resistance values over time. However gameplay function of the stick itself is not on or off digital, but analog in a sense, the more the stick is pushed the faster a game character would walk to run. — Preceding unsigned comment added by CRTGAMER (talk • contribs) 21:04, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

--CRTGAMER (talk) 21:05, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

Much better - it makes sense now . I'd probably reword it a bit and some citations would be nice, but that can wait since it's going to be reordered etc. anyway. A note as well though: censorship was not the intention of the reversions. The previous version was reverted because it was misleading and unclear, and the info was on the page already (in the note at the bottom). If it hadn't already been in the note (which was added the day before yours I think) I would have cut out the confusing, seemingly nonsensical part and just reworded the rest, but as it was already there I though it better to keep it concise rather than confusing people (especially as it was going to be reworked anyway). Hope you stick around and help get this properly worked out. Alphathon™ (talk) 21:23, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

Okay thanks, I'll check back once in a while. love contributing.

--CRTGAMER (talk) 21:28, 7 January 2011 (UTC)