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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchRound Pong is a hardware Pong game that draws its playfield on a circular-screen oscilloscope. Jon Stanley’s all-analog circuit generates the circle and moving game elements as electrical signals for the scope’s X and Y inputs; it is not a software game running on a computer. The project was built for a vintage Heathkit oscilloscope, although the exact model is not identified.
What makes Round Pong different
Ordinary oscilloscope Pong projects draw a rectangular playfield. Stanley also designed a conventional rectangular version, but Round Pong adapts the game to a circular display. The distinction is in the geometry and the circuit signals used to draw it—not in a different digital game engine.
Make: described Stanley’s project on January 11, 2010, as a Pong game for circular oscilloscopes. Stanley’s project page, Analog Oscilloscope Pong, documents both the rectangular and circular designs.
How the circuit draws a circular playfield
A quadrature oscillator creates the circle
Two op-amp integrators form a quadrature oscillator, producing sine and cosine signals 90 degrees apart. When those signals are applied to the oscilloscope’s X and Y inputs, the trace describes a circle. Stanley says the oscillator frequency is set to about 160 Hz by a 100 kΩ resistor and a 0.01 µF capacitor; these are design details reported by the author, not independently measured performance figures.
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Other signals make the paddles and ball move
The paddle signals are produced by shifting the phase of the sine signals, with comparators shaping them into paddle arcs. Analog voltage signals represent the ball’s position. Further comparators detect paddle contact; logic and flip-flops keep track of turns and change the ball’s direction. A pushbutton labeled Ball Serve returns a missed ball to the playfield.
Controls and how a game plays
Position the paddles with a dual-gang potentiometer
The paddles are controlled by a dual-gang potentiometer. Stanley notes that the movement is nonlinear and the control has limited rotation, so positioning a paddle may require turning the knob back and forth rather than moving it smoothly through the circle. Separate dual-gang potentiometers can adjust ball size and speed. LEDs indicate which player has the turn.
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A miss sends the ball off-screen
If a player misses, the ball leaves the circular playfield. Pressing Ball Serve brings it back. The bounce behavior is a rough approximation: circuit bounds determine whether the ball reverses along X, Y, or both axes. Stanley also notes that turn tracking can occasionally assign play to the wrong player; these are limitations described on the project page, not findings from independent testing.
Round Pong circuit components
Stanley lists the following main components for the circular design. The counts describe the author’s circuit, not a current verified bill of materials or a ready-made kit.
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| Component | Author-listed quantity |
|---|---|
| 1458 dual op-amp chips | 10 |
| CD4013 dual D-type flip-flops | 2 |
| CD4081 quad AND gate | 1 |
| CD4066 quad analog switch | 1 |
| IN4148 diodes | Quantity not stated by Jon Stanley on the project page. |
The circuit requires a dual-rail supply providing +5 V and -5 V. Stanley notes that the supply is not shown in the schematic. The project page does not establish modern substitute parts, package details, or current availability, so anyone reproducing the circuit should check the schematic and component specifications rather than treating the list as a complete shopping list.
How it compares with Stanley’s rectangular Pong
Stanley’s project page gives a useful comparison of the two designs. The rectangular version uses six chips; Round Pong uses fourteen. The author notes that some op-amps are quad packages and that the IC count could be reduced. The counts are not measures of build difficulty or game performance.
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| Design | Display | Signal approach | Author-stated IC count |
|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional oscilloscope Pong | Rectangular playfield | Conventional rectangular oscilloscope Pong design; the project page does not describe its signal-generation method in the same detail as Round Pong. | 6 |
| Round Pong | Circular playfield | Quadrature oscillator supplies sine and cosine signals for the circular trace; phase-shifted signals and comparators form paddle arcs. | 14 |
What is known about the oscilloscope and availability
Make: reports that Stanley built the game to run in a vintage Heathkit oscilloscope, and Stanley says he installed the final version in a Heathkit instrument. Neither source identifies the exact oscilloscope model. The available project descriptions also do not establish a currently available kit or confirm that particular parts are in stock.
If you are looking for parts, the 1458 dual op-amp is one item to investigate because Stanley specifies ten in the Round Pong design. That is a search lead, not confirmation that a listing is compatible or suitable: check the schematic and package details before buying. A suitable circular-screen scope and the dual-rail supply are also part of the reproduction challenge, but the sources do not name a specific current product or seller.
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