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Amiga joysticks on a PC?

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  • 12-09-2003 2:53pm
    #1
    Sarky
    Closed Accounts Posts: 31,967 ✭✭✭✭


    Does anyone here know of a way to use Amiga joysticks (you know the kind, 2 axis, one and two buttons, nine pin female plug, same as on a Sega console) on a PC?

    Surely there must be some simple procedure to go through in order for the machine to recognise such a joystick?


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    #2
    longword
    Closed Accounts Posts: 741 ✭✭✭longword


    There exist USB adapters that will take a D9 digital joystick (typically called an 'Atari joystick' after the 2600) and turn it into a HID standard USB stick.

    If you run Linux, the standard kernel supports Amiga joysticks, Megadrive/Genesis pads and a good deal more if you're prepared to wire up the specified parallel port interface.


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    #3
    Spacedog
    Registered Users Posts: 1,775 ✭✭✭Spacedog


    I'll take it that means, just plugging into a 9 pin serial port won't work then?


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    #4
    Capt'n Midnight
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 91,581 Mod ✭✭✭✭Capt'n Midnight


    AFAIK PC joysticks use potentiometers (variable resistor = volume controls) and the game port measures how far you have moved by the time taken for a capacitor to charge through the resistance. Four resistance inputs / 4 on/off inputs for the buttons.

    Please correct me if I'm wrong - but many older home computers used on/off switches for thier joysticks rather than proportional control. (not sure if applies to the beeb or the amiga)

    In which case you could cross wire them to work on the button inputs on the game port - though you'd have to figure out how to get the game to understand this.. (or you could use fixed resistors)

    But it'd be cheaper to buy a second hand PC joystick than make an adaptor.


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    #5
    longword
    Closed Accounts Posts: 741 ✭✭✭longword


    Originally posted by Spacedog
    I'll take it that means, just plugging into a 9 pin serial port won't work then?
    Err. No. Not as such. The old digital joysticks are thick as two short planks. Most don't even have so much as a resistor let alone a transistor or a capacitor. They're simple on/off switches that short a common input to various outputs - one line per button/direction. The electrical requirements are close to those used on a parallel port though, which is why with a special driver you can wire up a simple pin-to-pin interface to allow a stick to plug into the parallel port.


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    #6
    BLITZ_Molloy
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,949 ✭✭✭BLITZ_Molloy


    You could take the guts of a cheap PC pad and put them in the amiga stick. Little simple soldering is all it involves.

    I've just got a connector to use my PS Hori sticks on the PC two days ago. MAME is so much fun with these babies.


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