15 Pin Joysticks

[Flimbo]

I just purchased a Gravis (retro) joystick for £3 on eBay. Has anybody used this joystick? I have no idea if it is the Amiga version or the 15 Pin version used on IBMs. Has anybody in the community dabbled in 15 Pin joysticks? Can they be converted or adapted for use on the Amiga?

[theq]

Something like this PcJoy2Amiga might work.
If you want to make your own you might find a schematic online somewhere too.

[aeberbach]

Even if you get an adapter I think that’s going to be a pretty horrible experience on a system expecting a digital joystick with hard stops. You won’t know by feel when you have activated the joystick in a direction.

[Flimbo]

I was hoping somebody had already tested these joysticks before me ha ha. It may well be an Amiga joystick, in which case it's a bargain at £3.

[Etze]

Originally Posted by aeberbach

horrible experience on a system expecting a digital joystick with hard stops.

Depends if he bought a digital or an analog PC joystick. There were digital-joysticks with 15-pins. For example the Competition Pro PC. But I guess the "Gravis Joystick" is an analog one.



Of course it's possible to use it on Amiga with an adapter. But of course it's only useful in games supporting analog joysticks (F1GP, Knights of the sky and so on).

[Daedalus]

Yep, if it's an analogue stick, it makes some games into an entirely different experience. I played Birds of Prey to death with a standard 15-pin analogue joystick and a homemade adaptor. I needed to add a couple of capacitors to it to improve the sensitivity as PC joysticks tend to be slightly different to the Amiga analogue stick specs, but it was a trivial thing to do all the same.

[Misclegend]

any1 have the schems+ pinouts of such PcJoy2AMIGA adapter?

I want to build one or adapt some old PC joystick to Amiga
thanks

[Daedalus]

There are several examples on Aminet, or the pinouts for both ports are easily found online if you want to roll your own.

[Misclegend]

Originally Posted by Daedalus

There are several examples on Aminet, or the pinouts for both ports are easily found online if you want to roll your own.

post a link plz

[DamienD]

Maybe this: JoyProject20.lha?

[Misclegend]

Originally Posted by DamienD

Maybe this: JoyProject20.lha?

thanks sir
that was what i was looking for
I hope the diagram there is correct I will check this tomorrow

in the link also there is pic to connect normal Amiga 2nd and 3nd button joy ,
but is not very correct because in the case of the 2nd button need a 1K resistor wired to 5V ( PIN 7)
otherwise will not work in some games, ie Aladdin,bc kid, bubble and squeak and so on

[Daedalus]

Originally Posted by Misclegend

in the link also there is pic to connect normal Amiga 2nd and 3nd button joy ,
but is not very correct because in the case of the 2nd button need a 1K resistor wired to 5V ( PIN 7)
otherwise will not work in some games, ie Aladdin,bc kid, bubble and squeak and so on

Not true on any machines I've seen. It's a different story when an adaptor of some sort is being used, but pins 5 and 9 are designed to be used with normal switches without pull-ups. After all, that's how the right and middle mouse buttons work on the Amiga.

[Misclegend]

Originally Posted by Daedalus

Not true on any machines I've seen. It's a different story when an adaptor of some sort is being used, but pins 5 and 9 are designed to be used with normal switches without pull-ups. After all, that's how the right and middle mouse buttons work on the Amiga.

yes in theory buttons joy button 2 and 3 are designed to work without resistors, but the 2nd button in the games I mentioned above do not work without a resistor wired to 5v
also adding a resistor in the 2nd button becomes more sensitive , so is recommended to add one

[Daedalus]

I can't speak for the other games since I don't play them, but I've never had a problem with Aladdin in 2-button mode on any machine I've tried. Perhaps there's some issue with your machine? After all, if that doesn't work, a right or middle mouse button wouldn't work either. And why does a button need to be "more sensitive"? It either works as it should, or it doesn't.

[Misclegend]

Originally Posted by Daedalus

I can't speak for the other games since I don't play them, but I've never had a problem with Aladdin in 2-button mode on any machine I've tried. Perhaps there's some issue with your machine? After all, if that doesn't work, a right or middle mouse button wouldn't work either. And why does a button need to be "more sensitive"? It either works as it should, or it doesn't.

it seems you do not understand
the pullup resistors are for that, to make the buttons more responsive
having a positive voltage always works better with less delay/lag
buttons react with very little pressure and fail less because of dirt/bad contact/oxide in the joystick board

I also recommend add a pull up resistor in button 1 as long as the joystick doesn't have autofire, because interfere with that function