Any DB9 to USB adapter supporting analogue?
 

Following on my previous thread (http://eab.abime.net/showthread.php?p=882170) where I presented my latest aquisition -- a beautiful and in perfect shape analogue Speed King, here's my "question of the week"...

All is in the title really! Just wondering if anybody here knows of any adapter which would support _RETRO_ (Atari-type, ie. DB9 plug) _ANALOGUE_ joysticks (as opposed to the much more common digital ones -- I already own the absolutely brilliant Retro-Donald Adapter for them digital, thank you! ^_-), such as my analogue Speed King for use with 8/16bit machine emulators, or failing that, of a way to build/mod one perhaps...?


Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

Go for cheapest chinese game pad with analog joystick - stripe mechanical part from electronic - connect wires that going from one analog controller pads to DB9 socket and this can be your converter - sorry for lack of detailed instruction but im sure there is plenty information on internet about hacking/modding gamepads.

As an alternative perhaps you can do circuit by yourself based on software implemented USB perpipherial controller like:

http://www.mictronics.de/projects/avr-usb-joystick/
http://www.leobodnar.com/products/BU0836/
http://www.x-simulator.de/forum/mjoy...tick-t726.html
http://www.codeforge.com/read/28718/MJoy.asm__html

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/USB-joysti...item27cf2329a3

or

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PC-PS3-USB...item3f239ae491 and add a 9pin socket to this

Thanks Pandy for the valuable infos, I'm gonna look into that ASAP.

Johnim, thank you as well for your eBay suggestions. Can you tell how do you know these 2 adapters you link to do in fact support analogue? (I could see no evidence of this in each item description)

...Or could it be that you missed my point about looking for a very specific adapter (I have a Retro-Donald already which works wonders with classical digital joysticks)?

I don't think that the first USB adapter supports analog stuff, e.g. paddles aren't working what is mentioned there.

There is explicit message that adapter will not support analog controllers and light pen ("This is not intended to be use with paddles or light pen.")

Right, but then I just as explicitly stated that I was looking for an adapter supporting analogue, ain't I? ;) (Matter of fact, did Johnim even read the very title of this thread? How much more plain and obvious can I put it?)
Still, thanks for your input Johnim I guess.

Another question that comes to mind but I forgot asking up to now:

Am I correct in assuming that "data" (for lack of a better word) sent from an analogue retro DB9 stick is the exact same than that sent by a modern day PC joystick/pad, ie. that the real only difference (as far as the computer/OS is concerned) is the plug-type?

Based on Pandy's previous suggestion, I reckon there is in fact no other difference and analogue sticks are detected/treated/processed the same by the OS, whether retro or recent PC sticks, but just to clarify...

One unclear thing is potentiometer resistance - on old times it can be even 1MOhm - nowadays it is around 100kOhm - remain things should be the same (circuit topology and general principle of work)

I have a few db9 to usb adapters which are for paddles specifically (a further revision of the stelladapter), does that make these the ones wanted here?

Should be perfect if they are really anolog to USB.

this is the one I have
http://home.comcast.net/~tjhafner/2600-daptor.htm

Looks to me like it ought to do the trick indeed!
I've emailed the developer to confirm this though.

Thank you loads for this tip Dirkies! Hopefully it will be what I'm looking for.
I hadn't seen/heard anything about this particular adaptor yet, and I was pretty sure I had them all checked out already, so much for that...

good for you then :)
and he can be trusted as a seller, was a nice guy dealing with and got the adaptors as promised in time.

So, the developer (Tom) replied and he seems like a great guy indeed.
Here's what informations he would need to ensure a Speed King will be compatible with the adaptor he built:

- connector pin-out
- electrical schematic
- resistance of the analog potentiometers


I'm really no expert but I assume "connector pin" is the Atari 9 pin DB9, right? As for the rest I don't have...
If somebody know even part of the infos he requests (a full schematic would be godsend), thank you for stepping forward! (^_-) Gonna post another thread (the 3rd related to my SeepdKing here already!) to ask around for a schematics, although my hopes aren't too high on this I must say, but you never know hey...

Ok, got another reply from Tom after I sent him a copy of the Amiga Reference Hardware Manual (as advised by Toni).
His verdict is that only a small change to the circuit board + a possibly aditional firwmare update are needed for his adaptor to support my analogue Speed King (and with it every other Amiga compatible analogue joystick too!!!).

Basically now waiting for this to be completed and the deal to be made, but once I have the adaptor into my own hands and tested everything to confirm a fully working status, I'll come back and advertise this louder on EAB, as the only USB adaptor in existence supporting Amiga retro analogue joysticks is bound (ain't it?) to attract a least a few more maniacs like me here... ;)