A500 second DB9 joystick port not working.

[Tony Gunk]

Hello, again,

So I finally got my A500 rev 5 working the way I want after all this time, with a TF536, 2MB chip, and a 4GB compact flash for WHDLoad games and demos. At the moment, the last thing I need is a new joypad to play all the games I downloaded, however it seems that the second joystick port, the one between the right audio out and the first joystick port which is use for my mouse, isn't working.

This may be a dumb question, but are they both supposed to be functional at the same time? I tried using my mouth in the second port and it didn't work which makes me think the port is just bad. And if it is, how can I fix it? Note that the rest of the computer is fully functional.

Any support would be appreciated.

[offog]

Both ports should work simultaneously - they're connected to different inputs, and there are plenty of 2-player games that use both. However, plugging a mouse into the second port will only work if the software's expecting to see a mouse there; it won't do anything on Workbench, but a game like Lemmings that supports 2-player mode with two mice should respond to it.

I would give Keir Fraser's AmigaTestKit a try - the controller ports test in there will show which input lines are working. You can also try plugging your joystick into port 1 - the fire button should show up as the left mouse button.

On a couple of well-used machines, I've seen the physical ports being worn out from years of people plugging things into them. The D-connectors are standard parts available from electronics suppliers, so if that's the problem then it's a relatively easy fix.

[thomas]

Of course the game ports both work all the time. But they are individual ports, they don't autodetect. You have to tell the software that the mouse is now plugged into the other port.

See http://aminet.net/search?query=set+mouse+port

[Tony Gunk]

Originally Posted by offog

Both ports should work simultaneously - they're connected to different inputs, and there are plenty of 2-player games that use both. However, plugging a mouse into the second port will only work if the software's expecting to see a mouse there; it won't do anything on Workbench, but a game like Lemmings that supports 2-player mode with two mice should respond to it.

I would give Keir Fraser's AmigaTestKit a try - the controller ports test in there will show which input lines are working. You can also try plugging your joystick into port 1 - the fire button should show up as the left mouse button.

On a couple of well-used machines, I've seen the physical ports being worn out from years of people plugging things into them. The D-connectors are standard parts available from electronics suppliers, so if that's the problem then it's a relatively easy fix.

I'll check out AmigaTestKit and report back to see what the deal is. I don't have a Gotek drive or anything like that so how can I use the ADF file?

[offog]

The AmigaTestKit .zip file contains both an ADF disk image and an executable for the program. If you've got any way of transferring files to your Amiga - e.g. transferring it over a serial cable using a terminal program, copying it to a PC-format disk, moving a hard disk or CF card between machines - then it's probably easier to use the executable version.

If you do want to write ADF files to real floppies, a low-cost approach these days is to use a GreaseWeazle board and a PC floppy drive - that will also give you the ability to make images of floppies for use with a Gotek or in emulation. If you're playing with machines of this vintage then it's well worth having a Gotek or a GreaseWeazle (or both).

[Tony Gunk]

Originally Posted by offog

The AmigaTestKit .zip file contains both an ADF disk image and an executable for the program. If you've got any way of transferring files to your Amiga - e.g. transferring it over a serial cable using a terminal program, copying it to a PC-format disk, moving a hard disk or CF card between machines - then it's probably easier to use the executable version.

If you do want to write ADF files to real floppies, a low-cost approach these days is to use a GreaseWeazle board and a PC floppy drive - that will also give you the ability to make images of floppies for use with a Gotek or in emulation. If you're playing with machines of this vintage then it's well worth having a Gotek or a GreaseWeazle (or both).

I do have a compact flash solution set up for transferring files, so I'll try it out tomorrow and report back the results.

[Tony Gunk]

So I've got Amiga test kit set up on my machine and it occured to me that the one joystick I have is probably broken, so I tried testing 2 player mode in lemmings and switched my mouse between ports and it seems like it works just fine, so I guess that's solved:v Thanks for the suggestions guys.