Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!cs.utexas.edu!usc!ucsd!nosc!crash!jcs
From: jcs@crash.cts.com (John Schultz)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Amiga joysticks
Summary: Analog joystick support (5 buttons)
Message-ID: <2598@crash.cts.com>
Date: 9 May 90 19:59:19 GMT
References: <1447@trlluna.trl.oz> <46200066@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu>
Organization: Crash TimeSharing, El Cajon, CA
Lines: 48



  Digital joysticks can have 3 buttons:

    pin 6 (now button 1)
    pin 5 (pot x)
    pin 9 (pot y)

  Pins 5 and 9 can be configured as button inputs by writing the
appropriate values to POTGO (see p234-235 of the Hardware Manual).

  Analog joysticks can have *5* buttons, plus proportional x and y:

    pin 5 (pot x)
    pin 9 (pot y)
    pin 3 (button 1)
    pin 4 (button 2)
    pin 1 (button 3) [optional]
    pin 2 (button 4) [not documented nor standardized by C-A]
    pin 6 (button 5) ["                                    "]

  See page 223 of the Hardware Manual for more details.

  Also, the Hardware Manual states that the pots should be no more than
528k ohm. We didn't get readings of 0-255 until using 1 *MEG* ohm. To
make an IBM analog joystick work on the Amiga, at least .22 uf caps must
be placed between the pots and the ground (to get the 0-255 range).

  It would appear that no one at C-A who tested the proportional controller
hardware looked at the documentation in the Hardware Manual.

  Hopefully, C-A will update the documentation (if it hasn't been done
already). This may explain why developers have not used analog joysticks
in the past: they hooked up the controllers as documented and they didn't
work properly, so they didn't write analog joystick support.

  We don't need Amiga specific analog joysticks, just a simple $5 adaptor
for IBM joysticks. The adaptor would also be a y connector to allow a
digital joystick or X-Specs to be hooked up at the same time (no port
unplugging/plugging).


  John



  John