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Dual Joystick USB adapter


joysfera

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Hi guys,

not sure if this is the right place for my announcement but if you play games on your PC/Mac/Android using an emulator you might want to check out my new hardware adapter that will make it so much better icon_smile.gif

http://joy.sophics.c...ck-usb-adapter/

 

The web mentions Atari 8bit games but it's valid for Atari 16/32 bit as well as ST/TT used the same joysticks. And of course Commodore 64 and all other computers with those classic 9-pin four-directional + single fire button joysticks.

If you're interested please send me an email. The contact is linked at the bottom of the web page.

Thanks,

Petr

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Hi Petr,

Nice project! (I wish I knew it earlier)

 

 

I think there is a community for TI-99/4A as well

(the original TI-99 PHP 1100 joysticks, but many people have the Atari like connectors using a convertor)

 

I just built myself this one (As I did not know there are on the market, like yours)

* http://www.sinchai.de/index.php?main_page=page&id=17

 

 

See also:

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/244862-usb-joystick-adapter-sinchai/

http://atariage.com/forums/forum/164-ti-994a-computers/

 

 

For emulators I also have the WIRELESS "Oker" (PS/3 PS/4 type of controllers working with emulators)

 

and using a tool like Joy2Key you can do mapping of keys to any button of the PS/3 PS/4 controller),

so then you can sit in the living room at the couch and control the emulator like a PS/4

 

I am using the Classic99 emulator for the TI-99/4A

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Petr,

Can you try to download this emulator (of TI-99/4A) for the PC and check if your adapter works ?

 

Emulator: http://harmlesslion.com/zips/classic99.zip

 

Select the game "Munch Man" that is the easiest (both joystick ports should work)

or "TI Invaders" to check the firebutton

 

(under options you can see the keyboard / joystick settings) - straightforward

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Since the adapter makes the Atari joysticks appear in the system just like ordinary "native" joysticks there's no reason it wouldn't work.

 

Basically whenever an emulator supports host joysticks my adapter will allow to use Atari joysticks instead.

 

I can't test Windows binary at home as I don't have Windows anywhere near me. I can try it on Monday at work, perhaps.

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Petr,

Can you try to download this emulator (of TI-99/4A) for the PC and check if your adapter works ?

Select the game "Munch Man" that is the easiest (both joystick ports should work)

or "TI Invaders" to check the firebutton

(under options you can see the keyboard / joystick settings) - straightforward

Globeron,

 

as expected my dual joystick USB adapter works out-of-the-box with the TI emulator. No configuration was necessary. TI Invaders was great fun - and looked very much like the Atari original!

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Hi Petr,

 

Thank you for testing, I have put it on the TI99ers Facebook pace that this adapter works as well.

(You can also test JS99er.net, select more > software, then all modules can be found)

 

I love TI-Invaders, there is a TI-99/4A gaming competition going on (TI Invaders is still not done as competition, MZAPF wants it).

 

Some good titles:

* Munch Man is also very good.

* Road Hunter

* TI Scramble

* Car Wars

* Barrage

* Dragon Fly

 

For earlier competitions (like Munch Man)

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/241547-official-ti-994a-hi-score-competition/

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  • 4 months later...

Hi guys,

not sure if this is the right place for my announcement but if you play games on your PC/Mac/Android using an emulator you might want to check out my new hardware adapter that will make it so much better icon_smile.gif

 

http://joy.sophics.c...ck-usb-adapter/

 

The web mentions Atari 8bit games but it's valid for Atari 16/32 bit as well as ST/TT used the same joysticks. And of course Commodore 64 and all other computers with those classic 9-pin four-directional + single fire button joysticks.

 

If you're interested please send me an email. The contact is linked at the bottom of the web page.

 

Thanks,

 

Petr

 

Perhaps a screenshot showing the Windows Controller screen here and especially that sales page?

 

Something like the picture below showing how Windows recognizes the adapter, which I am guessing both sticks will be picked up as one controller?

 

xbox_streaming_-_game_controllers.png?it

 

Throw in a description for each corresponding button matched to a given 2600 joystick direction input. This will confirm if a given emulator will work or not.

 

If a game does not pick up each joystick separately then a keyboard utility such as Joy2Key is a simple work around for your adapter.

 

scr_1378559667-700x499.png

Edited by CRTGAMER
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Perhaps a screenshot showing the Windows Controller screen here and especially that sales page?

Something like the picture below showing how Windows recognizes the adapter, which I am guessing both sticks will be picked up as one controller?

 

I'll post it when I come home and reboot to Windows. There are two controllers naturally.

 

This is how it looks in Linux:

 

linux.png

Edited by joysfera
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Nice work! Interesting how you kept the joysticks separate as two controllers detected with just the one USB connection. Looking forward to the Windows Controller screenshots showing both Joystick properties.

 

Joy2Key can still be of use for games that need the keyboard or do not match the coltroller port signals from your adapter.

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Nice work! Interesting how you kept the joysticks separate as two controllers detected with just the one USB connection.

Looking forward to the Windows Controller screenshots showing both Joystick properties.

I used two USB end points.

 

This is how it looks in Windows 8.1. Sorry it's in Czech, I didn't know how to switch Windows to English (I'm a full-time Linux user/developer). I try to obtain a screenshot from English Windows at friend's computer. Nevertheless, you see that the adapter provides two separate joysticks.

 

win81.png

Edited by joysfera
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  • 7 months later...

Reviving an older thread, but would this work with paddle controllers as well?

 

Give me an example of a paddle controller, please. And please note that even if it worked it would emulate classic four (eight) direction joystick with a single fire button only.

Edited by joysfera
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Give me an example of a paddle controller, please. And please note that even if it worked it would emulate classic four (eight) direction joystick with a single fire button only.

Paddles come in pairs of two controllers that plug into one socket. Each pot contains a 1Mohm pot connecting Atari VCC (pin 7) to pin 5 or 9. The console uses the pot to complete an RC circuit and measure the length of time it takes the pot to charge the cap (which is inside the console). The CPU of the console then translates this time constant into analog movement onscreen. Each paddle has it's own fire button which maps to left (pin 3) or right (pin 4) on the joystick. Ironically, the right paddle maps to left fire and the left paddle maps to right fire. Why on earth they designed it this way is anybody's guess.

Schematic_Atari2600_Accessories_1000.png

 

 

2600-daptor and Stelladaptor both support paddles. It would be cool if you could implement this, but it may require more than just a firmware update if your controller has no means to take an analog reading off the paddle pots.

 

The Stelladaptor and 2600-daptor map the analog pots to X axis, Y axis, and both fire buttons. Since the pots effectively act as a pullup on pins 5 and 9, the Stelladaptor and 2600-daptor can detect the presence of paddles or joystick controllers.

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It would be cool if you could implement this, but it may require more than just a firmware update if your controller has no means to take an analog reading off the paddle pots.

 

 

 

Yes, but unfortunately I chose ATtiny2313 microcontroller as the heart of the adapter and this MCU does not have analog inputs. So the answer is no.

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Yes, but unfortunately I chose ATtiny2313 microcontroller as the heart of the adapter and this MCU does not have analog inputs. So the answer is no.

Even if your controller contained a typical ADC, reading it would require support circuitry since the pots are only connected on one end and you need both for a proper voltage divider. And it would technically be possible with support circuitry to read the pot using a digital microcontroller. Here's how: You need a cap connected between ground and the input. You would momentarily drain the cap by instructing the microcontroller to write a low logic signal to the paddle input. Then the microcontroller reads this input and counts the number of CPU cycles until the input goes high again. Of course this time constant varies linearly with the resistance value present on the paddle pot. That is how the real Atari reads the paddle pot values. There are no ADC converters present on the original system.

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It's not a good idea to count CPU cycles when you spend most time by emulating the USB.

And there's no space in the flash memory of ATTiny2313 for additional code that would implement the paddles...

I'd have to start that project from scratch, with a different MCU.

It's cool dude. Your product looks awesome anyway. Paddle emulation was never perfect even with Stella paired with a Stelladaptor or 2600daptor.

 

The spaceship design is also cute, but *minor critique coming* this design may block nearby ports on the host PC device, so a short extension cable may be needed.

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