USB controller on 15pin gameport PC

[Swami]

Does anyone know of an emulation(driverless) adapter that will let you use an analog USB controller on the 15pin gameport of an old 486/pentium IBM? It seems a longshot, with the many gameport controller to USB port on modern PC adapters I've found, but none that go the opposite direction.

 

The purpose is that the only known Playstation2 controller to 15pin gameport adapter recently went from $35 to $100. It was used with a simple 15pin PC to 5200 adapter to use PS2 controllers on an Atari 5200. There is a driverless PS2 to USB version that is $14, but it would need a USB controller to 15pin gameport adapter to work on the Atari 5200. Thanks!

[jdgabbard]

I seem to remember there being something me very obscure examples from way back in the late 90s. But I dont remember how common they were (I continued to use DB15 until the mid 2000s).

[jdgabbard]

Here is a project for a digital (non-pc) joystick adapter: http://www.cithraidt.de/joyadapter/index.html

[carlsson]

Are you trying to maintain the analog properties of the PlayStation 2 controller when going to the Atari 5200? PlayStation 2 to USB, then USB to PC gameport, then PC gameport to Atari 5200 seems like an awful lot of converters.

 

I'm thinking one of those PS2 to C64/Atari or even MSX adapters might just as well be a starting point, but then you need another adapter from digital DE-9 on the C64/2600/MSX to analog DB-15 on the 5200.

 

The above link posted by jdgabbard seems to connect a C64/Atari or PC gameport joystick to USB, a DIY solution to the ones you already found, while as noted you want it to be reversed, or perhaps eliminate USB entirely from the equation if there are easier ways to get desired controller on desired system.

 

I notice that the question about a PlayStation 2 to Atari 5200 adapter has been raised before and someone even had begun working on one, but not a finished design.

[Swami]

Are you trying to maintain the analog properties of the PlayStation 2 controller when going to the Atari 5200? PlayStation 2 to USB, then USB to PC gameport, then PC gameport to Atari 5200 seems like an awful lot of converters.

 

I'm thinking one of those PS2 to C64/Atari or even MSX adapters might just as well be a starting point, but then you need another adapter from digital DE-9 on the C64/2600/MSX to analog DB-15 on the 5200.

 

The above link posted by jdgabbard seems to connect a C64/Atari or PC gameport joystick to USB, a DIY solution to the ones you already found, while as noted you want it to be reversed, or perhaps eliminate USB entirely from the equation if there are easier ways to get desired controller on desired system.

 

I notice that the question about a PlayStation 2 to Atari 5200 adapter has been raised before and someone even had begun working on one, but not a finished design.

Yes, it used to be two adapters to get the analog PS2 controllers working on the 5200, so this would make 3, which starts seeming a bit much, but one is just a pin rearrangement. Digital PS2 to 5200 is fairly easy if you have a Masterplay or Masterplay clone and a PS2 to Genesis/Amiga adapter, but you lose about a half dozen of the best games that are analog.

[carlsson]

So are the analog outputs/inputs of the same value ranges? Since I know e.g. paddles differ slightly between Atari 2600 and C64, and that one needs a few resistors and capacitors to convert an analog PC joystick to work on the Apple II, plus I believe there are differences in resistance between PC gameport joysticks and the BBC Micro, it's really cool if the PlayStation 2 and the Atari 5200 have compatible analog signals without any need of further work.

 

(No, I have not investigated so it is not an accusation, just a comment of mild surprise)

[Flojomojo]

I'd be happier using a vintage controller on a vintage PC, just like how I prefer modern controllers on modern PCs. Conversion is probably technically possible, but a sure route to madness.

[leech]

On 7/19/2018 at 7:10 AM, Flojomojo said:

I'd be happier using a vintage controller on a vintage PC, just like how I prefer modern controllers on modern PCs. Conversion is probably technically possible, but a sure route to madness.

Ha, I started looking for a way to use a Modern controller on a vintage computer because it's cheaper for me to use my already mighty Thrustmaster Warthog set up on old games than it is to try and track down a similar set up that'd work on a DOS machine.  But I figured with how many buttons and things that HOTAS setup has, it's not very likely it'd be terribly usable with a simple USB to Gameport adapter.