[Al Skierkiewicz]

You need to disassemble a joystick with the extra buttons and see where they are connected. Many joysticks wire the extra buttons, hat included, through resistors to the postive power supply. This is equivalent to using an analog input with a switched resistor as shown in the RC/OI manual. Using a meter in the continuity mode will not tell you if you are at the end of a switched resistor string. Use the "ohm" mode and check for varying resistance. Don't be surprised at the shoddy workmanship on the inside of some of the better known joysticks.