Joystick controllers

[archiver]

Posted by Joe Ross at 2/16/2001 11:21 AM EST


Engineer on team #330, Beach Bot, from Hope Chapel Academy and NASA/JPL , J&F Machine, and Raytheon.


In Reply to: Joystick controllers
Posted by Elaine on 2/16/2001 5:00 AM EST:



: Is it okay if we use a nintendo style controller?

Looking at the picture, it has the right type of connector (15 pin) but that doesn't mean that the pinout is right. I would take a multimeter and check each pin on the connecter to see if it matches the pinout defined in the control system manual.

There are three possibilites. The pinout could match exactly and you would have no problems. The pinout might be almost the same (some switches do not connect to the right pins, etc). If this is the case you can cut off the connector and re-wire the gamepad the way you want.

It is also possible that it is a "windows-only" game pad and needs special software to be able to run even if it uses the standard 15 pin connector. In this case it would not work right with the OI.

If the controller does check out you are almost there. If you plan on using it on ports 1 or 3 then you should remove the pins that connect to the LED drivers on the OI.

Good luck.

PS I got an e-mail from another team that bought a cheap joystick that did not work. While it is more likely that a cheap joystick will work than a fancy expensive one, it isn't guaranteed. Buyer Beware.