Gameport

[oal331 0]

Hi, i want to start making my own throttles and i think the only ay to do it easy is via gameport, as i don't know anything for usb connections.I want to ask you if you know, how many axis can i have with gameport. Is there a limit for 3 or 4? Is there also, any limit for buttons?Thanks a lotOAL331Athens-Greece

[rickalty 0]

The gameport itself is limited to four axes and four buttons, by the design of the hardware. However..... there are software ways around that. The Thrustmaster type hatswitch, for example, takes an axis and uses fixed value resistors to turn it into the eight discreet inputs. Other systems use other methods to get lots of buttons - but they all need computer drivers to take signals from four analog inputs and four normally open switch inputs and create multiple "Virtual Buttons".Richard

[Guest PeterK]

PeterK like rick mentionedYour analog game port is limited to 2 joysticks each with an x and yaxis unsing around 100K ohm pots..there are also 4 switches..Like in the other message the 2nd joysticks axis can beused for a hat switch using fixed resistors...but it takesaway the throttle pot...mainly the rudder stay.. But adding 4 throttles is where the data card and the ubs port comeinto play...pete http://home.attbi.com/~fs-boneyard

[oal331 0]

Thanks for your replies!I will try to start making a throttle, so i need 4 axes and 3 buttons.OAL331

[rickalty 0]

OAL331 sed:>I will try to start making a throttle, so i need 4 axes and 3 buttons. Don't forget though that you can only have one Gameport device connected to a computer at any one time, and that you can't connect Gameport and USB devices at the same time either. This means that once your Gameport throttle is working you'll have nothing available to connect your yoke or pedals. The way to approach this is with a Gameport to USB adaptor, available for $15 from Radio Shack. If your Yoke/Pedals are Gameport, you'll need to buy one for them too.Richard

[Guest LeoL]

"Don't forget though that you can only have one Gameport device connected to a computer at any one time, and that you can't connect Gameport and USB devices at the same time either."Unless I misunderstood you, that's not correct. I have a standard gameport on my SB 16 and multiple USB devices all working at the same time. In fact, TM made the ACM ISA game card that was two gameports on one card. 4-axis and 4 buttons on each port. I no longer use it since I don't have a spare ISA slot.FYI - Windows will support up to 16 simultaneous gaming devices.-Leo

[rickalty 0]

Rick sed:"Don't forget though that you can only have one Gameport device connected to a computer at any one time, and that you can't connect Gameport and USB devices at the same time either."Leo replied:"Unless I misunderstood you, that's not correct. I have a standard gameport on my SB 16 and multiple USB devices all working at the same time."I may not have been clear - I should have said you can't connect a Gameport and USB "gaming device" at the same time. If, for example, you have a Gameport joystick and a USB joystick at the same time, only the USB one will show up. (Your 0x64 interface arrived today, btw, so I'll see if that will co-exist w/ a gamport yoke, if not I already have a USB adapter for my yoke)Leo:"TM made the ACM ISA game card that was two gameports on one card. 4-axis and 4 buttons on each port."I always thought the two-port cards could only handle the two-axis, two-button stickes on each port. Do you know if there's a PCI version of that card?Richard

[Guest HepburnUGA]

I don't know if that's entirely correct. I have a home built gameport throttle and a usb MS sidewinder joystick, and both are recognized by win xp and fs2002. Jeff

[Guest LeoL]

Actually, I was talking about USB game devices. Yes I have both working simultaneously without any problems. They are all detected in W2K. On this PC I only have a SB gameport and an RS adapter but it proves the point.http://forums.avsim.com/user_files/8164.jpgNo, there's no PCI version of the TM ACM card. The whole idea died long ago. Good riddance! I've had enough of the gameport. It served its purpose for fifteen years. Time for USB...My 0X64B isn't recognized as a gaming device. It will come up simply as a HID device. It won't interfere with anything you have...at least I hope not. ;) Make sure you get the latest version of KB Studio from my site.-Leo

[oal331 0]

I was also thought that you can connect without a problem both gameport and usb game-devices, or two gameport devices.I will try tonight to enable the onboard audio card with gameport, as i already have and use the SB's LIVE gameport with MS Sidewinder Pro. I will try to connect there an old Trustmaster joystick to check how it works. I believe that the limitation is to NOT have the same axis in both devices. So if i will disable the throttle from Sidewinder and i will simulate it with Trustmaster, maybe i will not have a problem. OAL331Athens GreeceRE: Gameport I don't know if that's entirely correct. I have a home built gameport throttle and a usb MS sidewinder joystick, and both are recognized by win xp and fs2002. Jeff

[rickalty 0]

OK, I'm apparently confused..... :-(I checked and I can get both my Gameport yoke and a USB Jjoystick to work at once. For some reason I had it set in my mind that it didn't !Been playing with the 0x64b this evening too - it's great thanks!btw - the new version of KB Studio gives an error message every time I click the "record" button - "Failed to install low-level keyboard hook - 0" but then it seems to work fine, and I was able to type letters in Notepad by shorting various pins that I'd mapped to keys in KB Studio.Richard

[Guest LeoL]

Richard said: "btw - the new version of KB Studio gives an error message every time I click the "record" button - "Failed to install low-level keyboard hook - 0"Are you saying the old one does not? Check your email Richard, I'll need some details. If anyone else using KB Studio is experiencing this problem, please let me know. I can't seem to produce this error in neither 98 nor W2K. I don't have XP to try it out in. Might simlpy be a case of MS OS-itis!-Leo

[Guest]

I thought I'd chuck in here that it IS possible to have two gameports working at once.I have one on my motherboard and one on a Soundblaster Live and they both work. It depends on your hardware, though. I have an MSI K7T266 motherboard in my flight sim PC and while browsing the BIOS settings, I found that it was possible to change the address of the MB gameport from the standard 200H to 208H. When I did that, I could use both of them at once.I don't know how common that facility is in mother boards but I've just got a new ASUS board to build a PC and it has the same capacity.Peter