rec.autos.simulators

I've got a T2 from 12-1995 that I've only ever used on a common
brake-gas axis. How can I get this to use separate axes for brake and
gas in GPL? I am finally realizing a need for such a capability.

Any good references to a site on the net with instructions?

Please post here- thanks.

On Thu, 25 Mar 1999 15:36:38 GMT Mapson <map...@mapson.com> wrote:
% I've got a T2 from 12-1995 that I've only ever used on a common
% brake-gas axis. How can I get this to use separate axes for brake and
% gas in GPL? I am finally realizing a need for such a capability.

Here is a copy of an old post to r.a.s.:

From: jsi...@spam.not.welcome (LavaBoy)
Newsgroups: rec.autos.simulators
Subject: Re: Seperate axis on a T2? (long)
Date: 7 Oct 1998 20:48:44 GMT

In article <tMFS1.23486$K02.13855...@news.teleport.com>,

That is partly true, you end up having to add 1 wire that runs from your
pedals to the joystick jack along the pedals joystick chord.
I just dug into the connector to find what color wire at right pin, then
spliced into it earlier in the cable.

Not too terribly hard a project if you are familiar with soldering, I did it to
my old style T2 (which uses the adaptor in Win95), thanks to the terrific
info provided by another newsgroup reader to me when I asked this same
question here sometime last year.

Below is the e-mail he sent back to me which I used with great results,
your mileage may vary. Big thanks to Grant Reeve again for providing
me with the details on how to do this. I hope he doesn't mind me posting
the info here for all to benefit, I tried to verify by mail but never
reached him. I snipped the e-mail addresses to protect the innocent from
SPAMBOTS. This is especially useful with GPL, and really improved my ability
to trail brake!

Hope this helps other T2 owners out there who are not too afraid to try this,
but please do this at your own risk, we take no responsibility if this doesn't
work for you and you end up messing up your wheel. My T2 was pretty old anyhow.
<insert standard disclaimer>

--John

---Cut here----
Email Message From: Grant Reeve

Hi John :)

At 14:25 16/04/98 -0700, you wrote:

I haven't looked at r.a.s yet today so i guess i haven't had a chance to
see your message there as yet. I'll reply in email anyway.

same here, but all the difference really is is that pins 6 and 11 are
swapped by the adapter, while the newer T2's have pins 6 and 11 wired
the right way around in the first place.

as long as you're OK with soldering stuff it should be fine. Also it helps
to have a multimeter or something to check which wires are connected to what
and stuff.

I run an extra wire from the pedals to the plug since there's no spare wires
in the cable.
You can use the same +5v. you split the wire connecting them in series to
another joystick axis, and attach a second +5v to the other pot which
didn't have a +5v wire.

You'll probably find the jumpiness is still there. I do.

ok, after this is a rather large set of details on what i did, whcih i
wrote the other night to someone else but it's easier to just cut and
paste because it applies in general:) He made a comment that my second
ascii wiring diagrams should be labled "Friendly Pedal Guy" and "Friendly
Pedal Guy with Strange Hat" :)

---------------------

What I have done is used a double pole double positon switch to allow
me to switch between both pedals on one axis (the normal one), and
the pedals on two seperate axiis. It works very well.

I've got one of the older T2's that requires an adapter, so the two normal
axiis it uses are Joystick 1 axis 1 for steering, and Joystick 2 axis 1 for
pedals. The adapter simply passes through all the pins, while swapping
Joystick 2 axis 1 with Joystick 1 axis 2. So with all the wiring i did, i've
used both pedals on J2-A1 (Joystick 2 axis 1 - will save me typing!), and
when split, the gas on J2-A1 and brake on J1-A2, knowing that the adapter
swaps them over. If you have a newer T2 you'll be wanting to swap all wiring
to the right pins from the start.

I see you're referring to axis 0 instead of axis 1 like i am:) so when i say
axis 1 i guess i'm meaning your axis 0.

The switch i made, when it has the two pedals on one axis, also connects
the +5v pin directly over to J1-A2 so that there is some kind of reading
on this third axis, which means i can flick the switch and recalibrate,
just like that, voiding any need to fiddle around with removing the 3 axis
joystick from the Win95 control panel and adding a 2 axis one and back again
all the time.

I am not entirely sure if it's healthy to connect the +5V directly to a
joystick axis like that - but this is the equivalent of no resistance,
so i would expect it to be fine. Maybe we should wire a 36 KOhm resister
instead of just a direct +5V connect.

You will have to hack'n'slash into the plug at the computer end of the
T2 cable, it's molded plastic that has probably melted slightly and fused
with the black outer casing of the two cables going into the plug. But that's
the only part that's fused so I was able to cut open the molded casing of
the plug relatively cleanly at that end to cut it away from the cables, then
i was able to slide it off revealing the gory horror of the innards of the
plug. Gory, because they've encased all the wiring and stuff in a soft
plastic, which makes it bloody painful to get access to wires and things!
More on this later in the email.

I've cut a nice little notch in the side of my pedal base about 5cm from
the cable out, where i will mount the switch properly, but I don't have
small enough screws for the switch as yet so i just have the switch dangling
loose.

OK I suppose you're wondering where all the wiring diagrams are and stufF:)
well, i've been writing all the other bits first because i was being lazy.

I based all this on some info i found at some guy's web page, i think it
might have been called "wally's world of sims" or something, but i ended
up using my own wiring and stuff, because he had a lot of unneccesary
crap, and felt like improving it to suit myself.

First i'll give a pin-out of the joystick port, for your usual soundcard:

Pin | Description
  1   +5 V
  2   Joystick 1 Button 1
  3   Joystick 1 Axis 1
  4   common ground for buttons
  5   common ground for buttons
  6   Joystick 1 Axis 2
  7   Joystick 1 Button 2
  8   +5 V
  9   +5 V
 10   Joystick 2 Button 1
 11   Joystick 2 Axis 1
 12   MIDI TXD
 13   Joystick 2 Axis 2
 14   Joystick 2 Button 2
 15   MIDI RXD

Naturally we're ignoring the MIDI pins.

If you're T2 is a newer one without the adapter, please swap all my
references to pins 11 and 6.

OK, here is a really corny ascii diagram of how the wiring currently
is configured in your T2 pedal base. I hope you've got a fixed-width
font in your email program:)

btw - all references to pin 8 here actually only mean "+5V". Since
there's 3 +5V pins it could really be any one of them, it doesn't matter.

     ______________
    /              \
    |  ___         |  ___
    X-/   \        X-/   \
gas   | G |          | B |  brake
    X-\___/        X-\___/
    |              |
    |              \_
    |                \
    /                |
   /                 |8
  /                  |
 /   ----------------|--
 | 1 \ o o o o o o o X / 8
 |  9 \ o o X o o o o / 15
 |     -----|---------
 |          |
 \__________/11

And now here's the wiring with the double position double pole switch
wired in. When the switch is in the Left position, the axiis will be
on one axis going to pin 11, with a fixed resistance going to pin 6.
When the switch is in the Right position, the axiis are split, gas on
pin 11, brake on pin 6. If you trace all the wiring you should understand
how the wiring is all done. Let me know if it's confusing or the diagram
is a mess or something.

The wires don't actually connect where they are crossing over each
other, btw.

 /--------------\
 |       _______|___________
 |      /       |           \
 |    /-|-------|-\        /+\
 |    | X   X   X |        | |  36 KOhm resistor or thereabouts
 |    |      \    |        \+/
 \------X   X \ X-----------/
      \-|---|-|-|-/
switch  |   | | |
        \___|_|_|__
     _______/ | |  \
    /         | |  |
    |  ___    | |  |  ___
    X-/   \   | |  X-/   \
gas   | G |   | |    | B |  brake
    X-\___/   | \--X-\___/
    |         |    |
    |         |    \_
    |         |      \
    /         |      |
   /          \__6   |8
  /              \   |
 /   ------------|---|--
 | 1 \ o o o o o X o X / 8
 |  9 \ o o X o o o o / 15
 |     -----|---------
 |          |
 \__________/11

The switch basically is inserted into the wire that currently
connects the two pots together.
I hope you're comfortable with ...

read more »

Thanks much for digging that up, Michael! I can use a soldering iron,
and will definitely give this a try.

I did this recently on my T1, works great but ended up having to completely
rewire from connector to pedals/wheel.  This was because it is very
difficult to cut into the wax like material that the wires are embedded in
at the connector.  Please be careful when attempting this as I had to go to
Fry's a pickup the 15 Pin connector and resolder all wires after I hosed up
the old one digging for wires.

GL
Mitch

Good advice- thanks.