rec.autos.simulators

by **Russel** » Fri, 12 Mar 2004 07:44:06

When USB controller came out I remember reading how much better they
were than game port controllers due to less overhead and possible some
other reasons I can't remember now. Is that true or was it just hype?

I am asking because in looking at high quality pedals, most are for the
game port and if you want USB you need a converter box. Why not just go
the game port rout if you have one? Is it worth using the converts to
go USB? Is it better to go with a USB designed conttroler and avoid a
converter entirely?

Thanks,
Russell

by **Debu** » Fri, 12 Mar 2004 10:49:13

On Wed, 10 Mar 2004 16:44:06 -0600, Russell

>When USB controller came out I remember reading how much better they
>were than game port controllers due to less overhead and possible some
>other reasons I can't remember now. Is that true or was it just hype?

>I am asking because in looking at high quality pedals, most are for the
>game port and if you want USB you need a converter box. Why not just go
>the game port rout if you have one? Is it worth using the converts to
>go USB? Is it better to go with a USB designed conttroler and avoid a
>converter entirely?

>Thanks,
>Russell

Best to go USB and bypass gameports completely. XP has very little
support for gameports, if any. USB has a much higher sampling rate so
the controller is polled many more times and thus more accurate.
Whether you will notice it or not is another matter. :-) But I would
only buy USB controllers now if I was you. Those gameport>usb
converters are ***and don't work too well from what I hear. All
contemporary game controllers are usb. What pedals are you looking at
that are gameport?

by **Nigel Nichol** » Sat, 13 Mar 2004 08:10:58

Hi Russell

As a making of high end pedal units I am more than happy to recommend the
Rockfire USB convertor way. While I build the actual pedal units to suit
gameport I simply change the pots to a higher value to take advantage of the
Rockfire USB adapter. I only have experience with the Rockfire USB adapter
on Win98 and can 100% say that they are the best thing since sliced bread.
They auto detect in Windows and do not require added software other than
what is required from the Win98 CD.
The games port is old technolgy and is cumbersome at best. Other top end
controller makers also use the Rockfire adapter so I'm not the only one with
high praise of it.

Nigel
Redline Race Controls
http://www.wave.co.nz/~lakewood/Redline2.htm

by **Damien Evan** » Fri, 12 Mar 2004 13:11:09

Any Windows XP users care to comment on the Rockfire USB adapter?

> Hi Russell

> As a making of high end pedal units I am more than happy to recommend the
> Rockfire USB convertor way. While I build the actual pedal units to suit
> gameport I simply change the pots to a higher value to take advantage of
the
> Rockfire USB adapter. I only have experience with the Rockfire USB adapter
> on Win98 and can 100% say that they are the best thing since sliced bread.
> They auto detect in Windows and do not require added software other than
> what is required from the Win98 CD.
> The games port is old technolgy and is cumbersome at best. Other top end
> controller makers also use the Rockfire adapter so I'm not the only one
with
> high praise of it.

> Nigel
> Redline Race Controls
> http://www.wave.co.nz/~lakewood/Redline2.htm

> > When USB controller came out I remember reading how much better they
> > were than game port controllers due to less overhead and possible some
> > other reasons I can't remember now. Is that true or was it just hype?

> > I am asking because in looking at high quality pedals, most are for the
> > game port and if you want USB you need a converter box. Why not just go
> > the game port rout if you have one? Is it worth using the converts to
> > go USB? Is it better to go with a USB designed conttroler and avoid a
> > converter entirely?

> > Thanks,
> > Russell

by **Pete** » Fri, 12 Mar 2004 15:42:48

I have one and it works excellent with Nascar 2003.

Pete

by **Andre** » Fri, 12 Mar 2004 16:08:37

>Best to go USB and bypass gameports completely. XP has very little
>support for gameports, if any.

I have a gameport gamepad that works just fine in XP.
--

Help make Usenet a better place: English is read downwards,
please don't top post. Trim messages to quote only relevent text.
Check groups.google.com before asking a question.

by **Damien Evan** » Fri, 12 Mar 2004 17:43:48

Thanks

by **Jone Tytlandsvi** » Fri, 12 Mar 2004 18:05:17

> As a making of high end pedal units I am more than happy to recommend
> the Rockfire USB convertor way. While I build the actual pedal units
> to suit gameport I simply change the pots to a higher value to take
> advantage of the Rockfire USB adapter. I only have experience with
> the Rockfire USB adapter on Win98 and can 100% say that they are the
> best thing since sliced bread. They auto detect in Windows and do not
> require added software other than what is required from the Win98 CD.
> The games port is old technolgy and is cumbersome at best. Other top
> end controller makers also use the Rockfire adapter so I'm not the
> only one with high praise of it.

Would it not be better to bundle your pedals with this unit or something
similar?
http://www.act-labs.com/scripts/proddetails.asp?Pid=255

It's not rocket sience to put together an ADC and a USB interface. I'm sure
many of your potential customers end up with BRD because it is USB.
If you do, make it 10bit or more. The Act-Labs unit is 8-bit, I guess the
Rockfire is too. Many homebuilders would be interested in a 10 or 12 bit
device.

--
Jone Tytlandsvik
http://tytlandsvik.no
mailto: firstname at lastname dot no

by **Ken MacKa** » Sat, 13 Mar 2004 01:01:22

> Would it not be better to bundle your pedals with this unit or something
> similar?
> http://www.act-labs.com/scripts/proddetails.asp?Pid=255

> It's not rocket sience to put together an ADC and a USB interface. I'm sure
> many of your potential customers end up with BRD because it is USB.
> If you do, make it 10bit or more. The Act-Labs unit is 8-bit, I guess the
> Rockfire is too. Many homebuilders would be interested in a 10 or 12 bit
> device.

8bit should be fine for pedals. For a wheel axis 10bit or better should really
be used. I'm surprised someone like Rockfire doesn't make a high resolution
converter, would be a big selling point with only small increase in cost.

Ken
PS Jone, I have a circuit diagram for the AL wheels, will send it along once
it's tidied up. Makes it fairly easy to connect the AL USB cartridges to a
homebuilt wheel.

by **Debu** » Sat, 13 Mar 2004 08:31:37

>I have a gameport gamepad that works just fine in XP.

Good for you. others have not been so lucky with gameport controllers
on XP. Especially Force Feedback gear.

by **Russel** » Sat, 13 Mar 2004 09:15:21

> On Wed, 10 Mar 2004 16:44:06 -0600, Russell

<CUT>
> What pedals are you looking at

Trying to check out as much as I can. I want a clutch pedal. So far
I've seen these (a mix of game port and USB):

http://www.interactiveracing.com/Pedals/Speed7/ (USB) looks like best
set but too expensive for me.

http://www.thomas-superwheel.com/prods/3pedal.html (says USB but talks
about a control box and that link is broken) looks good but need to add
in the control box to the price. No mention about how the brake is
handled. Would be nice if it was more than just a spring to give more
of a brake feel. Don't know what it is like because they don't go into
detail.

http://ecci6000.com/6000_pedal_01.htm (USB) another good looking
expensive set. From what I understand, not sold separate from the wheel.

http://www.wave.co.nz/~lakewood/Redline2.htm (game port) these look the
best from a price performance view, but still more than I wanted to
spend. Maybe ....

http://www.act-labs.com/Products/pedal.htm (USB) These could be the
ones, but I've read so much about springs breaking that I just can't
bring myself to seriously consider them. Too bad.

In the past I've seen home built pedals (game port), but I don't have
those links.

What else should I consider?

Russell

by **Andre** » Sat, 13 Mar 2004 15:53:13

>Good for you. others have not been so lucky with gameport controllers
>on XP. Especially Force Feedback gear.

I was just countering your innacurate statement "XP has very little
support for gameports, if any".
--

Help make Usenet a better place: English is read downwards,
please don't top post. Trim messages to quote only relevent text.
Check groups.google.com before asking a question.

by **Andi Col** » Sun, 14 Mar 2004 21:55:09

XP had no gameport support in it's initial release, to the extent that even
MS wheels would not work. I think that's changed and if you're running off a
sound card game port it probably has it's own propriatory driver.

Andi.

--
Remove only one zero to reply.

> >Good for you. others have not been so lucky with gameport controllers
> >on XP. Especially Force Feedback gear.

> I was just countering your innacurate statement "XP has very little
> support for gameports, if any".
> --

> Help make Usenet a better place: English is read downwards,
> please don't top post. Trim messages to quote only relevent text.
> Check groups.google.com before asking a question.

by **PlowBo** » Mon, 15 Mar 2004 04:26:15

It was NOT innacurate, MS said that itself, even about it's own products.
If I find that statement link again, Ill post it, but IIRC it was when the
sent me a new sidewinder wheel to replace my newly purchased gamport version
when I upgraded to XP (when it 1st came out), that I read that in a note the
person who toook care of me... so wont have a link.

>> Good for you. others have not been so lucky with gameport controllers
>> on XP. Especially Force Feedback gear.

> I was just countering your innacurate statement "XP has very little
> support for gameports, if any".

by **PlowBo** » Mon, 15 Mar 2004 04:28:47

THE usb converter TSW uses is good one, (not made by them in any case) I
hear. Still the biggest problem is the resistance values of the pots in the
controllers that were for GPorts, even Thomas Wheels had to replace with
diff pots that TSW would provide or sell...

>> On Wed, 10 Mar 2004 16:44:06 -0600, Russell

> <CUT>
> > What pedals are you looking at
>> that are gameport?

> Trying to check out as much as I can. I want a clutch pedal. So far
> I've seen these (a mix of game port and USB):

> http://www.interactiveracing.com/Pedals/Speed7/ (USB) looks like best
> set but too expensive for me.

> http://www.thomas-superwheel.com/prods/3pedal.html (says USB but talks
> about a control box and that link is broken) looks good but need to
> add in the control box to the price. No mention about how the brake
> is handled. Would be nice if it was more than just a spring to give
> more of a brake feel. Don't know what it is like because they don't
> go into detail.

> http://ecci6000.com/6000_pedal_01.htm (USB) another good looking
> expensive set. From what I understand, not sold separate from the
> wheel.

> http://www.wave.co.nz/~lakewood/Redline2.htm (game port) these look
> the best from a price performance view, but still more than I wanted
> to spend. Maybe ....

> http://www.act-labs.com/Products/pedal.htm (USB) These could be the
> ones, but I've read so much about springs breaking that I just can't
> bring myself to seriously consider them. Too bad.

> In the past I've seen home built pedals (game port), but I don't have
> those links.

> What else should I consider?

> Russell

rec.autos.simulators

game port vs USB for controlers?

game port vs USB for controlers?

game port vs USB for controlers?

game port vs USB for controlers?

game port vs USB for controlers?

game port vs USB for controlers?

game port vs USB for controlers?

game port vs USB for controlers?

game port vs USB for controlers?

game port vs USB for controlers?

game port vs USB for controlers?

game port vs USB for controlers?

game port vs USB for controlers?

game port vs USB for controlers?

game port vs USB for controlers?

game port vs USB for controlers?