Joystick connections for Steering Wheel

All I am currently building a steering wheel and pedal assembly for use with F1GP, I am doing quite well with the hardware but need to know the connections for the 15-way connector on my PC. Has anyone got a circuit diagram of anything that connects the joystick port. so I can check I'm not going to blow anything up Thanks

Quoted text (14 lines)

|> All |> |> I am currently building a steering wheel and pedal |> assembly for use with F1GP, I am doing quite well with the hardware |> but need to know the connections for the 15-way connector on my PC. |> |> Has anyone got a circuit diagram of anything that |> connects the joystick port. so I can check I'm not going to |> blow anything up |> |> Thanks |> |>

-- One alternative that isn't so bad is to buy a cheap joystick and then disassemble it, using its pots and circuitry and cable to connect the sterring wheel to the computer... that way there is no danger and most of the electrical work is already done! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The mindless data of the above message does not express the opinion of the Remote Sensing Lab or Lousisiana State University, just this mine. ________________________________________________________________________

Quoted text (11 lines)

> All > I am currently building a steering wheel and pedal > assembly for use with F1GP, I am doing quite well with the hardware > but need to know the connections for the 15-way connector on my PC. > Has anyone got a circuit diagram of anything that > connects the joystick port. so I can check I'm not going to > blow anything up > Thanks

I have made a steering wheel to use with F1GP/WC, using 100k or 250k ohm potentiometers. The 15 pin plug on games cards contain enough pins for 4 axes and 4 buttons (effectively 2 joysticks) and perhaps more 'cos there's still a few spare pins to use. This means you really don't require a card with two games ports to connect up two joysticks. If you've got a Thrustmaster games card, the second port doesn't seem to work anyway (something to do with the hat on the Flightstick using a joystick 2 axis perhaps). Anyway, back to the point - the pin layout for the MALE plug, looking at the pins, is as follows (they should be numbered on the plug anyway): +-----------------------------------+ \ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 / \ / \ 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 / +---------------------------+ Pin Application 1 common for all joystick axes 2 switch 1 (joystick 1/button 1) 3 joystick 1 axis 1 (x/lateral axis) 4 common for all switches 5 ? 6 joystick 1 axis 2 (y/longitudinal axis) 7 switch 2 (joystick 1/button 2) 8 ? 9 ? 10 switch 3 (joystick 2/button 1) 11 joystick 2 axis 1 12 ? 13 joystick 2 axis 2 14 switch 4 (joystick 2/button 2) 15 ? The steering wheel and the linked brake/accelerate works fine, but I haven't had any luck when putting the accelerate and brake on different axes. I used microswitches on the steering wheel for changing gears (semi automatic!!) which is great. Found that a bit of feedback in the steering helps, so design in some kind of spring system that centers and provides load on the steering wheel. Hope this helps. -- -- Andrew Currie Phone: 61-3-647 7675 Melbourne, Australia Fax: 61-3-647 7771

> > All > > I am currently building a steering wheel and pedal > > assembly for use with F1GP, I am doing quite well with the hardware > > but need to know the connections for the 15-way connector on my PC. > > Has anyone got a circuit diagram of anything that > > connects the joystick port. so I can check I'm not going to > > blow anything up That's the answer I got when asking the same question. Date: Tue, 19 Oct 93 12:19:49 +0100 Subject: Re: 15-pin connector for analog joystick Joystick A X-axis 1 3 Y-axis 1 6 Button 2 4 Button 7 4 Joystick B X-axis 9 11 Y-axis 9 13 Button 10 5 Button 14 5 1 and 9 are both connected to +5V (computer provides this) 4 and 5 are both connected to GND 8 (connected to 4 and 5 as well) should be the shield ground -- Jeroen Hoppenbrouwers, research engineer at | Stop connecting computers; Infolab, Tilburg University, The Netherlands | start connecting people! -- == Andreas == Wir entschuldigen uns fuer die Strapazen (Douglas Adams). NeXTmail accepted.

>I have made a steering wheel to use with F1GP/WC, using 100k or 250k >ohm potentiometers. The 15 pin plug on games cards contain enough pins Can you give some sort of part no for the pots, eg radioshack or tandy, and also whats the difference between a 250K pot and a 100K pot? which is more sensitive? I thought about getting a balance knob off an old radio or cassette, and then you would get a click when it was in the centre, eg straight ahead! -- Wolverhampton University, England.

Quoted text (14 lines)

|> > |> >I have made a steering wheel to use with F1GP/WC, using 100k or 250k |> >ohm potentiometers. The 15 pin plug on games cards contain enough pins |> |> Can you give some sort of part no for the pots, eg radioshack or |> tandy, and also whats the difference between a 250K pot and a |> 100K pot? which is more sensitive? |> |> I thought about getting a balance knob off an old radio or |> cassette, and then you would get a click when it was in the |> centre, eg straight ahead! |> |> -- |> Wolverhampton University, England.

Just go to any electronics store and ask for a 100k LINEAR pot. The clerk should know what you want (don't make my mistake and buy log pots the first time... "hey, the stupid car's not turning... WHOAA!") You'll need something a lot bigger than a balance knob for steering (again, I know from trying) Stephen

> Can you give some sort of part no for the pots, eg radioshack or > tandy, and also whats the difference between a 250K pot and a > 100K pot? which is more sensitive? These are standard pots and should be available at any electronics supply shop (Tandy, etc). Couldn't notice any real difference in the sensitivity between the 100k and 250k pots. The 250 should be more sensitive, but not being electronically minded, I could be wrong. I don't think you'd be able to notice a click after you put a decent sized steering wheel on it. I think putting some kind of spring centreing device on it would be better, and it would also give a bit of feel and prevent driver induced oscillations. -- -- Andrew Currie Phone: 61-3-647 7675 Melbourne, Australia Fax: 61-3-647 7771