From: samir@aios.jsc.nasa.gov (Samir Giri)
Newsgroups: comp.os.ms-windows.apps
Subject: Re: Game Ports
Date: 27 Jul 1992 18:54:07 GMT
Organization: KRUG Life Sciences - NASA

In article <1992Jul24.212635.21770@infonode.ingr.com> palmerc@abulafia.b21.ingr.com (Christopher M. Palmer) writes:

>I've got a few questions on PC game ports:

>Does anyone have the pinouts for a standard game port?

>Can I write data to the game port or is it a read-only device?

>Can I use the +5V off the game port to power a few TTL chips and LEDs
>(how much power is available?)

>-- 
>|  Christopher M. Palmer          # There are two kinds of fool.  One says,   |
>/  Intergraph Corporation         # "This is old, and therefore good." And    \
>\  Huntsville, AL                 # one says, "This is new, and therefore     /
>|  palmerc@abulafia.b14.ingr.com  # better."                                  |
From: bill@hpcvlx.cv.hp.com (Bill Frolik)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: How to read game port
Date: 6 Apr 90 17:47:16 GMT
> 1) Is there anyone that can tell me the specifications for the game port
>    connector?
	15-pin D-shell connector:
	PIN	SIGNAL		PIN	SIGNAL
	---	------		---	------
	 1	+5V		 8	+5V		
	 2	button 1	 9	+5V
	 3	stick 1		10	button 3
	 4	GND		11	stick 3
	 5	GND		12	GND
	 6	stick 2		13	stick 4
	 7	button 2	14	button 4
				15	+5V
	Game card has a female connector;
	Joystick cable has male connector.
	Joystick wiring:
		+5	________________
		                        |
		stick1	________	|
				| 100K  |
			    _/\/\/\_____|
		stick2	________	|
				| 100K  |
			    _/\/\/\_____|
		stick3	________	|
				| 100K  |
			    _/\/\/\_____|
		stick4	________ 	|
				| 100K  |
			    _/\/\/\_____|
			      ___
		button1	______o o_______ 
			      ___       |
		button2	______o o_______|
			      ___       |
		button3	______o o_______|
			      ___       |
		button4	______o o_______|
					|
		GND	________________|
> 2) As near as I can figure, I have to use the inpw() function (I'm using
>    C) to read the ports.  Unfortunately, I don't know the port number to
>    give the function to read the port.  If this isn't the right/best way,
>    please let me know.
	You need to do byte I/O to and from port 201h.
	To read the joysticks (or your slide pot positions), you
	must first write a byte to port 201h.  It doesn't matter
	what value you send, as long as you perform an I/O write.
	This triggers the 558 timer on the game adapter.
	Game port 201h byte:
	 _______________________________________________________
	|   7  |   6  |   5  |   4  |   3  |   2  |   1  |   0  |
	| but4 | but3 | but2 | but1 | stk4 | stk3 | stk2 | stk1 |
	|______|______|______|______|______|______|______|______|
	The most machine-independent way to sample the game port
	is to use a timer.  Note the time (e.g., read the countdown
	register in Timer 0, you need pretty fine resolution and this
	timer performs 65535 counts every 55 ms) just before you
	trigger	the 558.  After triggering, sit in a loop reading
	port 201h and examining bits 0-3.  For those bits that have
	a joystick pot attached, you'll see them sit for a while at 0,
	then become 1.  As each bit flips back to 1, note the time
	again.  When all bit 0-3 have flipped back to 1, you're almost
	done.  Compute elapsed time for each bit, and you end up with
	a value that is proportional to pot position.
	
	If you're lazy and don't care about machine independence,
	you can just trigger the card, then sit in a loop and count
	up from zero.  As each bit flips back to 1, save the count
	for that bit.  I've seen a few games that probably use
	this method.  Problem is that if you then run the same code
	on a faster/slower machine, your calibration can get very
	easily messed up.
	Buttons can be read at any time just by reading port 201h
	and looking at bits 4-7.  No triggering is required.
	Button bits are normally 1; while a button is depressed,
	its bit will flip to 0.
___________________________________________
Bill Frolik             Hewlett-Packard Co.
hp-pcd!bill             Corvallis, Oregon
bill@hpcvlx.cv.hp.com   (503)750-4082
Newsgroups: comp.os.ms-windows.apps