From: jlb31348@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Jim Brain)
Newsgroups: sci.virtual-worlds
Subject: TECH: PowerGlove questions and suggestions
Date: 7 Apr 92 04:08:22 GMT
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Originator: hlab@milton.u.washington.edu




I have no idea what all this group encompasses, but I will give you my input.
My name is Jim Brain at the University and my hardware Special interest Group,
SIGARCH, is currently working on some projects, one of which I am doing.  It is
of noteable interest here because it is a PowerGlove interface.  The PowerGlove
was designed by AGE Incorporated, which sold the rights to Mattel for 
production.  AGE then contracted a Box to be designed which would allow the
PowerGlove to be interfaced to a computer. The result was the PGSA (PowerGlove
Serial Adapter.
  Anyway, AGE (Abrahms Gentile Entertainment Incorporated) made a few
boxes and sold some, but the project went nowhere, so the boxes were 
discontinued.  One of the friends of the now defunct( I believe) AGE is  
affiliated with the University of Illinois and has supplied me with the AGE
converter box code.  I have ported the changes to the HC11 using both this
code and Ron Menelli's Code posted earlier. The composite sytem has the 
ability to emulate both an stock HC11 box and the AGE box with all commands
implemented.  What I would like to know is the following:

1:   Who has AGE boxes?

2:   I have implemented Ron Menelli's (actually Dave Stamp's) deglitching
routines in the box, as well as AGE's rotation filter.  Do people need more
filters?

3:   I have implemented all of the Age Commands, which include : Send new templa
template, reset box, turn rotation filter on/off and continuous/request mode.  D
oes anyone need these?d?

4:   I know of at least two separate initialization code sequences to put the
box One is in Ron Minelli's code.  Am I not
thinking of the right thinbg when I talk of Hires Mode?  Is there a better mode
to be in than -125 125 in XYZ?

5:   Both my box, Ron's Box, and the AGE box use the standard serial port 
interface. Is this any good.  Do people like parallel better?

6:   The AGE box sends out 9 buytes of data that are preceded by two 5Fh chars.
The 9th byte of data is not implemented in Ron's box.  I know what it is, but
I want to know, Do the parallel adapters get that 9th byte?.  Does
anyone want to know what it does or does everyone know?  I myself am having
trouble getting the 9th byte reliably, but it will come. (Aside: 5fh is the 
one's complement of A0h)

7:   The production unit will have ports for two powergloves, one set of Sega
Glasses, and compatibility with the U-Force controller.  Does anyone have 
suggestions for what modes to have for the glasses.  I am
confident all this can be serviced, but maybe not.
8:   The specs on the PG interface unit listed above is subject to change.  
Any suggestions?


Please email responses to :

Jim Brain
brain@cs.uiuc.edu
with this header or PowerGlove as the header.




P.S. We are currently thinking of doing things like scaling the z value,
increasing the effective resolution to 1024 by 1024 and commands to just get X,
Y, or Z values.  Any suggestiond would be welcome.

-- 
Nothing is better than Eternal Happiness.             jlb31348@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu
A ham sandwich is better than nothing.                                Jim Brain
Therefore, a ham sandwich is better than eternal happiness.