In the 'Favorite Joystick' poll thread it was asked what it would take to hook up an X-Arcade Controller to a real Amiga. I gave a few options that I could think of. I'm starting a new thread here with my reply to see if someone has another good suggestion.
Originally Posted by Harrison:
Made me wonder about something. Could an X-Arcade be made to work with a real Amiga? After all you can get adaptors to use it with consoles (PS2, Xbox...) so I would have though it was possible to create an Atari port adaptor for it. Anyone any idea? Zetr0?
Although the X-Arcade has a DB-9 connector, it is a PS/2 format. All you would need is something that converts the keystrokes from PS/2 format into 12 different switch signals (6 per joystick (4 directions, 2 buttons). A microcontroller such as the MSP430 from Texas Instruments could easily be programmed to do that. The pinout of the X-Arcade DB-9 is here:
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/inde...0;attach=66900
The other possibility would be to wire the micro switches in the X-Arcade directly to a DB-9 connector for the Amiga, like so:
http://www.technick.net/public/code/...miga_mouse_joy
The switches in the Amiga Joystick make a connection to GND (pin 8). The switches in the X-Arcade also make a connection to GND. So no problems there. When connecting the X-Arcade this way, the +5V supply to the X-Arcade is not even required.
A third possibility would be to take a closer look at the other platforms for which there already are X-Arcade adapters available. Perhaps the joysticks for one of those work similarly to the Amiga/Atari (switches making connections to GND). If so, all that would be needed is an adapter cable.
And lastly, you could send an e-mail to the folks at xgaming.com to see if they already have something in the pipe for Ataris and Amigas.
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Some great ideas there roger. Cheers for posting them. Definitely interested in looking into the possibility of running the X-Arcade with a real Amiga.
This could be a project for a resident hardware modder like Zetr0. Maybe?
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Originally Posted by Harrison:
Some great ideas there roger. Cheers for posting them. Definitely interested in looking into the possibility of running the X-Arcade with a real Amiga.
This could be a project for a resident hardware modder like Zetr0. Maybe?
Thanks.
with regard to complexity, wiring Amiga Joystick connectors (DB-9) directly to the micro switches is probably the easiest way. All you have to do is drill a hole in the back of the X-Arcade to bring the 2 cables out.
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Thing is, I wouldn't want to actually alter the internals of the X-Arcade as I use it with MAME and other emulators. So having a cable adaptor would be the best option in my view, and I could see a market for such an adaptor.
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