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IS there a way to connect a serial joystick to the serial port on my bo boe bot — Parallax Forums

IS there a way to connect a serial joystick to the serial port on my bo boe bot

bs2hackerbs2hacker Posts: 3
edited 2006-11-02 01:55 in Robotics
Is there a way for me to connect a serial joystick to the serial socket on my boebot and use it like a debug terminal and get signals from it?

Comments

  • bs2hackerbs2hacker Posts: 3
    edited 2006-10-31 04:03
    Please someone help!
  • allanlane5allanlane5 Posts: 3,815
    edited 2006-10-31 04:09
    What's a "Serial Joystick"? I've never heard of those. The key is finding out what the electrical interface is, and then trying to adapt the BS2 to that interface.
  • allanlane5allanlane5 Posts: 3,815
    edited 2006-10-31 04:09
    Oh, if it's a "USB" joystick, that's not serial, that's USB. And no, there's no way a USB joystick can be used with a BS2.
  • bs2hackerbs2hacker Posts: 3
    edited 2006-10-31 04:25
    This may sound extremly silly but I'm new and have no idea what you mean by electircla interface. This is a joystick that can be connected to a computer (or bs2) with a serial cable like you would used to uploadporgrams to a boe bot if you purchased the serial version. Is there anyway that I can write a bs2 program that will intrpret when the joy stick moves.
  • allanlane5allanlane5 Posts: 3,815
    edited 2006-10-31 05:08
    "Serial cable like you would used to upload programs to the BOE-Bot if you purchased the serial version." -- First of all, the BOE-Bot has TWO 'serial versions'. One uses a USB cable. One uses a DB-9 connector.

    You can tell the DB-9 connector because it looks a little like a 'D', and has 9 pins. This is also called "RS-232". The USB cable has 4 pins. I've heard of USB joysticks. I've never heard of an RS-232 joystick. I own 2 USB joysticks.

    If it's a USB joystick you are talking about, then no, there is no practical way of using it with the BS2.
  • Chris SavageChris Savage Parallax Engineering Posts: 14,406
    edited 2006-10-31 16:22
    I wonder, is this perhaps a DB15?· Like a DB9 but wider with 15 pins?· If so that’s a standard Analog Joystick Connector and this could be read by a BS2, since it is essentially two POTS and some buttons.

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    Chris Savage
    Parallax Tech Support
  • John R.John R. Posts: 1,376
    edited 2006-10-31 19:16
    It may also be an old "Atari" joystick, as I believe these had DB-9 Connectors.

    This could also be used by a BS2 as it was really a set of 5 switches (one for each quad direction, and one for the "fire" button) - if my memory is correct.

    bs2hacker:

    Can you describe the joystick a bit better, and/or tell us where it came from, or make, model, etc.

    Could you possibly upload a picture of the joystick and/or connector?

    Chris: I believe there were/are also some "digital" joysticks that used the DB-15 (game/midi port) with some type of serial communication. This was during the "transition period" between the old game ports and USB, when controller companies began making "flight controls" (and other stuff) with more than the number of features built into the game port.

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    John R.

    8 + 8 = 10
  • manxstampmanxstamp Posts: 57
    edited 2006-10-31 20:44
    A 9-pin joystick is most likely to be an Atari-type. This may simply be a set of switches and could be read by the stamp, although not through the programming port. An interface board could be constructed.

    The pin out is shown at http://www.epanorama.net/documents/joystick/ataristick.html

    I think this may work: If this is a switch-type of joystick, the attached image shows the likely pin-out. Pin 8 is connected to ground and then the other pins, connected to switches, can be connected to stamp pins with pull-up resistors and read. The 9-pin connector could be removed and the wires connected directly.

    John

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    Manxstamp,
    Isle of Man, British Isles
    477 x 268 - 3K
  • Lord VaderLord Vader Posts: 24
    edited 2006-10-31 21:46
    I agree with Chris; It's most likely a DB15 connector. I have one that I bought several years ago,
    it also came with a USB adapter. I have a simple pin-out if you want it.

    Lord Vader
  • Oper8r AlOper8r Al Posts: 98
    edited 2006-11-01 06:01
    Lord Vader,

    I just found an old joystick with a DB15 connector and would be interested in the simple pin out that you have.· If you could post it that would be great.

    Thanks,

    Alan
  • Lord VaderLord Vader Posts: 24
    edited 2006-11-01 20:57
    Alan,

    I will get those pin outs to you as soon as I can.
    I found them in Robot Builders Bonanza 3rd edition
    in the remote control section.

    Let me draw them out in a jpeg or something for you.

    Lord Vader
  • hvkid123hvkid123 Posts: 3
    edited 2006-11-02 01:40
    If its a joystick for a computer, the its not just a bunch of switches. It uses a simple circuit to switch between either 50 or 100 ohms. There is a pretty simple way of using a comparator to convert to high/low outputs. I found this in a book titled Robot Builder's Bonanza. I happened to build one of these circuits just the other day. Sorry I dont have the schematic but ill try to get one soon.
  • SeanTSeanT Posts: 17
    edited 2006-11-02 01:55
    I suggest you look inside the joystick and find out if it's run by potentiometers or just on-off switches for directions. The potentiometer joysticks can easily be connected to the BS2, you just create a resistor capacitor circuit (using the potentiometer as the resistor)·for the X axis and another for the Y axis. You can then use the RCTIME command to get values and scale/analyze the values to do what you want.
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