Joystick Info

VM Labs SDK Internal Release 0.86.2
June 14
, 2001


There are two kinds of joysticks, old style and new style. The two types of joystick are not interchangable, since they have different connectors and speak different protocols. Only the new style joysticks work with the 0.81 or later release.

The pictures and drawings in this document are representative samples only - your joystick, adaptor, or development system it may not look exactly like those pictured here.

Joysticks, cables, and associated adaptors and connectors can be obtained from the VM Labs Hardware Lab (located downstairs), or by contacting George Campbell.

Joystick Identification

Old and new style joysticks are fairly easy to tell apart.

Old Style
New Style
Physical unit

Colorful converted Nintendo device. "NINTENDO" is molded into the top of the case. (green shown - may be any color)
Joystick Classic

black and grey with colored buttons (Winter CES model);Amorphous Blob

black with grey/green buttons (Samsung Extiva model)
The Bat

candy color (NUON product model; tangerine shown, color may vary)Kandy kolor tangerine flake streamline baby

Converter
Black box goes between joystick and NUON system.Converter box.
No converter.
Connector

DB9 (RS-232) style connectorDB-9 style connector.

Will not have NUON logo.

Black molded plastic, either:

  • IEEE-1394 (Firewire) style connectorNUON connector (Firewire style)
  • USB style connectorUSB style connector

Will have NUON logo.

Joystick support

OEM systems support only the new style joysticks.

There are two types of development systems in general use - the "clearcase" systems based on the 5.3 board, and the "whitebox" system based on the 5.1 board or 5.2 board. These are fairly easy to tell apart.

Clearcase

5.3 "clearcase" systems have a slab aluminum case with a clear acrylic cover. This cover must be removed to insert a debug card or to change the jumpers.
Clearcase system with top removed to install debug card.Clearcase systems only support the new style joysticks. The joystick connectors are on the front, to the left of the NUON logo (centered below the drive tray).

Whitebox

There are 2 flavors of whitebox, those based on the 5.1 board and those based on the 5.2 board. All whitebox systems have a PC-style case. They usually do not have an LED/LCD display attached.
Representative whitebox system (yours might look different!)

Whitebox systems with 5.2 boards

The back side of a 5.2 board system.5.2 based whitebox systems support only the new style joysticks. They have a pair of NUON (IEEE-1394 style) connectors on the back (yellow box in the accompanying picture). If you have 5.2 based whitebox, you probably already have new style joysticks. The joysticks with USB style connectors can be used with these systems in conjunction with the appropriate adaptor (obtainable from anyone in the VM Labs hardware lab).

These systems are not very common, and it is unlikely that you have one.

Whitebox systems with 5.1 boards

The back side of a 5.1 board systemThis is the most common kind of development system. All 5.1 based systems have a pair of 9-pin DB-9/RS-232 style connectors on the back (yellow box in the accompanying picture). The upper of these two connectors supports old style joysticks. Most 5.1 based systems also have a pair of USB style connectors on the back (blue box in the accompanying picture). Not all 5.1 based systems have these USB connectors. If your system is lacking these connectors, the VM Labs hardware lab can install a set.

If you are not already using the new joysticks with your 5.1 system, you will have to set the jumpers as described in the next section.

5.1 Jumper Settings For New Joysticks

Three jumpers must be set appropriately in order for the new joysticks to work with 5.1 boards. These are J23, J21, and U26. To set these jumpers, you will need to open the case of your dev system. The only tool you will need for this task is a screwdriver. You will need to obtain two jumpers (for use on J21 and J23, one each) - these may be obtained from anyone in the VM Labs Hardware Lab. Once you have all the materials and tools on hand, perform the following steps.

0

Before you start: you will need the following items:

  • a screwdriver for removing the dev system cover
  • two jumpers for J23 and J21. Jumpers may be obtained from anyone in the VM Labs Hardware Lab
1 Power off your dev system Dev system with its pants off.
2 Remove the top panel of the dev system. This is usually done by removing from 1 to 3 screws that hold the top panel to the case, then slide the panel back slightly to disengage it from the retaining clips, and lift it free of the case. Your case may require different steps than this however!
  The inside of your system should look something like the picture at the right. Note that the front of the system is towards the bottom of the picture. The approximate locations of the connectors we're working with are called out here. Reading the entrails.
3 Locate J21 and J23. J21 and J23 are two pin connectors located near the joystick connectors, towards the back of the board. J23 may be labelled JP23 (at least it is on my board). Where are J21 and J23?
4

Since these are two pin connectors, you want to just take the jumpers and put them on so that the two pins of each jumper connector are connected.

Make sure that both pins are captured by the jumper (it's kind of easy to get only one pin and have the other side of the jumper dangling in space).

5

Now locate connector U26. This is a 3-pin connector hidden toward the back of the board very close to the debug card. Right next to it (toward the front of the machine) is a two pin jumper JP8. Also nearby is an array of connectors labelled JP24. U26 already has a jumper on it. The picture below shows the location of U26.

Note that for this series of pictures, the front of the system is toward the leftof this picture, with the rear toward the right. It may take a moment to reorient your point of view.

U26, lurking in the shadowy depths.
  However, since it's kind of hard to see down there in the shadows, here's a picture of the board out of the box, with no debug card attached. Connector JP8 is also called out for convenience - you do not have to do anything with JP8..
Board out of case, showing U26 and JP8.
6 The jumper probably connects the rearmost and the center of the three pins on U26. This is the configuration for supporting the old style joystick.
  You will need to change the jumper to connect the frontmost and center of the three pins in order to support the new style joystick.
 
7 Close the case back up and power your system back on again.  


Last updated: August 29, 2000 by Christopher Heiny.

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