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Post by kokovec on Jun 13, 2013 15:33:00 GMT -5
So I've gone back to tinkering with my USB adapter and I think I may want to belt out a few of them once I finish working on a PCB design.
To recap, it's an HID USB adapter that allows you to use two Vectrex joysticks (in analog mode) with most emulators (like ParaJVE or MAME). Or simply use it with any windows software that accepts generic joysticks.
I've added a feature in that now there is a port that lets you plug it into the original Vectrex.
Why do something like that? Why not just plug the Vec controller directly into the Vectrex?
Well... that's where you come in.
I realized that now I'm able to do some interesting tricks like reverse the X/Y signals for lefties.
I can also remap the buttons or even allow the joystick to be used sideways (like a Coleco joystick).
Anyway I was wondering if anyone has any novel suggestions that could be incorporated into such a device.
By the way, it's kind of fun to be able to play both the PC emulator and a Vectrex at the same time with one controller.
Kokovec
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Post by gliptitude on Jun 13, 2013 21:19:23 GMT -5
Wow sounds cool. It would be very useful to be able to alter button configuration freely, (using your device on Vectrex). (For me I would mostly be interested in the use with Vectrex, rather than PC). I have a couple suggestions - 1. Include in the button configuration options the ability to assign joystick directions (Left, Right, Up, Down) to BUTTONS, and vice versa. 2. Ability to assign button COMBINATIONS to single buttons. For example when you press button 2 on the controller, your device signals that both buttons 2 AND 3 are pressed in the game, (would be useful for I,Cyborg, but maybe nothing else). ... Perhaps if this combination ability also applied to the joystick, the player could contrive it so that quadriture games like Dondzila's Gyruss clone could be played with more intuitive Left/Right stick movement. 3. Make the device reversible so that you could also use it to play USB controllers on Vectrex? 4. Add input socket for PS2 controllers??? It is such a common and high quality controller, with analog sticks. 5. Possible to design it in such a way that it could possibly accept TWO analog joystick signals!?! Then a game programmer could make a dual stick game. ... 6. HAVE TWO VECTREX CONTROLLER OUTPUTS FOR THIS PURPOSE, (and others). Have the ability to designate certain buttons to controller one and others to controller 2, with only one controller plugged into the device. 7. Also have two vectrex controller INPUTS so that various combinations could be experimented with, like two players could collaborate in a one player game, each with their own controller! ... Sorry to get crazy with it. But you did ask for novel suggestions.  Also if you only foresee making a small number of these devices, maybe you can take careful count of the process and the components, and eventually lend the project to another qualified individual to bring a large run to production, (like what was done with the AtariVox+). |
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Post by kokovec on Jun 14, 2013 10:13:16 GMT -5
Wow, this is great stuff!
It's funny because I started off just wanting to make it a USB adapter but I guess there are plenty of things one can do with on the Vectrex side.
I'm not sure if there will be enough IO on the micro I plan to use but I'll see if I can throw in the second joystick.
Let me step through your ideas one at a time and for feasibility sake.
1. Seems doable
2. Button mapping is totally doable. I suppose the joystick to button map could be done but I would have to look into exactly how that would work.
3. Unfortunately not doable as the micro I'm using cannot be configured as a USB host.
4. I built a PS2/Gamecube adapter a few years ago and sold 3 of them. I guess it's possible to do it on the current device but I'm not sure I would have enough IO to do it.
5. Would have to figure out the lack of IO problem. I could go with a larger more expensive micro but as much as I love trying to solder $25 100-pin TQFP chips onto boards I'm trying to stick to a more cost effective and less time consuming solution.
6. OK. I see this as being useful
7. I've already designed it with two input joysticks I just need to figure out how to get the second output joystick to fit within the design due to lack of IO.
Lastly, I plan on building a few of them to shake out the bugs and then figure out how to produce a larger quantity. It may involve enlisting the help of others.
Kokovec
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Post by gamezone on Jun 14, 2013 22:08:23 GMT -5
Curious, what your minimum PC specs are?
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Post by gliptitude on Jun 15, 2013 12:45:51 GMT -5
Sweeeet. Thanks for considering my ideas Kokovek! It's a lot of fun hearing about projects like this while they are still evolving. I remember hearing about your PS2/Gamecube adapters. I'm sure there are a lot more than 3 people who would buy one of these! I would probably consider buying that many myself, if you ever made a large number available. Perhaps some of these capabilities that I was imposing on your device would really be better suited for some huge ultimate all in one Vectrex "device mixer" box, and such a box could include a lot more features than what I listed, (keyboard support?!?). ... But sticking with your original concept, it is definitely something I would be interested in and I'm sure a lot of us would have a ton of fun with it! I look forward to hearing more about your project as it progresses. |
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Post by kokovec on Jun 15, 2013 20:20:33 GMT -5
Curious, what your minimum PC specs are? It shows up as a USB HID device so it uses the generic drivers on your PC or MAC. I have yet to try it on Linux. I want to get it working on my Raspberry PI just for kicks. I love that thing. |
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Post by kokovec on Jun 15, 2013 20:24:09 GMT -5
Sweeeet. Thanks for considering my ideas Kokovek! It's a lot of fun hearing about projects like this while they are still evolving. I remember hearing about your PS2/Gamecube adapters. I'm sure there are a lot more than 3 people who would buy one of these! I would probably consider buying that many myself, if you ever made a large number available. Perhaps some of these capabilities that I was imposing on your device would really be better suited for some huge ultimate all in one Vectrex "device mixer" box, and such a box could include a lot more features than what I listed, (keyboard support?!?). ... But sticking with your original concept, it is definitely something I would be interested in and I'm sure a lot of us would have a ton of fun with it! I look forward to hearing more about your project as it progresses. You have some very good ideas. I'd rather build something that people would find useful. Thanks for the feedback |
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Post by gamezone on Jun 16, 2013 6:52:36 GMT -5
Some of my USB controllers that work fine on earlier versions of Windows are having read problems with version 7. So just curious. Not a huge follower of Linux but Raspberry PI as peaked my interest for the simplicity.
Thanks.
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Post by kokovec on Jun 16, 2013 11:10:15 GMT -5
It works fine on Windows 7.
Some of the older drivers will work on Win 7 in compatibility mode.
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Post by vectrexmad on Jun 18, 2013 7:42:54 GMT -5
Hello Dan,
Good to see you on this site. I have your PS2/Gamecube adapter and it is still going strong.
How about you other development the maths coprocessor cartrdige you were developing? I would definitely by that.
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Post by kokovec on Jun 19, 2013 18:58:39 GMT -5
The complexity of the math copro has kind of deterred me from moving forward with it.
The 3D math is all there but I have to make some bus timing tweaks that would require expensive equipment.
I think I put too many features into it and I might retool it to reduce the number of issues I have to deal with while developing on it.
I might break it up into 3 separate products that could eventually connect together (like add-on components).
The three components would be
1) A LAN interface
2) Extra 16K of RAM
3) 3D engine
All of these features already exist on the math copro but hog up allot of resources on the micro-controller.
I'm also thinking of a few other things that would involve a Raspberry PI which opens up a world of possibilities.
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Post by woodentulip on Aug 13, 2013 14:39:13 GMT -5
Hrm. Count me in.
Here is What I am thinking.
Using an RPI as the CartCoPro (rCartCoProPI?) was something I was interested in.
This gives a lot of possibles:
1) Math CoPro engine and interface to the Vectrex. (Muxing the Pi is where I got stopped <shrug>)
2) USB / Network / GPIO / any other possible interface.
3) Code dev to Vectrex without needing to Burn ROMS. (Although I like doing it Old School...)
Then I got Sidetracked with Motorola taking over the company I work for.
And then I got a Roku.
(Oddly, it uses the same BCM micro as the rPI... And the 3D is very very very similar...)
/me eyes the RoKu remote and thinks; Minestorm?
-sean
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Post by 50tbrd on May 9, 2014 18:59:47 GMT -5
kokovec, did you ever make a run of these? I never saw anything here and I'm not on the google groups. I think that there are so many people getting to the Vectrex now that your PS2/GC adapter might sell pretty well. I know I'd be interested in one. Your Vectrex/PC Controller Interface is quite a solution to all the issues I see with certain games that cause me to feel the necessity to customize/modify half a dozen controllers. I recently made a custom arcade control for Birds of Prey so I could use the joystick for buttons 1 and 2, so its easier to play. I made a multitap so I could use 2 controllers for each port so I each player could have their own controller on Vectropolis 500 (4 player). I also modified a Wico 2600 Bat Joystick so I could use the joystick as buttons 2 and 3 in conjuction.
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Post by VectorX on May 9, 2014 19:47:51 GMT -5
kokovec, did you ever make a run of these? Unfortunately he's never made a mass production run of any of his products. He'd definitely like to though at some point |
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Post by kokovec on May 10, 2014 21:53:28 GMT -5
Hrm. Count me in. Then I got Sidetracked with Motorola taking over the company I work for. -sean My company just got bought out by Verizon so that put a damper on my Vectrex time. My problem is that once I've proven a concept and built out a prototype I start to lose interest. I do go back to the well once in a while but as soon as it starts feeling like work I move on to the next challenge. Case in point... I've been tinkering with NVRAM and have COCO Extended BASIC working on the Vectrex. The Vectrex sees the NVRAM as, well, RAM. When you shut off the Vectrex the data persists. What you see in one of the pictures is the prototype cart (plugged into the Vec), the programmer (little black box with a female edge connector) and my Vectrex adapter I built a while back that gives the Vectrex a serial port. I added a "PLAY" function to BASIC to allow the user to play music with all 3 voices. |
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