CH yoke gameport-to-USB conversion

The Virtual Pilot interface is analog game port, not serial.

"Roger" wrote in message ...
On Thu, 08 Feb 2007 14:01:10 GMT, "."

[snip]

You can also just go out and purchase a serial to USB converter box.
They are relatively cheap and *usually* work, but YMMV

On Sat, 10 Feb 2007 19:38:15 -0600, "dell_dtop"
wrote:


The Virtual Pilot interface is analog game port, not serial.

And?
There is still a serial to USB converter that takes the older CH
pedals and even the analog joysticks.


"Roger" wrote in message ...
On Thu, 08 Feb 2007 14:01:10 GMT, "."

[snip]

You can also just go out and purchase a serial to USB converter box.
They are relatively cheap and *usually* work, but YMMV



Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com

The Virtual Pilot interface is analog game port, not serial.

And?
There is still a serial to USB converter that takes the older CH
pedals and even the analog joysticks.

What does serial have to do with it? That's digital; gameport is analog.
The Virtual Pilot yoke is gameport - which is analog.

So you're suggesting buying something to convert gameport, which is
discrete ANALOG, to serial, which is DIGITAL (RS232/EIA232),
so you can then use a serial-to-USB converter.
In other words, DB15 to DB9 to USB.
Even if you could manage to cobble the circuitry together to convert
the analog gameport pots/switches to serial, like with a PIC, then
level-shift to USB, you would still need drivers.

The only GAMEPORT-to-USB "adapters" I've seen are for certain
digital joysticks made by Logitech and Microsoft. They are in fact
only dongles, not adapters: they DO NOT contain any analog-to-digital
conversion circuitry but instead route the USB signal SUPPLIED by the
digital joystick, via spare pins in the gameport connector, to a USB
connector. I've got the 3 incarnations of these (black, yellow, and gray);
they all use the same 4 pins from the DB15 (1, 4, 10, 14) wired to the
USB connector, although the Logitech (black) is not wired exactly the
same; two lines are the same, two are reversed.

BTW, my old CH Products pedals were analog gameport, not serial.

On Feb 11, 3:14 am, "cpq_ltop" wrote:
The only GAMEPORT-to-USB "adapters" I've seen are for certain
digital joysticks made by Logitech and Microsoft. [...]

Radio Shack used to see a $10-15 gameport to USB adapter. I used it
on my old CH yoke. I've also used extras to give me extra MSFS
analog and button input.

Their only downside is that its a 64 level A/D converter, so it's not
super accurate.

If RS doesn't still sell it (even if not, stores often have one
hanging around on the wall), then I'm sure you could find them on
eBay.

Cheers, Kev

Roger wrote:
On Sat, 10 Feb 2007 19:38:15 -0600, "dell_dtop"
wrote:

The Virtual Pilot interface is analog game port, not serial.

And?
There is still a serial to USB converter that takes the older CH
pedals and even the analog joysticks.

"Roger" wrote in message ...
On Thu, 08 Feb 2007 14:01:10 GMT, "."

[snip]
You can also just go out and purchase a serial to USB converter box.
They are relatively cheap and *usually* work, but YMMV


Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com

A standard game port supports two joysticks (two axis and TWO buttons
each) and Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI). The joystick
functions are input ONLY. The MIDI function is bidirectional. MANY game
port analog joysticks utilize circuits that were originally designed for
the second joystick to implement functions like throttle and additional
buttons. Rudders usually use at least one of the second joystick axis.
With joystick pitch and roll, throttle, rudder and toe brakes the
standard game port runs short on axis.

Some manufacturers provided "Digital" game port controllers that
utilized the MIDI functions instead of the analog circuitry. Any force
feedback controllers that attach to the game port are certain to be
using the MIDI circuitry. Separately purchased game port to USB adapters
typically don't support MIDI based game controllers.

To get around the four button limitation some controllers have drivers
that that utilize some buttons, and often point of view switches, as
chords. Pressing one of those buttons activates multiple button circuits
on the game port. The CH Virtual Pilot Pro IS such a controller. When
connected through an adapter it would be dependent on the adapter's
driver to interpret the button chords. The controller/adapter
combination would NOT be compatible with the controller manufacturer's
driver software.