buttons through gameport?

[eagle00789]

I build the following thing (changed 1 potmeter by a button and left 2 potmeters out)

but it only works when i press the button wich i switched for a potmeter. How can i get the entire thing to work? (i also left the part out where i can hook up some leds, because i dont need them)

[BobA]

On the game port you cannot change a pot to a button.  The pots are fed by 5v and go to analog ins whereas the buttons are grounded and go to a digital in.

A regular gameport is wired like the first drawing

To make the analog inputs digital you have to have a circuit like the second drawing or just hack a gamepad.

[eagle00789]

so basicly to add 1 extra button to this layout i have posted above, i can use only 1 part of the digital converter (used for 2 buttons, but only add one of them then), and leave the other as a potmeter??

[BobA]

Right, you can only use digital ins (buttons) for buttons unless you add the added circuitry to change a pot (analog in) to mimic digital signals.

[eagle00789]

in that case i'm off to buy a few components (if read correctly, i need 3x 47k ohm resistors and 1x pnp 2n3906 transistor) or can i use any pnp transistor?

[BobA]

The transistor listed is a fairly common general purpose transistor so almost any PNP will work. You are driving the transistor into saturation so the specs of its operating curve are not important.

[eagle00789]

thx for all the help i've been getting here. it was surely very helpfull. thx mate (p.s. if i need anymore help, i will ask in this forum.......)

[eagle00789]

I have bought all the components now, but first i wanted to check if i have my schematic correctly now. so if you have any comments or suggestions, then please let me know (also let me know if the schematic i have posted now is correctly...)

[eagle00789]

anybody???

I can start building if it is correct now..

[BobA]

Looks to me like it is wired up to register a down on joy 1 when the button is pushed.  Not sure what you are trying to do with that button.

[eagle00789]

it's infact a right on joy 1 but this schematic is going inside my pc inside a bracket actually, so that i can control winamp (and other music players) with it and the pot-meter is for volume control.... (the five buttons are for: Previous song, Play, Pause, Stop, Next Song)

[eagle00789]

p.s. i'm not using the 2n3906 transistor but the 2n3905

[eagle00789]

i've got it working and i will post a working schematic later, because to get it working i had to modify my own made schema a lot...

[BobA]

Glad you got it going.   Any info that you can provide will help someone down the line.

 

[eagle00789]

Some wires have new connection points. but if you look closely, you can see that i had to hotwire pin 9 11 and 13 to get the thing to be seen by windows. if you leave that bit out, windows doesn't recognise it. also, you can add leds by putting the led over a button (only the below 4 buttons and not the top button)