how do original tron joysticks interface to a pc?

[TheShanMan]

I'm going to be heading down to a local arcade repair/parts shop and in the off chance that I am able to pick up a real tron joystick (what are the other games that use the same style joystick? satan's hollow I think? any others?), how would I interface it to my computer?

[SavannahLion]

The TRON sticks require an interface board to use with your PC. Good boards are the IPac2 and its variants at Ultimarc and the KeyWiz/GPWiz and variants at Groovy Game Gear.

Games that use similar sticks are Satan's Hollow, Gorf, Xenophobe, and Discs of TRON. There are some subtle and important differences between each stick though. For instance, the GORF stick uses a circuit board and optical switches as well as a different shaft, coloring and restrictors. That means the GORF stick, in it's OEM state, requires an additional +5v power feed on top of the power required for the lighting. You can learn more about the TRON stick on the WIKI

[TheShanMan]

OK, so it's just a standard button type joystick. For some reason I was thinking it was analog but that was some kind of brain fart because I know it's more or less an 8 way stick. Keeping my fingers crossed!

Thanks for the quick reply!

[Ginsu Victim]

Well, actually a 4-way (restricted to it, at least)

[SavannahLion]

Well, actually a 4-way (restricted to it, at least)

It's both. It's an easy four way and a hard eight way.

[CrazyKongFan]

Yeah, they made it a hard 8 way because of the light cycle level. I have played one where either the restrictor plate was missing or had been replaced with a different one, which made it alot easier to do a diagonal on the grid bug level.