Build Your Own Arcade Controls Forum

Main => Software Forum => Topic started by: ShinAce on February 09, 2006, 09:33:35 pm

Title: Using the LPT port as a programmable controller
Post by: ShinAce on February 09, 2006, 09:33:35 pm

I have gone done this road once before....
I found a piece of C code that accesses the printer port and can set pins high or low. To turn the LPT port into a programmer to control a joystick shouldn't be hard....
However, how can I control the speed of it, in order to slow it down to a 60 or 120 hz refresh?
Also, are there enough outputs to control 2 joysticks(20 switches) simultaneously? I don't want to add hardware just to be able to swap between joysticks.

Has anyone done anything resembling this?

Title: Re: Using the LPT port as a programmable controller
Post by: Howard_Casto on February 10, 2006, 08:36:52 am

NO,NO,NO!!!

The parallel port only has 8 input pins, not enough to do anything useful without circuitry.

Direct access to the parallel port is also blocked on 2k/xp without special drivers/software. 

Also the parallel port in terms of joysticks is best utilized in a serial configuration.  That means the joystick in question needs special drivers and an onboard timing chip. 

So before you ask, you can't control the timing... thus the need for drivers and a timing chip. 

The parallel port can be used to interface console cotrollers, however via special drivers (such as snes key) and a custom wiring harness. 

Hate to be so blunt, but a quick google search would have told you all of this instanty.

Title: Re: Using the LPT port as a programmable controller
Post by: ShinAce on February 10, 2006, 09:34:51 am

Back to serial eeprom and microcontrollers I go....

Thank you Howard.