Old Sidewinder+Fast machine=NFG

[AW=B17=]

Ok here's the scoop.  

I have THREE of the old Microsoft Sidewinder 3D Pro joysticks leftover from my AW days. They plug into the gameport on the sound card. Getting another joystick is totally off the table, even if you gave it to me. I'm very attached to my old sidewinders.  

There is/was a known problem where on faster computers they could not get polled properly or whatever and would come up and "not connected" on machines much faster than 700mhz.

Now I had this solved on my P3 1.1 gig machine by slowing down the wait states for the legacy card bus.

However, when I upgraded my Direct X to the latest version for AH-II here, it re-porked that issue. I had to back the computer off to about 750 mhz to get the joystick to be "found" in the control panel after the direct X update.  Hmmmmmm

AH and the machine run fun here, ditto my Sidewinders, but I want my speed back.

Is there a USB adapter I can use?  Has software been written over the last couple years to patch this issue?

I'm keeping my stick.... I just wanna do it the best way possible.

-W

[jigsaw]

Maybe find one of the old TM gamecards with the adjustable speed?

Just a WAG.

[AW=B17=]

Not bad.. but I'd think the knowledge base might have a more modern approach too...

-W (hoping)

[StarOfAfrica2]

Originally posted by AW=B17=
Ok here's the scoop.  


There is/was a known problem where on faster computers they could not get polled properly or whatever and would come up and "not connected" on machines much faster than 700mhz.

Now I had this solved on my P3 1.1 gig machine by slowing down the wait states for the legacy card bus.

However, when I upgraded my Direct X to the latest version for AH-II here, it re-porked that issue. I had to back the computer off to about 750 mhz to get the joystick to be "found" in the control panel after the direct X update.  Hmmmmmm

AH and the machine run fun here, ditto my Sidewinders, but I want my speed back.

Is there a USB adapter I can use?  Has software been written over the last couple years to patch this issue?

I'm keeping my stick.... I just wanna do it the best way possible.

-W

There is an adapter, check out this thread...........

http://www.hitechcreations.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=109147

I havent heard back from the guy yet to see if it really works.  If it does it may be the ticket for you.

[AKS\/\/ulfe]

Well, I had bought the gameport to USB adaptor prior to seeing that thread you linked to above.

It works for the CH Pro Pedals... sort of. The single axis that the pedals are on (back and forth) works fine.

The toe brakes, can not get them to read in. I pretty much gave up on them anyway because I can't use them for anything in any game I play.
-SW

[StarOfAfrica2]

Hehe.  Thats because the analog Pro pedals dont have toe brakes.  Thats an extra feature of the USB ones.  

SA2

[AKS\/\/ulfe]

Well, that explains it.
-SW

[llama]

I'm not sure, but I thought the gameport problems had to do with the card supplying the gameport to the system, NOT a problem with the joystick.

If so, and I'm not saying it is, but what sound card do you have with the gameport?

-Llama

[StarOfAfrica2]

Some joysticks would only work with a "high speed" gameport.  The gameports on most modern computers should meet the need, if yours doesnt they still sell gameport PCI cards.  Since they introuduced USB joysticks it has pretty much become a moot point, unless you are one of those "lucky" people who have a picky joystick.

[SilverFox]

Hiya Wayne, welcome back!        (I was =SC=)

I don't know if its the same situation, but when my 4 year old usb MSFF2 finally bit the dust the other day, I got out my 7 year old MS Sidewinder Pro and plugged it into my SB live sound card game port on a 3 Ghz machine and it worked fine.

[AW=B17=]

Originally posted by SilverFox
Hiya Wayne, welcome back!        (I was =SC=)

I don't know if its the same situation, but when my 4 year old usb MSFF2 finally bit the dust the other day, I got out my 7 year old MS Sidewinder Pro and plugged it into my SB live sound card game port on a 3 Ghz machine and it worked fine.

OK.... the gameport thing seems most helpfull, I have an older Sound Blaster in this Machine, but an SB live in th eold P-400 (don't ask) I'll try to swap them around and re-test.

And Hi Jim!!! Tell me.... are you doing AH terrains at all?
(said with the evil grin of Ploesti! lurking)

-W (not my fault EA used terramedi out of turn)

[SilverFox]

  I never blamed the teramedi fiasco on anyone but the fools at EA.  

As far as AH terrains, Wayne, there are so many excellent designers here already that I felt I would just be getting in the way.  But a ploesti scenario would be interesting  

[AW=B17=]

Originally posted by SilverFox
  I never blamed the teramedi fiasco on anyone but the fools at EA.  

As far as AH terrains, Wayne, there are so many excellent designers here already that I felt I would just be getting in the way.  But a ploesti scenario would be interesting  

Do you have a nice .jpg of the terramedi mad as you did it?

-W

[AW=B17=]

Originally posted by SilverFox
Hiya Wayne, welcome back!        (I was =SC=)

I don't know if its the same situation, but when my 4 year old usb MSFF2 finally bit the dust the other day, I got out my 7 year old MS Sidewinder Pro and plugged it into my SB live sound card game port on a 3 Ghz machine and it worked fine.

Jim, do you have a way of determining *what* SB live you have?
And is it legacy or PCI??  
Lastly, does it support unamplified speakers, or does it only have a "line level" output?

I can't find the one I thought I had somewhere... I'll prolly try to snatch one on Ebay, but I wanna get the right one.

Thanks!

-W