Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => Hardware and Software => Topic started by: puller on October 15, 2014, 09:46:37 AM
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First off...I'm poor....
Secondly...I acquired a set of Thrustmaster Elite Rudder pedals and a F-16 Throttle quadrant...for very cheap... :aok
Now I know the TQS will not work without a stick...I have scoured the internet for weeks now trying to figure out how to make these @#$%^&^ pedals work...I have XP everything I've come across says they should work...I've messed with every thing controller on my stupid computer and they will not recognize them...I've read these forums to no avail...I've read all different types of forums to no avail...
Now the real question here is...If I buy a gameport to usb adapter (which I might add, all the ones I have found online cost more than what I paid for the pedals and tqs) is it going to work??
Does anyone else use old stuff like this? How did you get it to work if you did?
I caught tons of wife ack over ordering this crap anyway...she already is down on me "playing my stranger game" and I don't know how easy I could swing even getting that adapter in the event it could possibly work...
Any help or a link to something I can read...man would I appreciate it...
And please don't tell me to go buy usb stuff...if I could have I would have...trust me...
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I think you have probably wasted your money.
RS-232 has been essentially dead for well over a decade.
The last computer that I have purchased with a serial port was bought in 1995.
I've used USB to RS-232 adapters to interface with and program DDC controls at work and they are always problematic and often serialized to boot.
Best case scenario from my experience... If you get a USB to RS-232 adapter be prepared to reinstall your adapter's drivers and reboot every other time you need to use it.
I just did a quick search and it looks like you can buy an adapter for $2 from several online vendors. I suggest not buying any adaptor branded Edgeport.
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I think you have probably wasted your money.
RS-232 has been essentially dead for well over a decade.
I had to Google that rs-232....it appears to be a type of serial port....this gameport I'm talking about is a 15 pin connector specifically for types of controllers and other interface devices...they are most usually found on older soundcards...my computer is an '05...it didn't come with a soundcard with a gameport...but luckily I had one laying around...
I've seen a thread on a forum that said I could load a copy of Windows 98 on a usb drive and run it to get my controllers (I say that loosely) to be recognized and then open XP to play AH...I really do not want to deal with all that, if at all possible...
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I had to Google that rs-232....it appears to be a type of serial port....this gameport I'm talking about is a 15 pin connector specifically for types of controllers and other interface devices...they are most usually found on older soundcards...my computer is an '05...it didn't come with a soundcard with a gameport...but luckily I had one laying around...
I've seen a thread on a forum that said I could load a copy of Windows 98 on a usb drive and run it to get my controllers (I say that loosely) to be recognized and then open XP to play AH...I really do not want to deal with all that, if at all possible...
I don't see how that would work. If money is an issue you could wait until right after Christmas and find a set of pedals and stick in 'open box' condition.
I got my saitek pedals this way from TigerDirect.com and saved over $100 just because some spoiled brat opened the box before deciding he wanted something else from santa. They ended up costing me $35 instead of $150.
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If your controllers use the legacy game port, using a USB to game port adapter will work. This was the one I used to use many years ago and it worked quite well though you may be unable to use the stick's programming software with the adapter.
http://www.amazon.com/game-Adapter-Rockfire-RM-203-gameport/dp/B004HAX7OU
ack-ack
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Basically a USB to game port adapter will work. A friend is using one for CH game port pedals in conjunction with an ancient cheap Saitek game pad. But according to http://thrustmaster.vanree.net/tqs.html (http://thrustmaster.vanree.net/tqs.html)
the F-16 TQS can only be used together with the F-16 FLCS or F-22 Pro from Thrustmaster. The unit functions as slave to those sticks.
That may be the end of using that throttle unless you rebuild it using an USB board like Bodnar's. But that's not cheap. The best solution would be to find either of those sticks and connect the throttle to it and then the throttle into an USB adapter. Remember, since you apparently already have a working stick, the connected one doesn't have to work other than to be recognized correctly by Windows! (Read that as "free"). A friend had his old stick torn apart to a bunch of wires stuck into a lunch box just to be able to use the included throttle!
You might still end up lucky if you can hook the pedals and the throttle to a cheap (read: free) game port controller which in turn is connected to a USB adapter. The chain would look somewhat like "USB adapter 2 axis 2 button joystick/ [X] use pedals with this joystick" or even " USB adapter 3 axis (including the throttle) ## button joystick/ [X] pedals".
AH per say is capable to configure each and every controller Windows can see.
Bouncing back and forth while typing this may have ended into a mess, so feel free to ask if you didn't quite get my ideas. :salute
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Thank y'all so much.....I had been preparing for this stuff for a couple of weeks before it arrived...After all I read I fully assumed that the pedals would work with that gameport...but that's ok...I will find some way to justify the purchase of a $20 cord to my wife (something to the effect of "dammit baby I spent $10 on them pedals and had them shipped from the east coast...I have to make them work somehow... :t )
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Thank y'all so much.....I had been preparing for this stuff for a couple of weeks before it arrived...After all I read I fully assumed that the pedals would work with that gameport...but that's ok...I will find some way to justify the purchase of a $20 cord to my wife (something to the effect of "dammit baby I spent $10 on them pedals and had them shipped from the east coast...I have to make them work somehow... :t )
Just remind her that AH keeps you out of the bar and at home where she can keep an eye on you! Works for me every time,especially when I mention a certain "type" of bar that a good friend owns! :devil
:salute
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You may want to to look at this: http://www.realsimulator.com/html/rusba.html.
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I think you have probably wasted your money.
RS-232 has been essentially dead for well over a decade.
Yeah nah.
First off gameport is not RS-232.
Second off, RS-232 is well and alive and still used heavily (especially for console access to devices like routers, switches, etc).
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Question.
Is it possible to cut the wire to a gameport type controller say. Rudder pedals and simply splice them to a USB cable to make them USB compatable?
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That is a great question...because if so...I've got some spicin' to do...lol
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It is possible to rewire these devices to a USB game controller card, like the Leo Bodnar BU0836A:
http://www.leobodnar.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=66&products_id=204 (http://www.leobodnar.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=66&products_id=204)
That said, unless you have some experience with this sort of thing I recommend a Gameport to USB adapter as previously mentioned.
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So Fulcrum...what your telling me is to not buy one of these nifty things for 40 bucks and then take apart my new (to me) toys to ultimately be unable to solder those tiny wires that I cannot see to tiny connections on a small and relatively expensive board....if I did and and failed it would make some interesting climb-out conversation for FSO though... :lol
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Question.
Is it possible to cut the wire to a gameport type controller say. Rudder pedals and simply splice them to a USB cable to make them USB compatable?
No, they are not the same interface with just a different connecter.
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Question.
Is it possible to cut the wire to a gameport type controller say. Rudder pedals and simply splice them to a USB cable to make them USB compatable?
Nope. The old gameport from the 1980's and 1990's was analog. Whole different beast.
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So Fulcrum...what your telling me is to not buy one of these nifty things for 40 bucks and then take apart my new (to me) toys to ultimately be unable to solder those tiny wires that I cannot see to tiny connections on a small and relatively expensive board....if I did and and failed it would make some interesting climb-out conversation for FSO though... :lol
Yes. You would be very mad at me!
Seriously though...if you are up for a small challenge it can be fun to do so and honestly isnt THAT hard to do. The potentiometers are relatively easy to rewire to a Bodnar board. Its the buttons that can be a challenge if the are already integrated onto the PCB board...usually you will need to replace witha new button.
If you are interested Google it. Lots of people rewire these old joysticks (the old Suncom F15 stick and its throttle are a particular favorite). Be sure to look at the Images tab in google when you do so....you'd be surprised how many people have taken pictures and how helpful those can be.
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If your motherboard has an available PCI slot open, your best bet may be to find an older (used) Soundblaster Live! or other (hardware based) soundcard with built-in gameport and install it into your machine.
Don't try to use an off brand or built-in motherboard port as the chipsets on these often don't support full gameport funtionality.
Make sure you also go into your motherboard's BIOS and disable any on-board soundcard and game/midi port settings to avoid conflicts with the new hardware.
However, if I recall correctly, Microsoft removed full (2-way) functionality from the gameport with the release of WinXP, claiming that this was a possible route for hackers into your machine, although I never heard of this happening.
Anyway this was the reason I had to switch from my old reliable CH gameport equipment (and Win98) to CH USB based controllers and WinXP.
Good Luck!
CptA
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Microsoft hasn't supported gameports since the release of Vista.
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Google HomeBoy's inventions. Go to his site. Click on projects. Scroll down to" converting gameport pedals to USB
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Google HomeBoy's inventions. Go to his site. Click on projects. Scroll down to" converting gameport pedals to USB
I have a ST290 that I am going to break into a thousand pieces and see if I can do this...Hopefully once I get into the pedals I will feel a little better about it....thanks for the link :aok
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:cheers: