Which joystick for Spand?

Discussions about Sinclair ZX80 and ZX81 Hardware
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msknight
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Which joystick for Spand?

Post by msknight »

I'm looking to buy a joystick to play on the spand and I was wondering what wiring standard?

I'm looking at one shop and I have...
Atari
Amiga
C64
C128
Speccy
Sneccy Next
Amstrad

If anyone has any suggestions other than Retro Radionics... I'm all ears!
Lardo Boffin
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Re: Which joystick for Spand?

Post by Lardo Boffin »

I use a Suncom TAC-2 which I believe is just the Atari standard. I have used Atari 2600 joysticks in the past.

Sinclair used a weird wiring standard for the +2 onwards so don’t use one of those!
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1024MAK
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Re: Which joystick for Spand?

Post by 1024MAK »

Atari set the "standard" for joysticks that use switches and which use a 9 pin D connector.

Commodore 64 and Amiga use the same.

By Sinclair / Spectrum, that depends on if it's meaning for use with a joystick interface, which will be to the Atari "standard" or to Amstrad's bizarre rewired arrangement (as used on the +2 (grey), +2A (black), +2B (black) or +3) which is not compatible with anything...

I think the Next is Atari compatible, but have not checked.

Amstrad I presume means their CPC range.

The earlier ZXpand+ did not have a 9 pin D connector, instead it had a ten pin header, the details are here ;-)

Does your ZXpand+ have a 9 pin D connector? If yes, it is almost certainly wired to the Atari "standard" for pins 1 to 4 and pins 6 and 8. Pins 5, 7 and 9 may be used for other functions.

Mark
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msknight
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Re: Which joystick for Spand?

Post by msknight »

Yes, the spand does have 9 pin, but here's the trick with the pin out from the spand manual as opposed to what I'm looking at for Atari pinout. They're different.
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1024MAK
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Re: Which joystick for Spand?

Post by 1024MAK »

That ZXpand+ pin out is ONLY for the earlier boards with a ten pin header.

Mark
ZX81 Variations
ZX81 Chip Pin-outs
ZX81 Video Transistor Buffer Amp

:!: Standby alert :!:
There are four lights!
Step up to red alert. Sir, are you absolutely sure? It does mean changing the bulb :!:
Looking forward to summer later in the year.
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msknight
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Re: Which joystick for Spand?

Post by msknight »

Cool. It was the only pin out I could see in the manual I have, so I determined it was the same. Good to know!

Thanks.
Lardo Boffin
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Re: Which joystick for Spand?

Post by Lardo Boffin »

My Spand+ has a trailing socket on a ribbon cable and that works fine with ‘Atari’ joysticks.
ZX80
ZX81 iss 1 (bugged ROM, kludge fix, normal, rebuilt)
TS 1000 iss 3, ZXPand AY and +, ZX8-CCB, ZX-KDLX & ChromaSCART
Tatung 81 + Wespi
TS 1500 & 2000
Spectrum 16k (iss 1 s/n 862)
Spectrum 48ks plus a DIVMMC future and SPECTRA
Spinnetti
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Re: Which joystick for Spand?

Post by Spinnetti »

both the "port on a cable" and the later ones with the db9 fixed to the board support the Atari style (I have both)
Zeddy: ZX80, ZX81/ZXpand, TS1000/ZXpand, TS1500/Zxpand+,Printer
Speccy: 48k, +, +2, +3, TS2068, "Bare Metal" Pi, Next KS2, IF1/Microdrives/Vdrive/Light Gun/VGA-Joy
QL: Minerva/QL-VGA/Custom PSU
C5: 24v, LiFE battery, Disc brakes
rmbrowngr
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Re: Which joystick for Spand?

Post by rmbrowngr »

Is there some type of list with what games have zxpand+ joystick support? I guess it’ll be a short one?
ZX81 (purchased November 1982), my first computer.
ZXpand+, ZX8-CCB.
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msknight
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Re: Which joystick for Spand?

Post by msknight »

Revival Studios games did. As the zxpand+ is a little over ten years old and seems to have gained rapid popularity, then there's a fair chance that anything written after 2011 probably might have done.

I'm not sure if there is any, "mapping emulation," which maps joystick movements to keyboard presses. If there is, then it would make it backwards compatible with everything.
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