Amiga Joysticks

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Joystick
Image:Joystick.jpg
Joystick
Created 2008
Creator Tiago
Based On n/a


Amiga Joystick

Amiga uses the same type of Joysticks as other computers like: Atari, Zx Spectrum and others. The first commercial system to use this standard of Joystick was the Atari 2600. It went very popular and most of the 80s computers adopt this simple Joystick system.

The Joystick has:

  • 9-pin connector

Pinouts goes like this

1 - Forward
2 - Back
3 - Left
4 - Right
5 - not connected
6 - Fire
7 - +5V
8 - Ground
9 - not connected
  • Five switches inside

This switches could have different forms depending of manufactur, their funtion is to activate the direction up,down,left,right or fire. The switches work as two pairs so that you cannot use both (up and down) or (left and right) at the same time. This is not controled by circuits, it's only hardware, if you move the stick forward(up) it will press the up switch, and the down switch will be unavailable until you return to a center position.

  • Cables,

usually 6 color cables:

1 color for ground
1 color for each of the 4 possible directions
1 color for fire button
  • 9 Pin schematics


   X  Right 
   |  |  Left 
   |  |  |  Back 
   |  |  |  |  Up 
   |  |  |  |  |                 
____________________            
\  o5 o4 o3 o2 o1  /             
 \  o9  o8 o7 o6  /                
  ----------------                 
    |   |  |  |                   
    |   |  |  Fire      
    |   |  +5V            
    |   Ground 
    X


  • How it works?

The concept is simple: each switch is connected to the Ground cable that goes to pin 8 and each of them is also connected to the respective pin

1 - Forward
2 - Back
3 - Left
4 - Right
6 - Fire

By standard each switch is in position open or not enable, then if you press it, it will make contact beetween the pin color 1,2,3,4 or 6 and the ground pin 8 going to close or enable and computer is informed about the instruction. If you press two at the same time, example up and right, both will "make contact" with ground and computer will know the diagonal movement.

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