Both are great approaches. What's nice about using the barcode reader port is when the joystick is static, no CPU effort is expelled to manage the joystick. If you use the parallel port, you would need to add a task to the 8085 to regularly poll the parallel port.
On Tue, Sep 23, 2025 at 11:31 PM Kenneth Pettit <[email protected]> wrote: > Oh yeah, I suppose you could do that. Just be sure to do it with > interrupt disabled because those outputs are also used for other purposes. > > Ken > > On 9/23/25 8:19 PM, Mike Stein wrote: > > So, can't you scan it like a keyboard, i.e. output one of the 8 bits at a > time and check if it appears on the input pin? > > What am I missing? > > m > > On Tue, Sep 23, 2025 at 11:08 PM Kenneth Pettit <[email protected]> > wrote: > >> The printer port is output only except for 2 inputs: BUSY and /BUSY >> >> Ken >> >> On 9/23/25 7:59 PM, Mike Stein wrote: >> >> Couldn't you just scan the printer port looking for 1 out of 8 switch >> closures?. >> >> m >> >> On Tue, Sep 23, 2025 at 9:42 PM Scott McDonnell < >> [email protected]> wrote: >> >>> I am back to thinking about a joystick for the Model 100. I have a >>> specific reason in mind and even a specific joystick. >>> >>> My intent is to target the Atari/Commodore 64 digital joystick interface >>> mainly because my inspiration is the Suncom Icontroller which mounts to >>> the side of the machine. >>> >>> This interface is a series of 5 discrete switches to control direction >>> and a fire button. Very basic. >>> >>> While the parallel port would have been ideal for something like this, >>> it is not bidirectional and offers only two inputs. >>> >>> The serial port provides 3 inputs; still not enough >>> >>> While some multiplexing strategies might allow this to work, both of >>> those ports are also often used for other important purposes. >>> >>> So I started thinking about the barcode port. It only has one input, but >>> the joystick could be encoded into a serial stream. Maybe even using the >>> original barcode drivers. I don't know the specifics of the BCR >>> implementation here, but often they are just keyboard wedges. >>> >>> Any thoughts on this or a better solution? >>> >>> >>> >> >
