Game Controllers

[MICHAEL GARDI]

Still waiting for my PiDP-1. Not a complaint. I know you guys are working as hard as you can to ship units. OK. So I've been working on a game and I am at the point where it would be nice to have some real buttons to mash. I have been making due with the test word switches on the virtual console. My question: Is there an easy way to map a cheap USB game controller into the PiDP-1 test switch interface?

Mike

[Matthias Barthel]

Mike,

I think it's easier to build a wireless joystick device or adapter for a old 9-pin joystick with a esp32 wifi controller thats write a bit fir every Button who is pressed into the io register. We can use implemented socket communication .

I can make a small schematics and some files to include a wireless joystick. My backplane can also drive some real joysticks on every pidp1 - and it doesnt matter if you have a real pidp1 or only the software on your PC / Notebook. 

I only need a few hours "hobbytime" from.my lovely wife 😉

Matthias 

MICHAEL GARDI <michae...@gmail.com> schrieb am Sa., 22. Nov. 2025, 04:57:

Still waiting for my PiDP-1. Not a complaint. I know you guys are working as hard as you can to ship units. OK. So I've been working on a game and I am at the point where it would be nice to have some real buttons to mash. I have been making due with the test word switches on the virtual console. My question: Is there an easy way to map a cheap USB game controller into the PiDP-1 test switch interface?

Mike

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[MICHAEL GARDI]

I love the idea of wireless controllers. The esp32 side of things I can handle. It’s the socket side that I am fuzzy on. 

Mike

[Matthias Barthel]

No Problem Mike, i have all the Parts ready for use, i build a esp32 Controller for testing and make a short manual how to install the code part on the pidp1 and the esp32-side 👍

Matthias 

[Haritech (Gmail)]

I would look at a small micro with a usb port and write a little Arduino program to converge joystick movement to GPIO 

Lawrence

On Nov 22, 2025, at 04:07, MICHAEL GARDI <michae...@gmail.com> wrote:



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[Matthias Barthel]

Mike,

i have build a quick and dirty Joystick to Wifi Adapter and wrote something for the pidp1 - i make a test later - be patient :)
@Haritech: sounds interesting - tell us more.

Matthias

[Matthias Barthel]

the testing was successfully - my pidp1 had a wifi-joystick :) i upload the files and the manual late - my wife calls me :)

[Matthias Barthel]

so i hope i dont forgot anything, its my first github-project.

download the files and try to follow my instructions in the readme-file.

if there any questions - i'am here :)

you can find the modifications here : https://github.com/maklumatpemankanan/pidp1-joystick-mod

Matthias

[MICHAEL GARDI]

Looks good Matthias.  I have an ESP32-WROOM-32D on hand but I will need a few days to get the "joystick" sorted. I can probably get my hands on an Atari joystick but I think I might put together a button box

[MICHAEL GARDI]

with parts I have on hand. Thanks so much for doing this. I'll keep you posted. 

Mike

[Matthias Barthel]

i make a test with a program thats moves a point with the joystick, the program its much more difficult to me than the hardware :)

[Matthias Barthel]

i have added 2 new programs in my guthub for testing the joystick device. 

-joy_test.rim reads the values of the joysticks to the io-register

-joy_point1.rim draws a point and you can move the point with the joystick 

Matthias