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Why did pressing the joystick button spit out keypresses?
Differences in disk storage between systemsTesting/using a joystick in AppleSoft?9-pin port for both RS-232 and Atari joystick?Can someone help me get xROAR to read files? (M6809/TRS-80 ColorComputer)What is the history of DE-9 joystick ports?Why does waggling the joystick of a C64 cause errors loading from tape?How to get Windows XP to detect joystick?How to create a switchless multi-system 2 button Atari joystick?New joystick (or build one) for Atari 800Why are C64 games inconsistent with which joystick port they use?
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If you pressed one of the joystick buttons on the TRS-80 Color Computer while running BASIC, it would act as if @ABCDEFG were typed. Pressing the other joystick button would similarly type out HIJKLMNO. Why did the CoCo exhibit this behavior?
color-computer joystick
asked 8 hours ago
DrSheldonDrSheldon
2,69531238
add a comment |
If you pressed one of the joystick buttons on the TRS-80 Color Computer while running BASIC, it would act as if @ABCDEFG were typed. Pressing the other joystick button would similarly type out HIJKLMNO. Why did the CoCo exhibit this behavior?
color-computer joystick
asked 8 hours ago
DrSheldonDrSheldon
2,69531238
add a comment |
If you pressed one of the joystick buttons on the TRS-80 Color Computer while running BASIC, it would act as if @ABCDEFG were typed. Pressing the other joystick button would similarly type out HIJKLMNO. Why did the CoCo exhibit this behavior?
color-computer joystick
asked 8 hours ago
DrSheldonDrSheldon
2,69531238
If you pressed one of the joystick buttons on the TRS-80 Color Computer while running BASIC, it would act as if @ABCDEFG were typed. Pressing the other joystick button would similarly type out HIJKLMNO. Why did the CoCo exhibit this behavior?
color-computer joystick
color-computer joystick
asked 8 hours ago
DrSheldonDrSheldon
2,69531238
asked 8 hours ago
DrSheldonDrSheldon
2,69531238
asked 8 hours ago
DrSheldonDrSheldon
2,69531238
asked 8 hours ago
DrSheldonDrSheldon
2,69531238
asked 8 hours ago
DrSheldonDrSheldon
2,69531238
2,69531238
add a comment |
add a comment |
2 Answers
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On the Color Computer, I/O address &FF00 is used for both the joysticks and the keyboard row input. Bits 0/1 are toggled by the two joystick port buttons, and these bits are the same as rows 1/2 for the keyboard.
BASIC continually scans for keyboard input by looking at &FF00 (for the row) and &FF02 (for the column). Since &FF02 will not indicate a keypress, BASIC interprets the toggling of rows 1/2, caused by the joystick button, as pressing all 8 of the keys for all 8 columns.
answered 5 hours ago
Brian HBrian H
19.9k73176
add a comment |
The fewer kinds of input a computer has to deal with, the easier its life is. This applies equally to physical ports and to the provisions for input in the BIOS and operating system generally. Abolishing “joystick button input” as a separate category makes everything much simpler.
The same applies to function keys on keyboards (such as the arrow keys). Rather than sending unique, presumably non-ASCII characters of their own, they can send escape sequences just as if they had been typed.
There are two possible approaches. One is to make the buttons send a sequence of keystrokes which the user is unlikely to type, or unlikely to type that fast. The other is to make them programmable so that they send whatever they have been programmed to send. I don’t know which way your particular joystick was designed.
answered 8 hours ago
Martin KochanskiMartin Kochanski
1872
1
There's also a third approach, which is that taken by machines such as the ZX Spectrum: just give the joystick inputs a fixed mapping to existing keys and don't worry about it. Many was a time I would play games on my brother's +2 in joystick mode because then I definitely knew it was 6, 7, 8, 9 and 0 for controls, rather than bothering to try to guess what that game had picked.
– Tommy
2 hours ago
add a comment |
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2 Answers
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2 Answers
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On the Color Computer, I/O address &FF00 is used for both the joysticks and the keyboard row input. Bits 0/1 are toggled by the two joystick port buttons, and these bits are the same as rows 1/2 for the keyboard.
BASIC continually scans for keyboard input by looking at &FF00 (for the row) and &FF02 (for the column). Since &FF02 will not indicate a keypress, BASIC interprets the toggling of rows 1/2, caused by the joystick button, as pressing all 8 of the keys for all 8 columns.
answered 5 hours ago
Brian HBrian H
19.9k73176
add a comment |
On the Color Computer, I/O address &FF00 is used for both the joysticks and the keyboard row input. Bits 0/1 are toggled by the two joystick port buttons, and these bits are the same as rows 1/2 for the keyboard.
BASIC continually scans for keyboard input by looking at &FF00 (for the row) and &FF02 (for the column). Since &FF02 will not indicate a keypress, BASIC interprets the toggling of rows 1/2, caused by the joystick button, as pressing all 8 of the keys for all 8 columns.
answered 5 hours ago
Brian HBrian H
19.9k73176
add a comment |
On the Color Computer, I/O address &FF00 is used for both the joysticks and the keyboard row input. Bits 0/1 are toggled by the two joystick port buttons, and these bits are the same as rows 1/2 for the keyboard.
BASIC continually scans for keyboard input by looking at &FF00 (for the row) and &FF02 (for the column). Since &FF02 will not indicate a keypress, BASIC interprets the toggling of rows 1/2, caused by the joystick button, as pressing all 8 of the keys for all 8 columns.
answered 5 hours ago
Brian HBrian H
19.9k73176
On the Color Computer, I/O address &FF00 is used for both the joysticks and the keyboard row input. Bits 0/1 are toggled by the two joystick port buttons, and these bits are the same as rows 1/2 for the keyboard.
BASIC continually scans for keyboard input by looking at &FF00 (for the row) and &FF02 (for the column). Since &FF02 will not indicate a keypress, BASIC interprets the toggling of rows 1/2, caused by the joystick button, as pressing all 8 of the keys for all 8 columns.
answered 5 hours ago
Brian HBrian H
19.9k73176
answered 5 hours ago
Brian HBrian H
19.9k73176
answered 5 hours ago
Brian HBrian H
19.9k73176
answered 5 hours ago
Brian HBrian H
19.9k73176
19.9k73176
add a comment |
add a comment |
The fewer kinds of input a computer has to deal with, the easier its life is. This applies equally to physical ports and to the provisions for input in the BIOS and operating system generally. Abolishing “joystick button input” as a separate category makes everything much simpler.
The same applies to function keys on keyboards (such as the arrow keys). Rather than sending unique, presumably non-ASCII characters of their own, they can send escape sequences just as if they had been typed.
There are two possible approaches. One is to make the buttons send a sequence of keystrokes which the user is unlikely to type, or unlikely to type that fast. The other is to make them programmable so that they send whatever they have been programmed to send. I don’t know which way your particular joystick was designed.
answered 8 hours ago
Martin KochanskiMartin Kochanski
1872
1
There's also a third approach, which is that taken by machines such as the ZX Spectrum: just give the joystick inputs a fixed mapping to existing keys and don't worry about it. Many was a time I would play games on my brother's +2 in joystick mode because then I definitely knew it was 6, 7, 8, 9 and 0 for controls, rather than bothering to try to guess what that game had picked.
– Tommy
2 hours ago
add a comment |
The fewer kinds of input a computer has to deal with, the easier its life is. This applies equally to physical ports and to the provisions for input in the BIOS and operating system generally. Abolishing “joystick button input” as a separate category makes everything much simpler.
The same applies to function keys on keyboards (such as the arrow keys). Rather than sending unique, presumably non-ASCII characters of their own, they can send escape sequences just as if they had been typed.
There are two possible approaches. One is to make the buttons send a sequence of keystrokes which the user is unlikely to type, or unlikely to type that fast. The other is to make them programmable so that they send whatever they have been programmed to send. I don’t know which way your particular joystick was designed.
answered 8 hours ago
Martin KochanskiMartin Kochanski
1872
1
There's also a third approach, which is that taken by machines such as the ZX Spectrum: just give the joystick inputs a fixed mapping to existing keys and don't worry about it. Many was a time I would play games on my brother's +2 in joystick mode because then I definitely knew it was 6, 7, 8, 9 and 0 for controls, rather than bothering to try to guess what that game had picked.
– Tommy
2 hours ago
add a comment |
The fewer kinds of input a computer has to deal with, the easier its life is. This applies equally to physical ports and to the provisions for input in the BIOS and operating system generally. Abolishing “joystick button input” as a separate category makes everything much simpler.
The same applies to function keys on keyboards (such as the arrow keys). Rather than sending unique, presumably non-ASCII characters of their own, they can send escape sequences just as if they had been typed.
There are two possible approaches. One is to make the buttons send a sequence of keystrokes which the user is unlikely to type, or unlikely to type that fast. The other is to make them programmable so that they send whatever they have been programmed to send. I don’t know which way your particular joystick was designed.
answered 8 hours ago
Martin KochanskiMartin Kochanski
1872
The fewer kinds of input a computer has to deal with, the easier its life is. This applies equally to physical ports and to the provisions for input in the BIOS and operating system generally. Abolishing “joystick button input” as a separate category makes everything much simpler.
The same applies to function keys on keyboards (such as the arrow keys). Rather than sending unique, presumably non-ASCII characters of their own, they can send escape sequences just as if they had been typed.
There are two possible approaches. One is to make the buttons send a sequence of keystrokes which the user is unlikely to type, or unlikely to type that fast. The other is to make them programmable so that they send whatever they have been programmed to send. I don’t know which way your particular joystick was designed.
answered 8 hours ago
Martin KochanskiMartin Kochanski
1872
answered 8 hours ago
Martin KochanskiMartin Kochanski
1872
answered 8 hours ago
Martin KochanskiMartin Kochanski
1872
answered 8 hours ago
Martin KochanskiMartin Kochanski
1872
1872
1
There's also a third approach, which is that taken by machines such as the ZX Spectrum: just give the joystick inputs a fixed mapping to existing keys and don't worry about it. Many was a time I would play games on my brother's +2 in joystick mode because then I definitely knew it was 6, 7, 8, 9 and 0 for controls, rather than bothering to try to guess what that game had picked.
– Tommy
2 hours ago
add a comment |
1
There's also a third approach, which is that taken by machines such as the ZX Spectrum: just give the joystick inputs a fixed mapping to existing keys and don't worry about it. Many was a time I would play games on my brother's +2 in joystick mode because then I definitely knew it was 6, 7, 8, 9 and 0 for controls, rather than bothering to try to guess what that game had picked.
– Tommy
2 hours ago
1
1
There's also a third approach, which is that taken by machines such as the ZX Spectrum: just give the joystick inputs a fixed mapping to existing keys and don't worry about it. Many was a time I would play games on my brother's +2 in joystick mode because then I definitely knew it was 6, 7, 8, 9 and 0 for controls, rather than bothering to try to guess what that game had picked.
– Tommy
2 hours ago
There's also a third approach, which is that taken by machines such as the ZX Spectrum: just give the joystick inputs a fixed mapping to existing keys and don't worry about it. Many was a time I would play games on my brother's +2 in joystick mode because then I definitely knew it was 6, 7, 8, 9 and 0 for controls, rather than bothering to try to guess what that game had picked.
– Tommy
2 hours ago
add a comment |
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