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Pads/joysticks for NEC PC-98
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Author:  Katsura82 [ May 29th, 2011, 1:41 pm ]
Post subject:  Pads/joysticks for NEC PC-98

I want to know if pads/joysticks for NEC PC-9801/PC-9821 do exist or if all released games can only be played with keyboard. I've never seen a PC-98 pad/joystick.

In the "NEC PC-8801 MC" I can use my FM-Towns/MSX pad perfectly simply connecting it to the mouse port for playing some games (there are games that can only be played with keyboard but a lot can be played with the pad), but in my "PC-9801 DS" I can't connect the FM-Towns/MSX pad because the mouse port is female instead of being male (probably this can be solved buying a DB9 male to male adaptor). And in my "NEC PC-9821 Cereb" I can't connect the FM-Towns/MSX pad because there are any DB9 port (there's only a DB25 pad/joystick port in the front, and I don't know how to use it with games because under MS-DOS the DB25 pads/joysticks are not recognized and probably always need to be installed and used under Windows so will work only for games running under Windows).

I've noticed that the NEC PC-Engine pad connector is the same of the PC-9801/PC-9821 keyboard. The pad fits perfectly. Are the pad (and multitap for connecting two or more pads) of this console compatible with PC-98 computers or this may damage the computer if I try (causing a short circuit)? Probably the pad cross is equivalent to the directional keys of the numeric keyboard used in the games (up=8, up-left=7, up-right=9, left=4, right=6, down=2, down-left=1, down-right=3), the "Z" and "X" keys are equivalent to "II" and "I" buttons in the PC-Engine pad, ...

Author:  al32gabby [ May 29th, 2011, 6:31 pm ]
Post subject: 

Quote:
I've never seen a PC-98 pad/joystick.


Image

http://www.ns-technology.co.jp/nstdirec ... ucts_id=18

Author:  Katsura82 [ May 29th, 2011, 11:26 pm ]
Post subject: 

Thanks al32gabby.
That's the same pad I've seen in yahoo auctions today. It has DB9 conector and probably is the same used in FM-Towns, MSX, PC-88, ...
I'll try using a DB9 male to male cable for connecting my FM-Towns pad.

About PC-Engine pads... finally I prefer not to try connecting them in the keyboard port. I don't think it will work and it may damage the computer. Pads in old japanese computers usually connect to mouse port and never to keyboard port.

Author:  papa_november [ February 2nd, 2014, 9:28 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Pads/joysticks for NEC PC-98

The 86 and 26K sound cards both appear to have J-PC style game controller connectors on the back. Is there any way to add this functionality back without having to buy the entire card?

Also, which games support which controllers? I doubt the earlier games know how to talk to the standard PC Gameport on a Sound Blaster.

There's also the weird mystery of whether or not there are game controllers that plug into the mouse port.

Author:  papa_november [ February 2nd, 2014, 9:36 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Pads/joysticks for NEC PC-98

Oh yeah, there's this cable too:

http://www.sanwa.co.jp/product/syohin.a ... -9821N-07K

You can drive a gameport from a parallel port no problem, but do any games support that? It does seem to make the most sense since nearly every PC-98 has a parallel port.

Author:  tanuki [ February 19th, 2014, 7:21 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Pads/joysticks for NEC PC-98

papa_november wrote:
Oh yeah, there's this cable too:

http://www.sanwa.co.jp/product/syohin.a ... -9821N-07K

You can drive a gameport from a parallel port no problem, but do any games support that? It does seem to make the most sense since nearly every PC-98 has a parallel port.


I paid way too much for a similar cable:
http://page9.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/k140577894

Should have thought to look on Sanwa for the cheaper version. These two cables should support a "real" 15-pin PC joypad / joystick. I'm hoping that Night Slave, Rusty and other games support a real joystick.

In addition, I have been looking into the possibility of doing a parallel port joystick interface, too. I've built the PPJoy (http://ppjoy.bossstation.dnsalias.org/) interface in the past to interface an Atari style joystick to a PC parallel port. My intention was to write a simple DOS TSR that would convert joystick input as key presses. Pretty lofty goal considering I've never written a DOS TSR or DOS device driver before. I'm hoping that it's more of a device driver shim on top of the built-in LPT (assuming PC-98 DOS even has that). If the cable I bought works, my motivation for DOS development will likely dissipate ;)

Author:  Katsura82 [ March 26th, 2014, 5:40 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Pads/joysticks for NEC PC-98

As I said three years ago, my PC-9821 can not use one of those FM sound cards out there with MSX pad ports, so the only port I can use is the "normal" DB25. That supposedly "PC-98 DB25 pad" is in fact a normal PC IBM one.
I can use DB25 pads and joysticks under Windows but didn't find any pure MS-DOS game supporting that. I tried with Night Slave and many other games and it doesn't work. Maybe some PC-98X1 games with Sound Blaster sound option could use DB25 pads under MS-DOS (as happens on PC IBM computers).

Author:  tanuki [ April 10th, 2014, 12:36 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Pads/joysticks for NEC PC-98

The cable I bought does not appear to work. It has a standard 15-pin PC style joystick connector to which I connected a standard 15-pin PC joypad. I tested using Night Slave, which allows you to choose a "Joystick Port" under the configuration menu. I tried all the options (0088H, 0188H & 0288H) without any luck.

I also tried the joy2key style DOS program "JoyEmu" which just locked up the machine. (I know: long shot!)

Assuming I ever get some free time, I'd still like to figure out how to hook up a parallel port joystick / gamepad & use x86 IN assembly or inportb() in C to write a TSR to translate gamepad input into key presses. If anyone has any advice -- generic or PC-98 specific -- please let me know.

Author:  Katsura82 [ June 6th, 2014, 12:00 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Pads/joysticks for NEC PC-98

Quote:
Assuming I ever get some free time, I'd still like to figure out how to hook up a parallel port joystick / gamepad & use x86 IN assembly or inportb() in C to write a TSR to translate gamepad input into key presses. If anyone has any advice -- generic or PC-98 specific -- please let me know.

Any progress with that Tanuki? I'm still very interested. Can not use MSX pads on my Cereb, only DA-15 pads with PC-98 games that can be launched from Windows (like "The Legend Of Heroes III" and "The Legend Of Heroes IV" CD-ROM versions) loading "JoytoKey" program (configured) before launching the game.
Being able to use COM-1 (DB25), or COM-2 (DB9) serial ports, or printer port, for connecting PC gamepads and use them with PC-98 games under pure MS-DOS would be great.

Maybe an alternative solution would be to use "PCJoy2": http://www.iodata.jp/products/pccard/pcjoy2.htm at least for those games leting you to choose different ports for the gamepad (Like "Night Slave"). Anyway, it seems "PCJoy2" only works on PC-98 computers missing a DB-15 port because it cause conflict if that port is found. :/

You can also sacrifice a PC-Engine pad and a "ten-key" to make manually a gamepad that can be conected to the PC-98 keyboard port and will work with almost all PC-98 games: http://www.geocities.jp/wp_gopher/pc/98/keypad.html

Author:  tanuki [ January 16th, 2015, 5:14 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Pads/joysticks for NEC PC-98

I now have a PC-9801FA up and running with a PC-9801-86 sound card. My motivation to hack hardware & figure out how to write a DOS device driver / TSR is somewhat diminished. The PCMCIA card doesn't look like it would work with DOS games, but maybe it's still worth a try?

I think your suggestion of hacking up a 10-key is a good one. In fact, that was the direction I was going to take next & I actually bought a 10-key to try it out at some future date.

If I do get the time & motivation to mess with DOS device drivers & hardware, I'll certainly post my experience here.

Author:  pro7 [ January 26th, 2018, 8:20 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Pads/joysticks for NEC PC-98

so.. anyone tried the 10key pad hack? the only picture of the japanese hack is not clear enough to distinguish.. and pcb hacks are not always the reliable ones.. (arcade/mame etcc , ground problems, bad inputs or chaotic reactions)


i have bought too times ago a 10keypad for a pc-9821, but all is in distant place actually, but that still intrigues me..

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