PS2 Gamepad format

[DigiTan]

I'm trying to adapt my PSOne gamepad tutorial to the newer PS2 keypads out there but I can't find any data on them. One problem is all the tutorials on the web only cover PSOne formats. In fact I can't find a single page on PS2 controllers using any search engine.

Also, when I plug a PS2 gamepad into my PSOne interpreter, I get absolutely no response signals from the gamepad, and the "mode" LED won't even turn on? Does anyone have data on these controllers? And why are they such a well-guarded secret?

 

[Ultimate Dev'r]

Well, that's just how Sony is

You should go to one of the PS2Dev sites; they have code examples, tutorials, etc. on these sort of things. They even have a copy of the PS2 BIOS. I would suggest learning the assembly language that the PS2 uses, read through the PS2 controller routines, and apply them yourself through microcontrollers.

Oh, and reverse-engineering with an o'scope isn't a bad idea either.

 

[DigiTan]

Okay, I'll check some out. 'Could use one of those gamepad->PC progs too. I'll post an update if I get this thing fixed.

 

[Ultimate Dev'r]

You could try DirectPad Pro, but I don't think they give out the source code freely...maybe disassemble the .DLL's?

 

[DigiTan]

That's probably my best bet. Maybe they added some kind of "sleep" feature and its waiting to be initialized.

[edit]

Looks like my luck is changing on this one. I got DirectPad 5.0 and there's an attached file called joysrc that contains the C instructions. I'll read over it to see if this is what I need.

 

[Ultimate Dev'r]

I got DirectPad 5.0 and there's an attached file called joysrc that contains the C instructions.

:shock: I have all versions of DirectPad Pro, and NONE OF THEM come with ANY source code. Can you please send it to me?

Oh, and I was browsing your PSX Controller page, and I came across this:

PSX - There is some disagreement over what the meaning of the "X" here is, but this unmistakably refers to the first Playstation game system and no others, as the "X" might imply. It also goes by the name "PSOne" or "PS-1."

That was true until about two years ago; Sony released a Japan-Only system called PSX, which essentially was a PS2 with a ton of add-ons. Pic:

**broken link removed**

And then I read this:

Q: How can I interface this to a PC?
A: This is probably a matter for another seperate project. But has been done before. Interfacing to a PC would require you translate the keypad data into a PS/2 mouse code. Begin by researching PS/2 protocols.

Then where would you connect your mouse? I think either interfacing it to a joystick or a USB port would be better. Most people interface them to their parallel port, but those are starting to fade from newer motherboards.

 

[DigiTan]

Yeah, I guess I should update that last one to mention DirectPad. There's a funny story about the PS/2 mouse conflict because I was going to try making a Y-connector to hadle both devices. 'Sort of a PS2 to PS/2 converter. :lol: Unfortunantly, I got bogged down on an unrelated project and I guess it went to the back burner.

Anyway, I got the Win 9x version of DirectPad Pro 5.0 from aldostools.com and found some code in the joysrc.txt attachment.