Clarification on acceptable USB Joystick

[Iainrach]

First of all what an amazing emulator ... I personally really like the individualized configs !

I also utilized the keyboard interface (and built my own keyboard) :)

I'm using the Waveshare Pi Zero board - https://www.waveshare.com/rp2040-pizero.htm which has the USB Type C connections.

I did see the recommendations for a powered hub but these seem to have Micro USB connections.

Therefore I utilized an OTG cable connected to a powered Hub - The keyboard is connected to the USB Hub and works perfectly but I'm not having any luck connecting a very simple Gamepad. I did test the Hub & Gamepad using a regular Windows PC.

In researching this issue I came across - Possible Future Developments - "Support for USB gamepads as well as joysticks" so I assume my simple gamepad won't work and that somehow the interface is different ?

If you could provide any recommendations on an acceptable USB joystick that would be great.

My Build : https://www.reddit.com/r/ZX81/comments/1l5w473/pico_zx81/

[ikjordan]

It is always really good to see people using picozx81. Making your own keyboard is true dedication!

According to the USB specification game pads can report using a different page to joysticks. Unfortunately both of the game pads I own also report as joysticks, so I've nothing I can use to test extending game pad support.

I am currently using this USB joystick: The C64 Micro Switch Joystick but other picozx81 users have also reported success with different USB joysticks.

I've used a replica Atari 9 pin joystick with the Waveshare Pi Zero board, attaching the joystick using a 9 pin adapter and the GPIO pins as described in the Readme. I have used a micro USB powered hub with the Pi Zero too. I used a micro USB to USB C adapter so that it can plug in.

One long shot, if you also enjoy emulating the spectrum, is to try your game pad with pico zxspectrum. The projects have been exchanging USB and HDMI code. zx spectrum has a newer version of the USB code. If that works with your game pad then it will give me a good reason to merge up!

[Iainrach]

I do have a few Nine Pin joystick so I’ll just make up a cable with a nine pin socket and pin header connectors …. I’ll have to find a USB joystick (in US) which definitely reports as joystick and meets my limited budget … I did plug my Gamepad into the USB host socket on the pico Zx Spectrum but there was no indication that it recognized it though the Image almost certainly doesn’t have the latest software …. And I seem to remember trying a few software versions before I found the correct one for this particular board. I did try a few other controllers - PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox and it did make me think that perhaps a combined effort with Fruitbat would be beneficial for all those in similar circumstances. I did make my own Altair 8800 emulator for the M5 Cardputer (complete with Blinky Lights) so perhaps I might be able to assist in some way though I suspect my coding might be too amateurish because that’s an accurate description… Pixyman on YouTube…

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On Wed, Jun 11, 2025 at 3:27 PM ikjordan ***@***.***> wrote: *ikjordan* left a comment (ikjordan/picozx81#47) <#47 (comment)> It is always really good to see people using picozx81. Making your own keyboard is true dedication! According to the USB specification game pads can report using a different page to joysticks. Unfortunately both of the game pads I own also report as joysticks, so I've nothing I can use to test extending game pad support. I am currently using this USB joystick: The C64 Micro Switch Joystick <https://www.amazon.co.uk/Micro-Switch-Joystick-Electronic-Games/dp/B08JW463TB> but other picozx81 users have also reported success with different USB joysticks. I've used a replica Atari 9 pin joystick with the Waveshare Pi Zero board, attaching the joystick using a 9 pin adapter and the GPIO pins as described in the Readme. I have used a micro USB powered hub with the Pi Zero too. I used a micro USB to USB C adapter so that it can plug in. One long shot, if you also enjoy emulating the spectrum, is to try your game pad with pico zxspectrum <https://github.com/fruit-bat/pico-zxspectrum>. The projects have been exchanging USB and HDMI code. zx spectrum has a newer version of the USB code. If that works with your game pad then it will give me a good reason to merge up! — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#47 (comment)>, or unsubscribe <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AFYYIVXURU6BO4V6ZJFH6DD3DB7KHAVCNFSM6AAAAAB7BM4G52VHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43OSLTON2WKQ3PNVWWK3TUHMZDSNRTHEZDGMRTG4> . You are receiving this because you authored the thread.Message ID: ***@***.***>

[Iainrach]

Happy to report that the Hyperkin Trooper 2 joystick works perfectly with my Waveshare Pi Zero board. Out of interest I didn't need to use a powered USB adapter, my passive one worked fine with keyboard and joystick.

Also the Zero Delay Arcade USB Encoder board - Quimat QR05 used for my bespoke Intellivision controller works too - so pretty easy to build your own custom controller.

[ikjordan]

That's excellent news, thank you!