Joystick Emulator PCB

This is the PCB to build what I referred to as a Joystick Emulator. It is in fact a very simple joystick with four tact switches for directions and up to three tact switches for fire buttons (omit any not used by your system).

This can be plugged directly into the 9 way D Atari / Commodore style joystick port of a machine under test to give a quick indication if the joystick port works. An LED shows if there is power to the connector.

I made this to test the USB keyboard and USB joystick adapters I make, and also for quickly testing the joystick ports on a computer without having to use a real joystick, or where a full size joystick would be inconvenient. Also can be useful to check if a fault is down to the joystick port or a defective joystick. I made these for my own use, and after they appeared in some of my blog posts people have asked to buy them, so here they are.

The joystick emulator is designed for Atari / Commodore computers, but may also be suitable for many home computers and games consoles in the 1980s (excluding the Atari 7800 and the Spectrum +2 which do not follow this standard).

• 1 = Up
• 2 = Down
• 3 = Left
• 4 = Right
• 5 = Fire 3
• 6 = Fire 1
• 7 = 5V
• 8 = GND
• 9 = Fire 2

This listing is for the PCB only, and also does not include the switches, connector, resistor, LED or case. It also does not include any of the things I was testing, my bench or anything else near by.