Joysticks & controllers
Joysticks and game controllers, Kempston, and joystick interfaces.
25 threads · 211 messages · 2003-02-19 → 2026-10-05
The core technical fact was settled on the Yahoo list in 2010. MISTER BEEP noticed that, unlike the TC2048's built-in Kempston port, the TS2068's two 9-pin joystick ports are not Kempston. Fred explained they use a Timex-specific scheme read through the AY sound chip, so Spectrum games need hacked versions or a Twister board plus a Kempston interface. Darrell S posted the full pinout: pins 1-4 for directions, pin 6 for fire, pin 7 +5V, pin 8 read strobe, pin 9 ground, all active-low. Other Yahoo threads covered the TS2090 Command Stick and joystick interface. In 2012 Rod H asked whether the TS2090 was the "holy grail" of Timex hardware. Jack Boatwright ranked the TS1510 cartridge player higher, and Al Hartman noted that Zebra sold the sticks to the end and that the TS2090 adapter is essentially a Timex Portugal-branded Kempston interface. As early as 2003, Alvin Albrecht and Jarek Adamski (Yarek) were sketching how a PC mouse could be wired to the 2068 joystick connector or turned into Kempston-mouse port data.
In the groups.io era the practical answers became "any Atari 2600-style stick works." Carl Miles mapped the Atari and Timex pinouts, and Adam Trionfo confirmed that his Edladdin Atari 7800 controller and a Hyperkin Trooper work safely. Adam also told Stano Hrda that the 2068 cannot use paddles, and that a Spectrum port like his Montezuma's Revenge cartridge may simply not support the 2068 port. Kevin Steinhaus translated a Portuguese joystick tester that checks both TS2068 ports and Kempston. Carl debugged a "LEFT always pressed" fault on Adam's machine with a short STICK test program (after Adam caught a typo in it). On the Spectrum-compatibility side, David Anderson added built-in Kempston to the Twister board, Kevin wired Kempston onto an RGB-to-HDMI adapter, and David pointed out that ZX-VGA-JOY needs a Twister and only handles Spectrum video, recommending Jeff Burrell's PicoVideo instead. Collectors tracked Command Sticks on eBay and Etsy; one sold for $81 in 2022 and another listed at $100 in 2025.
Related threads covered ZX81/TS1000 joysticks: Zebra's adaptor, competing port standards (per Claudius), ZXpand+ key mapping, and Larry Lorenson's GAL-based programmable JOY81, which Carl integrated into his TS1068 board. In 2024 Bruno Florindo revived the mouse question, and in 2026 Jon's ZXDesk port prompted talk of a Commodore 1351 adapter (usable only in joystick mode) and Wico trackballs. Several threads only drifted into joysticks: zxbruno's 2009 Zebra Graphics Designer preservation dispute (which included a Polish article on importing Quickshot joysticks), a serial-card thread asking whether the AY joystick ports could do bit-banged serial (no: they are input-only behind diodes), the Multi-Draw manual and PD-catalog threads, Zoom meeting topic lists, the ABQ user-group meeting report, and the BackBit thread where Ryan Gray mapped a Genesis pad to keys in FUSE for Q*Bert.
Key threads
- TS2068 JOYSTICK ports? (#1806 on groups.io) — Establishes that the TS2068 ports are AY-based rather than Kempston, and gives the full pinout.
- TS2090 joystick on ebay (#1690 on groups.io) — How rare the TS2090 is, and Al Hartman's note that its adapter is a rebadged Kempston.
- Hello (#2316 on groups.io) — 2003 discussion of wiring a mouse to the 2068 joystick connector.
- The Timex 1000 isn't a 2068 (#752 on groups.io) — Atari/Timex pinout comparison confirming Atari 7800 controllers are safe on the 2068.
- TS2068 Joystick Compatibility (#1392 on groups.io) — Atari 2600 sticks work, paddles do not, and Spectrum ports may ignore the 2068 port.
- ABQ User Group Meeting - Sat. Feb. 1, 2025 (#422 on groups.io) — Hands-on joystick-port troubleshooting with a STICK test program.
- T/S 2068 PD Software Catalog? (#1448 on groups.io) — Ends with a translated joystick tester covering both TS2068 ports and Kempston.
- TS2068 Serial Port Cards - Busted (#973 on groups.io) — Explains why the AY-based joystick ports are input-only.
- ZX81 Joystick Plans? (#1099 on groups.io) — Overview of ZX81/TS1000 joystick standards and add-ons.
- programmable joystick (#331 on groups.io) — The GAL-based programmable JOY81, now built into Carl's TS1068 board.
- 2068 mouse was ZXDesk 2068 port (#8 on groups.io) — Latest discussion of mouse and trackball options through the joystick port.
All threads (25)
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