Re: Purpose of extra wire on a TG external joystick connector ?

[Rubywand <rubywand@swbell.net>]

Obsbedia2 writes ...
> 
> I have a TG external joystick connector for the Apple II.  It has 5
> motherboard-type female connectors for 16 pin male gameport connectors.
> I'd like to install it, but it has an extra single wire connector that
> I don't know what to do with.  Maybe the extra wire is only for the II+?
 ....

     Could be. An 'extra wire' on such a joystick port extender might be part
of a way to add the famous 'Shift key modification'. Or, if the extra wire is
a fairly thin, solid-wire lead, it may be intended to go to a socket for
configuring the other sockets.

     There were a number of joystick port extenders available by the mid
1980's. Lots of II and II+ users were interested in having a way to plug in a
joystick, paddles, Koala pad, ... without having to remove the computer lid
(which usually means moving the monitor first).  At the same time, a few
popular two-joystick games made extenders/adaptors interesting to all II
users.

     TG was one of the original Apple II joystick makers. Their stuff tended
to be fairly rugged with a distinct 'garage shop' look (i.e. lacking the
pizzazy styling of products from companies like Kraft, Wico, and CH). This
leads me to suspect that at least one or two of the five 16-pin sockets on
your TG port extender may be for jumper wires to configure the other sockets.

     You could use an Ohmmeter to check where lines from the motherboard plug
go-- a sewing needle makes a good probe for socket contacts. If one or two
sockets are for jumpers, they will probably be closest to the cable and allow
for routing the X, Y, and button lines to the other sockets. Another
possibility is that you have five sockets to allow a choice of various X/Y
and button setups for one or two joysticks.



Rubywand