6 replies to this topic

[Metal Jesus]

I recently got a box of random games donated to my Man Cave, and at the bottom were these two cables... Can you tell me what they are for? I think the one at the top is for using a Atari 2600 controller on a 5200... but the bottom cable with the weird end... I have no idea.

Thanks for the help!

[Rex Dart]

Looks like a joystick extender cord for one of those stupid computers that had you plug the stick directly into some pin holes on the mobo. Early Apples used that I think, dunno what else exactly.

[DanBoris]

Metal Jesus, on Mon Oct 10, 2011 5:14 PM, said:

I recently got a box of random games donated to my Man Cave, and at the bottom were these two cables... Can you tell me what they are for? I think the one at the top is for using a Atari 2600 controller on a 5200... but the bottom cable with the weird end... I have no idea.

Thanks for the help!

The top one has the wrong type of connector for connecting a 2600 joystick, it would need to be a 9-pin male instead of a 9-pin female. In theory this could be used to connect a 5200 controller to a 2600 console, but I am not sure why anyone would want to do that.

The connector on the bottom one is right for an Apple II controller, but again the other connector is the wrong polarity for connecting a 2600 stick.

[Hatta]

DanBoris, on Tue Oct 11, 2011 3:09 PM, said:

The connector on the bottom one is right for an Apple II controller, but again the other connector is the wrong polarity for connecting a 2600 stick.

It's the right gender to attach Apple IIc/IIe sticks though. Check out the connector on these Apple paddles.




Not sure about the other one. Maybe it connects to a PC game port?

[DanBoris]

Hatta, on Thu Oct 13, 2011 9:19 AM, said:

DanBoris, on Tue Oct 11, 2011 3:09 PM, said:

The connector on the bottom one is right for an Apple II controller, but again the other connector is the wrong polarity for connecting a 2600 stick.

It's the right gender to attach Apple IIc/IIe sticks though. Check out the connector on these Apple paddles.




Not sure about the other one. Maybe it connects to a PC game port?

Ah, ok. Yes, the top one might be a for a PC game port, it's the right type of connector. I am guessing the bottom one is for connecting the Apple IIc style controllers to the older Apple II controller port.

Dan

[FujiSkunk]

Some third-party analog sticks were made to be compatible with both IBM and Apple II machines, so the top cable may be an adapter from one of those controllers.

The bottom cable has already been identified, but to give a little more information, the original Apple II, and maybe the Apple II+ as well, did not have an external game controller port, and so the cable was necessary to provide one. The Apple IIe has an external game port, but also retains the internal port on its motherboard as well. The Apple IIc has only the external port, making the cable unnecessary.

AtariSoft manufactured their own version of the cable with a male 9-pin plug instead female, allowing Atari- and Commodore-compatible controllers to be connected to an Apple. This cable was bundled with AtariSoft's Track and Field along with the 3-button T&F controller, allowing the company to release the same controller for all systems that received a T&F port. I've thought before that it would be good to hack other Apple II games to use an Atari joystick instead, but I don't know enough machine language to give it a go.

[Metal Jesus]

Awesome! Thanks for the help.

I'm a bit surprised at these answers because these cables were at the bottom of a box that had Sega Master System & PS1 games in it! Too weird. Thanks again!