Microsoft KB Archive/174439

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Connecting the Serial Adapter to the Joystick

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ID: Q174439

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The information in this article applies to:


 * Microsoft SideWinder Force Feedback Pro

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SUMMARY
The serial adapter you can obtain from Microsoft Technical Support may allow you to use the SideWinder Force Feedback Pro joystick with your sound card even though your current sound card is not compatible with the joystick's system requirements.

For information about obtaining a serial adapter from Microsoft, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

"Q\]\] Obtaining a Serial Adapter from Microsoft"

MORE INFORMATION
The serial adapter has a connector on each end: one end has a 9-pin connector, and the other end has a double-sided, 15-pin male/female connector.

To connect the serial adapter, use the following steps:


 * 1) With your computer turned off, connect the male end of the 15-pin connector on the serial adapter to the game port on your sound or game card.
 * 2) Plug the joystick's 15-pin game port connector into the female end of the 15-pin connector on the serial adapter.
 * 3) Plug the 9-pin connector on the serial adapter into an available 9-pin serial port on the back of your computer.
 * 4) Turn your computer on.
 * 5) Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
 * 6) Double-click Game Controllers, click the SideWinder Force Feedback Pro to select it, and then click Properties.
 * 7) Use the Test tab to test the joystick's controls, and use the Test Forces tab to test the joystick's force feedback effects.

NOTES:

 This adapter is for use only with SideWinder game devices and will not work with other MIDI devices. To use the serial adapter with the SideWinder game pad in pass-through mode, you must connect the devices in the following order:

 Connect the male end of the 15-pin connector on the serial adapter to the game port on your sound or game card. Plug the 15-pin connector on the game pad into the female end of the 15-pin connector on the serial adapter. Plug the 9-pin connector on the serial adapter into an available 9- pin serial port on the back of your computer. Plug the SideWinder Force Feedback Pro into the back of the game pad. 

If you connect the serial adapter and you still can't feel force feedback effects, you may be experiencing a hardware conflict. Try the following steps to troubleshoot the problem:


 * 1) Plug the 9-pin connector on the serial adapter into another of the available 9-pin serial ports on the back of your computer. Test to see if the joystick works when plugged into a different serial port.
 * 2) Use the Windows Control Panel to check your communications port settings.

To check your communications port settings in the Windows Control Panel, do the following:


 * 1) Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
 * 2) Double-click System.
 * 3) On the Device Manager tab, make sure View Devices By Type is selected.
 * 4) Double-click Ports (COM and LPT) to expand the list.
 * 5) Double-click the communications port to which you connected the serial adapter (usually this will be COM1 or COM2).
 * 6) On the Resources tab, make sure that the Conflicting device list reads "No conflicts." and note the Interrupt Request and Input/Output settings under Resource Settings.
 * 7) See your computer documentation for information about how to verify the settings for COM1 and COM2 in the computer's BIOS, and make sure that these settings match the settings you noted in step 6.
 * 8) If the settings match and the joystick still doesn't work on either COM1 or COM2, you may not have an available resource. If this is the case, you may need to reconfigure your internal hardware. Consult your computer manufacturer for more information.

Additional query words: side winder joy stick game device forcefeedback feed back

Keywords : kbhw

Version : WINDOWS:

Platform : WINDOWS

Issue type : kbhowto kbinfo

Technology :