CLIP-ON JOYSTICK HELPS TO ZAP THE ALIENS

An original joystick from Grant Designs Ltd, the Spectrum-Stick, clips on to the Spectrum keyboard above the cursor keys 5, 6, 7, and 8 and presses them mechanically in response to the movement of the joystick.

Inside the Spectrum-Stick are two frames which move independently up/down and left/right. To them are attached ramps which push down little feet on to the relevant keys. Despite its ingenious design there are two things to bear in mind. First, the joystick will work only on games which can be configured to use the cursor keys and, second, being made entirely of plastic, it is not so strong as some other joysticks.

Priced at only £9.95, it is far cheaper than anything else on the market and, provided it is used with restraint, will help zap many an alien.

Grant Design, Bank House, Reepham Norwich, Norfolk NR10 AJJ. Tel: 0603 870852.

PRICE: £9.95
SUPPLIER: Grant Design

Useful gadgets for the Spectrum are clip-on mechanical sticks for games using cursor-key control. EEC's stick is sturdy and has a nice large handle. This is quite stiff in the base and would suit players who appreciate some resistance.

Grant Design's stick is smaller and has a looser feel; less pressure is required to produce movement.

CURSE THE CURSORS

So many games now use the cursor keys 5-6-7-8 for directional control that anything to make life easier is a welcome addition to the game player's equipment. In our last issue we took a look at joystick controllers, and we will be looking more closely at the joysticks themselves in a future issue. In the meantime, here are two neat attachments which will take some of the sting out of the cursor curse.

The serious problem with cursor keys for playing is that they are just not ergonomic. It is quite natural for the brain to interpret direction quite physically - in other words, for up and down control to be in that configuration, and left and right similarly.

This is why key positions like Q/A and N/M are sensible. Q/A and Z/X are not so good because the two sets of keys, one for each hand, are too close. Directional keys that come in a straight line are poor in comparison because in the heat of play, the brain can become confused as to which set is which. Now if, on top of that, you add the factor of the peculiar layout of Spectrum cursor keys, which is left-down - up-right, you can see that you have what might be called split hand control.

A fairly new idea has been to develop joysticks which simply clip over the top of the Spectrum keyboard and mechanically depress the cursor keys. The movement is transmitted by means of levers activated by a joystick. This means the joystick can be moved left to create left movement, right for right movement, and so on, just as you would if you used a programmed joystick.

The obvious advantage t o this system is its cost. There are no electronics involved, no wires, no edge connectors and no hardware programming. The obvious disadvantage is that the joystick will only control the cursor keys, and by no means all games on the market opt for them. Nevertheless, a great many games do, or have user definable keys, or make provision increasingly for cursor type joysticks. Obviously if a game does offer user-definable keys, then its no problem at all to set up for a clip-over joystick.

E.E.C. Ltd. have brought out such a clip-on cursor joystick called Spectrum Mechanical Joystick. This comes as a one-piece clip-over unit which press fits over the shoulder of the Spectrum. Slightly off-centre (to take into account the position of the cursors) is the raised box containing the levers. From this rises the joystick itself. Below the box surface the joystick, which can rock in all directions, is fixed to a shaped cam which in turn activates the four levers.

A disadvantage of this system is that the pressure on the key pads is uneven, so that in play it requires different pressures for different directions, and the transmission of pressure seems quite uneven when it is used for 8-directional control. Overall the construction is strong - almost too strong, which means you have to hold the unit in place when playing fast and furious games. Its main advantage is that it clips on quite quickly and without any fuss.

Another contender for the clip-on cursor joystick is the Spectrum-Stick from Grant Design Ltd. This one comes in three pieces, and so packs into an amazingly small box for posting. The central unit is a closed box a mere three inches by one and three-quarters and an inch high. Two Z-shaped arms are attached to this by means of white plastic bolts. The advantage of this system is that the bolts can be well tightened onto the shoulder of the Spectrum, and when in place the unit has no tendency to slide or wobble in play. A useful touch is that the hidden cursor key symbols are all reproduced on top of the unit so that you can still use them.

The joystick itself is extremely positive in action - in fact so much so that I'm sure it's the best "feel" joystick I've used, and compares on equal terms with any of the more famous names. It reproduces 8-directional movement with perfect accuracy, and is so light to handle that there is no risk of computer movement or even of joystick damage through over-ardent playing!

These clip-on cursor joysticks are a worthwhile investment, I think, even if you have another type (unless of course it's already a cursor interface joystick). And both makes mentioned here, do leave the rest of the keys free for use. Of course you don't get a fire button with them, but then, quite a lot of fast games use two or even three effects keys and you can't cope with that on any joystick at the moment. So, from now on, its not only plug in and turn on but also clip on.

The Spectrum Mechanical Joystick: is priced at £9.95 (incl. p+p) from E.E.C. Ltd., 1 Whitehouse Close, Chalfont St. Peter, Bucks SL9 0DA.

The Spectrum-Stick is priced at £9.95 (incl. p+p) from Grant Design Ltd. Bank House, Repham, Norwich, Norfolk NR10 4JJ.

Both joysticks should be available from good computer retail outlets.

HARDWARE WORLD

With ever-increasing amounts of peripherals available for Sinclair computers, users are finding it more and more difficult to know what to buy. We present a buyer's guide to joysticks, keyboard and printers and review the best of the rest from the 1984 add-on market.

Joysticks are a popular addition to the Spectrum and many people find it essential for zapping aliens or flying a simulator. In the last year there have been a number of interfaces and joysticks launched, some with more success than others.

Nearly all joysticks have accepted a common standard, that of Atari which was the first company to add joysticks to a computer. The style of the joysticks may vary but the connection to the interface remains the same.

To use a joystick some form of interface is needed. One, or more, of three standards are normally used. 'Cursor', sometimes known as 'Protek', simulates the four cursor keys for the directions with 0 as fire, 'Sinclair' allows for up to two joysticks and simulates keys 1 to 5 and 6 to 0 respectively and 'Kempston' which does not simulate any of the keys but uses a port address. The most common of those is the Kempston but it is by no means universal.

To overcome that a programmable interface can be used which allows you to use any key for any direction or fire. The method of programming varies, some need a tape to be LOADed, while others require you to press a key and then to move the joystick in the direction which that key will simulate; some have physical connections which must be made to signify the key and others simply use a stored memory of which keys are to be used.

GRANT DESIGNS & EEC

Two designs combine the interface and joystick in one. The Grant Designs Spectrum Stick and a similar one from EEC clip to the Spectrum keyboard over the cursor keys and use a mechanical system to press the keys.

Inside the Spectrum Stick there are two frames which move independently up and down, and left and right; to those are attached ramps which push little feet onto the relevant keys.

The EEC joystick is more substantial. The casing is a one-piece moulding which fits snugly onto the Spectrum case. Inside that the stick is securely joined to a shaped plate which presses on one or more levers which in turn depress the key.

Both are priced at £9.95 and are far cheaper than anything else on the market. Provided they are used with restraint they are better than nothing.

RAM TURBO INTERFACE

The RAM Turbo interface from Fleet Electronics is what the Sinclair Interface 2 should have been and was not. As well as having two joystick ports, it has a ROM cartridge slot. Moreover, one of the joystick ports can be used for Kempston compatible games and the other can be used as a Protek compatible port.

It is similar in size to the Interface 2 but the rear connector is full Spectrum-size as opposed to the Interface 2 ZX-81 size. The area surrounding the joystick port is large enough to take a standard joystick connector. Users who have either built their own joystick or use the Flight Link joystick will have found problems with Interface 2 as the left-hand, most commonly used, port is too near the raised ROM slot.

In order to prevent users fitting the interface with the power on (the surest way to blow up your Spectrum) it incorporates a 'Spectrum Protect Adapter', a loop of plastic which covers the power socket on the Spectrum so that the lead must be removed before fitting.

If you are considering the Interface 2 then think again; the RAM Turbo interface is better designed and better value for money, costing £22.95.

PROTEK INTERFACE

The new switchable interface from Protek can be configured for all three of the standards by using a switch on the back. The interface is dead-ended, so it must be the last add-on fitted. As with the Turbo interface, it is liable to crash if used with a twin fire button joystick. Its main drawback is that in the Protek position the top row of keys is disabled, while in the Sinclair position only the 6,7,8,9 and 0 keys are disabled, which could make some games difficult to play. The switch would have to be moved, the key pressed, and the switch returned to its original position.

Despite the above problems, which should not affect most users, the interface is easy to use and covers most games on the market. It is priced at £19.95.

ELR INTERFACE

The programmable interface from East London Robotics for the Spectrum has the distinction of being the cheapest on the market at only £10.00, if bought together with a Trickstick.

The interface, as ELR would be the first to admit, was designed to be 'cheap and cheerful' and it is, even to the extent of being uncased. In order to program it small metal clips are used to connect pins which represent the various rows and columns of the keys on the keyboard. That is fiddly and time consuming if you need to reprogram it, but has the advantage that once programmed it is usable from power up. If the interface is purchased separately its price is £15.00.

COMCON INTERFACE

Frel Ltd market the ComCon programmable interface. Any key on the keyboard can be programmed and there is provision for two fire buttons. To match the interface Frel also markets two compatible joysticks.

The interface is of simple design and to program it you have to plug the relevant lead into the pin you want. That can be done with a program running and the keyboard is not disabled. Any joystick with a standard plug can be used and if that has only one fire button then the F1 lead is used. To allow for other add-ons there is an extender card which rises vertically from the front of the board.

The two joysticks which Frel markets are the Flightlink and the Quickshot II which has been adapted to have the independent fire buttons, F1 on the trigger and F2 on top.

At £19.95 the interface is one of the least expensive and the ease of programming should ensure steady sales. The two joysticks are £10.50 for the Flightlink and £13.95 for the Quickshot, both less £2.00 if ordered with the interface.

CCI INTERFACE

The interface from Custom Cable International needs a software tape to program it. It can accept any standard joystick; there is no extender card, so it must be the last add-on plugged in.

Programming the interface is straightforward. In all, only 10 keypresses are needed plus two to confirm everything is order. The program is written entirely in BASIC which makes it very easy to customise.

This is a good interface and competitively priced at £15.00, but it could have been even better if the instructions had been more detailed.

PAGE & RAINBOW

The Page and Rainbow interfaces are of the kind where you must push a key, move the joystick, release the joystick again for the four positions plus fire, again for the diagonals, again for the diagonals plus fire and finally the fire button on its own. All of that can be done with the game running as the keyboard can still be used. Some people will find that time consuming and fiddly.

The one really useful feature of the Page interface is a rapid fire switch. When that is in the up position it simulates the fire button being held down, very handy for the 'zap everything in sight' type of game. The Rainbow interface includes a beep amplifier.

With the Rainbow interface at £24.00 and the Page one at £26.00, they deserve consideration provided you do not mind the time and hassle of programming them.

FOX ELECTRONICS

The programmable interface from Fox Electronics, on the other hand, is probably the easiest of all to program. You only have to flick a switch once you have told it which keys to use.

When the switch is up a menu is displayed on the screen. You have the option of creating a new key set, from any of the forty keys or selecting, with a single keystroke, one of the sixteen sets already created. Pressing the E key exits to Basic to load the game and programs the joystick. If necessary the key sets can be saved on tape. Leaving the switch down enables the Spectrum to ignore interface.

Inside the interface is a RAM chip and a small ni-cad battery, and on power down it retains the information in its memory for a minimum of six months.

When switched on the interface pages the Spectrum ROM and jumps to the program held in its RAM. The program then transfers itself into the Spectrum RAM, pages the ROM back in and puts the menu on the screen. On pressing the E key the program transfers itself back into its own RAM, sets up the joystick and clears the Spectrum memory. Any new key sets created are therefore saved in the process.

All that sounds clever but it also has two beneficial side-effects. When the switch is down, the interface causes a hardware reset; in other words, if you have a game running you can jump out of it without pulling the plug - a saving on plug wear.

Secondly, details are available from Fox for a machine code programmer to adapt the interface as a pseudo ROM. Often used routines such as toolkits, printer driver programs or complete character sets could then be loaded at the flick of a switch. At £28.95 the interface is excellent value.

TRICKSTICK

One of the more unusual joystick devices launched in 1984 was the long awaited Trickstick from East London Robotics. In fact, to describe it as a joystick is misleading. It is a 7in long black cylinder with six touch sensitive pads which simulate the four joystick movements, plus two fire buttons.

The Trickstick comes with an interface, up to eight of which can be plugged in at any one time, and has the option to give proportional movement on specially written games. It simulates the Kempston joystick so there are many games available on which it can be used.

The touch pads use your body as an aerial to pick up mains hum. That is converted by the electronics to simulate the key press. As some people are better aerials than others the sensitivity of the stick can be altered by a small screw near the top. A minor fault is that the lead from the interface to the stick fouls the power lead.

It takes some getting used to unlike a joystick, but once mastered is just as useful. As it has no moving parts it should stand up to wear and tear and it is quicker than most others. It costs £34.50.

Nineteen eighty-four has been a quiet year for standard joysticks with only two given much publicity.

DELTA 3S

The Delta 38 from Voltmace has two independent fire buttons, one of which is doubled up for left or right handed players, and rotary switches are used on it. Those switches give it a light action and it can be comfortably held in the hand. At £10.00 the joystick is good value, its solid construction should ensure long life.

SUPER CHAMP

The Super Champ, currently marketed by Dean Electronics, is unusual in that the cable is held in the base. For use the cable is pulled out and, when you have finished, rotating the stick winds the cable inside.

The stick is very long and thin and has two fire buttons, one on top and one in the trigger position; those both operate the same switch. The base is, as expected, larger than usual and has four rubber suckers underneath.

Because the stick rotates there has to be a certain amount of play in the pivot. That makes precise control difficult unless you hold down the centre. Despite that the joystick works tolerably and the convenience of not having the wire lying around almost makes up for it. The Super Champ is priced at £12.95.

RAT

Finally, if the advertising is to be believed, the age of conventional joysticks is past and the future belongs to the RAT and its offspring. The RAT (Remote Action Transmitter) operates in a similar fashion to TV remote control handsets; you simply wave it in the general direction of the screen and press the touch-sensitive movement and fire buttons.

It is sold with a receiving unit that connects to the Spectrum and is compatible with most popular Spectrum software. The RAT is powered by a normal PP3 battery which fits into the underbelly of the handset.

The first of its kind, the RAT suffers minor teething problems and can cause excessive handache but, like the Trickstick, you will soon grow fond of it. The price is £29.95 from Cheetah Marketing and high street stores.

Grant Designs, Bank House, Reepham, Norwich, Norfolk NR10 4JJ. Tel: (0603) 870852.

EEC, 1 Whitehouse Close, Chalfont St Peter, Buckinghamshire SL9 0DA.

RAM Electronics (Fleet) Ltd, 106 Fleet Road, Fleet, Hampshire GU13 8PA.

Protek, 1A Young Square, Brucefield Industrial Park, Livingston, West Lothian, Scotland.

East London Robotics Ltd, Gate 1, Royal Albert Docks, London E11. Tel: (01) 474 4430.

Frel Ltd, Hockeys Mill, Temeside, Ludlow, Shropshire SY8 1PD.

Custom Cables International Ltd, Units 3 & 4, Shire Hill Industrial Estate, Saffron Walden. Essex.

Page Computing, 28 Burwood Grove, Hayling Island, Hampshire PO11 9DS.

Rainbow Electronics, Glebe House, South Leigh, Witney, Oxfordshire OX8 6XJ.

Fox Electronics, 141 Abbey Road, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 9ED. Tel: (0256) 20671.

Voltmace Ltd, Park Drive, Baldock, Hampshire S67 6ES.

Dean Electronics Ltd, Glendale Park, Fernbank Road, Ascot, Berkshire SL5 8JB.

Cheetah Marketing Ltd, 24 Ray Street, London EC1R 3DJ. Tel: (01) 833 4909.

BATTLEFIELD JOYSTICK

Joysticks are your most immediate connection with any game you play - the man-machine interface. The melting joystick makes a nice image for an advertiser who's suggesting that his games can beat anything, but do joysticks in real life really stand up to the beating they receive, are they tough enough for the job, do they move well, are the handles right, will the buttons fire?

The CRASH reviewing team settled down for a weekend of joystick bashing on several types and makes, and here we look at the results...

There are now many makes of joystick available, and almost as many types as there are makes. Each boasts design innovations so that it is better than all the others - and they come in a range of prices too. We all know that joysticks on arcade machines take a battering, so too do those at home. Do they stand up? We tested 19 joysticks from well known manufacturers to see how they all compared.

A joystick must be able to withstand games that require fast and repeated movement, so what better than Ocean's Daley Thompson's Decathlon? We used the Commodore version of the game because it is more violent than the Spectrum! But it isn't only toughness; joysticks must also be capable of fine and positive movement, comfortable to use with sensible fire buttons. Several arcade skill games were used to test four major points for both the stick action and the fire button action.

TRAVEL means the maximum movement between opposite poles (e.g. up/down) on the stick, and how far the fire button had to be depressed. On stick action over 1.5 inches was considered to be very long. Oddly, some of the short sticks had longer to travel than the taller sticks.

ACTION FORCE means the amount of hand or finger pressure required to keep the stick pressed over or the fire button down.

REACTION SPEED indicates how fast contact is made, how quickly the action affects the game, and how well rapid movements can be made (especially rapid fire buttons).

RESPONSE/FEEDBACK indicates how positive the stick or fire action feels and whether there is any physical or audible feedback to tell the player that contact has been made.

ERGONOMICS how useful is the stick for hand held playing, and how well does it operate on a table top. Is the stick well designed for comfort, ease of fire action and general stability.

After preliminary testing, the joysticks all went through ten minutes of the Decathlon to see how long they were likely to stand up to use. During this test, some joysticks broke.

Finally, all the sticks have 9 pin D connectors and are Atari compatible on the pin outs. They all need an interface of one sort or another to work with the Spectrum (except the clip-ons). Some offer 2 independent fire actions, but these only work with either a Cambridge interface or the programmable Comcon from Frei Ltd., which was the interface used for this test.

Each joystick review is split into two halves; firstly a brief technical breakdown; secondly the review team's report.

SPECTRUM STICK

Supplier: Grant Design Ltd., Bank House, Repham, Norwich, Norfolk NR10 4JJ

Price: £9.95

Lever Action: Plastic handle suspended by lower pivot point and two upper slide plates with integrally moulded leaf spring for sell-centering. Slide plate cams activate key plungers.

Firs Action: None

Fixing: Left and right grip arms with stud and wing nuts.

Weak point: Plastic arm will wear and snap.

STICK ACTION

Travel: very long.
Action force: very light.
Reaction speed: good.
Response/feedback: no audible feedback, but feels positive.

Ergonomics: this is a cursor key clip on joystick unit which mechanically depresses the cursor keys. It operates well in 8 directions and is quickly attached to the keyboard, leaving the zero key free for fire action. The short slick moves freely and feels good. Obviously it cannot be handheld and when attached to the computer is very stable!

Life expectancy; surprisingly good, considering its light construction but not designed to withstand the onslaught of too many Decathlons.