Over the past few years the device I received most requests for is a version of the ElkSD64 with a
joystick port, and that has become a reality with the ElkSD128.
But the ElkSD128 is more than a 64 with a joystick port.
Sideways memory has been increased from 32K to 128K - although as on
the ElkSD64, one 16K bank is used by the MMFS SD card filesystem. The SD
card interface hardware is lifted directly from the ElkSD-Plus 1 rev 2,
achieving speeds up to 4x faster reads and 3x faster writes than the
ElkSD64.
The joystick port is a 9-pin digital Atari/Commodore type designed to
work with most 80s/90s era joysticks (or modern reproductions). Any
joystick that works with the C64, Amstrad, Amiga, ST, etc, should work
fine. Game pads are not supported, although simple ones may work.
Paddles and other analogue controllers won't function as the interface
is strictly digital.
There is no dominant standard for Electron joystick interfaces.
Acorn's Plus 1 interface is the official interface for joysticks, but it
used analogue sticks and wasn't well supported.
To ensure best compatibility the ElkSD128 emulates the Plus 1
joystick port, as well as the third-party First Byte and Slogger interfaces.
Also,
it features a keyboard emulation system for games without any joystick
support. Combined, these permit joystick use in around 60-70% of
Electron games.
The ElkSD128 is available to buy via Tindie. Click the logo to view the product page.
