VOGONS


First post, by Pathfinder

User metadata
Rank Newbie
Rank
Newbie

Does anyone have a scan of the setup manual for the Gravis Firebird 2? I am confused about the Y-splitter for the keyboard functions. I know the PS/2 Male goes into the PS/2 Keyboard slot, but does the 5-pin Male go into the 5-pin female in order to bridge the connection to the PS/2 female port? Or does it need to remain unplugged?

Reply 1 of 8, by Zup

User metadata
Rank Oldbie
Rank
Oldbie

I have a Gravis Phoenix, I guess the connection should be the same.

The joystick is connected directly to the computer and the keyboard is then connected to the joystick. The adaptor is provided (and needed) to connect either the joystick to the computer or your keyboard to the joystick.

I don't know if the keyboard functions will work without having a keyboard.

I have traveled across the universe and through the years to find Her.
Sometimes going all the way is just a start...

I'm selling some stuff!

Reply 2 of 8, by NamelessPlayer

User metadata
Rank Member
Rank
Member

It's clear to me that it's a passthrough for a PS/2 keyboard so that you're not left unable to type anything when you plug your keyboard in.

This might be easy to forget in an age of USB keyboards.

Last edited by NamelessPlayer on 2014-02-28, 05:44. Edited 1 time in total.

Reply 3 of 8, by Pathfinder

User metadata
Rank Newbie
Rank
Newbie

It turns out that you do NOT want to connect the 4 pin Male to the 4 pin female connector on the Gravis Firebird 2's Y-Cable. If you do that, the joysticks software program will not recognize the joystick at all and you will not be able to program the PS/2 half of the joystick. I found it in the user manual (which I should have read more closely) and by experimentation. These efforts are part of a bigger project to get my Firebird 2 working with Windows 7 / 8 so I can play Star Citizen's Alpha dogfight module 😁

Reply 7 of 8, by Stiletto

User metadata
Rank l33t++
Rank
l33t++
Shores wrote on 2021-11-17, 09:38:

Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but the link is broken... Does anyone have access to the Firebird 2 manuals?

Thanks!

Internet archive to the rescue WRT the broken link: https://web.archive.org/web/20140908160804/ht … rehab/firebird2

However, it does not look like they had the official manual(s) either - just their write-up.
They did however have a link to the DOS software, which is still live: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByygDcuGFHYP … Ep1N01OOG8/edit
Contains the manual, control software, driver, tester, etc. - I will copy it to VOGONSDrivers.

Actual PDF didn't come up on a quick search. There's an eBay auction going for the Blackhawk and Firebird 2 Quick Install manuals plus the Gravis Game CD (which contains the full manual(s) and software), but the shipping looks unreasonable.

This should be the CD: https://archive.org/details/graviscd-1997

[EDIT] Here's the manual PDF, directly off the CD: https://ia801705.us.archive.org/view_archive. … %2FFIREBRD2.PDF
"Quick Install" manual remains missing, but now is not needed.

"I see a little silhouette-o of a man, Scaramouche, Scaramouche, will you
do the Fandango!" - Queen

Stiletto