Twitchy joystick
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Thread: Twitchy joystick

  1. #1

    Twitchy joystick

    My Thrustmaster 16000m FCS is making it real hard for me to stay on the tail of an enemy. I have tried different USB ports, adjusting the null and sensitivity. Recalibrating.
    I move the ailerons just slightly and it takes me too far one way or the other then when I go back to get on target, it takes me too far the other way. As a result I only get a short bursts as I pass by the enemy. This is the second Thrustmaster for me. They both will not hold center. At the center point of the stick they both put me in a slight dive. Have to use trim to hold level for long flight or hold a slight up pdressure on the stick.I got rid of the first one because of that and a button quit working as well. I tried the Logitech 3D but the spring was too stiff and base was not heavy enough to stay in place during combat. Maybe I am a joystick wrencher.
    Any tips?

  2. #2

    Lightbulb

    Have you downloaded the T.A.R.G.E.T. software (free on Thustmaster's website) for the calibration of this stick or are you using the Windows based generic joystick calibration? This can make a huge difference in stick performance/calibration.

    Null zone should only be set to the minimum that will negate stick input from just wiggling it in the neutral position. If you were to set it at say halfway nothing would happen until the stick reaches the halfway point of travel then the surfaces would snap to halfway position immediately.

    Sensitivity setting sets up the speed to which control surfaces (ailerons, elevators) move to the stick position. I found that 85-90% sensitivity on the slider moves the surfaces in real time with stick travel without being overly sensitive.

    Stick wrenching is a problem that has to be overcome with practice and learning. We all did it at first and some sim pilots never get past it. If you yanked the stick in real world fighters the way most of us did while learning to fly sims you'd lose control of it or rip the wings off. New age fly-by-wire jet fighters use computers to negate over control inputs from pilots. But we're prop jockeys! No degree in electronics is need to fly our birds LOL. Think of it like driving. You can fully turn the wheel at 90 MPH but what would happen? Fortunately, as sim pilots we have the convenience of the "Fly Again" button. Unfortunately, stick yanking is exactly what ruins joysticks whether they're cheap or expensive.

    Fighters are responsive. But that responsiveness comes at a price. The most maneuverable fighters are sometimes the most unstable. The Fokker DR-1 tri wing is a classic real world example. Let go of the stick of that plane and it would flip over on you before you knew it. A calm hand and a cool head is all that is needed to get fighters to do what you want. Mustang pilots used to say that to get the Mustang to roll right all you had to do was roll your eyes in that direction.

  3. #3
    Thanks Col. Wolf. I have not downloaded the T.A.R.G.E.T. software. I saw some videos on it but thought it was for the "space" jockeys. I'll give it a try.I must have lost my touch. I used to have no problems at all, especially with my MS joystick. Your solution may solve my problem. I'll update my post when I give it a try.

  4. #4
    I had a feeling that software was the issue. I know you've been flying sims long enough that stick wrenching was probably no longer an issue for you. I only added that info as a last resort fix and for any new sim pilots that may read this post.

    Good luck with the software!

  5. #5
    Another factor to consider is that the trims seem to work better when assigned to the joystick rather than the keyboard. For all of the joysticks that I have tried, you can adjust the elevator trim on the keyboard, but the instant you move the joystick those trim settings are lost. The same function assigned to a joystick button seems to remain. If you keep losing the elevator trim it can often exaggerate the lack of control in other directions - roll etc. Hall effect units can also be temperamental and will often cause control surface movement if the entire joystick assembly is moved. This happens often with radio controlled aircraft if a transmitter is moved, the Hall effect sensors will often behave as if the control sticks are being moved. Hall effect units can also be sensitive to temperature and humidity which can make them drift.

  6. #6
    Rwills,

    I have my trim controls (aileron, elevator and rudder) set up on 3 two way rocker switches that emulate keyboard clicks in my simpit. Once set, they never change when the joystick is moved. It's possible that if you leave the joystick and keyboard commands for trim active simultaneously they may negate each other. I have disabled/deleted any trim control commands except for the switches and all works well.

    As far as the hall sensor activating with movement of the joystick assembly, securing the base should eliminate any issues. Again, since my set up is a complete climb-in sit-down cockpit the joystick base is mounted (screwed down) on a short pedestal with a stick extension to make the stick a realistic height. It does make sense though, that if the base gets tilted slightly with exaggerated movement it would do strange things to the hall sensors.

  7. #7
    Col Wolf-- Good info. Thanks. Life has interrupted my flyng again, but Iwill get back to it soon.

    Thanks for the information.

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