Board index FlightGear Support Hardware

Saitek Pro Flight X55 Rhino H.O.T.A.S. support?

Joysticks, pedals, monitors.

Saitek Pro Flight X55 Rhino H.O.T.A.S. support?

Postby Titus Balls » Sun May 04, 2014 12:59 am

Hi there,

Today I've purchased a X55, mostly for Elite: Dangerous but I'd like to start using it with flight sims too.

Since I don't have a DVD player X10 was a bit out of my price range, so I have turned to Flight Gear (which I played with many years ago, but not so much in the last few years).

I'm wondering if there is Saitek Pro Flight X55 Rhino H.O.T.A.S. out the box, or if there is anyone using it who as a configuration that works? I'd like to be able to play it right away when it arrives early next week.

Particularly I'm interested in the dual throttle control, and being able to bind trims to the additional controls on the throttle
Titus Balls
 
Posts: 1
Joined: Sun May 04, 2014 12:46 am

Re: Saitek Pro Flight X55 Rhino H.O.T.A.S. support?

Postby Johan G » Sun May 04, 2014 5:16 pm

Titus Balls wrote in Sun May 04, 2014 12:59 am:I'm wondering if there is Saitek Pro Flight X55 Rhino H.O.T.A.S. out the box, or if there is anyone using it who as a configuration that works? I'd like to be able to play it right away when it arrives early next week.

It seems to too new for that, but using the joystick configuration dialogue you should be able to at least make a "skeleton" configuration with some or even most of the functionality you want. In any case there is a default configuration.

The configuration of the joystick and other controls are extremely flexible, specially if you already have that skeleton to build upon using a text editor, so I doubt you will bump into things that you can not do (though you might need some help achieving some of it).

Try the configuration dialogue when the joystick has arrived and see what you can do with that. If you want to do something more advanced (and most people seem to want that ;) ) you can have a look at some files in the data/Docs directory. I think README.Joysticks.html, README.commands and README.conditions will be helpful. I you have not currently have FlightGear installed you can have a look at those files in GIT.

EDIT: Keep in mind that both the reported name and button numbers (and hence their assignments) might change if and when you install the drivers. BTW, it would be interesting if it works or what works without the drivers.
Low-level flying — It's all fun and games till someone looses an engine. (Paraphrased from a YouTube video)
Improving the Dassault Mirage F1 (Wiki, Forum, GitLab. Work in slow progress)
Some YouTube videos
Johan G
Moderator
 
Posts: 6629
Joined: Fri Aug 06, 2010 6:33 pm
Location: Sweden
Callsign: SE-JG
IRC name: Johan_G
Version: 2020.3.4
OS: Windows 10, 64 bit

Re: Saitek Pro Flight X55 Rhino H.O.T.A.S. support?

Postby sim » Mon May 05, 2014 3:04 pm

Johan says
it would be interesting if it works or what works without the drivers.


You will need to build your own X55 stick xml file and place it in Data/input/joysticks/Saitek folder then ensure Flightgear recognises the <name>X55</name> or whatever name js-demo gives it.
Aileron Elevator Rudder and Throttle axes are easy to edit into your new xml. Other functions such as brakes, gear, mixture, prop-pitch, flaps, adjusting view etc are best allocated to buttons or axes to suit your own choice. Some choices are obvious like brake-left button will be situated on the left of your stick or be left movement of a switch.
Note the X55 has seven toggle switches which all operate fore/aft. Saitek missed the obvious! Three of those toggles having left-right movement would have been better! (Or can they be re-orientated 90 degrees?)
Saitek drivers on the CD disc supplied with their sticks are usually not required to get your new joystick working in FlightGear.
Best avoid Saitek drivers except as a last resort.
Throttles are a separate device and may need a separate xml file?
User avatar
sim
 
Posts: 1431
Joined: Tue Jun 30, 2009 3:13 pm
Location: Shropshire England
Callsign: Fly4Fun
Version: 0.9.10 up
OS: 64 Win 10 HD6450

Re: Saitek Pro Flight X55 Rhino H.O.T.A.S. support?

Postby Algernon » Tue Jun 17, 2014 3:44 pm

I've also just taken delivery of the X55 Rhino and am about to start constructing the generic XML (I will then adapt that as I have custom configs for my most popular aircraft). I guess this would be worth contributing back to the project once it's done?
Algernon
FGUK - A FlightGear community in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland
Developer: Eurofighter EF2000 - English Electric Lightning - Handley Page Victor
User avatar
Algernon
 
Posts: 507
Joined: Sun Jun 27, 2010 4:55 pm
Callsign: G-ALGY
Version: 2019.1.1
OS: Win10

Re: Saitek Pro Flight X55 Rhino H.O.T.A.S. support?

Postby sim » Tue Jun 17, 2014 10:04 pm

Yes Algernon, the X55 Rhino xml will be a useful addition too! (see 1st Topic)

http://db.tt/rfIkxQ7J
User avatar
sim
 
Posts: 1431
Joined: Tue Jun 30, 2009 3:13 pm
Location: Shropshire England
Callsign: Fly4Fun
Version: 0.9.10 up
OS: 64 Win 10 HD6450

Re: Saitek Pro Flight X55 Rhino H.O.T.A.S. support?

Postby Algernon » Tue Jun 17, 2014 11:26 pm

OK, first topic perused, and I will indeed share my generic config and hopefully get it merged. Right now, I'm doing my custom configs so that I can at least get flying with the new hardware, and get a better feel for how it could work more generically. But I'll post back any issues in this forum. I'm also going to start a new thread about hardware with more than one throttle lever.
Algernon
FGUK - A FlightGear community in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland
Developer: Eurofighter EF2000 - English Electric Lightning - Handley Page Victor
User avatar
Algernon
 
Posts: 507
Joined: Sun Jun 27, 2010 4:55 pm
Callsign: G-ALGY
Version: 2019.1.1
OS: Win10

Re: Saitek Pro Flight X55 Rhino H.O.T.A.S. support?

Postby Manx2 » Thu Apr 16, 2015 9:22 pm

Manx2
 
Posts: 2
Joined: Thu Apr 16, 2015 8:39 pm

Re: Saitek Pro Flight X55 Rhino H.O.T.A.S. support?

Postby lfmgtc59 » Thu Aug 27, 2015 2:36 pm

I am just getting back into the flight simulations after a several year hiatus (make that about 15 years). I have chosen Flightgear as my primary software and purchased the USB drive delivery system for the software. I have chosen the Saitek X55 stick / throttle combination & Combat Pedals as my hardware control component of the setup. I think I will run this on an XP system, but have a Win 7 64 bit system available.

Anyway, my questions for this forum thread are:

1. Am I correct in my understanding that the profile (stored as "pr0") created by the X55 setup software should not, or cannot be used in Flightgear, and that it will require a custom XML file to utilize the Joystick & Throttle?

2. If so, I am assuming that the XML is called from the Flightgear App and will locate, identify, and configure the X55 and pedals from within the Flightgear App ignoring the native X55 & pedal profiles, and does this include the setup of the axis for ailerons, elevator, and rudder - curves & dead space etc. that is accessed through the setup software?

3. Will each type of plane (single / multi engine, prop vs jet etc.) require a separate XML file for correct operation or may all these be successfully merged into a single XML file?

Finally, I've seen the XML files for some of this in the various forums, but am wondering is there something out there that outlines this setup or process, where each file goes to make this all work correctly.

Thank You
Lee
lfmgtc59
 
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Aug 27, 2015 2:09 pm

Re: Saitek Pro Flight X55 Rhino H.O.T.A.S. support?

Postby hamzaalloush » Thu Aug 27, 2015 3:43 pm

lfmgtc59 wrote in Thu Aug 27, 2015 2:36 pm:I think I will run this on an XP system, but have a Win 7 64 bit system available.


my experience with a Saitek X-52 saw that it was better supported under Win XP, the software itself "SST" did not run well on Windows 7. and the latest drivers dated back to 2007... but you have X-55 which is newer(i assume), so you might want to try compatibility yourself.

lfmgtc59 wrote in Thu Aug 27, 2015 2:36 pm:1. Am I correct in my understanding that the profile (stored as "pr0") created by the X55 setup software should not, or cannot be used in Flightgear, and that it will require a custom XML file to utilize the Joystick & Throttle?


pr0 files are loaded by SST (Saitek Smart Technology), you can bind buttons/axis to act as keystrokes, example you can bind Button 1 to keystroke 'g' (this will trigger landing gear), but Flight Gear will read both keystroke 'g' and whatever is assigned to Button 1 in the XML file.

input devices like joysticks usually run with a default xml if there was not a corresponding xml. currently there is no X-55 xml file shipped with Flight Gear.

lfmgtc59 wrote in Thu Aug 27, 2015 2:36 pm:2. If so, I am assuming that the XML is called from the Flightgear App and will locate, identify, and configure the X55 and pedals from within the Flightgear App ignoring the native X55 & pedal profiles, and does this include the setup of the axis for ailerons, elevator, and rudder - curves & dead space etc. that is accessed through the setup software?


yes, you can assign curves and deadzone in Flight Gear, but it is limited to applying a square function to the input curve. if there was capability to adjust curves from the joystick software you use that instead and keep the xml clean from applying any filtering to the input. but you have to use Flight Gear to assign a joystick axis to a control surface.

lfmgtc59 wrote in Thu Aug 27, 2015 2:36 pm:3. Will each type of plane (single / multi engine, prop vs jet etc.) require a separate XML file for correct operation or may all these be successfully merged into a single XML file?


yes you can, but that will involve using the (scripting?) language of Nasal, with the SST software you can do the same to do modes, but i'm afraid that will be limited, you cannot swap axis in SST, but only change keystroke binds. for example you cannot turn one of the dual throttles to a mixture lever control, but you can do that from an XML.

lfmgtc59 wrote in Thu Aug 27, 2015 2:36 pm:Finally, I've seen the XML files for some of this in the various forums, but am wondering is there something out there that outlines this setup or process, where each file goes to make this all work correctly.


http://wiki.flightgear.org/Writing_Joystick_Code:_Part_1

you can also check the Input/Joysticks file in Flight Gear directory to check for examples
hamzaalloush
 
Posts: 631
Joined: Sat Oct 26, 2013 10:31 am
OS: Windows 10

Re: Saitek Pro Flight X55 Rhino H.O.T.A.S. support?

Postby lfmgtc59 » Thu Aug 27, 2015 4:27 pm

I appreciate you taking the time to spell this out for me, it will go a long way to getting me started. I was kind of expecting a much more "out of the box" start up when I "contributed" for the software, but having done a lot of programming on CAD systems in the past, once I get a few of the basics down, I think this is going to be a really good experience. Thank You Lee
lfmgtc59
 
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Aug 27, 2015 2:09 pm

Re: Saitek Pro Flight X55 Rhino H.O.T.A.S. support?

Postby hamzaalloush » Thu Aug 27, 2015 4:46 pm

no problem, don't hesitate to make a new thread if you want a specific answer, or even use our IRC channel #flightgear at this host: de.irc.flightgear.org, especially if you want the one-one response.
hamzaalloush
 
Posts: 631
Joined: Sat Oct 26, 2013 10:31 am
OS: Windows 10

Re: Saitek Pro Flight X55 Rhino H.O.T.A.S. support?

Postby sim » Mon Aug 31, 2015 4:24 pm

Caution! Saitek drivers on their CDs will not help your joystick work "Out of the box" :!:
Unless Saitek have recently developed software to specifically target FlightGear their CD is best left parked out of harms way and never used.
Better to build your own Saitek X55 joystick xml ! :wink:
Last edited by sim on Mon Aug 31, 2015 5:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
sim
 
Posts: 1431
Joined: Tue Jun 30, 2009 3:13 pm
Location: Shropshire England
Callsign: Fly4Fun
Version: 0.9.10 up
OS: 64 Win 10 HD6450

Re: Saitek Pro Flight X55 Rhino H.O.T.A.S. support?

Postby Alant » Mon Aug 31, 2015 5:08 pm

There are problems with Saitek X55 and windows 10. I think that these may go back to windows 8.1.
e.g. see https://www.facebook.com/SaitekProFlight
It will work with the old windows 7 drivers, but locks up the mouse and crashes windows if it is hot unplugged. Do not use or install the Rhino software, configure using Flightgear xml files.
Also see https://forums.robertsspaceindustries.c ... g-try-this for help in getting started.
Alant
 
Posts: 1219
Joined: Wed Jun 23, 2010 6:58 am
Location: Portugal
Callsign: Tarnish99
Version: latest Git
OS: Windows 10/11

Re: Saitek Pro Flight X55 Rhino H.O.T.A.S. support?

Postby sim » Wed Sep 02, 2015 6:43 pm

Guess Titus is too busy fettling a new xml for Saitek Pro Flight X55 Rhino H.O.T.A.S.
Wonder why Titus hasn't bothered to respond since 2014?

We're here to help but hard to do that without more Titus feedback. :wink:
Has anyone else since got a working xml for their X55 Rhino H.O.T.A.S. ? :shock:
Last edited by sim on Mon Sep 14, 2015 8:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
sim
 
Posts: 1431
Joined: Tue Jun 30, 2009 3:13 pm
Location: Shropshire England
Callsign: Fly4Fun
Version: 0.9.10 up
OS: 64 Win 10 HD6450

Re: Saitek Pro Flight X55 Rhino H.O.T.A.S. support?

Postby Alant » Sat Sep 12, 2015 11:26 pm

Last week Saitek released some new Windows 10 drivers. They seem to have cured my problems.
See https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=180924
I have not tried the Rhino software, as this is better supported by the Flightgear joystick (i.e xml) configuration.

Alan
Alant
 
Posts: 1219
Joined: Wed Jun 23, 2010 6:58 am
Location: Portugal
Callsign: Tarnish99
Version: latest Git
OS: Windows 10/11

Next

Return to Hardware

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 3 guests