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Joystick

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Joystick

Postby Timaman » Sun Dec 13, 2009 12:50 am

Hi all
i'm looking to get a joystick soon and i thought this would be the best place to find the best 'stick for the best price (£'s plz lol)
So, could anyone recommend a Joystick for me to using here i FG and on my FSX.
Thank you all
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Re: Joystick

Postby redneck » Sun Dec 13, 2009 4:06 am

Well, I use a Saitek ST90. It's a portable, 3-axis, 3-button joystick, and it should be very affordable. I don't know the cost in euros, though. Actually, I don't remember the cost at all, just that it was the cheapest one I could find :P You'll want to customize your joystick config if you go with this one. Maybe it's too basic for you. Maybe not. It's all about how much of a trade you want to make between functionality and affordability.
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Re: Joystick

Postby someguy » Sun Dec 13, 2009 7:09 am

Saitek, whatever model is the current equivalent to the Cyborg Evo. It's really nice to have lots of buttons--trust me, you can't have too many, and it's not hard to program them in your config file. You will definitely want a throttle and a twist rudder if you want to fly helicopters.
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Re: Joystick

Postby hovkid » Sun Dec 13, 2009 12:19 pm

I agree with SomeGuy,

The more buttons you have the better, the Saitek Cyborg Evo (I have this) has 6 buttons on the top of the joystick, 3 modifier buttons on the base. It also has a "Hat" switch which on mine is programed to adjust the view.

You will also want something with a throttle control, it reacts a lot quicker than using the number pad, and feels more realistic.

Another good point about the Cyborg Evo, is that it is adjustable for left and right handed people.

It also has pretty LED lights :P

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Re: Joystick

Postby someguy » Sun Dec 13, 2009 4:54 pm

Gah! The first thing I did to my Evo was snip out the blue LED at the top. The second was to tie two spring coils together to reduce the self-centering force. It's probably the best of the cheap joysticks.
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Re: Joystick

Postby MD-Terp » Mon Dec 14, 2009 9:30 am

I had a Saitek ST90 and was happier once I got a Logitech Extreme 3D Pro. I'll second what others said that having rudder control on an axis of some sort rather than by buttons is pretty much essential for heli control or for certain aerobatics. I'll also EMPHATICALLY second that the more buttons you have, the better.
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Re: Joystick

Postby MAKG » Mon Dec 14, 2009 7:56 pm

I have a Saitek ST90 and a Saitek Cyborg EVO. Both are completely adequate and work out of the box. I spent less than US$15 on each.

The EVO has many more buttons. As has been said several times in this thread, you can't get enough buttons.

The ST90 is USB-powered, which can be convenient. Don't expect force-feedback to work.
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Re: Joystick

Postby hovkid » Mon Dec 14, 2009 8:26 pm

In my experiance the Saitek Cyborg Evo is also powered by USB, another good point is that, like most joysticks, it has a rudder axis.
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Re: Joystick

Postby redneck » Mon Dec 14, 2009 9:24 pm

MD-Terp wrote:I had a Saitek ST90 and was happier once I got a Logitech Extreme 3D Pro. I'll second what others said that having rudder control on an axis of some sort rather than by buttons is pretty much essential for heli control or for certain aerobatics. I'll also EMPHATICALLY second that the more buttons you have, the better.

Well, I'll have to see about getting a new joystick whenever I can afford one. The only problem I'll have with having more buttons, is that Windows seems to have a problem with not understanding what I mean when I specify that the screensaver should never come on. Joystick input does not register like mouse or keyboard input, and does not prevent the screensaver from coming on. It does make flying a little more exciting, though, especially if it happens right after you go into a full blackout in full screen and have no idea what's going on for a second or two :wink:
I have managed to do hammerheads and aerobatic spins despite having rudder control tied to aileron control through use of the trigger button, but I can fly a heli only if it does not have a yasim fdm, otherwise, it rolls over shortly after the engine reaches 100 percent rpms, even though I pull the collective carefully. I wouldn't mind having a hat to adjust my view, as it gets to be a little chaotic trying to juggle the keyboard, mouse, and joystick all at the same time.
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Re: Joystick

Postby MAKG » Mon Dec 14, 2009 10:03 pm

hovkid wrote:In my experiance the Saitek Cyborg Evo is also powered by USB, another good point is that, like most joysticks, it has a rudder axis.


Umm, no. There is a power transformer to plug in for the Cyborg EVO. No, it doesn't work if you forget to plug it in (BTDT). The ST90 is USB powered.

Not a major issue, except you sometimes need to exercise the axes to get it to center properly when first plugging it in (unlike the ST90). The ST90 has a rudder axis as well (I don't think I've seen a recent joystick that lacks this). The EVO has lots and lots of buttons, so many you'll need a cheat sheet (see the FG EVO XML file).
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Re: Joystick

Postby redneck » Tue Dec 15, 2009 2:03 am

Are you sure the ST90 has a rudder axis as well, b/c mine doesn't. It just has three axes (roll, pitch, and digital throttle). I had to modify the config to be able to use the rudder, which still doesn't quite give me independent rudder control. Maybe mine is just old, idk.
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Re: Joystick

Postby MAKG » Tue Dec 15, 2009 2:17 am

'Scuse me. That's an ST290 I have. It makes quite a bit of difference....

An ST290 is still a very cheap joystick. USB powered, with twist axis. Not enough buttons, IMO.
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Re: Joystick

Postby someguy » Tue Dec 15, 2009 5:03 am

My Evo is USB powered. It does not have force feedback or a wall wart. Perhaps there were two models, one with FF and one without.
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Re: Joystick

Postby Flyboy » Tue Dec 15, 2009 6:07 am

I use a Logitech Wingman Strike Force 3D. It's usb interface, force feedback, two hat switches (one eight way and one four way), twist handle, throttle, and nine buttons. I got it a couple of years ago for about $25 US dollars. It was old then so it probably isn't on the market anymore, but Logitech may have a more modern equivalent. My one complaint is that the twist handle is very "wobbly". I twist it and hold it steady, but the rudder is all over the place.
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Re: Joystick

Postby hovkid » Tue Dec 15, 2009 5:28 pm

MAKG wrote:Umm, no. There is a power transformer to plug in for the Cyborg EVO. No, it doesn't work if you forget to plug it in.


Mine is definately USB powered, however someguy is right, there is actualy more than one EVO, three infact, one with force feedback, one wireless, and one without force feedback powered by a USB cable. (I think this one has been discontinued on the Saitek website, however I believe it is available else where)

http://www.saitek.com/uk/prod/joysticks.htm
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