Joystick wiring help UPDATED WITH NEW QUESTION...

[danb12]

Hi all,

I am new here (first post!), but I am looking at converting my Thrustmaster HOTAS X joystick into a floor mounted stick. I have opened it up and there are lots of wires for the buttons. I would like to retain the function of the buttons or at least some of them, so would need to snip them and extend them.

My question is what wire do I need? I have emailed Thrustmaster but they were not able to give me any info. The wires are very thin, I am able to solder so I presume I should be OK, I am just uncertain what type of wire I need.

I posted this in the A2A forums and a guy said to come here and ask so I hope you do not mind.

Thanks a lot.
Dan

[jackpilot]

Hi Dan

Any wire will do.
Buy some at any local shop selling electronic components.
Buy several colors if you can to better identify your circuits, a soldering iron, some tape to cover your connections and you are in business.

Jack

[danb12]

Hi Jack

Thanks for the speedy reply, I shall pop to a store when I get time then,

Thanks a lot!!

Dan

[IFLY3]

I use cat5 wire

[Garys]

Its also better to use stranded wire. Solid core wire can break.

[Joe Lavery]

If you're joining wires together, I solder them and then cover the joint with heat shrink sleeving. It's a bit quicker and neater than tape.

Joe.

[danb12]

Thanks for the replies...

I have a new question, I have used a bike brake lever and an axis from my joystick to create a spitfire like brake lever, however the axis' movement is 180 in and out, does anyone know where you can get one that only has a 90 degree range of movement. preferably in the UK?

Sorry if I haven't explained this well, I have no idea what it is called...

Thanks in advance,
Dan

[Trevor Hale]

Hi Dan,

Not sure I understand exactly what you are after, however If you are referring to the Potentiometer having 180 degrees of travel, but you only need 90 degreesof travel, that shouldn't be an issue. If you program the axis for "DIFFERENTIAL BRAKING" You can just set the calibration through FSUIPC, at a max an Min, in essence only using part of the movement the axis has.

If that makes any sense.  Unless I am totally misunderstanding you.

[danb12]

Hi,

thanks, that is exactly what I am after, however I have been trying to use the one I have and it doesnt seem to working very well in FSUIPC...

not sure what I need to do/ what I have done wrong!

I will keep trying...

thanks
Dan

[Trevor Hale]

Make sure you are using the Bullet that says (Send to FSUIPC for Calibration) not Send direct to FS..

Trev

[danb12]

Oh OK, will check that and have a look, thanks!!!

[danb12]

Hi all,

I have been playing around with the potentiometer and setting it up as a brake axis, but I have had no such luck... it is very erratic and in FSUIPC the signal/numbers in the calibration screen jump all over the place. Has any one got any advice/ideas? For some reason, when it does work, it only operates the 2nd half of the brake lever so the brakes are always partly on...

Thanks
Dan

[Trevor Hale]

Sounds to me like you have noise coming across the pot line, there is a "FILTER" Button in fsuipc on that axis, but that likely wont help.

Make sure your pot has 3 wires.  GND, + and the wiper.  Whatever interface you are using (I think you said FDS) the board should have + and Gnd connections and your Wiper goes to the Input.

I am not familiar with the interface you are using, although one day I hope to try the Sysboards out. I am sure it would make things easier.

Trev

[danb12]

Hi,

Thanks for the reply however, I am very sorry but I'm not quite sure what you are talking about, I do not have any knowledge of how it work

I have extended the wires for the axis by just extending them from the original wire. It is recognised and works but for some reason it is a bit interfered with?

Sorry about my lack of knowledge...

Thanks
Dan

[Trevor Hale]

Hi Dan,  No need to apologize.

I just had you confused with someone else...  Sorry.  I think I am the one that needs to apologize LOL. 

All you did was extend your wires form the joystick card down to your potentiometer?  Its possible you are picking up some noise on your cables. Is there a power bar down by your feet where the rudder pedals are (for your brakes?) maybe move that as far away as you can.

Trev

[danb12]

Hi, that's OK don't worry :-)

Yeah all I did was extend the wires, there isn't a pOwer bar as far as I am aware so not sure what may be creating the noise :-(
It was a shot in the dark anyway so no worries if I can't get it to work, but would be nice!

Thanks!

[Trevor Hale]

There are lots of tests you can do to see this.

On of which would be to pull the pot out and just wire it with a short wire and see if it behaves the same.  Some potentiometers are just crappy quality and they jitter all the time, do you have another pot you can try?

Trev

[Bob Reed]

On the same line, if the pot is of low quality, adding the wires may change the value enough to make the pot act funny. Card is expecting a certain reading but the pot is giving a different one. I have run into this myself in the past.