Joystick axis not recognized

[phcas]

Hi,

i've been a FSUIPC user since you started it, enjoying its evergrowing functions for years now. I was glad to register when you went payware, installed FS2004 when it hit the stores and found out my home made cockpit thingy didn't work properly. Some personal reasons made me move out of the FS hobby for a year but now i'm back. Ready to explore FS2004 and enjoy to the max. I tried to set my gear up, but still i can't get it to operate. Let me explain:

I build a little addon based around two USB devices, one Sidewinder joystick, one gamepad (buttons). I am able to use all buttons on the two devices but not the axis's on the sidewinder. Not anymore, in FS2002 they worked OK. In searching on these forums i found a tip to reset the axis in FSUIPC, but still no fix. Strange thing is that after re-assigning them in FS2004, they influence the default settings of the assigned controls (putting the flaps indicator at 10 degrees, and elevator trim to the center position instead of take-off pos). So some input is recieved, but turning the controls doesn't do anything.

All other controls and devices i use work out right, and in FS2002 it all works fine.

Sorry if this problem was reported before, it is difficult to do a forum search on this problem !

Can you get me going ?

Thanx !

cAs

[Pete Dowson]

I am able to use all buttons on the two devices but not the axis's on the sidewinder. Not anymore, in FS2002 they worked OK. In searching on these forums i found a tip to reset the axis in FSUIPC, but still no fix. Strange thing is that after re-assigning them in FS2004, they influence the default settings of the assigned controls (putting the flaps indicator at 10 degrees, and elevator trim to the center position instead of take-off pos). So some input is recieved, but turning the controls doesn't do anything.

Please, to start with, don't try to use FSUIPC to calibrate axes until they are working reasonably well in FS2004 as is. All FSUIPC is doing is taking the results of the FS assignments and calibrations and scalings and allowing you to define the end points and centre zones more precisely. It is dealing not with the Joystick but with values inside FS, the final values just before they are passed to the simulation engine.

This means that if they are in a mess and not working properly before you start using FSUIPC, all you can do is make things worse.

You need to start by ensuring good calibration in Windows itself, in Game Controllers.

Also you might want to add the line "stick_sensitivity_mode=0" to the [Controls] section of your FS9.CFG. Maybe you did this for FS2002 and forgot? It makes the axis inputs linear instead of time-based.

THEN load up FS. Do this without the FSUIPC calibrations -- delete the Joysticks section in the FSUIPC.INI file if you've not used it for any of the others -- otherwise go to the appropriate pages in FSUIPC options after FS is loaded and press the relevant "Reset" buttons.

In FS, assign the axes to whatever functions you want to use them for, and ensure the sensitivity is high and the null zone low (otherwise you are immediately losing a lot of the input detail).

Also make sure there are no other assignments to the same functions. If you have multiple joystick connections, go through the list of axes for each joystick and delete any conflicting assignments.

Now try them in FS. If they more or less do what you want, by all means refine them in FSUIPC. If not, there's some problem which is really outside my field of knowledge. You want to find the forum in which Bob "Sticky" Church visits -- he's a real joystick expert!

Regards,

Pete

[phcas]

Thanx Pete , for you quick and very complete reply !

I will try your tips later this day, and will report back on my findings here. Most things you said are already done, but i will follow the whole sequence again just to make sure.

cAs

[phcas]

:oops: :oops: :oops:

Embarrassed, that is how i feel now. All settings were Ok, i added the line in FS9.cfg (it wasn't there in FS2002 !) and things still didn't work. Than i checked the sensitivity dialog and BINGO: sensitivity set to zero for all axes on the sidewinder. This is a big OOPS and sorry from me. Thanx Pete, everything working fine now !

Prepare for the worst as i will be back, i've got some 15+ buttons and switches to program now.... :wink:

cAs

[Pete Dowson]

:

sensitivity set to zero for all axes on the sidewinder.

Ah, yesdoesn't help! glad you got it sorted!

Regards,

Pete