Joystick Chatter not solved

[solvingdm]

Hi there,

I have recently purchased a registration key to access all the features of FSUIPC, mainly to correct the joystick chatter problem. My joystick chatter problem only seems to usually occur under 4,000 ft when global weather is downloaded from jeppessen. But not only do I get abrupt directional changes, but all my dials in the cockpit are madly swinging around all over the place. :? After setting the options for eliminating joystick and axis spikes under the miscellaneous menu (of the FSUIPC Module), I still experience these most annoying problems. I tried to calibrate the joystick with the FSUIPC module (after I had, with the default FS 2002 calibration screen) increasing my "dead" zones, and still, the problem was not solved. For information, I am using FS 2002 with a Logitech ATK 3 joystic. Please note: that when I clear the weather, this seems to be the only thing that stops the problem, but as soon as I download it again, the problem comes back. Now, as I understand it, FSUIPC is designed to enable outside programs to communicate with FS 2002. I presume the jeppessen downlode site is considered an external program that controls the weather features in FS 2002. Now, I do not know much about axis (all those big + & - numbers) but I do know about the threshold dead zones and stuff!

Please, is there anyone out there who has had and/or has dealt with this problem, who can give me some advice or a solution to solve this most irritating problem!

[Pete Dowson]

I have recently purchased a registration key to access all the features of FSUIPC, mainly to correct the joystick chatter problem. My joystick chatter problem only seems to usually occur under 4,000 ft when global weather is downloaded from jeppessen. But not only do I get abrupt directional changes, but all my dials in the cockpit are madly swinging around all over the place. :?

"Joystick chatter"? What is that, exactly? I've not heard that term. D you mean "jitter"?

Please note: that when I clear the weather, this seems to be the only thing that stops the problem, but as soon as I download it again, the problem comes back.

In that case it sounds like turbulence, nothing to do with the joystick at all. There is no way the weather data and the joystick inputs are related.

Now, as I understand it, FSUIPC is designed to enable outside programs to communicate with FS 2002. I presume the jeppessen downlode site is considered an external program that controls the weather features in FS 2002.

No. FS's own weather downloads are nothing whatsoever to do with FSUIPC. You surely don't think Microsoft would add facilities to their programs which only work if you add third party programs like FSUIPC? Your downloaded weather would be the same whether FSUIPC were installed or not -- except there are some filter facilities you could try if you liked. Take a look in the FSUIPC user documentation. I'm afraid I cannot remember what worked and what did not with FS2002 weather, that was all done five years ago!

Please, is there anyone out there who has had and/or has dealt with this problem, who can give me some advice or a solution to solve this most irritating problem!

If you are getting too much turbulence, I think you can tell FS to not include it in the downloaded weather. Mind you, I'm not sure about that for FS2002. You could also try the turbulence suppression in FSUIPC, but I think you'll need to check the documentation to see if that applies to FS2002 downloaded weather -- many of the filter facilities only ever applied to weather from external programs, like FSMeteo or ActiveSky.

You can also turn dow the realism options in FS's Aircraft menu. If you have those turned up too high the effects are grossly exagerrated. They should be mostly near centre.

Regards

Pete

[solvingdm]

Well Pete, it seems that I could have mistaken this turbulence (that you suggested) as joystick chatter. Probably because I've never been a real pilot, I assumed that turbulence could not affect my plane to such a degree, but come to think of it, I was flying those light cessna props. MY WRONG, Pete! So, after deactivating the turbulence I realised my mistake. :roll: This problem, well, actually my ignorance, has been bugging me for ages, and its amazing that originally, I suspected turbulance, but foolishly rejected the posibillity that it could have such a severe affect on an aircraft! :oops: So, thanks very much Pete, and since you asked, joystick chatter, to my understanding is where, if you leave the plane in straight & level flight, all trimmed, and not touching the yoke/joystick that the plane can spurodically roll or pitch without one actually even touching his/her controls. I think these symptoms are also reffered to as "input spikes" or something like that. I had read about this on the Flight sim.com website, which, along with those 'flattening batteries' & 'non-sync. clocks' led me to your website. So, thanks again! :D

[Pete Dowson]

... since you asked, joystick chatter, to my understanding is where, if you leave the plane in straight & level flight, all trimmed, and not touching the yoke/joystick that the plane can spurodically roll or pitch without one actually even touching his/her controls.

Well that is usually more likely due to any one of many things -- slight or severe wind variations (like the turbulence), temperature changes, slight engine variations, folks shifting their weight in a light aircraft, all sorts of things.

When flying a light aircraft you are almost always making small corrections via the yoke, less so the pedals. Unless you are using the autopilot you can never fly completely hands-off. Please don't let an over-stable FS setup teach you bad habits. The air is a fluid with lots of variations in it. It is not as homogenous as it looks!

I don't fly for real any more (eyesight problems), but believe me, there is no such thing as complete hands-off stability in an aircraft except with autopilot -- and it will wobble somewhat even then.

I think these symptoms are also reffered to as "input spikes" or something like that.

Bad joysticks may give you such problems, but this is a sign of faults, dirt or severe ageing. A good joystick with high quality components should be smooth and not subject to involuntary variations. This is especially true of the optical types. The ordinary wirewound or carbon potentiometer-based ones can develop bad spots, gather dirt, or suffer variations with temperature, but this is not a sign of a good device.

Regards

Pete