Saitek trim wheel - keypress output?

[BorisTheSpider]

I am consider changing my setup, and could do with some advice.

Currently, I am using a saitek multi panel with a trim wheel on it for pitch trim. I use FSForce, which replicates a real trim system (in other words, it changes the neutral point of a force feedback joystick, so you trim off the force and the stick settles in the new position).

What I do currently is have SPAD generate keypresses for trim wheel movement on the panel, and those keypresses are picked up by FSForce.

I'm considering getting rid of the multi panel, and buying the Saitek trim wheel instead, but I don't believe it's supported by SPAD, so I'd need some way to get it to generate keypresses.

Can I do that in FSUIPC?

PS. Can anyone also tell me if the saitek wheel has end-stops, or does it continuously rotate?

[BorisTheSpider]

EDIT: Pete, sorry to be a pain. Please ignore the post above - I discovered that fsforce can trim directly from an axis, so I don't need to use FSUIPC at all.

Still interested to know if anyone has one and can tell me if it has end stops (I suspect it does) and also especially if anyone is using one with fsforce and has any comments.

[Andydigital]

I'd research the Saitek Trim Wheel a lot more before you decide to purchase, especially for use with complex aircraft like the PMDG NGX for example. The fact that it has end stops and its a real axis has many drawbacks even with 9 rotations lock to lock. You will find other topics discussing the very subject here in this FSUIPC forum. Just using two buttons on a yoke or a joystick is far more compatible and more realistic even for a Boeing.

It may be usable in small GA aircraft but you will always have problems when turning off the auto pilot (the FS auto pilot uses trim to fly the aircraft) because it will very rarely be in sync with your trim wheel. If there is any jitter from the Saitek pot this will cause the trim in the aircraft to sync with your trim wheel once again and this could result in a large change in trim angle which may lead to a big pitch up or down movement.

I've seen a few people complain about that issue before and that's why they came here asking for a possible solution from FSUIPC.

Food for thought.

[BorisTheSpider]

Andy,

Thanks for the reply.

I actually wonder if the limitation you refer to would be no issue for me - you see fsforce intercepts the trim commands before they ever get to FSX (or P3D). What it does is, it passes them through to FSX when you're on the ground (so you can set trim for takeoff) but as soon as you are airborne, all the trim now does is move the neutral point of the force feedback stick, the trim-wheel in the VC doesn't move at all as you trim with fsforce - because you're actually just putting the elevator in a new "no force required" position, just like you do in a light aircraft, so if the FSX autopilot gives the airplane back to you with the internal fsx trim a long way from where it was when the autopilot was engaged, it won't matter, because the next time the trimwheel is moved (or jitters) nothing will have gone out of sync.

I suspect though this won't be much help to people with the problem you referred to, since most of them are probably using a spring-centred yoke rather than a force feedback stick.

Now when it comes to jets with stab trim, fsforce isn't quite the ticket, and a bit of an adaptation is required, but in rather simplified terms the fsx internal trim system actually works as a reasonable approximation, so I just use that. Hopefully some time fsforce will be expanded to handle stab trim more accurately.