One Saitek throttle quadrant lever not recognized properly

[macwino]

I am posting here and in the Avsim hardware forum in the hope that someone might have a solution to this problem. I have a Saitek yoke and attached TQ with 3 levers. The first lever, the one on the left, is no longer being recognized properly by FSX or fsuipc, as I will explain below.

First, let me make clear that this axis is recognized in the Windows 7 control panel Devices and Printers. When you go to the Game Controller Settings you see the three axes for the three levers on this TQ. These are labeled Z Axis, X Rotation and Y Rotation. All three vertical graphs show a red bar with full, smooth movement from top to bottom for the three levers.

However, the first lever, the one identified as the Z Axis in the Windows control panel, is not properly recognized in FSX or in fsuipc.

For example, if I assign the Throttle command to this axis in FSX, and I then go to calibrate it in FSX, the window shows that the X and Y Rotation axes move fully and smoothly through the full range on the horizontal graphic representation. But this Z axis, which I’ve assigned to the Throttle command, is only 50% filled in with color (which may be normal) but jumps from no color to 50% color when you move the lever (which is not normal). There is no graduated movement from one end to the other. Just an immediate jump from no fill color to 50% fill color. Then, when you go to calibrate the Z axis, the horizontal bar in the Windows calibration pane is devoid of any color and does not fill up as it should when you move the lever representing this Z axis through its range of motion. However, if you check the “Display raw data” box it shows movement from 0 to 255.

In FSX, this translates into a throttle control that goes from idle to full throttle with the slightest upward movement of the lever. Also, if you pull the lever from full throttle all the way back, you cannot get back to idle but instead get to about 20% throttle. For what it’s worth, you can control the throttle with the F1-F4 key commands, which work properly.

The same result happens if I assign and calibrate this Z Axis lever in fsuipc, which is how I ordinarily assign and calibrate this axis. First, of course, I delete any axis throttle assignments in FSX so there will be no conflict and then do the assignment and calibration in fsuipc. The two boxes on the far left of the Throttle section of the Main Flight Controls pane in fsuipc jump from 0 to 16383 when you move the lever. There is no graduated movement. I’ve tried manually setting the fsuipc.ini file to reflect a full range of movement but it makes no difference. In FSX, I get the same behavior that I’ve described above when I do the assignment and calibration within FSX.

I’ve spoken with Saitek tech support about this, and they say that as long as the Windows 7 control panel Devices and Printers shows full and gradual movement for this lever there is not a hardware problem and it is software related.

I’ve rebuilt the fsx.cfg but this didn’t help. I’ve assigned the Throttle command to the other two levers on the TQ and they work properly. In fact, any command I might assign to this problematic Z Axis doesn’t work as it should. I should add that this lever worked properly before. It is only suddenly that it no longer works.

Any input will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Robert

[Pete Dowson]

For example, if I assign the Throttle command to this axis in FSX, and I then go to calibrate it in FSX, the window shows that the X and Y Rotation axes move fully and smoothly through the full range on the horizontal graphic representation. But this Z axis, which I’ve assigned to the Throttle command, is only 50% filled in with color (which may be normal) but jumps from no color to 50% color when you move the lever (which is not normal). There is no graduated movement from one end to the other. Just an immediate jump from no fill color to 50% fill color. Then, when you go to calibrate the Z axis, the horizontal bar in the Windows calibration pane is devoid of any color and does not fill up as it should when you move the lever representing this Z axis through its range of motion. However, if you check the “Display raw data” box it shows movement from 0 to 255.

It is acting as a digital (on/off) device. This is a well known bug in Saitek's driver installation which is fixed by a small change in the Registry. You'll need to go to the Saitek support forum to find the details.

I’ve spoken with Saitek tech support about this, and they say that as long as the Windows 7 control panel Devices and Printers shows full and gradual movement for this lever there is not a hardware problem and it is software related.

It is software in the sense it is the installation of their driver which goes wrong, and they should know that. The answer is somewhere in their support Forum as others can attest to. I think it dates back to before MadCatz took over Saitek. They've been poor since then.

Regards

Pete

[DEN19]

i had this problem some time ago, and following Pete's advice contacted Ssitek support by raising a ticket with them. After a few no-go suggestions they walked me through deleting things from the registry which cured the problem. I suggest you follow the same procedure.

Regards

Den

PS My Saitek TQ has worked perfectly since..

[macwino]

Before posting, I did search the Saitek forum and the only possible relevant post I could find dealt with a situation where the TQ didn't calibrate properly in the Windows calibration pane - the one you access through the Control Panel. In my case, the calibration looks just fine in this pane; it is only when you get to FSX or fsuipc that a problem arises with the left lever. I will contact Saitek support again today and see if I can get some more assistance since there seems to be a fix out there.

Thanks for the input.

Robert

FWIW, here is the relevant portion of the post I found:

To recalibrate in Windows, first remove the USB plug for your controller from the PC.

Press and hold the Windows key on your keyboard and then press the letter R. This will open the Run box. Type regedit and then click ok.

The Registry Editor will have a list of folders on the left hand side. Go down into the following folders in order by clicking the + next to the folder name.

+HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE (CURRENT_USER if on Vista)

+System

+CurrentControlSet

+Control

+Media Properties

+Private Properties

+Direct Input

Delete any folder inside the Direct Input folder that begins VID_06A3.

Once deleted, close the editor, then plug the USB back into the original port. Move all the axes of the controller through their full range of movement four times.

Now go to Control Panel > Game Controllers > Properties to check the axes on the test screen. If the issue persists then test the controller on another PC to see if the issue is replicated. If it is replicated then it is most likely a fault with the controller which will need to be replaced if it is still within warranty.

[Andydigital]

Well you must have the same axis assigned in more than one place then if its only acting strange in FS. Have you tried disabling controllers in FSX and assigning only in FSUIPC, press CTRL + K or it might be Shift + K to disable joysticks on the fly.

[vdermi]

Hi,

I recently ran into the same problem with a Saitek throttle quadrant: the right-most lever (mixture) responded also like a yes/no switch when the lever was around mid course.

I brought the throttle back to the store where they tested it and it worked perfectly.

Later, in Windows calibration panels, I found that my null zone cursor was correctly set symmetrically around the middle, but the other pair of cursors defining maximum travel (not sensitivity) were located just next to the null zone. All the four cursors were placed as close as possible to the middle point of their ranges. The lever worked perfectly when I dragged the travel sensors back to maximum deflection.

I hope I'm clear, but there was a simple fix. Don't know if this helps macwino, but maybe someone else...

Cheers,

Vincent

[macwino]

I've explored all the suggestions mentioned so far in this thread, and none leads to an explanation of, or solution to, this vexing problem. Thanks for all your input.

Robert

[Pete Dowson]

I've explored all the suggestions mentioned so far in this thread, and none leads to an explanation of, or solution to, this vexing problem. Thanks for all your input.

Try Saitek support. It is obviously a Saitek problem.

Pete

[macwino]

Pete, Saitek support is unable to help me. They say that if the lever checks out in the Windows calibration pane, then it's functioning properly. They have no idea why it's not being properly recognized in FSX or fsuipc. So that's been a dead end for me.

At the moment, I'm resigned to living without this lever. It's not worth it to me to spend a week reinstalling Windows, FSX and all my addons in the hope that this might resolve the problem. I'll just wait until I build a new machine to do all that.

And it doesn't appear that getting a new TQ will help given that my present one is found faultless by Saitek. In any event, at least since April of last year all Saitek TQs have been - to my mind - defective because they lack firm detents at the bottom of the lever path. Compared to earlier production runs, you hardly know the detents are there. Saitek is aware of this problem and has told me that it will be corrected in the future when their present inventory is exhausted.

Robert

[Pete Dowson]

Pete, Saitek support is unable to help me. They say that if the lever checks out in the Windows calibration pane, then it's functioning properly. They have no idea why it's not being properly recognized in FSX or fsuipc. So that's been a dead end for me.

Well every time this has been reported it has been fixed by the Registry change which is documented somewhere on their support site and which I'm certain was originally posted by one of their support staff -- probably before Saitek were taken over by MadCatz. I expect no one there knows how to support the things these days. I think it's simply to do with the way the axis is defined in the Registry.

Regards

Pete

[macwino]

Pete, with your encouragement, I will pursue this with Saitek support again. I will keep you posted.

Thanks again for your support.

Robert

[Tutdoc]

I had the same problem tonight.   I'll list below what worked for me:

 

1.  With FSX closed uninstall the TQ using Device Manager.   Don't tick the option that asks if you want to uninstall the driver.

2   Unplug the TQ from its USB port.

3.  Reboot.

4.  Start FSX.  Be sure the TQ is gone from the Controllers dropdown menu.

5.  Close FSX

6.  Plug in the TQ to it's USB port.

7.  Open the controller calibrate page in FSX and calibrate the TQ from there.

8.  Start FSUIPC and detect the TQ axes on the Axis Assignment page.  They should all work.

 

I think it has something to do with the fact that the windows calibration dialog that you get to from Devices and Printers is different from the calibration page that comes up going thru the FSX controllers calibration dialog.   Following the above forces them to be the same. 

 

Good luck! 

 

Peter T.

[macwino]

Peter T, thanks for posting this solution. I'm sure it will be helpful to others who might experience this problem. It parallels somewhat my own experience that I never documented here because I couldn't be sure what I'd done exactly and I also felt it was probably a one off.

 

I gave up on my TQ and arranged for Saitek to send me a new one. I can't remember now whether they sent me a PS2 or a USB replacement, but I believe it was USB. I unplugged my PS2 TQ and plugged in the new one. I never messed with the Device Manager at all. But even with the new TQ I still had the same problem as before. So I planned to return it, removed it, and plugged my old TQ back in. Lo and behold, FSX and fsuipc both suddenly recognized the axis on my original TQ that had been giving me the problem.

 

Thanks,

Robert