Hardware Advices for buying a joystick / FCS ?

N_Molson

Addon Developer
Addon Developer
Donator
Joined
Mar 5, 2010
Messages
9,272
Reaction score
3,244
Points
203
Location
Toulouse
Hello,

The good thing with working full-time is that I'm getting paid. Not that much, but hey I have no big expenses either.

So, it is more than time I say "goodbye" to my "MS Sidewinder 2" bought in the early 2000s... It served (very) well, but 20 years later the dead zone is a bad joke.

So I'm looking for something more "serious" :

  • first and foremost a reasonably accurate joystick, while not something too specific (I want to be able to fly anything from a Cessna Skylane to a Saturn V rocket...)
  • I'd really like a separate throttle control device, with maybe 2 levers (to be able to play around with asymetrical thrust).
  • any advice for a "translation" controller for Orbiter ? Sure you can switch from translation to rotation but being able to have both would be awesome. And how did they did it in the real world (Shuttle, Soyuz...) ? Forward/Reverse and Left/Right is pretty straightforward but Up/Down ? For some reason I doubt they used "stick twisting", always seemed quite very inaccurate to me.

I know a lot of people here have quite an extensive experience with simpits, so feel free to share your knowledge... :hailprobe:
 

DaveS

Addon Developer
Addon Developer
Donator
Beta Tester
Joined
Feb 4, 2008
Messages
9,429
Reaction score
680
Points
203
For spacecraft, lateral translation is done by moving the controller, left/right, vertical is done by moving it up/down and longitudinal translation is done by moving the controller in/out (pushing/pulling).
 

N_Molson

Addon Developer
Addon Developer
Donator
Joined
Mar 5, 2010
Messages
9,272
Reaction score
3,244
Points
203
Location
Toulouse
Thanks, it makes a lot of sense. If I'm correct on most spacecraft the 'nauts are seat "feet first" with the controls on a vertical panel so those are "true axis", up really moves up, pushing moves forward and so on (y)
 

clipper

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 27, 2018
Messages
256
Reaction score
388
Points
63
VKBsim Gladiator NXT is pretty much the most bang for the buck; very high material quality, contactless sensors on all axes, and probably the most comprehensive config software for any stick atm. I used the now discontinued Mk.II and switched to NXT when it came out and never really had anything other than positive experience with both of them so far and I tend to be really harsh with my sticks, courtesy of IL-2 :p

Edit: store for EU here
 
Last edited:

N_Molson

Addon Developer
Addon Developer
Donator
Joined
Mar 5, 2010
Messages
9,272
Reaction score
3,244
Points
203
Location
Toulouse
Thanks, looks like good stuff indeed, I'll definitively consider that option, especially given they have an EU shop.

Now I read the thread pointed by @DaveS but it is a bit old and I'm wondering if anyone heard of "off-the-shelf" plug-and-play translation controllers ? I guess that given the popularity of KSP amongst others there's a small market for that kind of stuff ?
 

diogom

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 2, 2010
Messages
1,370
Reaction score
413
Points
98
Only recently got my first stick, one of those Thrustmaster Airbus, mostly for MSFS. Pretty nice for the price as far as I can tell, more than enough for casual use, but while the X and Y axes are hall sensors, the Z (yaw) axis is still a pot, and one which tends to break often as I found out later. And mine did stop working (jittery) after a few months of light use. Had to replace it with a hall sensor, which wasn't too hard but it was still extra money and effort. I don't regret it in the end, it's great otherwise, but keep that in mind if you end up considering those.

I guess the "hat" switches on the stick could work for translation, at least lateral and vertical if it has four directions, forward/backward could be assigned to buttons. In the old Soyuz at least forward/backward was a three position switch.
 

gamer19

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 16, 2016
Messages
224
Reaction score
355
Points
78
Not really a recommendation (unless you want something really cheap:)) but I have Logitech Extreme 3D Pro.

Actually I have, I believe, 3 of them. Found them near me, second hand and pretty cheap.
I have MS Sidewinder 2 too for some "serious" flight-simming and also Saitek x52 but I use only throttle from it.

However, after this lengthy intro... I think a pretty good/cheap combo is

Thrustmaster T.16000M​

https://www.amazon.com/Windows-PC-10-8-7-Vista/dp/B01KCHPRXA

They are very precise looking good and like I said - quite cheap :)
 

4throck

Enthusiast !
Joined
Jun 19, 2008
Messages
3,502
Reaction score
1,008
Points
153
Location
Lisbon
Website
orbiterspaceport.blogspot.com
Top