How to update a USB Joystick

bobskey · Posted: Wed Jun 27, 2007 11:11 pm Post subject: How to update a USB Joystick

I have a Thrustmaster USB Joystick which I find fantastic for FSimming however lately the aircraft have been slewing to the left hand side when taking off. I have uninstalled and reinstalled, re adjusted and all of that and yet it still does it. I have downloaded the updated driver but I dont know how to update the joystick. Can anyone help me please. Only alternative may be to buy a new one , if so is the Saitek - ST90 Flight Stick at the flightsim store a USB connection or not ? > Thanks Bob

adrian · Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2007 10:35 am Post subject:

G'day Bob,

Sounds to me like the joystick you have is getting a little "chatty". Same thing happens with my Logitech Force 3D, no matter how many driver updates, calibrations or adjustments I do it just wont do what it's supposed to sometimes. In the calibration screen you can see axis movements even when no one is touching it. Must be dust or wear and tear in the mechanics of the joystick causing it.

As for the ST-90 yes it is USB. Not a bad little unit with retractable feet for easy transport/storage.
_________________
Cheers, Adrian
http://www.ausflightsim.net

Location: SW Sydney, NSW Australia

bobskey · Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2007 1:33 pm Post subject: To Adrian

Thanks Adrian. Yet the joystick does show movement when Im not using it in the calibrations so perhaps I do need a new one. I will buy one of those saitek from you and see how it pans out. Thanks again for your input..Bob

bushy · Junior Flight Officer Joined: Dec 17, 2006 Posts: 19

hi guys,just reading your posts and i am having same problem.i am also using a logitec 3d pro and was wondering where the best site for a driver update would be.cheers.

adrian · Posted: Fri Jun 29, 2007 9:36 am Post subject:

For Logitech joysticks their site would be your best bet:

http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/411/&cl=au,en&legacy=1
_________________
Cheers, Adrian
http://www.ausflightsim.net

Location: SW Sydney, NSW Australia

bushy · Junior Flight Officer Joined: Dec 17, 2006 Posts: 19

bobskey · Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2007 4:31 pm Post subject:

New Saitek arrived yesterday. Easy plug and play installation and works extremely well. Coming to terms with no hat switch though - that is my only concern. Have to go back to keyboard for that. Apart from that I would recommend this as a cheap alternative to the yoke etc (Wish I could afford them). Thanks for all the input. Bob

Marty · Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2007 8:10 pm Post subject:

I posted this before but cant find it, so if it doubles up I apologies.
As a joy stick gets older the plastic parts suffer ware and tare. In particular the plastic parts responsible to hold the various axis controls in there appropriate places / alignments. As the sim pilot inputs movements thru the flight controler, small movements not intentionally made by the pilot are interpreted by the software as pilot input. The answer is to increase the null zones slightly. This allows the software to ignore those small movements.

Once increasing the null zone no longer results in smooth pilot input one can be quite certain that it is time to buy a new input device.(Joystick yoke etc.)

However If the controller is carefully dismantled it is sometimes possible to make small plastic washers to take up and reduce unwanted movements. This practice was far more common when input devises were much more expensive.
Nowadays the price of joysticks makes it almost unnecessary to modify a joystick except with software options, null zones in particular.

Bob now that you have two joysticks your options have increased. You can run both joysticks as once. Then have double the buttons and axis's, You can chose a joystick as well as a button or axis when you are setting up your assignments.

So don't give up on old controllers until they are dead . Cheers all Marty