Hand controllers?

[nyrath]

Anybody know any Makers? I lack the skills to do this, but I though it would be a hoot if somebody could figure out how to make joystick-like input devices for your computer to remove the need to use one's keyboard. Specifically, if one could dock one's spacecraft by using something similar to the Apollo mission controllers.

The handgrip thingy is a rotation hand controller (for yaw, pitch, and roll), while the T-bar thingy is a translation hand controller.

I mean, why should flight simulator software get all the love?

[NeoMorph]

I'm in the process of making these... My thread with my progress got lost in the crash.

Oh yeah, I was originally going to make it an Apollo lookalike but decided not to... These are Kerbals, not Humans after all.

For example the boot on the translation controller is this off white colour which is hard to do unless you paint the rubber... and that will lead to flaking. So My controls are going to be standard black...

Edited May 4, 2013 by NeoMorph

[sal_vager]

That must be natural rubber as it's normally that colour, black rubber has carbon added to it to make it black, it makes the rubber tougher which is great for tires plus it shows less road dirt.

Most "rubber" parts on joysticks these days are some other plastic with rubber like properties, and are whatever colour the factory made them to be.

[eurybaric]

I'm in the process of making these... My thread with my progress got lost in the crash.

[...]

Whoa! That's some neat build!! It'd be awesome if you could resurrect/reopen the thread, I'm quite interested in the process and the outcome.

Cheers!

[loppnessmonsta]

KSP actually has pretty extensive control customization already. Bearing that in mind, I set up controls for my two joysticks. It did not work very well. Maybe i should try again with precision controls on, but I was never able to get a pure input. That is, I would move the joystick in as close to forward as I possibly could, taking great care not to let it drift to the side at all, and I would still get lateral movements. This made crashing very easy, and flying very hard. I'll try again today, I think.

If it proves impossible, however, it may prove desirable to limit the range of motion on your control sticks. With plates that force the stick into a specific set of paths. Or decreased sensitivity to angle changes. Actually, that last one might be possible in-game. I'll spend some time on it today.

Edited May 4, 2013 by loppnessmonsta

[Smorfty]

I've tested my joystick and xbox controller with KSP and the short story is: don't bother

joystick sensitivity changes wildly depending on what craft you're flying and you don't want to have to change sensitivity every time you switch craft

the xbox controller, I tried for docking

it worked better but I still prefer keyboard

especially since you have to take your hand off the controller when you want to rotate the camera or other command that you have bound to the keyboard (trust me, you can't bind everything to the controller)

analogue controllers work best for when you need to keep some input at less-than-max values for a long time

and the only place you need to do this in KSP is when you fly and the support for flying with joystick atm is crap in my opinion

[karolus10]

I once very wanted to buy space navigator for this but it's usefulness/price is repulsive for me, especially it doesn't work really well (or at least no people to confirm) as game controller .

From other hand, adding to game more options, like sensitivity gauges and rotation/translation rates limits (set in similar way like trim - it would allow set "speed/acceleration limit" for input-induced rotation) would completely eliminate need of anything other than keyboard for high precision .

Edited May 5, 2013 by karolus10

[NeoMorph]

That must be natural rubber as it's normally that colour, black rubber has carbon added to it to make it black, it makes the rubber tougher which is great for tires plus it shows less road dirt.

Most "rubber" parts on joysticks these days are some other plastic with rubber like properties, and are whatever colour the factory made them to be.

The boot I got for my T-Controller is too stiff as well... I should know better because my first school holiday job was working in a factory that made vulcanised rubber parts. You always remember that smell lol.

I'm thinking a silicon boot would probably be better... Could colour the silicon better too.

[NeoMorph]

Whoa! That's some neat build!! It'd be awesome if you could resurrect/reopen the thread, I'm quite interested in the process and the outcome.

Cheers!

LOL... yeah... it is a neat build considering it's actually from an Apollo craft heh.

[K^2]

I'm not very good with making the mechanical parts for these things, but I can do the electronics. I can build all the necessary circuitry to read off positions of all the switches, levers, and joysticks, and to communicate them to a PC via USB connection. So if anybody wants to team up and make a few of these, I'm up for it. Or if anyone has experience with setting up production of these in China, or wherever, we can probably do a Kick Starter. I've been actually wanting to get into this for a while, but like I said, I only have experience with the electronic/software part.

[karolus10]

Btw, for translation controls, cube-shaped THC handle (like on ISS robotic workstations) could be sufficient - Apollo handle was twisted because it serve function of abort handle in second mode.

[ThatBum]

There was once a thread that had a completely custom Arduino or Arduino-like microcontroller based controller, using those neat analog sticks taken from a professional RC controller (like this one). It got eaten by the Kraken attack, unfortunately.

[tom1499]

i have a cyborg fly 5 and my old logitech attack 3. one for rotation, one for translation. it makes docking ten times better! but really i normally use my keyboard for the game, it feels a bit more natural.

[NeoMorph]

There was once a thread that had a completely custom Arduino or Arduino-like microcontroller based controller, using those neat analog sticks taken from a professional RC controller (like this one). It got eaten by the Kraken attack, unfortunately.

The RC controller board didn't have an arduino. I think my project was the first to use an arduino to link to KSP but I may be wrong. I've been designing the circuits for use in the main board now that I have the parts I needed. I've just got to get the DSKY etched and drilled which is on hold until I finish my PCB precision drill mod. It's funny but I'm currently at the "making the tools to make the tools to make the sim" stage.

[Tw1]

I've wanted controls like this inside the stock capsules for ages!

It looks spacy, but realistic, not like the plane type joystick you often see in sci-fi designs.

Joysticks would be fine in the plane cockpits though.

Edited May 5, 2013 by Tw1

[nyrath]

The RC controller board didn't have an arduino. I think my project was the first to use an arduino to link to KSP but I may be wrong. I've been designing the circuits for use in the main board now that I have the parts I needed. I've just got to get the DSKY etched and drilled which is on hold until I finish my PCB precision drill mod. It's funny but I'm currently at the "making the tools to make the tools to make the sim" stage.

Is the Arduino the best solution? I'm a total nubie with them, but they sure seem to do all the heavy lifting for you when it comes to interfacing to sensors, controllers, or other microprocessors.

The last time I asked about something like that on an electronics forum they just sniffed at me and said I'd be better off with a bare AVR microprocessor, after I had built a burner.

[texasflyboy]

So the space shuttle THC was just on/off discretes in each direction. Seems pretty easy to do electronically but needs a little building mechanically.

Looks like someone has done this before: http://sergiocurci.blogspot.com/

I like how he used a salvaged keyboard controller. You wouldn't even have to remap the keys!

[klesh]

[Overland]

that farm simulator controller mentioned in a thread a few weeks back looks nice, personally I use an xbox steering wheel

which works great for trains needing the slow wide sweeping turns to prevent..derailments?..

I still use my joystick too but recently finding the throttle always doesnt respond fully axis wise despite everything and calibration..so ive resorted to using pedals or switches for rover wheel motor transmission..

Id love a software fix..eg a mechjeb style forward/neutral/regenerative brake speed limiter and reverser but it just seems easier to use one of then JPac type boards to construct a controller that emulates keyboard (most arcade stores sell them online) eg

https://www.ultimarc.com/a-pac.html

td be nice to see more controllers being built..im sure theres a need even if its donation non profit type approach

Edited July 24, 2015 by Overland

[Prasiatko]

My current set up for translation involves my six axis joystick plus the pedals from my g25.

[steve_v]

Is the Arduino the best solution? I'm a total nubie with them, but they sure seem to do all the heavy lifting for you when it comes to interfacing to sensors, controllers, or other microprocessors.

The last time I asked about something like that on an electronics forum they just sniffed at me and said I'd be better off with a bare AVR microprocessor, after I had built a burner.

Arduino is kinda like the Lego of microcontrollers, easy to work with and many prebuilt addons available. A hardcore electronics nerd will probably prefer a custom micro, but in reality either will do the job just fine.

USB seems overly complicated to me, my day job involves joysticks etc. (cranes mostly) but they all use ruggedised microswitches and discrete inputs.

Since the demise of the simple joystick port, USB is what we have to work with - so you need some kind of micro to do the interfacing.

- - - Updated - - -

And boy do I miss those old interfaces (JS/LPT/RS232) - there doesn't seem to be a "just hook up some switches / pots" interface to PCs nowadays

I even have an old ISA prototyping board - what an awesome piece of hardware that is... if only I had a PC to put it in.

[Gargamel]

Interesting necro......

[steve_v]

Oops, missed that big gap there it seems.

[FlyingPete]

I've been using a ps3-type gamepad recently. Left analog stick gets pitch and yaw, and right stick does roll. It makes more sense that way round for flying rockets, and its acceptable for planes. Translation is controlled by the D-pad for up/down/left/right, and by the other axis on the right analog stick for forward/back. For throttle control I use the L1, L2, R1 and R2 buttons.

If find it works quite nicely for docking as you can get the ports aligned, hold the orientation using SAS, then use the translation controls for the approach while still having roll control to hand for cases where this matters.