Hi guys i'm new here but have been at this simming thing since a 25mhz pc and falcon 3.0.
I have just gone from an ackers & Barnes pit to now this one. http://www.fspilotshop.com/product_info.php?products_id=1165 <---

I have a few different sticks but the X65 i'm having trouble getting used to. To put the same or correct amount of pressure on that kind of stick for the turns i'm trying to make are hard to do for me. I've tried setting scale of all the different modes and really spent time trying to adjust. Been playing Aces High II mostly with it as well as falcon 4.0. I got to thinking of a mod though and wanted to run it by some of you builders.

I'm thinking of taking the X65 and mounting it on a pedestal that moves in the X and Y plane and recenters at the bottom using springs. This would mean a box or center console built with a gimbal inside it and would want to leave room for extra buttons and switches of course. The stick can be set to different levels of force for deflection so the springs if able to be adjusted should have enough tension to make the activations. I'm thinking a small amount of throw but anything is better than 2 millimeters. This would also not require the stick to come apart or be torn up as well. What do you guys think?

Chappy

Do you have the X65 mounted for both the stick and throttle? I found it made an astronomical difference in terms of control by actually having them both mounted.

Additionally, when adjusting the deadzones and force strength, I found it good to adjust them accordingly where the stick is at center despite the level of force you just so happen to naturally being applying to the actual hand rest area.

Of course, that could also be avoided by being disciplined enough to not rely on the hand rest, but it is worth mentioning because that can mess you up on making smooth banks and turns if you don't factor it in one way or the other.

It's also important to adjust the deadzones and force strength to where you see it in the Saitek control panel that when you naturally apply force to the left or right or up and down that the cursor remains relatively straight as if you were using a regular gimbaled stick. Once I find in optimal setting here, it's been a great stick.

Sorry, but I can't contribute to the potential mod, I just wanted to mention that if you don't have them mounted, you won't get the kind of experience you would expect.

Please dont take this the wrong way, it is not meant to be a flame at all. I have no direct experience with the X65 but wouldnt your mod negate the reason for having an X65? If you wanted a joystick that moved (and I cannot imagine using one that did not, but then I am a prop kind of guy, the older the better) perhaps the new Logitech system? Again, I am not flaming...it just seems odd to purchase a rigid force sensing stick and then want to mount it on gimbals making it a...well...standard joystick.

I like the new simpit by the way, have you set it up with multiple monitors or just one?

The easiest solution would indeed be to buy a moving stick.
If you like the X65 throttle you can still use it as modern sims will let you use multiple controllers.

A gimbal with centering springs would be what you need.
You can use a universal joint as the gimbal.
Possibly you could even mount it on top of a flexible metal rod/pipe for more simplicity.

If you don't want to make changes to the stick's base you will either have to mount it hig enough to sit above your lap or have a tight fit with little movement between you legs.
If you take the forcesensor out of the base you'll have a slimmer package.

I don't take any of that as a flame at ALL! The stick was a surprise gift from a buddy of mine while I was deployed. That really is the only way I would have ever gotten something like that. i have mounted it but just can't seem to get the whole gist of it. Maybe i'll give it another try before starting a build for it.

I've only set the simpit up for one monitor since I only use a 24" at the moment. I'll add a projector after christmas maybe. I'll try and post some pictures of how it looks so far this coming monday. The key to that pit as well as others out there is comfort. You could have a replica of any plane pit but if you can't stand sitting in it for some fun then what good is it? Hahahaha!

Don't be afraid to reply even if it might sound bad. I have some pretty thick skin!

Chappy

That's one hell of a surprise gift.

I don't have an X-65F or even used one, but I do have a TM HOTAS Cougar with the Force-Controlled Cougar mod installed, which gives me a rough idea of how the X-65F might feel like (other than that the X-65F doesn't move at all, not even a centimeter, and the FCC is likely more prone to jitter).

Trying to use it in something like IL-2 Sturmovik or Aces High will result in the aircraft "porpoising" a lot, oscillating up and down as I try to keep it steady. Those old warbirds are just far too twitchy for a stick like that, and I have no idea how this one demo video of IL-2 with an X-65F was so smooth and steady.

Falcon 4.0, on the other hand, works wonderfully. Part of it is that the F-16 has a force-sensing stick in the first place, so it's more realistic. But the other part is the FLCS keeping the aircraft steady and stable. There's none of the twitchiness inherent to old warbirds because of it, and as a result, flying with the FCC feels great.

DCS: Black Shark was more of a middle ground. Flying could be a bit unsteady, but the FLCS-ish systems do help a bit, and it's not as problematic for weapons usage thanks to the Shkval easily tracking whatever you designate or holding a given point on terrain.

You could just sell off the X-65F and use the proceeds to buy something with a moving stick (pretty much everything else that isn't a modded Cougar with FCC, FCC-2, or FSSB), or if you at least like the throttle and the stick for Falcon, then do what I did and throw in a Microsoft SideWinder Force-Feedback 2 if you can get one for US$30-50. Only 4 buttons and a single hat switch on the stick, but it's smooth, precise, has practically no centering force slop, and the X-65F's throttle has enough controls to compensate.

I'd mod the stick to add a rigid rubber base to it. the F16 stick had this same issue, and they eventually added a bit of "give" to the stick to provide the pilot with some feedback for their inputs. As far as I know the FLCS can be deflected about half an inch in every direction. But having the entire base as a moving object doesn't sound ideal to me

That's exactly what I was looking for and have found something to make it happen. I'm going to be using a pad of foam rubber under the stick. This will let it move a little more and so far what I have just isn't thick enough but works. Thanks guys!

Any update on this? Anyone else tried anything like this?

I did try the rubber cushion but ended up using a few pieces of foam for a while. I then mounted the stick on a 1" by 1" piece of aluminum stock capped by wood (think of a T) and anchored at the bottom. I then tweaked the settings for a little while and it worked great for a while. I have opened the stick up and also noticed that there's not much to the stick at all other than the circular center. This means that with the right circular cap i might be able to put it on a piece of tubing like some of the guys do with their warthogs. I'll try that out after the rest of the pit is built. Also finally got rid of the updated x65 drivers so centering the stick is actually working a bit now. No more Saitek for this guy after this stick dies.