"hacking" a Force Feedback Joystick....

[SoundDoc]

Still working on my cab, (in my spare time) as my wifes about to pop out our second kiddo (tomorrow morning actually), I started to think about force feedback joysticks....

Has anyone here ever disassembled one to see what "makes" it work? I've got another "add-on" for my cab (or next cab) that I'm thinking about, and was curious if most FF joysticks simply used out of balance motors, like in a game controller for rumble, or if some, like the more expensive MS Sidewinder FF Joystick used small steppers, or motors to actually "pull" the force.
I've been contmplating building a proper flight sim for years, and after a recent trip to Chucky Cheese with my son, I saw a ride sim running Mechwarrior and Crimson Skies that was tossing the chair around  like crazy. I talked with the guy that serviced it, and it runs a standard windows frontend. Mechwarrior and crimson skys allready support FF, and if the signals are actually directional, as when you pull back in crimson skies to climb it pulls with oposite force proportional to the "G" forces, it they used a stepper in the Joystick, it would be pretty easy to run that through a larger stepper driver, and throw a chair around.........
I just happen to have a spare 46" tv with blown tuner, but working svideo and a bunch of BIG steppers that are just begging to be joined. (Convincing the wife that 1/3 the basement really isn't to much room might be the hard part  )
So, anyone played much with these joysticks and could tell me a bit more about their guts before I go pick one up?

sd

[Crazy Cooter]

I've never operned it (yet) but my FF sidewinder stick can pull & hold, not just shake around.  Kind of a prolonged kickback effect not just a "pop".

[Tailgunner]

For starters, http://www.tsunamivisual.com/ is the manufacturer of that arcade ride. I played one at the local distributor's showroom on a trip to the parts counter. In the FAQ, they mention something about calibrating the motors to the pots, which leads me to believe it uses a standard Happ analog joystick.


My only FF joystick is an original CH FF stick. It used 4 DC motors and gears for the feedback effects.

[Trimoor]

I have a M$ sidewinder FF, and it uses two large regular DC motors (non-stepper) and a gearbox to produce the force.

It would be really easy to tap the motor output to use extra motors, but converting it to stepper would be hard.

Here is a diagram of how they work:
http://static.howstuffworks.com/flash/joystick-force-feedback.swf

Here is the website on how they work:
http://computer.howstuffworks.com/joystick8.htm

Please use more paragraphs in your post.
Makes it easier to read.

[SoundDoc]

If its just a standard DC motor, even better!

the tsunami visual one is the one I saw, and I figured they must be using the force feedback signal to control it, since I doubt they had special versions of all the games made, they may have, but if the data's allready there......

A chair or frame, mounted on a Spring type shock tower, with a couple of pullies and cables from each of the 4 sides and a couple of geared DC motors and potentiometers should just about do it without having to get into hydrolics...

So lets say the sidewinder motors take a -5 to +5vdc drive signal, taking and using that through a absolute position controller to 2 large geared dc motors would probably work. (same idea as a  servo).

This is going to have to go on my list of "Future" things to investigate..... I'm just finishing off the lighting controller for the trackball, it normally fades in and out nice and slow, like a machine heartbeat, but the faster its spun, the faster it pulses.... (i'm going to post the plans when finished).

Next is getting the actual cab running, (just have to mount the monitor and put the computer in), then is the pool stick interface.

I also have to find some time to investigate Vpinball, to see if I can script the code to have all bumper and flipper "kicks" flash the scroll lock led, which is going to be wired to a solenoid in the CP, so you get the tactile feedback of the game (thats the biggest thing I miss from a real machine is the kicks...)

I've really got to sit down and brush up on my c+ skilz, so many things (hardware wise) are much easier to do with a pic than discrete components.

So many ideas.... So little time....  soooooo littttllllee  moonnneeyyy...

sd