Analog trigger stick

[Dexter]

Hi all,

I'm trying to source an analog trigger stick for my panel, preferably 2 button. I'm looking for something at the most 6" high i.e. a short handle, and maybe an original arcade part. The saitek I have is a full height PC jobbie and will probably kill the neat look of my panel overall.

Any recommendations??

Cheers

Dexter

[Fozzy The Bear]

Any recommendations??

Yes Dexter..... Your ideal stick here is an Ultimarc "Ultrastick 360". It is natively analog and can be programed to also behave as a digital stick. It also has button inputs built right into the stick.

www.ultimarc.com

It's not actually a trigger stick as such.... but you could fit a trigger stick handle to it and run one of its button inputs up to the trigger.

Best Regards,
Julian (Fozzy The Bear)

[shorthair]

I don't know how you'd handle the wiring on that, though. As well, you may need the long shaft.

[ahofle]

It's not actually a trigger stick as such.... but you could fit a trigger stick handle to it and run one of its button inputs up to the trigger.

This would be sweet if it worked as you could also use it for tank games like Vindicators, Battlezone, and Assault using 2-way and 4-way software mappings.  Has anyone actually done this? 

[Fozzy The Bear]

I don't know how you'd handle the wiring on that, though. As well, you may need the long shaft.

Not necessarily...... a Happ trigger stick handle would just bolt straight on to the short stick shaft.   As for wiring... it wouldn't be that difficult to drill the stick shaft.  You only need to run a single wire.... You could use the metal shaft itself as the ground wire and run a single wire to the switch.  Can be done!

Best Regards,
Julian (Fozzy The Bear)

[Kremmit]

I don't know how you'd handle the wiring on that, though. As well, you may need the long shaft.

Not necessarily...... a Happ trigger stick handle would just bolt straight on to the short stick shaft.   As for wiring... it wouldn't be that difficult to drill the stick shaft.  You only need to run a single wire.... You could use the metal shaft itself as the ground wire and run a single wire to the switch.  Can be done!

Best Regards,
Julian (Fozzy The Bear)

You've got the problem of the magnet on the bottom of th shaft; can't drill that.  And you've got to add an anti-twist mechanism to keep the wire(s) from getting twisted and broken.

[Fozzy The Bear]

I don't know how you'd handle the wiring on that, though. As well, you may need the long shaft.

Not necessarily...... a Happ trigger stick handle would just bolt straight on to the short stick shaft.   As for wiring... it wouldn't be that difficult to drill the stick shaft.  You only need to run a single wire.... You could use the metal shaft itself as the ground wire and run a single wire to the switch.  Can be done!

Best Regards,
Julian (Fozzy The Bear)

You've got the problem of the magnet on the bottom of th shaft; can't drill that.  And you've got to add an anti-twist mechanism to keep the wire(s) from getting twisted and broken.

As far as I know the magnet is a ring... so the bottom of the shaft is accesible and could be drilled. As for anti twist in the wires, I'm not sure that you would need to.  If they pass out of the bottom of the shaft they're not going to get twisted.

I might just have a go at this.... I wanted to build a flight stick panel anyway and this sounds like the way to go to me. That said I was planning on way more buttons. I've got an original (real) helecopter stick that has all the buttons that you usually find on a jet fighter on it so I'm thinking of converting that.  If I do it I'll post the pictures.

Best Regards,
Julian (Fozzy The Bear)

[Kremmit]

If they pass out of the bottom of the shaft they're not going to get twisted.

I don't think you've thought that part through.  If they're attached to the switch in the top of the handle, and they're attached to something else under the control panel, and the handle gets twisted, they're gonna twist. 

As far as I know the magnet is a ring... so the bottom of the shaft is accesible and could be drilled

If you're right about that, then there is hope.  Look up how SlikStik handles wire twist on their illuminated balltop handles.  Something smaller might work on the U360.

[ahofle]

You can use one of these on the bottom to solve the twisting problem:
http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?TabID=1&ModuleNo=29686&doy=1m6

[Kremmit]

You can use one of these on the bottom to solve the twisting problem:
http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?TabID=1&ModuleNo=29686&doy=1m6

Only if you can find a female receptacle that'll fit into the bottom of the U360 shaft without interfering with the magnet, and a male plug that'll fit between the bottom of the shaft and the joystick PCB.  Also, it must not interfere with the Hall-Effect sensors or the USB socket.

http://www.ultimarc.com/images/UltraStik1.jpg

[Havok]

I think Andy should just whip something up and offer a retrofit kit...

 

[Fozzy The Bear]

I don't think you've thought that part through.  If they're attached to the switch in the top of the handle, and they're attached to something else under the control panel, and the handle gets twisted, they're gonna twist.

A simple locking pin system should stop the handle from twisting at all... I'm working on it chaps..... Give me time.

I'm also looking at some ultra thin multicore to carry the signal from the switches. It offers the option of carrying 20 signal lines in the space normally taken up by one of our CP wires.

Best Regards,
Julian (Fozzy The Bear)