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NEW PRODUCT: Ultimarc ServoStik. 4-8 way joystick with powered restrictor.

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Mysterioii:
Thanks for the reply Andy.  I know I'm probably over thinking things, and by all means I'm not trying to find fault.  I'm just thinking in terms of flexibility, things I *might* want to do with it...

You're right, I probably don't need the dedicated input pins, that could be accomplished through the keyboard encoder... but I'm pretty sure all the inputs on my current ipac are full, plus (unlike most people, I think) I actually have several different keyboard mappings set up for different things and I'd have to tweak them all.  Not a big deal, so long as I've got some free inputs. 

What I *would* find most useful would be a couple of output pins indicating the state so I could easily drive indicator LEDs, which I personally would use to illuminate the sticks one color when they're in 4-way mode and another in 8-way mode.  I'd also like a built in toggle function so I only need one button on my CP, to simply invert the state irrelevant of what the current state is.  It looks like right now it supports commanding it explicitly to one state or the other but has no "toggle"? 

The ability to query the state would allow me to implement a toggle myself...  query the current state then command it to go to the other state, if the device doesn't implement it's own toggle.  Again, not critical, but I'm an EE so I tend to overthink things.   ;D  Many people probably wouldn't use these functions, but I think they'd be cool.

I agree that adding parts increases costs and it's desirable to keep that to a minimum....  if there are free GPIO pins on the uC you might consider making them available as solder pads or through holes on a future rev, or run them out to a footprint for an unpopulated header.  The majority of users might have no need of the functionality but I for one don't mind doing a little soldering to use an advanced feature so long as it's supported.    :cheers:

Gray_Area:

--- Quote from: Mysterioii on August 09, 2012, 10:03:25 am ---
What I *would* find most useful would be a couple of output pins indicating the state so I could easily drive indicator LEDs...
--- End quote ---

I might think an illum kit (pac drive or GGG unit) would be programmable for this.

Mysterioii:

--- Quote from: Gray_Area on August 10, 2012, 10:08:51 pm ---
--- Quote from: Mysterioii on August 09, 2012, 10:03:25 am ---
What I *would* find most useful would be a couple of output pins indicating the state so I could easily drive indicator LEDs...
--- End quote ---

I might think an illum kit (pac drive or GGG unit) would be programmable for this.

--- End quote ---

No doubt, but why go through the added expense and jump through the software hoops if the device at hand has the capability?  He's using some sort of uC with a USB interface as the controller... I assume it's the (I think 28-pin) surface mount chip in the pic.  I guess the DIP chip is an amplifier for driving the motor.  28 pins, I would have to assume there's some free GPIO there.  Heck I'd solder some wire wrap wire right to the pads on the chip if the firmware supported the state-reflecting outputs I'm suggesting.

I can easily see wanting to use an LED indicator for the joystick state even on an otherwise non-illuminated panel.  A pacdrive is $30 and an LEDWiz is $45.  Why absorb that extra expense if the hardware is already capable of it and the software to accomplish it would be a near-trivial firmware change? 

Again, I'm not being negative.  I like this a lot and think it's a lot cleaner than the servo hack (and THAT'S a fine solution in it's own right).  I'm an EE just as I presume Andy is...  I'm just making some suggestions in what is intented to be a brotherly spirit...   :cheers:

Gray_Area:

--- Quote from: Mysterioii on August 10, 2012, 11:05:29 pm --- He's using some sort of uC with a USB interface as the controller... I assume it's the (I think 28-pin) surface mount chip in the pic.  I guess the DIP chip is an amplifier for driving the motor.  28 pins, I would have to assume there's some free GPIO there.  Heck I'd solder some wire wrap wire right to the pads on the chip if the firmware supported the state-reflecting outputs I'm suggesting.
--- End quote ---

That bit right there is the stuff you need to be saying, in question format, to Andy. No more, no less.

Mysterioii:
Thanks for telling me what to say...   ::)   ;D    I am making good-faith friendly suggestions as to ways that an already good product could be in my opinion enhanced and improved with I believe minimal effort.  Perhaps nobody else would find value in my suggestions.  I think they would be useful.  I'm throwing it out there in what I presume is a "from one EE to another" friendly discourse.

Now, if Andy's controller does indeed have free GPIO and he'd be willing to do a firmware tweak and tell me which legs to solder to, that would be great (for me).  Not everyone would be willing to solder right to the surface mount pads so the suggestion remains as a potential mod to a next rev of the controller board, if there is one.  (It still does not address the toggle question).

If I've breeched any protocol by making these suggestions in a product announcement thread, I apologize.  I am very fond of Ultimarc products and I think this product as it is now is already a huge improvement over manually-switched joysticks or the servo mod. 

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