alot of wiggle/play in my HOTAS joystick

[jab116]

There were alot of cougars that were shipped without grease on the gimbal. If you noticed metal filings falling out the bottom of the stick, chances are you got one. An easy, cheap fix is to coat the gimbal & other wear surfaces with JB weld, or somekind of epoxy resin.
I had to do it with mine, now it's smoother than stock & has zero play.

[oldtard]

DID you come up with your own specs for your sim pit and if so you think maybe you could post how you built it.I am getting ready to build one myself and the one you built is pretty much what i had in mind.

[miraj]

Thanks for the comments.

 The stick has about an inch of side to side play , no metal shavings though.

 As for build specs , it is totally a shoot from the hip project. I had a carpenter help me with alot of it. OldTard , what is your email address?

[Rebel]

I had the same problem- here's what you do-

Step 1- dump the auto cal, and gro straight for manual.
 -calibrate the stick per instruction, then save the file, and then apply the settings to the device.

Step 2- open the "Hotas Cougar" from your control panel- this brings up a great monitoring tool.

-play with your stick at the edges, watch your axes- they will flutter.  That's okay.

Step 3- fire up HOTAS CCP, and adjust deadband to approximate "play" area - (mine is currently at 9%).  

the idea is, you want the stick to begin registering input at the end of the free-play area.  Idealy, you should be able to wiggle the stick from here til the cows come home without getting a single shift in your axes monitor.

-CONSIDER THIS-

Once you've done the above, the axis curve may need to be adjusted-  what you want is for the zero point to be at the edge of deadband.  So, when you hit the deadband, you have to move it ever so slightly against the tension for very gentle maneuvering.

Currently, my deadband on both X and Y axes is at 9%, with a curve offset of -3.  Works great.  

Lemme know if you have any questions.

[oldtard]

Originally posted by miraj
Thanks for the comments.

 The stick has about an inch of side to side play , no metal shavings though.

 As for build specs , it is totally a shoot from the hip project. I had a carpenter help me with alot of it. OldTard , what is your email address?

OLDTARD@hotmail.com

[jab116]

Take the bottom plate off, I bet you find shavings.

[Jaxxon]

Is that Oak?!?
How many here can afford an Oak cockpit?!?
IMO, if you have the money and love flight sims MOD up your Cougar with Hall sensors and the Uber 2 NXT. It's the ultimate and what should have been what TM marketed as a high end HOTAS from the start.
But don't expect it to help you with your ACM or SA, there's just some things money can't buy

[jhookt]

Originally posted by Estes
HOTAS doesn't typically refer to anything. Hands on throttle and stick setups could be a multitude of brands.

i have never heard any other brand refer to thier setup as HOTAS except for CH. also note the ident plate on the stick base in pic number #2. sorry for the hijack

[miraj]

Originally posted by Jaxxon
Is that Oak?!?
How many here can afford an Oak cockpit?!?
IMO, if you have the money and love flight sims MOD up your Cougar with Hall sensors and the Uber 2 NXT. It's the ultimate and what should have been what TM marketed as a high end HOTAS from the start.
But don't expect it to help you with your ACM or SA, there's just some things money can't buy

 Do you have a web address for the Hall/Uber2 NXT mod?

 As for helping me fly , it does help with the 'seat-of-the-pants' type of flying.

 You would be suprised how much better you can play when your body is not contorted and you are comfortable.

 Where it REALLY helps is down low and fast , you get a better feel of your actual altitude. It is also an advantage on longer missions , when lower back pain is an issue.

  Basicly it is a comfort thing  but it REALLY that adds to the realism , and after all , thats what I love, the realism.

[Jaxxon]

First off, here's a link to a "everything you want to know about the Cougar HOTAS" http://cougar.frugalsworld.com/

This link discribes the Uber II NXT and Hall Sensor Mod http://cougar.frugalsworld.com/mods.php#nxt

For Hall sensors Cub Pilots site http://cubpilotshangar.net/

I guess now you have to sign up at Frugals World, not a bad thing, cause it looks like IJ, the maker of the NXT is only taking orders through PMs these days. It's not an off the self Mod, he makes them as the orders come in. I know there were at least 20 orders batched at the same time mine was.
Join the BBS here http://forums.frugalsworld.com/vbb/index.php
Agian, his BBS user ID is IJ.

Another thing you might want to invest in to enhance your game play, if you don't have it already, mainly on the SA side of things is this http://www.naturalpoint.com/trackir/
Aces High makes full use of Track IR 4 and it really adds to the immersion.

[GunnerCAF]

Originally posted by miraj
Do you have a web address for the Hall/Uber2 NXT mod?

 As for helping me fly , it does help with the 'seat-of-the-pants' type of flying.

 You would be suprised how much better you can play when your body is not contorted and you are comfortable.

 Where it REALLY helps is down low and fast , you get a better feel of your actual altitude. It is also an advantage on longer missions , when lower back pain is an issue.

  Basicly it is a comfort thing  but it REALLY that adds to the realism , and after all , thats what I love, the realism.

I highly recommend IJs Cougar U2 NXT with Cub Pilots Hall Sensors.  These are both high quality modifications.  The precision and feel of the stick after these modifications is incredible.  Follow the links to Cougar World in the above post.  Here is my page with pictures and links to Cougar World:

Gunner's Cougar Page

[sparow]

Hey guys!

If you're interested, I'm selling my unfinished home-cockpit project...

It's that or divorce. Don't even have a garage, I live in a 3rd floor apt...

real cockpit of a Fiat G-91 R3 jet, built by Dornier, ex-Bundes Luftwaffe, ex-Portuguese Air Force, from the 70s.

[/IMG]

Come and get it, all yours for 500 usd.

Enjoy!

Sparrow