Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => Hardware and Software => Topic started by: punchdrunk on May 26, 2005, 10:50:27 PM
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I was thinking about buying a saitek x45 from the saitek site, the only problem is that it is refurbished. does anyone know is this is a good idea or not?
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Go with the next step up if your going with Saitek. Go for the X52 instead... I will tell you why. :aok
The X45 has a rocker-rudder on the throttle...it is hard to run the rudder as well as any other button pressing your doing on the throttle control at the same time. The X52 has a twist-grip joystick so it is easier to fly, and if you use rudder pedals, you can lock the joysitck so it doesn't twist....
There you go, better deal for the money...
ALF has a good review of it here:
http://www.combathanger.com/fighterreviews/x52/x521.html
:aok
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Originally posted by punchdrunk
I was thinking about buying a saitek x45 from the saitek site, the only problem is that it is refurbished. does anyone know is this is a good idea or not?
there are quite a few that fly with refurb x45's
it is a great stick and i flew with it for 2+ years.
the rudder takes some getting used to, but like i said many have played with it. if money is an issue, i say definatly, if not take a peek at the x52.
if money is really no object look into a whole CHproducts setup ($400+ total)
if you are looking at refurbs i would guess money is a consideration though.
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The rudder rocker to me was absolutely worthless. I invested in CH pro pedals (I actually bought them from an AH player in Colorado) and have never looked back.
I can't imagine playing without the X45 and Rudder pedals. For traveling, I'd like to get my hands on a MS Sidewinder Precision Pro. Gotta get on ebay :)
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I have had my X45 since it was introduced and I use the CH USB pedal with it and it works great. Actually this is my second X45 cause I got careless and broke the throttle cable connector. Great stick for the price. If I had to buy another one I would get the 52
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SHawk pointed out to me that my X-45 is one of the early ones with issues. I literally have 1.5 to 2" of play just to start rotation/pitch. Using my X45 can be quite a workout, especially with more jittery aircraft like the Yaks or La7s.
I plan to upgrade to an X52 in the near future. Asides the quirks, its been a great and very affordable combo.
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I'd take a rudder-rocker anyday over a twist-grip. I absolutely despise twist grip sticks. The rudder rocker on my X45 setup works just fine when mapped to give me rudder trim, and I use my analog CH pedals for rudders.
Whoever says that rudders on a throttle is harder to be precise than twist grip on your primary control stick is on crack. I've seen guys try to survive a scissors with a twist grip... It's funny as heck seeing them spin out of control and then grab their wrist to massage out the pain after they auger or get shot down.
Buy a cheap twist-grip stick before dropping any real coin on them. You might like them... Lots of people seem to like them because the damned stick manufacturers seem to be putting twist grips on everything nowadays. But why not just get some real rudder pedals, which also gives you the option of adding in a wheel and having a decent car racing setup too? Watching someone flail with a twist grip rudder setup is almost as funny as watching someone try to play car racing games online without brake and throttle pedals.
The refurbished part bothers me, but not nearly as much as the threat of having to use a twist grip stick. There's nothing wrong with the rudder paddles on the x45 throttle except that in my case, the pot is crappy and now it spikes continually so I had to set a deadband that is about 95% of the range of motion. But it still works, and it's never been a problem.
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I know the answer to this but i'll ask anyway................
The rudders to be used with the x-45 have to be usb right?
I agree, twisty sticks suck
Tapakeg
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yes
and yes
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having success with the X52 twisty rudder banded & programmed as aileron trim - use usb pro peds for rudder
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Rudders with x45 do NOT have to be USB. The way to do it is to plug in some other analog stick or wheel along with the rudders. I found a cheap $20 racing wheel that works ok for casual car racing games, and I plugged my rudders in with it. Windows XP has absolutely zero problems recognizing it along with the saitek setup, and AH has had the ability to map any recognized stick and axis to any control for years, so it works great.
There is a utility out there that lets you use analog rudders in a stand-alone fashion, but I never could get it to work so I just use the wheel.
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EAGL
In my case I'm lucky to be able to walk & chew gum. My feet are just NOT that coordinated.
I've flown every type of controler setup availdable. And frankly nothing suits me like the MS sidewinder.
But variaty is the spice of life. Thankfully there are several options out there nowdays joystick wise.
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Ghost, this sounds like a case of "you should learn how to fly an airplane"itis. Your friendly neighborhood flying school would love to see you :)
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Originally posted by eagl
Rudders with x45 do NOT have to be USB. The way to do it is to plug in some other analog stick or wheel along with the rudders.
I have a set of CH Pro Pedals (game port) left over from my Air Warrior days and there seems to be no way to use them. The game port on my 9700 Pro card has a different connector and there are no adapters available to use the pedals as USB :(
I have a Momo wheel and Act Labs pedals for racing, which I'm not doing anymore, but I have no room on my desk for a wheel and a joystick and I don't think I can get the pedals to work for rudders. It seems to me I tried with my Logitec 3D stick. I haven't tried to use it with my X45, maybe I should.
I can't get a feel for the X45 rudder switch so I pretty much never use the rudders. I know in AW with the CH setup, plane control was awesome, I'd sure love to get back to that feeling :)
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Originally posted by Alky
I have a set of CH Pro Pedals (game port) left over from my Air Warrior days and there seems to be no way to use them. The game port on my 9700 Pro card has a different connector
... sorry but i have never heard of the video card having the gameport connecter.... i think that is the DVI out for LCD moniters
the gameport should be on the sound card.
the biggest problem is getting win XP to recognize it.
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Originally posted by JB73
... sorry but i have never heard of the video card having the gameport connecter.... i think that is the DVI out for LCD moniters
the gameport should be on the sound card.
the biggest problem is getting win XP to recognize it.
Ah, well then I guess I don't have a gameport, there's nothing on my computer that the plug will connect to, my sound card is an onboard piece of junk. Strange that my device manager thinks I have a game port though :rolleyes:
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ur port maybe an extra dongle with a ribbon cable and card you need to slide into an empty slot int eh cpu - what's the model of motherboard?
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Originally posted by Alky
Ah, well then I guess I don't have a gameport, there's nothing on my computer that the plug will connect to, my sound card is an onboard piece of junk. Strange that my device manager thinks I have a game port though :rolleyes:
There are GamePort to USB adapters. I bought one at RadioShack. I has a switch on it to tell the system whether it is a 2 button, 4 button or 6 button controller. You just use the default MS device drivers.
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I'm on my second X-45 and like it quite a bit. It's also the most "bang for the buck". You should check with Saitek on what constitutes a "refurbished" unit. My guess is that the entire electronic guts are replaced which would include the switches and pots.
The reason I'm on my second X-45 is that I wore out my POV hat switch and couldn't see an easy (for me) way to replace the switches in it (although I've heard that it can be done). The first stick lasted about 3 years of which only maybe one year could be considered "intense" use. Other than the POV hat I've had no trouble with either stick. If the entire guts are replaced then there is no reason it wouldn't last as long but, for the price, a brand new one is a pretty good deal ($70- $80?).
I personally don't like the ergonomics of the X-52. The controls are poorly positioned and aren't nearly as easy to use as the 45. I have absolutely no problems with the rudder rocker on the throttle and see no reason to invest in actual rudder pedals (and I use rudder alot). I've also tried a twist grip and didn't like it. Lots of times I found myself trying to track a target while not realizing I was inadvertently twisting the grip. Airplanes can get real squirrly real fast when you don't realize you're flying uncoordinated and I never got used to the twist grip. I did make some modifications to the rudder gains for the X-45 and have the sliders near the bottom for the first 1/2 and then ramping up to full gain at the end. This gives some very precise control for tracking shots while still giving me full authority for snap rolls, guns defense, etc.
Mace
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Originally posted by Clifra Jones
There are GamePort to USB adapters. I bought one at RadioShack.
Do you have a part number or something, I've checked other electronic/software outlets and they haven't heard of a USB/game port adapter. Even CH told me I'm out of luck. I don't have the heart to just toss my pedals in the trash.
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Originally posted by Alky
Do you have a part number or something, I've checked other electronic/software outlets and they haven't heard of a USB/game port adapter. Even CH told me I'm out of luck. I don't have the heart to just toss my pedals in the trash.
USB Game Port Adapter (http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=CTLG&product%5Fid=26-164)
USB Game Port Adapter
$16.99 Brand: RadioShack
Catalog #: 26-164 Model: 26-164
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Originally posted by Eagler
USB Game Port Adapter (http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=CTLG&product%5Fid=26-164)
USB Game Port Adapter
$16.99 Brand: RadioShack
Catalog #: 26-164 Model: 26-164
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!
I tracked it down to a local store here (Canada), supposed to be 5 in stock.
...I wonder why other companies would say that such a thing doesn't exist...:confused: