Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => Hardware and Software => Topic started by: 96Delta on September 04, 2013, 04:09:57 PM
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Microsoft Precision 2 Sidewinder with Windows 7
Hello gents. It's been a while but I'm set with a new rig
and want to continue to use my Microsoft Precision 2
Sidewinder with my new Windows 7 Professional OS.
Has anyone here been able to do so?
If so, could you tell me how you managed it.
Thanks!
David
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It worked just fine. A little jittery but if you are smooth it should work fine.
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My old Precision 2 worked like a champ for my son for a few weeks until I got him a Thrustmaster Hotas X....the only reason I did so is because I feel its important to have a separate throttle for this game (and rudder pedals). But these are personal options...feel free to game away with the Precision...great stick for its time.
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Thanks for the replies guys.
I wonder how you installed it though. Did you install the software
through Windows 7 or did you install through virtual machine
so the software would run in XP mode. Or did you just plug
it in and have Win7 recognize and install default drivers?
The reason I ask is because when I installed the software
it failed and failed to work. I know some have gotten it to
work with Win7...I'm just mystified as to how they did it.
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On W7 you just plug it in, no software additions necessary.
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Is this still a good stick? :old:
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On W7 you just plug it in, no software additions necessary.
Yep just plug it in and then you can find it in control panel from 'devices' as a game controller. From there you can calibrate if need be.
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Is this still a good stick? :old:
If Precision 2 has still optical 'potentiometers' then it's rock solid most likely. If it's the new cheap version with regular pots it's most likely not going to last long.
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If Precision 2 has still optical 'potentiometers' then it's rock solid most likely. If it's the new cheap version with regular pots it's most likely not going to last long.
The 2 has regular pots, I went to a T16000 with Hal-effect sensors after the 2.
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Thanks for the help guys.
Unfortunately, plug-and-play is not working.
I've had this Sidewinder for almost 12 years now and aside
from some finicky buttons is works great. I even have
another as a spare for when the original dies on me.
I'm done with Win7...its prettier but that's about
all that's good about it. I can get the same visuals in
XP so I'm going back to it. Enough of this MS bull.
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The 2 has regular pots, I went to a T16000 with Hal-effect sensors after the 2.
Wikipedia claims the Precision Pro, and the Precision 2 that followed it, used optical encoders, not pots. I know my Sidewinder Force Feedback 2 (based on the Precision 2) must have optical encoders because it is ancient yet never needs calibration.
Also, on the Sidewinder FF2, and probably the Precision 2, it is very easy to replace flaky button switches. There's even a thread somewhere in this forum giving the source part numbers (search for the term Mouser).
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If Precision 2 has still optical 'potentiometers' then it's rock solid most likely. If it's the new cheap version with regular pots it's most likely not going to last long.
Not exactly. I have one with the optical sensors. The sensors aren't the best. They're GOOD, and they don't degrade with age like pots do, but they aren't totally accurate like good pots are. I used my stick for many years. Even modified the handle to take more buttons (just remapped the buttons on the base with new wires), but it was never rock solid. It has its jitters and spikes. Minor ones, but enough to notice. Just part of the nature of the low-tech sensors and the ability they have to read the LED lights at the bottom of the stick as they move around, I guess.
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Not exactly. I have one with the optical sensors. The sensors aren't the best. They're GOOD, and they don't degrade with age like pots do, but they aren't totally accurate like good pots are. I used my stick for many years. Even modified the handle to take more buttons (just remapped the buttons on the base with new wires), but it was never rock solid. It has its jitters and spikes. Minor ones, but enough to notice. Just part of the nature of the low-tech sensors and the ability they have to read the LED lights at the bottom of the stick as they move around, I guess.
I'm sorry but if you have _any_ jitters and spikes you have either faulty hardware or regular pots. I have owned a Precision Pro I for over a decade and it still doesn't need any damping and produces a flat line in calibration tests.
The only failure that has been so far with the Precision pro is hat switch (cured by contact cleaner spray) and the wire of the optical sensor detaching from it's soldering (cured by resoldering it).
If you really have an optical version you should probably open it and check that the sensors are clean. They're very close to the silicon lubricant in the base of the stick and if the grease gets to the sensor it's naturally going to work non linear after that.
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It's not faulty, and they're not pots. I've opened it up on many an occasion. The sensor was always clean (no grease).
It's just never been CH quality. I have a CH stick now. When I put this somewhere, it stays there on the axis. Almost no spiking whatsoever.
The Sidewinder also had a bit of a deadspot.. not so much dead as a slightly wobbly center where inputs weren't as precise (most likely due to the free-floating head design with the LEDs on it that hovered over the sensor). I had to scale it for best effect.
Don't get me wrong I'm not saying it was a BAD stick. Far from it. I enjoyed it for the most part. It did, however, have some annoying habits. Minor, but present nonetheless. They existed ever since I bought it, and when I bought it the condition was unopened mint in box.
For what it's worth.
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I'm sorry but if you have _any_ jitters and spikes you have either faulty hardware or regular pots. I have owned a Precision Pro I for over a decade and it still doesn't need any damping and produces a flat line in calibration tests.
The only failure that has been so far with the Precision pro is hat switch (cured by contact cleaner spray) and the wire of the optical sensor detaching from it's soldering (cured by resoldering it).
If you really have an optical version you should probably open it and check that the sensors are clean. They're very close to the silicon lubricant in the base of the stick and if the grease gets to the sensor it's naturally going to work non linear after that.
Not true. I had an original Sidewinder Precision Pro (first iteration of the Sidewinder sticks) that I used for about 12 years. I had to switch when I built my new machine as these sticks weren't able to use USB adapters. There was one guy who made adapters using circuit boards but he'd wait until he had enough orders to order the boards and as demand dropped that was the end of that.
Anyway, after 12 years, while the stick still worked, the handle was loose and it would jitter and spike continuously. When I finally did switch to a cheapie Saitek I was amazed at how much steadier it was.
That said it was sad to see MS get out of that business because they made hands down the best product in the marketplace.
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Indeed. Mine was first-gen also, with the spinning dome for a throttle.
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It's not faulty, and they're not pots. I've opened it up on many an occasion. The sensor was always clean (no grease).
It's just never been CH quality. I have a CH stick now. When I put this somewhere, it stays there on the axis. Almost no spiking whatsoever.
The Sidewinder also had a bit of a deadspot.. not so much dead as a slightly wobbly center where inputs weren't as precise (most likely due to the free-floating head design with the LEDs on it that hovered over the sensor). I had to scale it for best effect.
Don't get me wrong I'm not saying it was a BAD stick. Far from it. I enjoyed it for the most part. It did, however, have some annoying habits. Minor, but present nonetheless. They existed ever since I bought it, and when I bought it the condition was unopened mint in box.
For what it's worth.
Got a CH throttle other month and it was spiking, was talking to pipz about it :old:
Opened it up and sorry to say bloke who put it together was thinking about the next episode of "Falcon Crest".
The three connectors could be pushed off with your little finger,potentiometer was nice but lugs needed opening out to make it sit tight in the plastic housing and the three wires were hanging loose in front of the slides. :cry
20 minutes later it was how it was sorted :)
CH stuff is good but be warned you need a screw driver,pliers and a spot of glue to make sure :)
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It's not faulty, and they're not pots. I've opened it up on many an occasion. The sensor was always clean (no grease).
It's just never been CH quality. I have a CH stick now. When I put this somewhere, it stays there on the axis. Almost no spiking whatsoever.
The Sidewinder also had a bit of a deadspot.. not so much dead as a slightly wobbly center where inputs weren't as precise (most likely due to the free-floating head design with the LEDs on it that hovered over the sensor). I had to scale it for best effect.
Don't get me wrong I'm not saying it was a BAD stick. Far from it. I enjoyed it for the most part. It did, however, have some annoying habits. Minor, but present nonetheless. They existed ever since I bought it, and when I bought it the condition was unopened mint in box.
For what it's worth.
Yes also my stick has the slight wobblyness but movement wise my stick has always been extremely high precision. I have never had any non-linear movement from it except the time that the wire got detached inside :)
I actually even returned my first Precision Pro to the shop after it got that slight slack when my wife played with the stick and used a huge amount of force. True story :)
Later on I've thought I should have just kept the stick and buy another to have a second one in stock, it's been that good.
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Not true. I had an original Sidewinder Precision Pro (first iteration of the Sidewinder sticks) that I used for about 12 years. I had to switch when I built my new machine as these sticks weren't able to use USB adapters. There was one guy who made adapters using circuit boards but he'd wait until he had enough orders to order the boards and as demand dropped that was the end of that.
Anyway, after 12 years, while the stick still worked, the handle was loose and it would jitter and spike continuously. When I finally did switch to a cheapie Saitek I was amazed at how much steadier it was.
That said it was sad to see MS get out of that business because they made hands down the best product in the marketplace.
If it jittered and spiked your stick was suffering from the same problem like mine - the tiny cable in the optical sensor was breaking loose from the soldering. It started as random jitter untill it just lost two axis completely.
By the way: There were different models of sidewinders. Mine came with a USB adapter out of the box.
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There were well more than 2 models of it.
And you seem more than keep to imply ours were broken... So, I shall repeat, mine was new from the box and wasn't in the process of breaking down. For what it gave me, it was totally reliable. I knew I could always get a certain amount of response from it. I just wanted a higher level of response, eventually. It wasn't in the process of losing an axis or two. All the solder points were good and clean. I opened it up many times. I studied it carefully because I was going to modify it after many years of faithful service. It was in perfect condition.
In fact, I've almost never heard that Sidewinders had a stellar reputation for perfect accuracy. You're the only one I've ever heard make that claim. I *have* heard, over the many years and many forums, that they are decent but not great, and they will never wear down unless you physically break the plastic. That matches my own observations, as I've spelled out in the previous post.
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Go here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Sidewinder (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Sidewinder) then scroll down slightly to the model chart.
Mine was the Microsoft SideWinder 3D Pro, the very first model MS built. You'll notice there was no USB option. If you click on the link to the JS itself there's a picture of it and an accurate description.
I also had a Microsoft SideWinder Force Feedback Wheel USB which just died within the past year. It would no longer power up and wasn't recognized in Windows despite the DC adapter testing good.
Both were great game controllers.
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There were well more than 2 models of it.
And you seem more than keep to imply ours were broken... So, I shall repeat, mine was new from the box and wasn't in the process of breaking down. For what it gave me, it was totally reliable. I knew I could always get a certain amount of response from it. I just wanted a higher level of response, eventually. It wasn't in the process of losing an axis or two. All the solder points were good and clean. I opened it up many times. I studied it carefully because I was going to modify it after many years of faithful service. It was in perfect condition.
In fact, I've almost never heard that Sidewinders had a stellar reputation for perfect accuracy. You're the only one I've ever heard make that claim. I *have* heard, over the many years and many forums, that they are decent but not great, and they will never wear down unless you physically break the plastic. That matches my own observations, as I've spelled out in the previous post.
Ok then your sidewinder had a manufacturing fault. Because I've used mine for over a decade and I've never seen anything that would indicate the slightest amount of jitter or spiking. I've never had to use any damping or deadzone with it for example. When I move the stick in calibration setup the feedback is 100% linear and even on the micro level which you can see by the raw output, there's no spiking at all. It follows smoothly any movement I make.
So either I have a very special model of the Sidewinder or you have had a monday sample.
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Go here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Sidewinder (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Sidewinder) then scroll down slightly to the model chart.
Mine was the Microsoft SideWinder 3D Pro, the very first model MS built. You'll notice there was no USB option. If you click on the link to the JS itself there's a picture of it and an accurate description.
I also had a Microsoft SideWinder Force Feedback Wheel USB which just died within the past year. It would no longer power up and wasn't recognized in Windows despite the DC adapter testing good.
Both were great game controllers.
I have the Sidewinder Precision Pro I. 3D Pro and Force Feedback were completely different constructions. Even Wikipedia states that the USB model Precision Pro is the best of the MS sticks, requiring no calibration and has a virtually unlimited lifetime. Precision Pro 2 already had potentiometers and fails just like most other sticks in a couple of years.
The Precision Pro was reported to have a rare problem of static buildup in the stick. Perhaps this is what caused the problems Krusty was experiencing. I personally have never had any problems with the stick outside the cable detaching from the sensor and the hat switch getting dirty.
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This stick crushes the FPS on my system.