Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => Aces High General Discussion => Topic started by: -towd_ on November 04, 1999, 02:56:00 AM
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apperently some ms sidewinders are flawed or wear out quick (mine was 4 months old) i went to a mall store (starts with walden)and for 39 bucks got the interact cyclone and started whoopin some arse. i guess when they start to go the digitals spike like mad.
not one "dont move your controls so fast" message all nite.
so beware it is almost chrismas and there are other that microsoft options.
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TOWD,
I'm curious, does that stick have twist capability? I'm happy with my SW Pre Pro right now, but just in case ...
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129 IAP VVS RKKA
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You all M$ worshippers (http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/Smileys/default/smile.gif)
TM rocks. Just recently I called it the Spikemaster. Apparently it started to spike on pitch axis after some 50% deflection, and it was bad, plane flew weird, departed etc. And all this after some 10 months of use.
Spraying the pots with fluid did not help, only delayed further spiking.
Well, took the pots out and opened them. You would never believe how much dirt was in there ! Dirt, mixed with the cleaner fluid, it seems. After clening it, I again consider TM the best out there. As if it was provided by RLM itself.
So, TM users, if you still get spikes after cleaning the pots with spray fluid, you should try to open the pots and clean them properly. Though you need some tools for it too.
And so famous Stick Stirring message ? Never got any, only when I wanted to see what it looks like.
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Hristo,
I/JG 51
Jagdgeschwader 51 Mölders (http://jg51.cjb.net)
[This message has been edited by Hristo (edited 11-04-1999).]
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yes leo it does have a twist rudder. it seems very much like a sidewinder in look except it has 2 throttles and 12 buttons i cant believe its 39 bucks it also has a usb adapter.
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TOWD,
Cool! Thanks for the info.
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129 IAP VVS RKKA
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CH Products also makes a stick with a twist handle.
--Westy
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Let's see, SW Pre Pro works great with every sim. Then AH comes a long and it doesn't work. So we blame M$?
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Hey Funked;
A little off topic here, please excuse.
Do you work for Woodward Govoner by chance?
My brother is an enginerd there. I hope not because if you do I'm going to have to start behaving myself around here. (http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/Smileys/default/smile.gif)
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My only problem with the MS "sidewinder" Precision Pro, USB had been a constant need to tighten the spring for tension on the X & Y axis. A bit afraid to open the Twist portion though, but the dampers and deadband adjustments in AH have done the trick for me.
As to setting it up, I never had any problems, and simply use the SWA editor to set things up. Didn't do a thing in the keymapping department in AH. About every week or so I recal in both the MS pro software, and in AH. Works great,, perhaps I've been lucky..
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GreyBeard
Flight Commander, Aces High
Skeleton Crew
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MS Sidewinders....
These things dont just go bad. IMO, they are manufactured to higher quality standards and use better components than either TM or CH
(Ive owned both TM and CH thanks, but no thanks).
And yes, my sidewinders have worked flawlessly with every sim application.
I am however feeling shortchanged with the compatability of the AcesHigh viewsystem.
All I want is to be able to use sticksets toggled just like WBs.
Yeager
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My Sidewinder Pro died after 6 mos of very minimal use. the twist action just stopped.
It was never dropped. Never banged. They do go bad.
I had a squeak of a time getting Microsoft to honor the warranty. They would not soley because the stick was not in production any more and they refused to repair it. It took three mos of phone calls and persistant
escalations to supervisors and managers to get them to finally do something and what they did was send me a Precision Pro as a replacement. Which is an inferior stick because it is 'digital' only.
But by then I'd gone and bought all CH Pro products. I've never looked back.
The Precision Pro became a Christmas present for my brother and than died in 2 mos.
I'll never buy MickeyShaft sticks again.
--Westy
[This message has been edited by Westy (edited 11-04-1999).]
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Westy, brought my broken MS FF to my dealer after 5 month of use (some FF stuff broke) and had no problem getting my money back.
Ok i waited for 3 weeks, but then Microsoft told them it was beyond repair and the dealer gave me my money back.
Now I am looking for a more sturdy FF stick.
Anyone knows the Logitech FF Stick? The mechanism works with steel cables. Anyone tested it? (Alas it is quite huge)
Werewo
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Yeager. HT said that because of the way the view system was coded it would not be possible to install a toggel system.
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Westy it sounds like the ones who screwed you was the place you bought the stick. My MS Force Feed stick went bad in 6 months, I took it back to the local computer store where I bought it(not a chain store) and said "this stick doesn't work", they took it in the back room for ten minutes, to test it and came back with a loaner til my NEW one came in a few days later.
As for digital sticks being "inferior" to analogs where did you deduct that from? maybe the fact that rudder pedals won't work with them? That isn't true any more. There is a German company that makes some Hi Quality pedals that are compatible with all MS sticks.
Also calibration is a non issue with my MS stick. Can't remember the last time I calibrated it. From what I remembered from an old CH piece of sh*t I had, along with my old CH rudder pedals, you gotta calibrate practically every time ya log on, maybe they've improved some since then, (1 year ago) I dunno.
Werewolf I had a Logitech wingman force for a few weeks. They are good sticks, except I couldn't get the trim force stiff enough for my taste in WB's, plus it only has 8 or 10 buttons on it. My MS stick has 16 programmable buttons (using the shift key)
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Hmm, I have a CH FlightStick Pro ( the old kind: grey base and black stick w/ trigger, 3 buttons and a hat ) and the Pro rudder pedals and the only problem is a twitchy center with the stick.
That's why when you're in a fight w/ me fly _straight_ doing some 0.5 to 1.5G maneuvers and I will never be able to hit you.
//fats
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Ive had my ms sidewinder forcefeedback ever since they first came out and I have to say its the best stick ive ever had. And as for that CH stuff I got one of those before I had my ms and I pulled back to hard and the bloody thing broke in half. My 2cents.
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Gijoey,Joetwo,JoeMud=me
DHBG!!
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oh ya and I had the 3d pro for 3 years before then and it still works good.
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Gijoey,Joetwo,JoeMud=me
DHBG!!
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I've had a sw3d pro since they came out,
and a sw ff pro since they came out.
I've never had a problem with either.
OLdfella (http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/Smileys/default/smile.gif)
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Can't toggle between stick sets?
Hmmm.
TT I don't know what you mean by not toggling between stick sets, but to me it means being able to have a single button on your joystick that you can push to go back and forth between stick set 1 and 2.
You don't need such a button. There never was. Not even in Warbirds.
You can program the joystick with the joystick mapper to set this pattern up:
In stick set 1, I have button 4 of my joystick "use stick set 2".
In stick set 2 I have button 4 do the "use stick set 1" command.
The only other differences between the stick sets are the hat buttons. Stick set 2 they look up at 45 degrees, while stick set 1 looks around on the horizontal plane (up looks straight up of course).
What I want to know is why does the mapper for the keyboard and joystick have a way to push a button to look straight forward? Doesn't it default to forward view if you don't hold another button down. In panning mode it makes you look down...and there is another button (keypad 0) that also makes you look down. Eh? Just a thought.
One button I do wish we had was a "recenter view" when using the panning view system. The only way I can figure I could do it would be to use two buttons on the joystick, one to intiate "instant view F9 key" and another to intiate "panning view F8 key". Just hit instant viewing, then turn panning back on. Also remap "look back" on the hat switch to "look down".
I had hoped the HOME key would have recentered your view, but all that does is reset your head position, not your direction of view.
I guess it doesn't really bother me. I prefer the snap view system anyways.
Hans.
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Hans, I also explained this but I beleive TT and Yeager are after something else: holding the button goes to Stick Set 2, releasing the button defaults back to Stick Set 1.
Am I correct, TT and Yeager?
Personally, since I didn't use a toggle that way in WB, I can get an identical setup for the two sims. I map the "shift" key to Numpad 5 within AH and use it to get the up view -- it works like a toggle: hold it and it's up, release it and it's level. I think the reason for a forward view key is so that two types of forward view can be mapped: default and user defined. Personally I find the full pan way too slow for combat (but good for other things) so I use the snap pan view.
Regarding MS: while I love to hate huge and monopolistic enterprises, I must say I have had excellent service and reliability from their hardware. I had a MS 3d Pro for 3 years, no problem; eventually sold it when I got a MS FF Pro. A friend had a FF Pro that had one base button stuck down so he lent it to me (he had received another one for free as a replacement) to see how I liked it; I enjoyed it so I ordered one from an on-line seller. In the meantime I contacted MS Canada about possibly getting in touch with someone who could repair the base button (in case it was cheaper). I explained multiple times that a) it wasn't my stick and b) that it was past its warranty period so I wanted to pay for replacement parts and just needed a name where I could take it to get it serviced. The rep acknowledged both facts and took my address (I thought to send a new spring etc. for the button) and then told me that they didn't want a product that didn't work on the market and that MS would send me a new one. Wow. Sure enough, they did and it has worked very well.
The only complaint I have is that it is too "loose" in WB. When the plane is slow there is no resistance on the stick and I would like there to still be a little. I had more control over the plane at low speeds with the non-FF stick, but now that I have stall buffeting I would never go back.
Oh yeah: it's digital... no need to worry about pots wearing out and it's always calibrated. I like it very much. The rudder on the twist handle (though unrealistic) allows for more precise inputs than I can manage with my clumsy feet on pedals and, besides which, signals from the brain are sent to the hands more quickly than the feet (the reason they are considering hand operated throttle and braking in the future of motorsports). It won't be called heel and toe (for those that didn't grow up in go karts with left foot braking) but palm and finger... (http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/Smileys/default/smile.gif)
The only thing I might like to do is try and hook up a throttle and maybe pedals. What was the name of that German company again?
[edited for syntax]
Cheers,
[This message has been edited by phaetn (edited 11-05-1999).]
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Heres the url to the company that makes rudder pedals for the MS sticks phaetn...
http://www.combatsim.com/htm/dec98/pedal-hoff.htm (http://www.combatsim.com/htm/dec98/pedal-hoff.htm)
[This message has been edited by hblair (edited 11-05-1999).]
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I have a set of the Hoffman Simped Digital pedals hooked up to my Sidewinder FF stick.
The pedals are by far the best I've ever owned. Beautifully smooth, with no pots to wear out (fully digital).
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C.O. Phoenix Squadron
www.users.bigpond.com/afinlayson/index.htm
'feel the heat .......'