CH Combatstick 568 twitchy inputs

[Brakechk]

Hello all,

I have a problem with my CH Combatstick 568.  This stick is new (bought it when I came back ingame a couple months ago).  I have downloaded the CH drivers for Win 7, and I have it plugged into a powered hub.  I am running the CH software only to calibrate the stick, everything else is done in Aces High.  I calibrate it in the CH manager and in game.

I also have a CH throttle and rudder pedals.  I am experiencing no issues with these controllers.  I replaced my old Combatstick when I came back because of this but this new one is acting the same way.

The problem I have is that it is twitchy when I am inputting small inputs, like slowly pulling/pushing the stick (pitch) or when I am making small adjustments for aim.  The pipper just jumps up and down in pitch with corresponding motions in pipper/nose movements.  The controller settings show very twitchy inputs when I test it and they are not huge fluctuations.  I don't really see these when making faster adjustments on the stick. This problem is very noticable at higher speeds, not so much at very slow speeds (plane speed).

The auto pilot holds fine so its not doing this at center (and I don't see spiking in the advanced controller maps at center), just when I am moving the stick.  I have tried scaling and dampening with no effect.  I have also tried plugging my powered usb hub into a different usb port in the back of the computer.

This problem really makes flying certain planes pretty frustrating.  For some reason its really bad in the F4Us, P38s and P47s.  Is there something I am maybe missing or is the flight dynamics just like this?  It's been a very long time since I played before coming back but I don't recall this problem before.

[Auger]

Is it twitchy in both the roll and pitch axes?  If it's only pitch then I would think that it is a bad pot.

[Chalenge]

Try the following (in order to avoid expenses):

1) Remove CH manager and retest.
2) Replace the powered HUB
3) Reinstall CH manager (if you still have the problem)

If none of that works I would return the stick. It is possible that there is a wire inside that is not making good contact somewhere, but that should not be your problem with a new stick. If you cannot return it for some reason, then open it up and see if you can see a wiring flaw. If not then order a new potentiometer from CH.

[Getback]

I got this hint from TilDeath and it worked. Make sure you're CH sticks are not plugged into the blue 3.0 port. Yes I know it's supposed to be backwards compatible but it ain't.

[LCADolby]

This guy needs scaling.

[Brakechk]

Is it twitchy in both the roll and pitch axes?  If it's only pitch then I would think that it is a bad pot.

Its twitchy in both, it's just more noticable in pitch.

[Brakechk]

This guy needs scaling.

Years ago I never used scaling.  I messed with it some to try and fix this but it didnt seem to help.  It just made the plane feel mushy.  I still get the input twitchyness.  Basically it looks sort of like random framerate stutters (framerate is fine...checked it also).

[Brakechk]

Try the following (in order to avoid expenses):

1) Remove CH manager and retest.
2) Replace the powered HUB
3) Reinstall CH manager (if you still have the problem)

If none of that works I would return the stick. It is possible that there is a wire inside that is not making good contact somewhere, but that should not be your problem with a new stick. If you cannot return it for some reason, then open it up and see if you can see a wiring flaw. If not then order a new potentiometer from CH.

I'll give this a try.  Although when I first bought the stick I wasn't using any CH software at all, I just plugged everything into a usb port and let windows run it.  I then tried the port, then the powered hub.  I may have downloaded the wrong drivers (older version) so I'll remove and retry it and see what happens.

Thanks for all the suggestions so far.

[Getback]

My stick was twitchy as well. Just check to see if it's in the blue USB port before doing all that other stuff.

[Brakechk]

My stick was twitchy as well. Just check to see if it's in the blue USB port before doing all that other stuff.

I tried it  in both the usb 2.0 port (checked the hub..it's a usb 2.0). and the usb 3 (or blue one...whatever it is).  Still getting same issue.  I wound up ditching the ch drivers and reloading new most recent ones.  I also deleted and reinstalled the game.  No help with any of those.

Back when I used to play I wound up running with deadband as little as possible and dampening completely at the bottom.  Doing that helped with bouncing after joystick inputs.  I also ran all the scaling sliders to the top...to help with slow or mushy inputs.  I remember after doing that it took a fair bit to retrain myself not to overcontrol but once I did all that the planes seemed a bit more responsive.  I do not remember any issues with the stick being spikey. 

All of this worked really well for me so that's how I have it now.  It really looks like a jumpy pot but this thing is brand new..but acts like the old one I replaced.  The whole thing is pretty frustrating as it works against you when your flying right on stall speed and any unexpected or unwanted stick input can cause a departure not to mention the difficulty in small aim ajustments.

[Bizman]

Check all USB devices and your stick in Device Manager to see, if any of them has the "Let windows shut this device down for energy saving" box ticked. Also look at the Power Management settings, you might like it set to "best performance" and also look at the Advanced power settings to disable any USB related power saving options.

[The Fugitive]

OK, here is another way to check your USB inputs, get DIView. It's a free program for Direct Input Viewing. Run it and you will see how your controllers are working. Here's mine....



The red circled areas are the main axises of the stick and pedals (the throttle is flat lined). These 3 on mine while at rest jump around 1% max. If your set is this or less it is NOT a stick problem, its the guy holding the stick   

As I have gotten older I have had to add more and more scaling to my stick and rudders. I don't know why, I just know I do.

[icepac]

Try exercising the stick by pulling it through all axis and concentrating on making very small movements at the end of it's travel.

More than a few sticks act as op noted on the first few minutes of usage after a reboot of the of.

[bustr]

By any chance have you touched the pot centering wheel for the problem axis on the stick's base?

I used to get a similare problem with my fighter stick x-axis because my hand sometimes would rub against it and move it slightly, then I'd recalibrate thinking the pot was going bad. Or my USB port or hub.

I've known players who get those wheels set correctly then tape them in place becasue of this. Don't worry about the CH calibration window numbers 0 and 255 when you attempt to get the wheel centered if that is the problem and removes your jitter. After you get the wheel set and your pot to stop jittering the numbers, your calibration may have one side at 1 and the other at 249.

DIView is a great way to look at the real raw buffer info rather than CH's version of the buffer.

[Ack-Ack]

Get the latest version of CH Control Manager and install it.  You don't have to use it for the mapping functions but it's a good idea to install it so you can calibrate your CH controllers properly in Windows.  After you've calibrated in Windows, you'll have to do two calibration routines in AH.  First, calibrate each of the axis for your controllers and then use the in-game calibration routine to calibrate your controllers.  This will ensure that your controllers are properly calibrated in Windows and AH.  If you're still experiencing spikes, then its time to look at the hardware.

ack-ack