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Instead of using the pots for camera control, decided to try a miniature joystick in place of two pots.
ALPS make one that fits, with a little Dremel work, nicely in place of pot #3 .
They are about 20x25x13mm , a little smaller without the centre push switch which I haven't yet put to use.
There is space to reposition the pot back next to #1 and fit a switch to flip between systems.
The ALPS stick pots are 10K but it all seems to calibrate OK.
Just need to make a boot to keep c**p out.

Very nice! I

I'm playing around with a psp thumb stick, and/or a mini track ball, but mounting them on the back, so when I grip the radio, the trackball or psp thumb stick is there, can use it while still flying with the my thumbs on the sticks.

looks nice the result, its spring loaded the 2 axis joystick?

The one I used is spring loaded. Smooth operation.

Minimum 1000 piece order/??? did you source it from a retailer, or do you work there or what. I have multiple 9x;s butI don't need a 1000 pots.!

Thanks

Pat

another potential and cheap source for these joysticks is the wii nunchuk controller.

find a friend that built a multicopter with the accelerometer from the nunchuk and desolder the mini joystick from there. not too sure of the VR value, though.

Digi-Key have a large range of similar units. RS Components carry some in Austrlia.

cr8tive_leo wrote:I'm playing around with a psp thumb stick, and/or a mini track ball, but mounting them on the back, so when I grip the radio, the trackball or psp thumb stick is there, can use it while still flying with the my thumbs on the sticks.

I've been thinking the same thing. I picked up a couple of clones of the thumbsticks from Deal Extreme. For interfacing with the 9X, I was thinking of setting up an Arduino-compatable gizmo and having it read the analog values, and encode them into a PPM stream to feed to the 9X trainer port. If I understand the mixing options properly, those values can then be used to operate output channels just like any stock analog source.

I'm not sure about the usefullness of the trackball for my purposes, but I am LOVING the idea of that little joystick... The obvious use there is FPV (I don't really like headtrackers, but I'd like to >>> LOOK THERE >>> on demand) or searchlights/laser designators*, but I can see a lot of people just wanting a self-centering variable control. Imagine a glider with airbrakes/spoilers/flaps you can "squeeze" on and off on demand instead of flicking hard. Or simply putting elevon/flaperons on their own dedicated stick, to fly the plane with that stick or to just press the mini-stick to add those effects to the existing sticks.

When I first got my HK9X, I wondered what I'd ever use 8 channels for. When I loaded ER9X, I wondered what I'd ever use 16 models for. Then I wondered what I'd ever use 16 channels for. Now I have multiple radios using all the channels... Didn't take long to expand into everything offered... More channels, more controls! MMMMmmm... yummy...

-Gyro
...rummaging through his pile of dead AirHog and analog models killed by nephews... more parts!

Just wait for pxx, and if you have flysky... what did erazz say is possible... 2048 channels.. 2056...?

cr8tive_leo wrote:Just wait for pxx, and if you have flysky... what did erazz say is possible... 2048 channels.. 2056...?

*Gyro is counting his fingers and toes...*

Nope, even I can't use up that many channels...

-Gyro

I'm stuck in a binary world.. just 0 and 1 for me. (better than octal)

cr8tive_leo wrote:I'm stuck in a binary world.. just 0 and 1 for me. (better than octal)

I work in a base-31 world... boy does my programming suck...

i liked the idea of using a ps2 controller stick for camera gimbal control.

i used an old PS2 controller and cut the board so i could use the board as a place to screw it to the case.





http://youtu.be/5Fp7LCPJcYo

i am not done with working on this.(offcourse.. letting the controller hanging loose from the 9X isn't a good plan )
i have to mount the stick on the rear of the case, and i want to choose between the normal pots and the stick, so i need a switch. (6 channel switch or is 5 enough? common ground or something?) and maybe i will use the switch on the stick to.

so, still not done, but it thought i share the first tests.

I assume you are only going to use one of those joysticks. Each joystick has 2 pots, one for forward/back and the other for right/left. The pots need to have their ends connected between +5 and gnd. The wiper terminal is what connects to the processor. So really you only need a DPDT(double pole double throw) switch. This is because you only need to switch out the wiper wire. The +5 and gnd can be left connected all the time.
-Gohst

Watched your video. What is with all of the flashing lights?? Remember the calibration will be different between the built in pots and the new joystick you are adding.
-Gohst

Hate how imprecise these things are... nearly closer to an ON-OFF-ON switch than to a gimbal

gohsthb wrote:I assume you are only going to use one of those joysticks. Each joystick has 2 pots, one for forward/back and the other for right/left. The pots need to have their ends connected between +5 and gnd. The wiper terminal is what connects to the processor. So really you only need a DPDT(double pole double throw) switch. This is because you only need to switch out the wiper wire. The +5 and gnd can be left connected all the time.
-Gohst

ah great! thanks for the info!

gohsthb wrote:Watched your video. What is with all of the flashing lights?? Remember the calibration will be different between the built in pots and the new joystick you are adding.
-Gohst

flashing lights are from the quad...

interesting: how would the calibration be different? center is still center.

Kilrah wrote:Hate how imprecise these things are... nearly closer to an ON-OFF-ON switch than to a gimbal

yeah, they have a short throw.. but it's connected to the ER9X... so.... i can make them move slower! (love the power of the ER9X!)

Because they are physically different pots. If you go into the analog inputs screen of the Tx (Setup 5/6). You will notice that the value, center column, is slightly different for each analog input. The endpoints might also be slightly different. This is just because the pots are not all in exactly the same positions at these points. This is also why the radios have a calibration setup. Each one is a little different from the others.
-Gohst

ah, thanks got it! was thinking along another way.. (thinking wrong that is.. lol)

i think i got lucky, the values are almost spot on! end points are the same, center is slightly off.

Just thinking loud here.. maybe connecting a trim pot in series with one or both sides of the joystick pot you could calibrate the centre??

nice loud thinking! that could work!
also thinking out loud: pot calibration per model, and not general as it is now?

and for your viewing pleasure..



controlled by the pinkly finger:


index finger and thumb are still on the stick.

i still need to make a switch for switching between pots and PS2 stick though..

Hi helitroppo,
can you tell me how you did the "stick" of the Joystick? Imean the stick with the yellow bubble on the top.
This looks really neat and I want to change the PS2 style thumb knob to something smaller and less bulky, something like yours..
I'd really appreciate your help.
Thanks

I'm playing around with a psp thumb stick, and/or a mini track ball, but mounting them on the back, so when I grip the radio, the trackball or psp thumb stick is there, can use it while still flying with the my thumbs on the sticks.






Just came across this mod. Made me laugh for minute. This past Fathers day we went on a family day trip and my 2 sons were playing with there PSP's and I picked them up to hide out of site while we viewed the Indian mounds. "Bang" I had a thought would it be nice to have that little joystick on my radio to control the camera! My camera is controlled by 2 pots for "Pan/Tilt". The idea sat behind in my mind for 200 miles of driving. Closer we got to home, I realized I had one of these bad boys. Had to replace one before. Needless to say the radio came apart again and drilled out a hole and soldered the wires to the pots!! It worked!!

yes, yes it does. Works rather nicely.

Then you can combine that with a slew template, in order not to have to hold the stick in the position you want to look at

When I use the Joystick camera control to look around and I let go of the control it moves back to "Home Position". I like that it does this so when I'm in a slow turn looking to the left or right and I need to look back forward again it's placed back to that forward position.

I'd use slew mode, and program the TRN switch as an instant reset to center

Kilrah wrote:I'd use slew mode, and program the TRN switch as an instant reset to center

Your going to need to enlighten me on how to do that - don't know what that is

Very nice mod, i just searched on ebay and it seems there are 3 types of PSP joysticks, are you guys using PSP1000 joystick?

PSP 1000


PSP 2000



PSP 3000