So, no CG this week. This gives me time to present my DIY controller to you. The story is a bit longer because there was some further development in the process of design.
I started playing ED with keyboard and joystick (MS Sidewinder). I was never an enthusiastic keyboard player and had long time ago got myself a special game keyboard for FPS, which made my life a lot easier. But of course there were a lot of commands that I wanted to trigger directly.
My first idea was to use a gamepad, e.g. to control the external camera. But that can only be operated properly with both hands. So I took apart an old gamepad and built a case for my gaming keyboard and the parts of the gamepad.
That was better, but in the course of my research I had a new idea. I would build the controller from scratch. Anduino and programming don't suit me, but in the meantime I had discovered the “Zero Delay Encoder” and the GeeekPi Joystick Controller Board, which are recognized as USB devices by Windows and to which you only have to connect switches and potentiometers.
Switches, joysticks, sliders and rotary knobs are also available from various mail order companies for relatively little money.
I recommend extensive planning. Above all, you should consider which keys you really need. For me it got a little out of control. A separate light switch for the SRB is not really necessary, but it is stylish…immersion, you know.
Another tip: First build a rough model so that you can experiment with the arrangement of the controls according to ergonomics and personal needs. It looked like this:
Wood for the housing and hard foam as the surface are easier to work with than metal, the durability has yet to be proven.
Then it was time to connect everything. After about 20 years I was holding a soldering iron in my hand again! The two controller boards are recognized as independent USB devices.
The problem: still too few keys. With the zero delay encoder you can read out 12 + 4 buttons, with the joystick board 12 + 3 buttons and 6 analog channels are added.
I found the i-pac (32 or 56 buttons) or leo bodnar (different versions) as alternatives. I then decided to use the arcaze-USB interface with 40 digital inputs (also to be used for incremetal encoders) and 6 analog inputs. A total of 5 input devices can be simulated simultaneously using a configuration software. If you send part of the input signals as keyboard commands, you override the 32-button restriction of Elite. The rest can be defined as an analog gamepad and has joysticks, sliders and rotary controls available. In addition, you have the option of defining macros, i.e. combining various commands with variable times and pauses that are triggered by pressing a button.
Because of the common ground inputs, the whole thing was easier to wire. I used two usb-interfaces, some buttons now have a common function. Not all switches are connected (80 inputs are still not enough)
The interior view:
The finished controller:
Most of it should be self-explanatory. The slider for the speed control can be operated very sensitively and accurate, the right joystick was for lateral and vertical thrust. I changed it recently to lateral thrust and forward and backward thrust. Much better use for landing or fighting. I want to spotlight the strip with microswitches to the right of the slider. With this the speed can be set in 25% steps from -100% to + 100%. The 0% switch is slightly higher and easy to recognize. This makes Supercruise foolproof.
If someone calls Logitech side panel now, they are not so wrong. That device was on my wish list for a while. But building your own individual controller is much more satisfying and the result does suit the game much better.
The biggest disadvantage: I probably couldn't play without my controller anymore.
Fly safe commanders
I started playing ED with keyboard and joystick (MS Sidewinder). I was never an enthusiastic keyboard player and had long time ago got myself a special game keyboard for FPS, which made my life a lot easier. But of course there were a lot of commands that I wanted to trigger directly.
My first idea was to use a gamepad, e.g. to control the external camera. But that can only be operated properly with both hands. So I took apart an old gamepad and built a case for my gaming keyboard and the parts of the gamepad.
That was better, but in the course of my research I had a new idea. I would build the controller from scratch. Anduino and programming don't suit me, but in the meantime I had discovered the “Zero Delay Encoder” and the GeeekPi Joystick Controller Board, which are recognized as USB devices by Windows and to which you only have to connect switches and potentiometers.
Switches, joysticks, sliders and rotary knobs are also available from various mail order companies for relatively little money.
I recommend extensive planning. Above all, you should consider which keys you really need. For me it got a little out of control. A separate light switch for the SRB is not really necessary, but it is stylish…immersion, you know.
Another tip: First build a rough model so that you can experiment with the arrangement of the controls according to ergonomics and personal needs. It looked like this:
Wood for the housing and hard foam as the surface are easier to work with than metal, the durability has yet to be proven.
Then it was time to connect everything. After about 20 years I was holding a soldering iron in my hand again! The two controller boards are recognized as independent USB devices.
The problem: still too few keys. With the zero delay encoder you can read out 12 + 4 buttons, with the joystick board 12 + 3 buttons and 6 analog channels are added.
I found the i-pac (32 or 56 buttons) or leo bodnar (different versions) as alternatives. I then decided to use the arcaze-USB interface with 40 digital inputs (also to be used for incremetal encoders) and 6 analog inputs. A total of 5 input devices can be simulated simultaneously using a configuration software. If you send part of the input signals as keyboard commands, you override the 32-button restriction of Elite. The rest can be defined as an analog gamepad and has joysticks, sliders and rotary controls available. In addition, you have the option of defining macros, i.e. combining various commands with variable times and pauses that are triggered by pressing a button.
Because of the common ground inputs, the whole thing was easier to wire. I used two usb-interfaces, some buttons now have a common function. Not all switches are connected (80 inputs are still not enough)
The interior view:
The finished controller:
Most of it should be self-explanatory. The slider for the speed control can be operated very sensitively and accurate, the right joystick was for lateral and vertical thrust. I changed it recently to lateral thrust and forward and backward thrust. Much better use for landing or fighting. I want to spotlight the strip with microswitches to the right of the slider. With this the speed can be set in 25% steps from -100% to + 100%. The 0% switch is slightly higher and easy to recognize. This makes Supercruise foolproof.
If someone calls Logitech side panel now, they are not so wrong. That device was on my wish list for a while. But building your own individual controller is much more satisfying and the result does suit the game much better.
The biggest disadvantage: I probably couldn't play without my controller anymore.
Fly safe commanders
