Sidewinder Force Feedback 2 Question

[ev3slay3r]

So, I bought Elite a few weeks back, and recalled that I had the FFB2 sitting around from when I was a kid.

Hooked it up and it works great, my question is this though:

I noticed it had a power cord plug, and of course, I cannot seem to find it. What exactly is it for?


I'm guessing the "Force Feedback" part, no? Currently only using it for Elite, so I don't know if I'm even missing anything without the power cord if it is indeed for the Feedback bit (think I read Elite doesn't currently support it or something?).
I love the flight stick, so glad I recalled that I had it. Figured this would be as good a place as any to ask, since Google didn't have an answer, & I've read a few posts by others here who have one as well.

Thanks in advance.

PS: To anyone else using this flight stick, could you let me know your set ups? I've got most everything bound to the FFB2 and Voice Attack, but I don't think I currently have the Forward and Reverse thrusters bound to anything, currently controlling the main engines with the throttle,.... have lateral and vertical bound to the 4 way HAT, stick buttons are used for lock, weapons, and firegroups. Buttons near the throttle are for ENG/SYS/WEP and Boost.

I've read that in combat, it's a good idea to leave your main engines in the "blue" zone and use the Forward/reverse thrusters for small adjustments... tbh, somehow missed them even being a thing, I suppose because I'm still new, and my current method works.

Thinking about getting a CH Pro Throttle for added control - not to mention, even though I'm used to throttle adjustments with the FFB2 Throttle, I'm sure a "proper" throttle would help.



Sorry for the wall of text. Any input on all of this would be appreciated.

 

[Astronut57]

Best joystick ever made IMHO
There are no force feedback effects in ED but DO plug the joystick power line in. It powers the joystick and allows it to self-centre when you hold the stick. If you don't power it, it will be very difficult to centre the joystick on the null points for roll and pitch.
I have mine set up as follows:
x and y axes: roll and pitch as per most other flight sims.
z-axis (twist): yaw left and right
button 1: primary fire
button 2: secondary fire
button 3: select target ahead
button 4: boost
button 5: cycle next fire group
button 6: cargo scoop
button 7: landing gear
button 8: deploy hardpoints
I don't tend to use buttons 5-8 though as I have more accessible bindings on the keyboard.
The hat switch is multifunctional. I normally use it for thrusters (up, down, left, right).
With the [SPACE] key held down I use it for free look (up, down, left, right), with the [CTRL] key held down I access the UI panels but I tend to use the default keyboard keys 1-4 for this. With the [SHIFT] key held down I use the hat switch for power distribution assignment ie. divert power to systems (left), weapons (right), engines (up) and pressing hat down balances power assignment.
I don't use the joystick's throttle control as it would mean taking my hands off the keyboard.

 

[ev3slay3r]

Best joystick ever made IMHO
There are no force feedback effects in ED but DO plug the joystick power line in. It powers the joystick and allows it to self-centre when you hold the stick. If you don't power it, it will be very difficult to centre the joystick on the null points for roll and pitch.
I have mine set up as follows:
x and y axes: roll and pitch as per most other flight sims.
z-axis (twist): yaw left and right
button 1: primary fire
button 2: secondary fire
button 3: select target ahead
button 4: boost
button 5: cycle next fire group
button 6: cargo scoop
button 7: landing gear
button 8: deploy hardpoints
I don't tend to use buttons 5-8 though as I have more accessible bindings on the keyboard.
The hat switch is multifunctional. I normally use it for thrusters (up, down, left, right).
With the [SPACE] key held down I use it for free look (up, down, left, right), with the [CTRL] key held down I access the UI panels but I tend to use the default keyboard keys 1-4 for this. With the [SHIFT] key held down I use the hat switch for power distribution assignment ie. divert power to systems (left), weapons (right), engines (up) and pressing hat down balances power assignment.
I don't use the joystick's throttle control as it would mean taking my hands off the keyboard.

Interesting, can I just use any old power cord with it or what? Cause to be honest I've got no idea where it is. I haven't used it in years. Interesting button set up btw, pretty close to mine, and actually the exact set up I used before voice attack.

And yes, it's a fantastic stick. I'm so used to it (and IMO a pretty good pilot) even without it plugged in lol! Hopefully it won't be hard to replace the power cable.

 

[CopperHamster]

If it's a 2, then yes any power that fits (the actual ac-dc supply is inside)

 

[ev3slay3r]

Thanks Copper!

 

[simulacrae]

I have the Sidewinder Precision Pro - so no feedback (Jealous) ... dusted it off and its been performing great. I got a Thrustmaster T1600m for the dual joystick setup instead of a Throttle. I like the dual stick setup - Plus if my Sidewinder does the unthinkable and gives out (think i got it in 95) I have a replacement on hand. Anyway + rep for Sidewindersssss

 

[Nilt]

Best joystick ever made IMHO
There are no force feedback effects in ED but DO plug the joystick power line in. It powers the joystick and allows it to self-centre when you hold the stick. If you don't power it, it will be very difficult to centre the joystick on the null points for roll and pitch.

If it's a 2, then yes any power that fits (the actual ac-dc supply is inside)

Both absolutely correct answers. How do I know? I used to support them way back when I started at Microsoft. Mine finally died some years back, sadly, from a power surge that was caused when a dump truck knocked a power pole over near my house. Made a bunch of upgrades, at the time, tech-wise but getting my hands on another FF2 proved rather difficult.

Enjoy it, OP! It truly is an excellent product. Too bad patent trolls screwed that aspect of the industry up. :/

 

[CopperHamster]

Both absolutely correct answers. How do I know? I used to support them way back when I started at Microsoft. Mine finally died some years back, sadly, from a power surge that was caused when a dump truck knocked a power pole over near my house. Made a bunch of upgrades, at the time, tech-wise but getting my hands on another FF2 proved rather difficult.

Enjoy it, OP! It truly is an excellent product. Too bad patent trolls screwed that aspect of the industry up. :/

I still have a pro 1, which someone was throwing out because their dog had eaten the power cord. It was 'first gen' of them (the ones with the little fans). The second gen of the pro's didn't have fans and were already out, so I figured 'hey it doesn't need the fan'.

So I looked up what the power supply was, (that one used a custom plug) found the right wall wart in my junk box, took it apart and soldered it in, running the wire through the tiny fan which I took out.
I'm pretty sure it still works but they don't put joystick ports on computers anymore and the couple of usb adapters I've found get lousy reviews.

I actually got to try a fancy hotas the other day... I was actually less than happy. I'm running my old Logi extreme 3d pro, which works ok but has too much drift in my opinion. I'm considering ebaying a FFP2... just cause.

 

[Nilt]

Yeah, the fans were annoying as all getout. Lotta complaints about them and they were only really in there as a "well, we want to be sure" measure. I really prefered cases on the v2 units. ALmost always a driver oddity or something.

A HOTAS takes some adjustment. I wasn't terribly fond my my X52 at first but once I got used to it, I loved it. I upgraded to the Pro version, which was even nicer and now I have the X55, which is also quite nice. Maybe someday I'll spring for the Warthog but not until I'm sure the games for it are here to stay. Several good space games upcoming, which is GREAT!

If I hadn't already bought my X55, I'd make ya an offer on the FFP2. Great sticks!

 

[ev3slay3r]

I have the Sidewinder Precision Pro - so no feedback (Jealous) ... dusted it off and its been performing great. I got a Thrustmaster T1600m for the dual joystick setup instead of a Throttle. I like the dual stick setup - Plus if my Sidewinder does the unthinkable and gives out (think i got it in 95) I have a replacement on hand. Anyway + rep for Sidewindersssss

Been thinking about doing a dual stick set up myself, I'm imagining you use one for pitch/yaw/roll and the other for thrust?

Both absolutely correct answers. How do I know? I used to support them way back when I started at Microsoft. Mine finally died some years back, sadly, from a power surge that was caused when a dump truck knocked a power pole over near my house. Made a bunch of upgrades, at the time, tech-wise but getting my hands on another FF2 proved rather difficult.

Enjoy it, OP! It truly is an excellent product. Too bad patent trolls screwed that aspect of the industry up. :/

I bet the support job was interesting! I've found them on ebay for anywhere from $35 - $80ish, could give that a shot! Yeah, it really is too bad about the patent issue.

I still have a pro 1, which someone was throwing out because their dog had eaten the power cord. It was 'first gen' of them (the ones with the little fans). The second gen of the pro's didn't have fans and were already out, so I figured 'hey it doesn't need the fan'.

So I looked up what the power supply was, (that one used a custom plug) found the right wall wart in my junk box, took it apart and soldered it in, running the wire through the tiny fan which I took out.
I'm pretty sure it still works but they don't put joystick ports on computers anymore and the couple of usb adapters I've found get lousy reviews.

I actually got to try a fancy hotas the other day... I was actually less than happy. I'm running my old Logi extreme 3d pro, which works ok but has too much drift in my opinion. I'm considering ebaying a FFP2... just cause.

Hope the dog is okay! Haha, pretty sure they're not supposed to eat power cords o_o. Heard great things about the Logi Extreme 3d, but yeah, I'm incredibly partial to my FFB2 already - even more so now that I've got in plugged in. Increased my piloting accuracy SO much.

Yeah, the fans were annoying as all getout. Lotta complaints about them and they were only really in there as a "well, we want to be sure" measure. I really prefered cases on the v2 units. ALmost always a driver oddity or something.

A HOTAS takes some adjustment. I wasn't terribly fond my my X52 at first but once I got used to it, I loved it. I upgraded to the Pro version, which was even nicer and now I have the X55, which is also quite nice. Maybe someday I'll spring for the Warthog but not until I'm sure the games for it are here to stay. Several good space games upcoming, which is GREAT!

If I hadn't already bought my X55, I'd make ya an offer on the FFP2. Great sticks!

Yeah, just plug and play on Win7, I was rather surprised given its age! I was actually going to get an x52 or x55 before I recalled that I had this, and after some research, turns out it was one of the best ones ever made (in a lot of folks' opinion anyway), needless to say I was thrilled to not have to shell out $100-$200. I appreciate the sentiment of the offer, but I don't think I'd sell it for the world (especially now that I have it plugged up!). Seriously even more in love with the thing now. ^_^



Anyone think I should pull the trigger on an actual throttle? Like the CH Pro or otherwise? That's literally my only slight complaint about the stick, it's extremely comfortable but I find the throttle a bit too sensitive sometimes given its range of motion, not to mention my forward and reverse thrusters (not main engine) aren't currently bound. I'm used to it now, but I feel I could perhaps have more accuracy with a "proper" throttle. As I game from my couch, it makes it a bit difficult to use a KB/M as well as a flight stick. Have a wireless KB/M but can't seem to get a comfortable setup to be able to reach all of it.

+Rep to everyone by the way, all excellent and very helpful comments! Hopefully I responded to everyone, I think I did :x

 

[Fian]

I have one of these somewhere or at least i shoudl have. Can't imagine i threw it out. But I have moved house many times since i last used it and in any case i couldn't find it. It may be somewhere in the crawlspace around my upstairs.

Anyway i gave up on finding it and bought an x52 pro.

Was a great joystick though, i loved it and had many happy hours playing x-wing vs tie fighter on it, amongst other games.

Not surprised it is highly regarded, though tbh it should be given teh price of teh damn thing. It was 129 pounds if i recall correctly and allowing for inflation that would probably be warthog territory now. And I do recall correctly because 129 pounds was a hell of alot of money for me at the time.

 

[Nilt]

Been thinking about doing a dual stick set up myself, I'm imagining you use one for pitch/yaw/roll and the other for thrust?

It varies by individual, I am sure. I'd think you use one for lateral and vertical thrusters and the other for pitch and roll with a throttle set elsewhere, likely on a stick as most have a basic one.

I bet the support job was interesting!

It was, yeah. I moved on from the games to other areas, ending my MSFT career as support of last resort for Fortune 50 companies, but I always missed dealing with games. I was required to play games as part of my job. How cool is that?! Funny thing about the last position was I supported any MSFT product if someone had my pager number. Sometimes executives would be given the number for "tech support" as a perk and many would give it to their mothers-in-law and so on. I handled server stuff, to be sure, but I'd deal with grandmothers trying to make a greeting card almost as often! That was really a lot of fun. I enjoy a similar range of issues now that I run my own business because I focus on small businesses and home users.

I've found them on ebay for anywhere from $35 - $80ish, could give that a shot!

Nah, I'm happy enough with my X55 for now.

Yeah, just plug and play on Win7, I was rather surprised given its age!

One thing about Microsoft: once the drivers are built into the OS, they're pretty much always going to stay in there. Some don't like that but, honestly, it does make life simpler many times.

Anyone think I should pull the trigger on an actual throttle? Like the CH Pro or otherwise? That's literally my only slight complaint about the stick, it's extremely comfortable but I find the throttle a bit too sensitive sometimes given its range of motion, not to mention my forward and reverse thrusters (not main engine) aren't currently bound. I'm used to it now, but I feel I could perhaps have more accuracy with a "proper" throttle. As I game from my couch, it makes it a bit difficult to use a KB/M as well as a flight stick. Have a wireless KB/M but can't seem to get a comfortable setup to be able to reach all of it.

Absolutely, you should buy a throttle if you don't have one. It's hard to go wrong with the CH stuff, to be sure, and if you can afford it you'll be happy to have a HOTAS setup, regardless of whether the parts were all born in the same place!

 

[ev3slay3r]

I have one of these somewhere or at least i shoudl have. Can't imagine i threw it out. But I have moved house many times since i last used it and in any case i couldn't find it. It may be somewhere in the crawlspace around my upstairs.

Anyway i gave up on finding it and bought an x52 pro.

Was a great joystick though, i loved it and had many happy hours playing x-wing vs tie fighter on it, amongst other games.

Not surprised it is highly regarded, though tbh it should be given teh price of teh damn thing. It was 129 pounds if i recall correctly and allowing for inflation that would probably be warthog territory now. And I do recall correctly because 129 pounds was a hell of alot of money for me at the time.

Yeah I still may pick up some other sticks just to experiment with if I end up with the spare money. 129 pounds converts to something like $195, not sure what the conversion rates were like back then, but holy crap. Had no idea the thing was nearly $200 new... really puts it into perspective for me, was just a kid when my parents got it for me way back when, so needless to say I forgot the price.

Definitely a top notch product then, +Rep for putting it into perspective for me.

 

[ev3slay3r]

It varies by individual, I am sure. I'd think you use one for lateral and vertical thrusters and the other for pitch and roll with a throttle set elsewhere, likely on a stick as most have a basic one.

Yeah, I could see it working out well. Not 100% sure I'd like it for Elite though, mostly just think it'd be neat to have a couple of sticks in case they make a Gundam simulator...heh.

It was, yeah. I moved on from the games to other areas, ending my MSFT career as support of last resort for Fortune 50 companies, but I always missed dealing with games. I was required to play games as part of my job. How cool is that?! Funny thing about the last position was I supported any MSFT product if someone had my pager number. Sometimes executives would be given the number for "tech support" as a perk and many would give it to their mothers-in-law and so on. I handled server stuff, to be sure, but I'd deal with grandmothers trying to make a greeting card almost as often! That was really a lot of fun. I enjoy a similar range of issues now that I run my own business because I focus on small businesses and home users.

This is the kind of thing I would probably enjoy one day, currently doing generic I.T. for my family's business, Network Admin, replacing PC components, etc. Currently stuck with this job though, rather good at the whole I.T. thing considering I just manage a small network and all, sort of a hobbyist at coding/scripts and other related things as well. Would love to play games as part of my job, that's definitely a plus!

Nah, I'm happy enough with my X55 for now.

Don't blame you one bit! Totally want to pick one up if I get the spare cash.

One thing about Microsoft: once the drivers are built into the OS, they're pretty much always going to stay in there. Some don't like that but, honestly, it does make life simpler many times.

I honestly don't see it as a bad thing at all, pretty fantastic. Hopefully I'll be able to keep using the FFB2 for years to come, .

Absolutely, you should buy a throttle if you don't have one. It's hard to go wrong with the CH stuff, to be sure, and if you can afford it you'll be happy to have a HOTAS setup, regardless of whether the parts were all born in the same place!

Yeah I definitely feel like it'll improve my game, particularly like how many HATs/Dials/Buttons are on the CH Pro Throttle. So many options. Just wish I knew of a local carrier, as Amazon is currently out D:.

 

[simulacrae]

It varies by individual, I am sure. I'd think you use one for lateral and vertical thrusters and the other for pitch and roll with a throttle set elsewhere, likely on a stick as most have a basic one.

Yeah, I could see it working out well. Not 100% sure I'd like it for Elite though, mostly just think it'd be neat to have a couple of sticks in case they make a Gundam simulator...heh.

I use it pretty much like Nilt said plus I put the forward and reverse thrust on my left hat - also picked up a stinky footpad so have a few buttons for my feet. Dont have to touch the keyboard. I think it makes a pretty big difference - its more intuitive to use all degrees of movement with this then trying to combine keyboard with joystick or mouse. Havent tried a HOTAS but I suspect the Dual joystick (atleast for this game) is better.

 

[ev3slay3r]

I use it pretty much like Nilt said plus I put the forward and reverse thrust on my left hat - also picked up a stinky footpad so have a few buttons for my feet. Dont have to touch the keyboard. I think it makes a pretty big difference - its more intuitive to use all degrees of movement with this then trying to combine keyboard with joystick or mouse. Havent tried a HOTAS but I suspect the Dual joystick (atleast for this game) is better.

Yeah, I could see people liking it for sure. The throttle I think I may pick up has a lot of multi-directional HATs and buttons. Currently enjoy the HAT on my FFB2 for thrusters. TBH, the CH Pro Throttle + the FFB2 might be overkill for control for me, at least in conjunction with Voice Attack.

It just feels right to me to control the orientation of the ship with one hand, the HAT I use for the thrusters is right above my secondary fire, fire group select, and target buttons, can use the HAT and still comfortably hit those buttons. Just need to pick a modifier button for forward and reverse thrusters, or just wait til I pick up the throttle.

I'd love to get some pedals (really like the twist for yaw on the FFB2), just not sure I'd really need them in E: D(at least with that particular throttle), for a more complex flight sim though, definitely.

 

[Nilt]

Havent tried a HOTAS but I suspect the Dual joystick (atleast for this game) is better.

When talking about FA off flying or combat, I suspect you're right. I haven't tried dual joysticks yet, but the HOTAS isn't perfect for that. Otherwise, though, it's just fine. The game was designed around a HOTAS, after all. I'm probably going to snag my son's old stick and test that one of these days, but that needs to wait until I get back from this exploration run I'm on.

 

[simulacrae]

Im sure you guys are right - I haven't used a HOTAS myself. And to be honest I went Dual Joystick mainly because the ole Sidewinder was still working and didn't want to fork over the money for a HOTAS Just was pleasantly surprised how well it does.

 

[Nilt]

I went Dual Joystick mainly because the ole Sidewinder was still working and didn't want to fork over the money for a HOTAS

A perfectly cromulent decision and one I likely would have made as well in the same circumstances.

 

[Cmdr Orren 'Shade' Garvin]

My FFB2 is still going strong after umpty-whiz years. I bought it at the same time as I bought my first PC. Never felt the need to replace it with anything else.

My setup:
Hat switch - Thrusters L/R Up/Down.
Button 1 - Fire Primary.
Button 2 - Fire Secondary.
Button 3 - Lock target in front.
Button 4 - Deploy/Retract hardpoints.
Button 5 - Target next system in planned route.
Button 6 - Deploy Cargo Scoop.
Button 7 - Reverse thrust. (Toggle.)
Button 8 - Flight Assist on/off. (Hold.)