Hardware & Technical X55 Rihno - Throttle soft mod

[CylonSurfer]

My first soft mod on the x-55 throttle. basically it adds two axis based triggers to the throttle for precise left and right thrust control. The idea came from the "Rudder bar" which can be found on the throttle of the Thrustmaster T-Hotas X,



I really missed that particular feature after upgrading my HOTAS to an x55 and really wanted axis based lateral thrust back again. Combined with my rudder pedals I now have every one of the ships thrusters mapped to an axis once more.

- Forward / Backward thrust - X55 Throttle
- Pitch / Roll - X55 stick
- Yaw - Pro Flight Rudder Pedals
- Vertical Thrust - Rudder Toe breaks via a combined axis using universal joystick remapper
- Lateral Thrust - X55 Throttle trigger mod via a combined axis using universal joystick remapper

The mod is still rough around the edges, the esthetics need tidying up a little etc (as you can see with the Velcro backing still on the Velcro strips, lol) , but as it stands it is fully functional, rock solid and very easy to remove / remount on the throttle. It's also a lot more comfortable to use than it may appear...




Essentially it's a modified Xbox 360 controller (I had a semi working one lying around), I've removed the left / right triggers and mechanisms from the main PCB and then added extension wires from the main PCB to the trigger mechanisms which are now mounted on a bit of board which is fastened to a Velcro strip. The Velcro strip then wraps around the throttle securing the two triggers in place. When mounted correctly the triggers sit just where your middle and ring fingers sit when grasping the throttle lever. It has a very natural feel.

It's a very easy mod to do, and completely removable /re-mountable. I think it cost me about £15, not including the 360 pad which I already owned, that includes the cost of the soldering iron kit wire and Velcro. I had next to zero soldering skill and only a basic knowledge of electronics..... So yeah, it's very simple to do!!!

The next phase is to tidy it all up a bit, maybe add some leather / fake leather to the Velcro strip which fastens the mod to the throttle - mostly for added comfort / esthetics.

If people are interested I would be happy to share more details.

 

[The Rifter]

Wow, looks nice and clean. Very good!

 

[CylonSurfer]

Wow, looks nice and clean. Very good!

Thanks fellow rifter!

 

[Yodafone]

Nice mod!!! I also missed any analogue control on the new x55 hands on throttle so ditched the throttle itself in favour of an xbox pad for ship thrust (left joystick [obviously] for forwards/backwards & lateral thrust and then the Left Trigger for vertical thrust Up, leaving only a digital input Lb for thrust down [very rarely used on the whole during combat]).

However now seeing this what you've done and modified to the stock x55 throttle I am pleased to see someone make it work with analogue controls.

Question.. what do you use for vertical thrust again. "Rudder Toe brakes via a combined axis using universal joystick"? Could you clarify what you mean by this?

Perhaps you could combine one of the pad's joysticks somehow (for your thumb to use) to map vertical thrust on your throttle somewhere? All thrust/translation in one hand.

Congrats on the mod though, nice to see

 

[CylonSurfer]

Question.. what do you use for vertical thrust again. "Rudder Toe brakes via a combined axis using universal joystick"? Could you clarify what you mean by this?

First off, thanks!

To answer your question:

The below image shows the Pro Flight Rudder Pedals I use.



Where the guys hand is in the pic is the "right toe break" of the rudder pedals, there is one toe break per foot, you use them much like a cars break / accelerator pedals.

Now, both toe breaks are on separate axis, so one axis for the left break, one for the right, however Elite will only accept one axis per binding. This is obviously problematic as we want to use both toe breaks, left for down and right for up. The only option this leaves is to merge the two separate axis into one "virtual axis" which can then be bound to the vertical thrust axis in Elite.

You can combine two axis into one virtual axis using a combination of two apps, VJoy being the first. VJoy creates a virtual joystick in Windows and allows you to set how many buttons / Axis the virtual joystick will have. Windows will see the VJoy joystick as a real physical stick and so will Elite. Second we have Universal Joystick Remapper or UJR as its also known. UJR allows you to select a physical joystick and then choose any of the axis / buttons and assign them to a axis / button on the virtual joystick VJoy creates. UJR also allows you to take two physical axis and merge them into one virtual axis.

Once you have your merged virtual axis on your virtual joystick you can assign it to a function in Elite. I use the same process to merge the left and right 360 triggers into one virtual axis to use for lateral thrust.

Does that explain it?

Thanks for your feedback, I'm glad to hear I'm not the only person disappointed by the lack of analogue input on the X55's throttle. Great bit of kit other than that though!

 

[Yodafone]

Thanks for the reply, I'm understanding it a great deal better now (am not familiar with yaw pedals at all), but still I'm a little confused how you choose to input vertical thrust without yawing. If I'm understanding the toes brakes they are beyond the initial part of the axis' throw, so to get to these toe brakes you're already pressing yaw yes/no?

Perhaps this Vjoy and once in a Virtual axis you can decide (somehow, toggle switch perhaps) which control axis you want to input?

Either way, a very intriguing setup, you've clearly got all the axes there and can surely input each one individually and I'm simply not understanding how it works despite your best efforts to explain it to me.

If you'd still care to amuse me and dumb it down even more I'd appreciate that, otherwise not a problem.

I wish you the best of luck with your customized set up

 

[Aussiedroid]

Really interesting mod! +rep

Thanks for the info on the rudder pedals too. I didn't know of that limitation in the ED config and was actually looking at getting a set myself sometime soon.

 

[CylonSurfer]

Thanks for the reply, I'm understanding it a great deal better now (am not familiar with yaw pedals at all), but still I'm a little confused how you choose to input vertical thrust without yawing. If I'm understanding the toes brakes they are beyond the initial part of the axis' throw, so to get to these toe brakes you're already pressing yaw yes/no?

The yaw pedals actually have 3 axis. The main axis is for yaw, to move this axis you "push" or "slide" your feet on the foot boards, backward and forward. Push your left foot forward (which also pushes your right foot back) will make your ship yaw left, push your right foot forward (which also pushes your left foot back) will yaw right.

The second and third axis are toe breaks, at the end of each foot board is a break pedal, one for your left foot and one for your right. Much like a cars break pedal and in order to operate them you pivot your foot at the ankle which applies pressure to the break pedal.

The video in the following link will likely demonstrate how the 3 axis work better than I can explain:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FShNwZASSf0

2 - 5 seconds & 13 - 17 seconds show the left / right yaw axis.

6 - 9 seconds shows the two toe break being pressed. They are actually independent from each other, so either or both can be pressed.

They're similar to what real pilots use to fly aircraft. I assume they're what the pilot in E: D is resting his / her feet on (although they do not pivot in game...unfortunately).

Really interesting mod! +rep

Thanks for the info on the rudder pedals too. I didn't know of that limitation in the ED config and was actually looking at getting a set myself sometime soon.

Cheers bud. There is a slight learning curve when going from twist stick yaw to rudder pedal yaw but once you break the back of it there is no comparison in my opinion. If you do buy pedals it's really worth looking at combining the toe 2 breaks into one axis to use as either vertical or lateral thrust. Nothing like a slow, controlled, vertical decent down onto the landing pad