Teh-Stig

Got that right, my stick is bolted to an mdf board my chair is sitting on the back half of and it still flexes under even half load (FFBeast)

@ChillNG was this planned to be down? I can't seem to access it now.

I for one reached out to Moza marketing to see if I could get one early to review (fully paid) and it was a hard no. They only want reviewers with lots of followers, and there aren't many of those with FFB experience so I think we'll be out of luck for a while there.

https://ffbeast.github.io/docs/en/joystick.html

Buttons are easy on either, as you can just have a standalone usb device for them (e.g. Arduino). That's happening internally in mine anyway (there is a usb hub in there, a Teensy running the FFB, and an Arduino for the grip). My understanding is there isn't a hardware deadzone in the FFB2, I've been told it's more due to them wearing out over 20 odd years. The FFB2 would expectedly wear our faster than the original since the original uses optical for its axes.

We can thank <profanity>ty companies <profanity>ty practices for lots of this. Patent licensing effectively killed the force feedback joystick for 20 years. And console licensing put your basic device prices up by at least $100 (e.g. I bought the G27 for half the price of a G920), the fact companies need to sell and stock two different devices just to have different button layouts and icons hurts everyone. I don't see a cheap FFB device coming any time soon.

You know you can add more buttons?

I was using an FFB Pro (i.e. version one) up until I got my FFBeast going this week. They are still great, but the effects aren't very strong, particularly if you want to use an extension (or stick a heavy ass Warthog grip on it as I did). The centre deadzone is more likely to be from wearing out rather than endemic. The wearing out is also more likely in the FFB2 than the original (given the original uses optical encoder rather than potentiometers. Unfortunately the resistor mod doesn't apply to the original version, so if you want a heavier grip or extension then FFB2 is better for you. Other things to note, the majority of original FFB Pro don't support USB (the last year or so of their production they did and came with an adapter in the box, so you'll need to convert it yourself if you do go that route.

Ability to modify and tweak the design is why I ultimately went with FFBeast. I liked the fact it used standard motors and encoders. The Rhino being locked to specific motors and tuned controller killed Rhino for me. Also probably makes Beast more mass producible.

Also thought you guys might enjoy this beautiful compliant xy mechanism as much as I did. I was tempted to make a joystick with that design (just because I could) but think can see its designed more for precision than power.

Thought I'd better create a forum account to thank you all for the inspiration to build something better than the USB converted Sidewinder FFB PRO + TM Warthog F16 grip I'm using now (it works, but the grip is far too heavy for proper feedback). Got a box in the mail today (ODrive 3.6 56V, AS5048a's, belts/pulleys/etc) to add to the motors which arrived a few weeks ago (Turnigy Aerodrive SK3 - 6374-149KV Brushless Outrunners) so I'm on my way . Still thinking through a gimbal design. I'd ideally like to go something in a lower form factor to keep the option of using it on my desk rather than floor, which might mean going back to something like the FFB Pro sliding window design (though strengthened with a sliding rail under fixed pivot like @propeler was thinking here). Though I may end up getting impatient and just Propeler's design from the github yet if I can't talk myself out of buying a furnace and lost PLA'ing it in aluminium