Deltaalphalima1

Which stick do you mean? The one I am selling is pushed into the throttle from the outside, it is designed to be a snug fit, so it is held in with friction. Since you will naturally always be pushing on the sensor in use, and not pulling it should never have any issues with coming loose. If you mean the one posted by 98abaile, I believe it uses a 3D printed plastic part to clamp the mini joystick between the screws that hold the throttle together and the front of the throttle.

I'm pleased to announce I will be doing another batch of my force sensor upgrade kits!!! They should be ready to ship by early June, I'm now accepting pre-orders: Price is: £150 for the base unit + Free shipping to the UK £10 for the rest of the world All items are sent international tracked and signed. Anyone who is interested please message me as always.

I don't have another batch planned yet - if some more people still want them I think I can do another smaller batch within about a month, I just need enough names to justify the cost of buying the all the sensors. I'm still working on the thumbstick version, the first complete prototype will be finished next week. If I’m happy with it then that will be coming very soon!!

Wow!! That looks great. Great job on thoes 3D printed parts - glad you got it all working in the end :thumbup: I'll for sure look at making an even better PCB for use with your mounts, so people can 3D print them themselves, as well as trying to get a complete prebuilt solution with thumbstick with the parts I've been working on done.

So I've been hard at work this weekend getting this batch done. I'll be getting everything in the post this week for everyone who has pre-ordered. Thanks guys!!

Checking with a multimeter is the only way to know for sure, but it sounds to me like you are just going "over the end" of the range of the potentiometer in one direction. This would explain the erratic readings on the extreme end. Some sticks I’ve tested do this. The best thing to do is to reduce the amount of movement so the stick doesn’t go completely to its end stop. On the Dualshock 4 for example, the thumbstick "hat" hits the plastic case before the sensor reaches its full deflection, to prevent this exact problem. Hope that helps :)

Those are some good looking 3D models you got there! I like the idea of supporting in at the back with the pillar thing. It should still work at 3.3V, do you mind posting some pictures of your connection setup? I should be able to check it over and give you an hand with it.

There are a couple of reasons - I have tested both and the newer version with pots is much easier to use overall. The Hall sensors just outputs raw analog, at about +-5mV running of 5V in my tests. This means it needs amplification and potentialy some software filtering to be useable, all of which would increase complexity and cost. The pots wouldn’t need any of that, just direct connection to my microcontroller. The DS4 version is also physically smaller, which makes it easier to fit into the throttle. DS4 on the left for size comparision. Lastly I can easily get the DS4 version from my normal electronics supplier in the UK (RS components). I'm sceptical if the Hall effects I got from eBay are the real deal, I would rather trust a genuine part with pots over a fake with Hall sensors. I’ve never owned a DS3 controller so I can’t say about long term reliability on them, but my DS4 is still doing fantastic after a few years heavy use.

Thank you to everyone who has messaged me about the second batch. All 10 have now been reserved :thumbup: The PCBs were shipped to me yesterday, I should have them by the end of next week and will be able to ship them all soon after that. This week I have been working on a prototype for a mini thumbstick mount for the warthog throttle. This is using the ALPS RKJXV1224005 joystick. The same as is used in the Dualshock 4 and Xbox 1 controllers, so there should be no more supply issues compared to the force sensors :) First prototype fits well, just a few tweaks to dimensions, and I think I’ll be happy. I’m planning to 3D print the hats for this as well. I'm just using an old Xbox 1 thumbstick for tests. The plan is to mount the PCB and all circuitry to the back of the sensor, so there won't be a separate adapter board, which will make installation slightly easier. Price point on these will still be around £40 including worldwide shipping, so should be allot more affordable for everyone.

By popular demand I am pleased to anounce that slew hats are now available in black!! Please specify when you send payment which one you want, there is no change in cost in the two colours. I have attached a few pictures of the two side by side, as well as with the existing throttle switches so you can make up your mind. They don't come across that well on camera, so as always colours and shades may vary :)

Thank you! Glad you like it :thumbup: To clear up the resolution thing, as a few people have mentioned it: It is an 8 bit interface, that’s a limitation of the throttle unfortunately. I’m actually reading the sensor position at 10 bit (at nearly 10kHz :)) but I then have to down-scale to transmit to the throttle at 8 bit ~ 10Hz over I2C. It might only be 8 bit, but I am actually using all of it, unlike the original sensor. That only used around 20 positions, so was really more like 4 bit over an 8 bit interface. Whereas I’m using all 256 values. I'm by no means an expert on directX, or USB HID, but I think it's very common to up-scale joystick readings for various software reasons, but you don’t get any more precision. Just larger jumps in readings. I don't have any switch suggestions, I’ve not put one into my throttle (yet!). I might buy a few nice looking switches and try and recommend something. Happy :joystick:

Thanks for the feedback everyone! Great to know everything is working out well. I'm now pleased to announce there will be a second batch of 10 units, ready around mid May hopefully. Anyone who wants one please message me to reserve before they're all gone :) For anyone interested, here is a link to the installation instuctions and slightly modified calibration tool: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1gLWxcyknbfa_CanXM2xMI8IRM0406edU

Last of the first 12 units posted off today. Thanks so much to everyone who has bought one, and the great feedback I’ve got already :thumbup: I have already had some interest on a second batch, there is a possibility I could have them done around mid May if I can get a few more names together who want one, so please let me know. I the mean time I’m working on a better mounting mechanism for an ALPS mini joystick (Xbox style thumbstick) which would mean I could slash the cost to something much more affordable (less than £40 shipped hopefully). It’s just proving quite a challenge to fit the mount for the joystick into the limited space in the throttle, and do it in a reliable and professional looking way... I've contacted a few people who seem to have managed it in the past to see if they can offer any help, but not had anything back yet unfortunately. I'll keep this thread updated with any progress. Hopefully the next few months should be fun around here :D

Drop in plug and play replacement for the original Warthog slew sensor, only requires recalibration and can be returned to the original at any point. Uses Mil-Spec MSI Ultra 462 miniature force sensitive joystick, similar to the one used on the real A-10C. Uses high quality SLS 3D printed parts. Note: this sensor does not have a push button switch like the original sensor. It only has 2 analogue axes, however it has capability to add another switch via a supplied cable if you want to mod one into your throttle somehow. I can also supply adapter PCBs to use other 2 axis joysticks (such as Xbox controller thumbsticks) directly with the Warthog throttle, contact me if you’re interested. Limited supply, only a small number of force joysticks available at this price. If you can send me a PM to pay on PayPal (better for me as I don't have to pay eBay fees :)) Price is: £150 for the sensor unit + Free shipping to the UK £5 to the rest of Europe £10 to the USA Any other countries please send me a message, but they should be around £10. All items will be sent International Tracked Otherwise the eBay link is here, https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/263580956182

Excelent progress this week!!! As you can see all my PCBs have arived! and they are perfect (thanks OSH Park as always) :D The first one is finished up and working perfectly, and looking excellent even if I do say so myself. :thumbup: If you have already said you want one I have sent you a PM to tell you how to get one, otherwise I will put up an eBay listing next week where you can buy one. (If you think you have been missed let me know) I will probably post a few more pictures of how it fits and will be packaged etc over the weekend for anyone interested. As always any questions feel free to ask!

Yes you could use my code almost unmodified, my adapter PCB will also work with a small modification. All you need to do is remove the signal amplification part from the code as that thumbstick does not need any, unlike the force sensor. I can post the correct Arduino code if needed. If anyone wants an adapter PCB with the correct code for an Xbox style thumbstick I'm happy to help :)

Nowhere near plug and play. It uses a completely different protocol so you might as well just buy the thumb stick without attached PCB: https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/joystick-switches/1239578/ for less than half the price. The throttle would still require very significant modifications to make anything like that fit; you're very limited on space next to the coolie hat, as well as the size of the hole on the throttle for the sensor to go in. There are some good CAD models of that ALPS sensor available so if someone can come up with a solution to make it fit I would love to see it!

Thanks DeadMeat!! Great to know it worked out for you :). Just a quick update on progress. Everything is coming together nicely, I ordered the PCBs today and they should be here in the next few weeks. I have enough sensors to make an initial batch of 12 units at £150 + shipping each. If you have already said you're interested then I will message you when they are nearly ready to ship (hopefully before April) and you can get one before I put them up on eBay. I still have 4 of the first 12 that have not been reserved so if anyone else wants one do get in touch. After the first 12 I think I can do another 8 units depending on a few things, so let me know if you're interested as always. Once I have a full unit up and running I'm thinking I will make another thread with all the details on how to fit it and what it does exactly, to make it a bit easier to find for people wanting to buy one. Any thoughts? Cheers

Probably not. The AS5013 is just the magnetic sensor IC that senses the moving magnet, so is extremely unlikely to be faulty, and very hard to swap without specialist tools. If the sensor unit is faulty it's most likely a mechanical issue, I think Thrustmaster will sell you a replacement if you contact support. There is a video somewhere of how to swap it out but I couldn’t find it right away. Swapping out the whole sensor unit with a replacement from Thrustmaster would probably fix most issues you could be having. Cheers

My first prototype 3D printed sensor mounts and hats arrived this week from Shapeways. Unfortunately they don’t seem to do a light grey plastic, so I went for red to match some of the other switches, I think it still looks really good! :D Everything’s progressing nicely, just a few minor adjustments on dimensions to get everything to fit together easily and it should be good. Next step is finish PCB and send to fab.

You share the same passions as me then! First impressions it’s very nice, but compared to some nice hall-effect gimbals in say a Taranis, I don't think it would be better, and it would be 5X the price minimum. The main advantages of a force sensor as far as I know are lack of moving parts and usability under high G loading, neither of which are really issues with RC radios (admittedly also not issues with flight sim gear, but still). Also probably not ideal for holding at a constant position, nice for fast corrections, but holding in a constant position tends to get a bit wobbly (think F16 vs Airbus). I don’t think I’ll be swapping out the gimbals in my DX6i anytime soon... but if you want some help working something out just PM me and I’ll help you best I can.

So look what arrived this week: :D First impressions looking really good, many of the small issue with the DACO sensor are fixed by this one, much more compact and seems to perform better sensitivity and centring wise overall. I’ll get on with the 3D part CAD and PCB soon and hopefully will have a something else to show in the next few weeks. Just a quick reminder in case anyone has missed it: By fitting this you would lose the centre button on the original sensor (throttle switch 1), but I’m thinking i'll make to connections to it available on the finished PCB so you could add another switch somewhere if you still wanted it.

Yes it would be a pre-assembled direct drop in replacement, no permanent hardware modifications needed. Just unscrew the throttle, unclip the old sensor, plug the new one in and then recalibrate. You could even change back to the original sensor without any problems if you wanted.

Already got a quote from Sprintek, The SK8702 is now discontinued but they said they still have some for $28.55 + $75 Shipping. None of the pinouts are much help to me as I would be making completely custom analog circuitry anyway, not interfacing with the existing PS2. If you want to give it a go with my I2C code go for it, I'd love to see that working :)

Looks ideal to me :thumbup:, absolutely cracking find Deezle. I had actually seen these on RS in the UK but for about 4X the price: https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/joystick-switches/0419681/ for £100 I think we can make this work. That's by far the best price I have ever seen for something like that. I messaged the seller and he gave me a reasonable quote for postage to the UK. I'm willing to take the plunge and get a few if I can get some names lined up, for that price I recon I could sell a finished sensor and adapter + 3D printed mount and knob for around £150 + postage, or I will happily sell just the adapter board for you to solder to if you would prefer to buy the sensor yourself. Anyone who would be interested for around that price either PM me or just reply to this thread. Cheers