Home brew collective question

[Mr. Big.Biggs]

I am mocking up an idea for a home built helicopter collective and have run into a snag. I am trying to use a pair of automotive Hall effects position sensors for the  throttle and pitch control.  I am running a “tube inside of a tube” designed so when I twist the outer grip, it rotates the inner shaft that connects to the sensor. Because the “shaft” that connects grip and sensor can only rotate 180 degrees because of design constraints, And the sensor seems to be a 360 degree deal, I can’t seem to get both zero throttle and full throttle.  I monkey around with the calibration settings in dcs but no luck. Is this doable or do I need to look for 180 degree sensors. 
very tech limited so please explain using crayons if possible. 
thanx!

[whatever]

Its hard to give a definitive answer as there are many types of hall sensor and they react to magnets in different ways.

However if your problem is that the amount of rotation in your device is not allowing you to cover the full range of the sensor, then you should fix it with the windows calibration tool.

 

Find by searching USB game controllers.

Select your device, and click Properties.

Open the Settings tab.

Click Calibrate.

 

This process will ask you to move all of the axes on your device to their maximum and minimum position and then press a key.

If your devices maximum and minimum positions are e.g. 40% and 10% of the available sensor range, then the tool will make those values the new max and min for the device.

DCS will then see values between 40 and 10% as values between 100% and 0%.

 

Hope that makes sense? (I've used a similar method to get my collective (which only uses 40° of a 180° sensor)).

 

 

 

 

 

[Mr. Big.Biggs]

Thanks for the help. I am assuming that would be “press any key”? As I haven’t added any buttons to the leonardo board as yet. Or do I need to add one to be able to press? 
Thanks!!

[Braeden108]

If you're home brewing a controller I highly recommend DIView. It allows you  to calibrate your sticks by entering values in. It also allows you to see the raw output of your controller. It's worlds better than the windows calibrator.

[Mr. Big.Biggs]

Thanks for the help. 
will give both options a try

[whatever]

Hi, Answering your query above,

I think you'll have to add a button to the controller itself (or 2 bits of wire to button and ground and short them i guess)

Sorry for the delay answering

 

 

 

[Sokol1_br]

On 5/24/2021 at 12:14 PM, Mr. Big.Biggs said:

Thanks for the help. I am assuming that would be “press any key”? As I haven’t added any buttons to the leonardo board as yet. Or do I need to add one to be able to press? 
Thanks!!

 

Just click with mouse.

 

But the (obsolete) Windows Game Controllers calibration tool should not be used (e.g. VKB and VirPil don't recommend use it), instead use DVIEW, DXTweak2/64.

 

An potmter, sensor have a "effective electric angle", if they are 360º and you controler can turn only 180º will loose axis resolution, because the voltage variation will be not the - e.g. 0 to 5v expected by USB controller ADC, but 0 ~ 2.5v.

 

That's why potmeter made for joystick (gamepd, R/C controls) industry have custom "effective electric" angle, e.g. 32º. This models are rarely available in Digikey, Mouser, etc.

 

Bi-Tech 6120 series Hall sensor have models with 30, 60, 90 180, 360º of "effective electric angle", these wolk in analog model and can be used with common  USB controllers, e.g. the popular L.Bodnar Bu0836A/X, Arduinos...

 

AMS AS5600 sensor can be programmed for any "effective electric angle" without expensive tools - as is need for Melexis MLX90333:

 

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Edited June 1, 2021 by Sokol1_br

[Mr. Big.Biggs]

Huge help. Thanks again! I will let you know how it turns out.