Saitek yoke sensitivity and null zones

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Cyrus
Posts: 350
Joined: Sat Dec 29, 2012 8:33 am
Location: Virginia, USA

Saitek yoke sensitivity and null zones

Post by Cyrus »

As I continue to wean myself off the autopilot (in the Baron 58 or the Cessna 172... forget the Learjet for now!), I'm still struggling quite a bit with roll and pitch sensitivity. I've seen plenty of comments about how much harder it is to trim in the sim aircraft than in real life and how the lack of feedback in non-feedback yokes make things very challenging. However, I still think my settings are far from optimal....

I've had the sensitivity everywhere from 5% (on the FSX slider) to about 70% and tried various Null Zones in the "40%" to "60%" spread (if you imagine that slider represents 100%).

Is anyone really "as happy as they could be" (given no force feedback) with their settings? If so, would you be kind enough to post them here, either via screenshot or simply giving the approx. position on the slider - especially for roll and pitch.

Also, just fyi, I've got my elevator trim mapped to the second Saitek throttle lever, so I can make some pretty fine adjustments.

Thanks.

(I'm not posting this in a particular sim sub-forum, because I feel the concept could apply equally to XP as well as MSFS)
-Cyrus Kapadia. A few RW hours in a C172, then a 15 year hiatus. Joined PE in Dec'12, then took a break. Now I'm back, learning fast and loving it. If I'm on, it's usually between 22h and midnight EST with Baron 258E, Skyhawk 176CM or Learjet 66L.
Pieces
Posts: 342
Joined: Fri Jul 13, 2012 8:25 pm
Location: Ely, IA (KCID)

Re: Saitek yoke sensitivity and null zones

Post by Pieces »

Generally, you want a null zone as close to 0 as possible. You would have it greater than zero if the axis being adjusted has some jitter in it or it sticks. You adjust the null zone so the neutral value of the axis always produces zero output.

Output curves and sensitivity are more of a personal preference. Just play until you get the kind of control response you want. Personally, I tend to have less response near the center position (small movement = very small output), increasing as you approach full range of the axis. The DCS series gives you full control of the axis curves to adjust that type of thing. It is harder to do with X-Plane and FSX.
Reece Heinlein, PPL - IR, KMZZ
PilotEdge I-11
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sellener777
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Location: MI USA
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Re: Saitek yoke sensitivity and null zones

Post by sellener777 »

I found the stock saitek yoke to be pretty ridiculous. It was very sticky and very difficult to hand fly on the Sim. I used to have the CH products yolk and that was much better, but difficult to get the PTT switch to work. So I went with the Saitek.
I got pretty frustrated with the saitek because it was so sticky and hard. I eventually got sick of it took it apart and replaced all the mechanical spring linkages with rubber bands. There's a YouTube clip that will walk you through this it's not complicated. I would say that it is a world of difference with the rubber bands much smoother action. Easier to make fine control inputs in attempt to fly hands off for 10 seconds ish.

Trimming and flying a real plane in the clouds I believe is much easier than the Sim. But that makes you that much better in the clouds.
C-JBCS
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Joined: Wed Mar 12, 2014 5:55 pm
Location: Barrie, Ontario

Re: Saitek yoke sensitivity and null zones

Post by C-JBCS »

I'm Running the saitek Cessna pro flight bundle in both FSX and P3D. I set all null zones to zero and the strengths for ailerons/elevators/rudders to 65%. Throttle and mixtur is set to 100% with zero null zone... Flying the a2a Cessna and Cherokee. I try to match my yokes movement to that of the virtual yoke in the vc. That gets me pretty close and it's pretty smooth.

I use the a2a tools to slave all other functions...

I use fsuipc to get ptt to work and that's it (red button). Buttons and rockers on top of the yoke is for views (pan/eye point up down left right and centre... Except for the up/down on the left whitch is set to electric trim via a2a tools...

Works really well for me. Good luck.
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