How to calibrate the joystick with X-Plane 10

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Calibrating the joystick axes in X-Plane 10

In X-Plane 10, you are able to calibrate the joystick very accurate and versatile.
The same goes for the throttle, rudder pedals, brakes or the yoke ...
In no case it is sufficient to perform the calibration of the hardware only with the included software.
Some times, this is disturbing. This OS-calibration is only valid for the operating system.
Thus the aircraft and helicopters etc can be controlled properly, the calibration has to be done within the X-Plane 10 simulator.
For this you must necessarily take some time.

Here is the procedure to calibrate a connected USB joystick with X-Plane 10:

At first, you have to start X-Plane 10.
Move the mouse to the top of the screen and click on "Settings" - select "Joystick & Equipment"
It opens a window with several tabs: Axis, Nullzone, etc. ..

Tab "Axis".
Move the joystick now completely back and forth.
Into the menu next to the display, which has moved, select pitch (pitch).

Move the joystick completely left and right.
Into the menu next to the display, which has moved, select Roll (rolling).

Turn the joystick to the left and right (if possible) or the rudder pedals (if any) pass to the left and right.
Into the menu next to the display, which has moved, select Yaw.

In the same way you can/must calibrate more axes:
Throttle, propeller, mixture, brakes (maybe left and right), etc.

All defined axes must now be green.
All remaining red axes must be occupied with None (no function). They remain red.
This is important. Otherwise, these "red" Axis send signals to X-Plane and cause dysregulation of the aircraft.

Now move all defined (green) axes sequentially throughout their range and then let it go in the middle position (throttle to zero, etc).
Now click onto the "Use THIS position as CENTER" button.
Thus, the axes are defined and calibrated.

Clicking on the button "calibrate joystick hardware" resets the settings. It must then be recalibrated.

Tab "Nullzone".
Additional settings for the control axes must be made under this tab.
Some joysticks also deliver signals when they are not moving. Then you can, by adjusting the slider "nullzone" on slightly higher % values, prevent these signals.
Than you can complete the calibration of the nullzone by clicking on "Center yoke and pedals and hit this Button".

The other possible settings in the upper area of the window are the following:
The left 3 sliders regulate the 3 axis pitch, roll and yaw and forces X-Plane 10 to support the pilot.
The highest realism is of course at 0%.

The right 3 sliders controls the effect of the 3 axis pitch, roll and yaw of the joystick when it is moved accordingly. If the controls are at 0%, then the control signals
are sent to the linear displacement of the corresponding axis of the joystick into X-Plane. So for example half deflection of the pitch axis causes half deflection of the
control surfaces on the aircraft. Higher (%) values result in a lower sensitivity of the joystick axes with small deflections (fine-tuning), while at higher deflections,
the aircraft will react more strongly.
The default value of 25% is a good value.
To find the best personal settings here, just try.

 

 

Configure the Buttons of an Joystick:

This works in the same way as the axis.

Open the menu Settings" -"Joystick & Equipment".

Go to the TAB "Buttons: Basic" or "Buttons: Adv" with all available functions.

At first press the button of the Joystick which you want to configure.

And than choose the function in the Menu and click the apropriate radio button.

 

For example:

Press a Button you want to have for the view look left.

Than go to the Tab "Buttons: Adv" and set the radio button "general".

Here set the radio button "rot_left".

 

So you can configure all buttons of the Joystick....

 

Important:
After the calibrations where performed, you must finish X-Plane with the normal way, so that the settings can also be saved permanently.
Normal means: Close X-Plane 10 using the menu "File" - "Quit" (not with the window X).
X-Plane saves the settings in the "preferences" folder. You can find them in the folder "Output".
It is worthwhile to make a copy of it.

 

Very important:
Don't set the function "discard changes to preferences". Otherwithe X-Plane 10 will not save your Settings.
Menu - Settings - Operations and Warnings (X-Plane 10.45).

Greets Heinz Flichtbeil