Flight Joystick with Arduino for pc Flight Simulators

Name: Flight Joystick with Arduino for pc Flight Simulators
Rating: 3.8 (8 reviews)

Build your flight yoke and rudder pedals

Created byHelio Henrique Rostirolla Garcia

Last updated 2/2021

English

English [Auto],

What you'll learn

With this course you will learn how to create your own home airplane controls (flight yoke and rudder pedals) using an arduino and you will be able to use it on the new Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, Microsoft Flight Simulator (FSX), X-Plane 11, Aerofly FS 2, DCS and many others.

Course content

5 sections • 28 lectures • 1h 42m total length

Introduction1:37
Introduction to building a flight joystick with Arduino for pc flight simulators, covering hardware setup and connectors for real world and virtual pilots.

02 - Course Overview1:48
03 - Downloading Arduino IDE2:16
Discover how to download and install the Arduino IDE, the integrated development environment, by using a browser to download the Windows installer and set up the desktop shortcut named Arduino.
04 - Installing the Arduino Joystick Library1:34
install the Arduino joystick library by downloading the joystick.zip, adding it through include library in the Arduino IDE, and verify the installation status before uploading the sketch.
05 - Uploading our Sketch2:44
Upload the main sketch to an Arduino Leonardo for the flight joystick, verifying the My Joystick folder, compiling, and uploading, then test in the joystick control panel properties.

06 - The Box2:31
Assemble the flight joystick project box by aligning the front, back, and side panels to specified dimensions, then secure them with wood screws to create a sturdy enclosure.
07 - The Yoke - part 0110:06
Assemble the pc flight yoke by mounting a telescopic slide to a wooden panel, drill 5 mm holes, align four corner holes, and install a 100k potentiometer.
08 - The Yoke - part 0211:02
Assemble the pc flight yoke by building a 4x4 cm metal frame, drilling 5 mm holes, mounting components with screws, wiring the setup, and aligning the mechanism to follow movement.
09 - The Levers - part 014:32
Assemble the throttle, propeller, and mixture levers for the flight joystick, using aluminum bars and wood, drill precise holes, secure with screws and washers, and achieve initial lever movement.
10 - The Levers - part 026:19
Assemble the lever frame by drilling precise holes, attaching metal corner brackets, and mounting three 100k linear potentiometers, preparing the lever for final assembly in the project.
11 - The Levers - part 034:42
Assemble the joystick lever assembly inside the box by drilling 5 mm holes at specified distances, secure the parts with screws, and connect levers to potentiometers so movement is captured.
12 - Installing the Arduino2:37
Drill two holes on the left side of the box, insert a tiny screw, install the Arduino, and route the USB cable to the opposite side to finish.
13 - Pedals - part 013:29
Assemble the pedal panel by joining two identical metal pieces with aluminum bracing, screws, and a 9 mm threaded bar with washers to form the balance.
14 - Pedals - part 023:32
Fabricate the pedal assembly for flight simulators using a metal frame, a 90 mm trainer bar, precise holes, and install the potentiometer with washers and screws.
15 - Pedals - part 036:08
In this pedal assembly part, you drill precise holes, assemble washers and lug nuts, and tighten five millimeter screws to ensure smooth pedal movement without binding.
16 - Electrical Connections - part 012:31
Follow the attached diagram to wire the flight joystick: red to the right potentiometer, black to the left, yellow as the signal, with 30 cm and 2.5 m cables.
17 - Electrical Connections - part 022:10
Solder and secure the wires using a center hook, thread them through a hole in the left box, route to the right panel, and finish the first wired section.
18 - Electrical Connections - part 033:05
Group red wires together and group black wires together, leave yellow wires loose, then connect the remaining wires to the Arduino Leonardo.
19 - Electrical Connections - part 044:24
20 - Closing the Box2:19
21 - Artwork2:37
Finish the visible part of the project with imagination and creativity. Cut thick paper to specified measurements, glue or screw parts, print labels in Word, and paint the propeller black.

22 - Calibrating on Windows2:42
Calibrate the flight joystick on Windows by configuring the USB controller, moving each axis (forward/back, left/right) through calibration steps, and ensuring Windows recognizes the device.
23 - The New Microsoft Flight Simulator 20206:13
Calibrate and customize a flight joystick for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 by configuring controls, assigning axes, validating profiles, and testing rudder, elevator, propeller, and mixture inputs.
24 - FSX2:51
Calibrate your joystick in Microsoft Flight Simulator via options, settings, controls. Calibrate each axis—elevator, mixture, propeller, pedals, throttle—by double-clicking and moving, then reverse any axis to ensure proper movement.
25 - X-Plane 113:42
Calibrate your PC flight joystick for X-Plane 11 by selecting an aircraft, identifying and mapping axes (roll, throttle, mixture, paddles), and reversing axes as needed to ensure accurate control.
26 - Aerofly FS22:03
Calibrate your flight joystick for Aerofly FS2 by configuring throttle, elevator, aileron, propeller, and mixture, then select an aircraft and location to start a flight.
27 - DCS2:17
Calibrate and configure a flight joystick built with Arduino for PC flight simulators. Learn to adjust axis commands, throttle, pedals, and invert settings for DCS.

Requirements

You should be able to use some basic tools like a screw driver, a drill machine and a soldering iron for example. You don’t need previous knowledge on arduinos or programming them.

Description

This course will teach you how to create your own home flight yoke (with throttle, prop and mix levers) and rudder pedals without any experience coding. Using an Arduino Leonardo board, some potentiometers, wires, a soldering iron, a few tools and the free arduino IDE, you will be introduced to the great world of Do It Yoursel (DIY). You will be presented to the Arduino IDE, will learn how to install the joystick library and how to upload the scketch (both goes with this course). We will then make the box that is the base of the project, the flight yoke, the levers, build the pedals and connect all the wires. Then we will calibrate the joystick on Windows, the new Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 (MSFS 2020), Microsoft Flight Simulator (FSX), X - Plane 11, Aerofly FS2 and Digital Combat Simulator - DCS. After the calibrations you are ready to fly on these computer flight simulators and many others! Just choose your favorite. The objective of this course is to show in the simplest possible way how to build an airplane joystick so that more people can use flight simulators in a more real and better way, allowing it to be used for leisure but also for training for those who want to become pilots onde day or want to fly like the real pilots do (even if simple and at home).

Who this course is for:

This course is for everyone, specially those who use pc flight simulators, have plans to became a real world airplane pilot, improve their piloting skills using computer flight simulators or maybe are aviation fans and want to start flying with a flight yoke.

Flight Joystick with Arduino for pc Flight Simulators

What you'll learn

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Course content

Introduction1 lecture • 2min

Course Overview, Downloading Arduino IDE, Joystick Library and Uploading Sketch4 lectures • 8min

The Box, Yoke, Levers, Arduino, Pedals, Electrical Connections16 lectures • 1hr 12min

Calibrating on Windows, MSFS 2020, FSX, X-Plane 11, Aerofly FS2 and DCS6 lectures • 20min

Final Considerations1 lecture • 1min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: