What Keys should I map to the Joysticks and controls?
 

I have a saitek x52 and am getting confused over which keys are more important to map to the joystick and it's controls. Can someone list what actions I should have mapped to the joystick and it's controls and which ones I should leave as clickable in the cockpit by mouse. There seems to be to many keys that require an axis like radiator control.. etc, and it's confusing the hell out of me. Thankyou!!

A handy tip to remember is with that pinky button, it's a quick way to "double" the amount of buttons you have. (whatever you should choose to do)

Have you got any idea how the pinkie switch works because I cannot say I have ever used it. Does it act like the shift key on keyboard? Also, does the mode switch on the joystick allow me to use three different modes including three switch modes on the thrust controller? Do you have any good links to a website that will explain all this because I have never used the mode switch either? Thanks!!

Views, guns, zoom, flaps, 2 radiators, map, wep, wep cut-off, auto prop pitch on/off.
Axis for prop pitch and elevator trim.

Starting with this you can fly a Cross Country QMB mission, pause it when required to add or change controls.

Pictures speak more :-P

My set up is built around KISS.

http://i1020.photobucket.com/albums/...82/mysetup.jpg

C button on X52 is loosen shoulder straps/zoom on gunsight
Arm bombs is actually drop bombs.

fuel cock - space bar
toggle all engines - tilde key next to 1 on top off keyboard
1 - engine 1
2 - engine 2
o - Toggle open canopy
. - arm bombs

TrackIR ;)

Hope that helps.

I tend to set my X52 to enable the commands that are essential for combat and management of flight. The Fuel cock, Engine Start, Mirrors, Net Stats, Map, etc, I access from the keyboard or mouse as these tend to be one off or rarely used.

Trim, Flaps, weapons, Radiator, prop pitch, mixture, gun-sight adjustments, etc are all mapped to the stick. The view controls depend on whether you have Head-tracking or not and controls such as Padlock depend your difficulty settings.

The Mode switch when used with the SST software (or similar Joystick UTILITY) can be rotated to three positions and each position gives you the ability to map every switch and button to do something entirely different. Assigning a shift function to any key (such as the 'pinkie') is also done using the SST software and this, along with the mode switch, gives you up to six possible alternatives for every button - that's a lot of buttons.........

Thanks for the replies, but I'm still not sure what the pinkie does. Does it act as a shift key and how does it do three different commands for one switch? I can see why the mode button acts as three commands, but i'm still confused about the pinkie.

Yes its a shift key. You have to set it up in the softweare for the stick.

All the buttons times by the 3 dial times by 2 (pinkie shift) = lots of confusing buttons!

The 'pinkie' is just another switch and can be used for anything you want - it is not dedicated to a 'shift' function as such. Any button can be used as a shift function using the SST software if you prefer.

If I may add ...You can use almost any button in a two-button combination like mentioned above, and the pinky button can be mapped as a single button like any other. I just mentioned the pinky button because it is easily accessable for "doubling up your buttons".

S~


*Edit* lol "SEE" just beat me to it :/