The custom joystick build guide should point you in the right direction

In the past two years, [benkster] They have been perfecting their ideal flight controller. Like many people, they start with a keyboard and mouse and eventually turn to joysticks. Although HOTAS (hand holding the throttle and joystick-such as a yoke controller with inputs on the side) may be the next logical step, the cost of these things is too high. Naturally, the answer is to build one, preferably with less money. Hey, this can happen.

The design went from an idea to a cardboard prototype, then a wooden shell, and then a 3D printed shell.since [benkster] Learned a lot along the way, they want to give back to the community Comprehensive joystick design/build guide This way other people don’t have to start from scratch and be overwhelmed by information.

[benkster] You want three joysticks, a bunch of big buttons, a throttle, a display that shows the status of the components (for example, is joystick #3 a joystick or a WASD keyboard?), and immersive details everywhere—you know , A million buttons and switch to give it that kind of cockpit feel. [benkster] Teensy 4 is being used to control two 3-axis joysticks and a 2-axis joystick. Since this prevents Windows/DirectX from reading too many axes, the 2-axis joystick is used as a WASD keyboard.

This guide is a good starting point, especially for people who may not be familiar with electronics. There are good introductions to many types of components and tidbits, which are relevant outside the world of joysticks.

Do you want an immersive flight simulation away from the PC? This is a printable flexible-based “stick” that can be directly stuck on your Xbox controller and press a button.