Joystick Setup
Last updated
Last updated
Joystick setup is used to configure and calibrate the joysticks and joystick buttons on an integrated controller or an attached computer joystick/gamepad.
Joystick setup is only visible when a Joystick connected.
Pilots typically only use these settings to:
Change the RC controller mode (General tab). The default layout is Mode 2.
Assign functions to buttons (Button Assignment tab).
The general tab is used to enable and verify joystick input, and to set the controller mode.
The settings are explained below.
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
Enable joystick input | Select to start sending joystick commands from the active joystick to the connected vehicle. |
Active joystick | If multiple joysticks are connected, this allows the desired joystick to be enabled. |
RC Mode | Set mode that defines the function of the left and right sticks. This is normally set to mode 2. |
Test Sticks | Move the sticks and verify that the motion is as expected on the screen. |
Test Buttons | Press joystick buttons to highlight them. This allows you to determine the number associated with each physical button (and then use that for button assignment). |
RC Modes define how the movement of the left and right joysticks are mapped to vehicle movement. There are 4 different modes. Auterion Mission Control uses the most popular mode (mode 2) by default.
The table below shows the behavior for a fixed-wing vehicle, where sticks map to: roll, pitch, yaw and throttle.
Position Mode provides a more detailed example of the default (mode 2) mappings for both Fixed Wing and Multicopter.
| Mode | Left Stick (Forward/Back, Left/Right) | Right Stick (FB/LR) |
|---|---|---|
1 | Pitch (FB), Yaw (LR) | Throttle (FB), Roll (LR) |
2 | Throttle (FB), Yaw (LR) | Pitch (FB), Roll (LR) |
3 | Pitch (FB), Roll (LR) | Throttle (FB), Yaw (LR) |
4 | Throttle (FB), Roll(LR) | Pitch (FB), Yaw (LR) |
The Button Assignment tab is used to assign functions to joystick buttons (single-, hold-down-, long- and double-press) and to combinations of button presses.
There is a grey box up the top for every button. Press a button on the joystick to find out its button number (7 is shown pressed below).
To assign a single click or repeat (hold-down) button:
Select the button on the joystick to find out the button.
Use the selection list to assign the single press action (e.g. set flight mode, trigger camera, etc.).
Some action can be repeated, meaning that the command should be sent multiple times if the button is held down (e.g. incrementing the camera zoom in steps). Select the Repeat checkbox if the button is to be used in this way (the checkbox is disabled if repeated is not allowed for the current action).
The Add Custom Action button allows you to define that an action occurs on a button long press, double press, or combination of two other buttons being pressed together. A button can be assigned a single-press and at most one other operation (e.g. a long press or a double press). Some operations are invalid (e.g. long press and repeat).
To create a custom action:
Choose the associated action/function using the selector.
Choose the custom action type: COMBO, DOUBLE, LONG, NONE (for multiple button press, double-press, long-press, and nothing respectively).
Use the drop down to select the button for which the operation applies.
For COMBO actions then select the second button.
Custom actions can be removed by selecting the red X marker at the end of the item.
A valid and complete action is highlighted by a green label.
It is possible to define a custom action that makes another button action invalid. Check that all button colors are green to confirm they are valid (red indicates an invalid assignment).
The main button settings are listed below:
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
Action Selector | Select the box then choose an action from the popup. Possible actions are listed below. |
Repeat checkbox | Check for actions that should be repeated if the button is held down (e.g. incrementing the camera zoom in steps). This can only be selected for actions where repeating is appropriate. |
Button-Press Type | COMBO, DOUBLE, LONG, NONE |
The actions that can be assigned to buttons are described below.
| Action | Vehicle | Notes |
|---|---|---|
No Action | All | Unassigned |
Acro | All | Acro mode |
Altitude | All | Altitude hold mode |
Arm | All | |
Continuous Zoom In | All | |
Continuous Zoom Out | All | |
Disarm | All | |
Follow Me | MC, VTOL | Follow Me mode |
Gimbal Center | All | |
Gimbal Down | All | |
Gimbal Left | All | |
Gimbal Pitching Down | All | |
Gimbal Pitching Up | All | |
Gimbal Right | All | |
Gimbal Up | All | |
Gripper Open | All | |
Gripper Close | All | |
Hold | All | Hold mode |
Land | All | Land mode |
Manual | All | Manual mode |
Mission | All | Mission mode |
Next Camera | All | |
Next Video Stream | All | |
Offboard | VTOL, MC | Offboard mode |
Orbit | VTOL | Orbit task |
Position | All | Position mode |
Precision Land | VTOL, MC | |
Previous Camera | All | |
Previous Video Stream | All | |
Rattitude | All | Rattitude mode |
Ready | All | |
Return | All | |
Return to Groundstation | All | |
Simple | FW | |
Stabilized | VTOL, MC | Stabilized mode |
Start Recording Video | All | |
Step Zoom in | All | |
Step Zoom out | All | |
Stop Recording Video | All | |
Takeoff | All | Takeoff mode |
Thermal Next Palette | All | |
Thermal OFF | All | |
Thermal ON | All | |
Thermal ON/OFF | All | |
Toggle Arm | All | |
Toggle Recording Video | All | |
Trigger Camera | All | |
VTOL: Fixed Wing | All | Transition to Fixed Wing |
VTOL: Multi-Rotor | All | Transition to Multirotor |
The Calibration tab is used to calibrate the joystick sticks.
The process is guided: just click the Start button and follow the on-screen instructions.
The Advanced tab sets the advanced behavior of the joystick controls.
The controls are:
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
Radio button | Full down stick is zero throttle | Center stick is zero throttle. |
Exponential | |
Enable further advanced settings (careful): | Check to open up even more options (see below). |
These settings should generally not be changed.
The further advanced settings are enabled by selecting the checkbox shown.
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
Enable Gimbal Control | Enable two additional channels on a 6-axis joystick for controlling a gimbal. Note:
|
Joystick Mode | This should not be changed from: Normal. |
Axis Frequency | When the joystick is idle (inputs are not changing), the joystick commands are sent to the vehicle at 5 Hz. When the joystick is in use (input values are changing), the joystick commands are sent to the vehicle at the (higher) frequency configured by this setting. The default is 25 Hz. |
Button Frequency | Controls the frequency at which repeated button actions are sent (see Button Assignment tab) |
Enable Circle Correction | RC controllers sticks describe a square, while joysticks usually describe a circle. When this option is enabled a square is inscribed inside the joystick movement area to make it more like an RC controller (so it is possible to reach all four corners). The cost is decreased resolution, as the effective stick travel is reduced.
|
Deadbands | Deadbands allow input changes to be ignored when the sticks are near their neutral positions. This helps to avoid noise or small oscillations on sensitive sticks which may be interpreted as commands, or small offsets when sticks do not re-center well. They can be adjusted during the first step of the calibration, or by dragging vertically on the corresponding axis monitor. |
Press the Add Custom Action button. This will create a custom action item immediately above the button. Note at the button label is red, indicating that the assignment is incomplete or invalid. This will always be the case when a button is created.
By default the response to stick movement is linear (exponential=0). The exponential value makes the joystick less responsive in the middle of the range and more responsive on the edges - which can make it easier to fly.
