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Got my new Saitek Pedals

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Got my new Saitek Pedals Empty Got my new Saitek Pedals

Post  Acroyer Sat Jan 09, 2010 9:27 am

They arrived this evening, in a rather large box. I was surprised at how large the pedals are (pleasantly surprised, I was worried they would be very small and 'toy' like versus my big Godzilla sized feet).

As usual, the documentation for a Saitek product is laughable, however. I got a CD, a list of worldwide technical support centers (in case I need to ship my busted pedals to somewhere in **Syria**), and a "Quick Start Guide" that has 3 pages in English. It says 'put disc in computer and plug stuff in, follow directions' on page 1. On page 2 it says "If you happen to play any of the following 4 obscure games, here are a few tips on setting the pedals up". On page 3 it says "2 year warranty, don't use these pedals underwater or in the rain, and the pedals should be recycled at the end of their lifespan". These three pages are repeated 8 more times in 8 different languages, including (apparently) Klingon and Ancient Egyptian Heiroglyphs.

The pedals themselves adjust in size for my big feet (very nice), the unit overall seems pretty rugged, but I will need to make some sort of large hard base for them to attach to, as the carpet in my apartment (that's 'flat' to you chaps) does not grip them very well. They slide around too much to be reliable at this point, so I think I'm going to get a big piece of scrap plastic or plywood, and attach my chair to one end, and the pedals somewhere in front of the chair.

I'm not going to try and set them up tonight, without some way to keep them from moving, but I'm eager to try them out.

This brings me to my next question...what kind of chair do you all use when you play?[i]
Acroyer
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Post  Acroyer Sun Jan 10, 2010 7:00 pm

So far, the pedals have been a lot of fun, but I haven't tried to fly with them yet. Here's how things have gone so far:

1. Plug everything up, hop in the chair and try them out. They work pretty cool, but got to move the chair closer, or can't move them full range of motion. As long as I move them slowly, the pedal base doesn't move. Get a little excited and shove the pedal hard, and the whole thing spins off to the left, knocking down the trash can and scattering stuff across the room. Wife is unamused by me flinging myself to the floor to make sure nothing has spilled on my new pedals first. End up running the vacuum cleaner and taking out the trash, while She Who Feeds Me supervises the operation.

2. Drive to office supply store, buy a hard plastic carpet mat, so that I can velcro the pedals to it, and they won't move. It is 44 degrees outside (that's F, not C), so when I get back, the stupid mat won't unroll and lie flat. I call the store and grumble, they tell me the mat will relax in about four hours at room temperature. Four hours? I'll die of frustration before then. I break out the wife's blow dryer, plug it up and carefully use it like a blowtorch to soften the plastic. Get it mostly uncurled, set the blow dryer down and wrestle with stupid mat (thats one T, not two, as I have to remind the wife at this point). Whilst trying to get the edges lined up, I discover that the little plastic teeth on the back side (where it grips the carpet) have needle sharp tips. Then, while thrashing around in pain, gripping my wounded fingers with the other hand, I roll backwards onto the blow dryer I had set aside earlier. The muzzle of this device is still roughly as warm as a blowtorch and I sear a nice wafflemark into the back of one thigh. Reaction to THAT propels me forward like a missile, and I knock the trash can across the room before plowing into the wall head first.

There is a twenty minute break for swearing, Band-aids (sticking plaster I think you call them), and general hysterical laughter from my wife. She Who Bandages Me takes away the blow dryer, then supervises again as I clean up the trash can wreckage.

3. Finally get the mat settled into position, affix the velcro to the base, then affix the pedals to the mat. It looks very firm and secure. Go to plug the base into my computer tower and discover that the cord is about 2 foot too short to reach. While trying to rearrange things (from under the desk) I accidentally tug on the cable that leads to my printer. This printer is not very large, but it rests on an elevated little metal shelf (so I can put paper supplies under it). The shelf has four tiny feet, two of which are perched one half inch from the edge of the table. Printer shifts slightly, feet slip off table, shelf tilts, printer slides off table. Six pound printer drops squarely into my groin, corner first, mashing all sorts of important parts of my anatomy. I howl with pain and try to sit up, bashing my head on the underside of the table I am laying under. Through the flashing lights and little stukas circling my head, I snarl and yank the cable to the printer, expecting to pull it back up onto the table. The cord unplugs itself from the back of the printer instantly, dropping the printer off of me and onto the floor. My hand, yanking the cable back, travels into the tangle of cables by my shoulder and pulls all of THOSE rather sharply. Mass destruction ensues, as my monitor leaps off the stand it is on (a milk crate, actually) and topples over to try and smash itself to bits on the hard table, face down. Fortunately, the wife has reflexes like a cat, and leaps from her chair nearby to catch it. She saves the monitor in the nick of time, but lands on my left hand in the process. It's a good thing she only weighs about 100 pounds, or I'd need a hook for that hand today. As it is, my left hand now looks like Beetle Bailey does when Sarge beats him up.

There is a half hour break for swearing, more band aids and aspirin, and finally moving various computer components around so the cables now reach. Everything plugs up, looks good. She Who Steps On Me decides we need to break for lunch, because I'm getting really grumpy and grouchy (I was not, it was just that every damn thing I touched tried to kill me.)

4. We break for lunch, and during the lunch break, I decide that the chair I have been using is not very comfortable for hours of gaming. The padding in the seat is not very thick, after five years of use. Off I go to the office supply store, and purchase a new, well padded office chair. The wife promptly claims the old chair for herself, as it has plenty of padding for her. I'm exactly twice her mass, of course, and a head taller. I come home, assemble the chair and test it. Wonderful, nice and comfy. Sit in the chair, pretend to be flying, decide to move things around on the desktop a little, so everything is in the right spot. Now I notice a USB cable laying there, unplugged. It's black, and travels over the edge of the table into the mess of cords underneath...but what does it go to? I should not have an unplugged cable left over - this is just like working on your car, you shouldn't have parts left over when you put it all back together. Concerned, I spend the next fifteen minutes labeling and tracing all my cables, and still end up with one extra. Wife then remembers its my cell phone USB charger, and she put it on the table during lunch without telling me. I order her back over to her side of the living room, where she cannot disrupt my progress.

5. I load up the drivers and check them, all seems well. I haven't changed the game files or anything yet, I just want to try it out in game. I load up the game, and pick the training server. Spawn in a Spitfire, start up the engine, do the usual routine, start my take off. Push on the rudder pedal to turn right...nothing happens...push harder....here comes the hangar...yank the stick and the plane lifts and banks, narrowly avoiding the crash. Annoyed, I push one pedal, then the other. I push harder (thats the American way, you know) and my new chair, with the new rollers, on the new hard mat, promptly scoots away from the pedals and the table at high speed. My headset is still on, and I refuse to let go of the joystick, so I reach the limit of their cords (now thoroughly strapped in place from previous issues). I pivot forward, head first, and my chair, originally moving at perhaps 5 mph, now accelerates like a cruise missile launching as my body falls forward out of it. Chair streaks back into the wall behind me, knocking dishes off the shelves in the kitchen and placing a nice dent in the drywall. I pitch forward, let go of the joystick to catch myself, breaking my fall somewhat by driving my forehead into the exact edge of the table, then dropping face down onto my palms (hooray for reflexes, eh?). The joystick swings under me at first, then is flung away as I complete my crash landing, returning at the exact angle necessary to catch me on my right elbow, then my right ear.

I invent a new swear word that is fourteen syllables long, while my wife lectures me on using a rolling office chair on a hard surface, with rudder pedals. Eventually the pain stops, and so does she (or vice versa) and I get up. Miraculously, there is no damage to anything important, like my gaming gear. I adjust the chair so that two of its rear wheels are slightly off the edge of the mat, on the carpet, so it won't roll backwards now. My wife drags me into the bathroom and puts a Band-aid on my forehead, where the table has scraped it. I now look like I have been a car accident, she announces, pointing out the various wounds I have collected so far. I have a terrible headache, and decide to call it a night. My wife feels sorry for me, so she pops in a DVD for me to watch ("Battle of Britain", the 1969 version with Lawrence Olivier, Michael Caine, etc). Every time I look over at my new pedals, she barks at me. Eventually, we go to bed, and I dream nice dreams.

Its 3am now...I'm in my new chair, with a glass of tea at hand, and about to go try it again. I found the box of Band-Aids on my chair, when I got up. How do wives know these things?

Here's a picture, from my phone. It's a little dark so you can't see the evil pedals under my desk, but they are there. Note the first aid kit, iced tea, and tissues in handy places. The little chair (to the right of my big chair) is the "snack tray' for in flight meals.
Got my new Saitek Pedals 0110000308


Last edited by acroyer on Sun Jan 10, 2010 8:31 pm; edited 1 time in total (Reason for editing : added picture from phone)
Acroyer
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Post  Acroyer Sun Jan 10, 2010 7:53 pm

Well, I got the rudders to work, but I definitely need to figure out how to invert the right toe brake, as Main4ce suggested. Unfortunately, I'm not sure where this 'config' file is located, that I am supposed to edit. I'm prowling around the forums looking for the info now.

EDIT: Found the thread by Sgt Spoon that shows how to change things, and where. I inverted the right toe brake and the rudders, and set up 20% flap increments, too. Everything seems to be working fine, now I just need to learn to fly with the pedals! Laughing
Acroyer
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Post  MJDixon Mon Jan 11, 2010 4:42 am

I got some Saitek Pro Flight Rudder Pedals for Christmas (Although they didn't arrive until New Years eve) and I think my brain is finally starting to remember that right foot = right rudder, left foot = left rudder. For some reason I thought it'd be the other way around.

I had some trouble getting them to keep steady but finally decided to just use the velcro strips and stick it straight onto the floor. Smile

The only problem I have with them now is that when I twist the tension control knob it just unscrews the plastic knob and comes off, but that isn't realy a problem as the tension is alright as it is.

I also got a Saitek Pro Flight Yoke with Throttle Quadrant for flying the Bombers but I also use the Throttle and buttons for Fighters and the like, even have one of the throttles as a big lever for the Flaps despite the fact I don't have mine set up for incremental flaps so it's just up or down. Razz

Tried setting the third throttle for Gear but it doesn't seem to work.

As for Chairs I have the seat from a Ford Transit Van at my computer - to begin with it was just because I didn't have an office chair but now I prefer it as it's abit more like a proper Pilots chair than an Office chair would be. Wink
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Post  Skip19 Mon Jan 11, 2010 4:45 am

lol. comedy pedals!
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Post  Acroyer Tue Jan 12, 2010 3:48 am

Pedals are definitely better for takeoffs than a twisty stick.
Acroyer
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Post  Skip19 Tue Jan 12, 2010 3:53 am

acroyer wrote:Pedals are definitely better for takeoffs than a twisty stick.

juts a thought - I don't use my home made rudder pedals when I take off - I just use my brakes!
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Post  Acroyer Tue Jan 12, 2010 4:22 am

I used to use the brakes (Z, X) on the keyboard, but with the pedals I have toe brakes, so I don't have to take my hands off the stick/throttle now. When I'm revved up to roll and release the brakes, I can easily shift one foot or the other forward and keep it going where I want it to go. Before, when I used the twisty stick rudder, I usually accidentally tipped the stick one way or the other and caused one wing to rise up. I ended up 'waddling' along until I got up enough speed to take off. Or dragged a wing tip, lol.
Acroyer
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Got my new Saitek Pedals Empty Re: Got my new Saitek Pedals

Post  shane21 Wed Jan 13, 2010 1:57 pm

lmao - that has to be the most funniest story ever lol

lol!

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