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Unread 10-01-2011, 07:42
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Re: [2011] Mecanum Controller

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jester View Post
I have read somewhere (can't remember) in the forums that you need a 3-axis joystick, or 2 of the Logitech Attack 2-axis joysticks. If you have any suggestions on a nice joystick or any other solutions please discuss with me.

I have found a joystick, which looks really nifty!
http://www.provantage.com/logitech-9...3~7LGTC967.htm

It has everything the Logitech Attack 2-axis joystick has, but it also has a twist handle (which I would guess is 3rd axis).
A mecanum vehicle has 3 independent degrees of freedom:

fore/aft (forward/reverse)

left/right (strafe)

and

rotate (turn, yaw)

It can perform all these motions simultaneously, resulting in motions that sometimes look like an ice skater rather than a wheeled vehicle.

To get the full capability of a mecanum, you would need to give the driver control of each of these 3 degrees of freedom. Thus, a 3-axis joystick or 2 2-axis joysticks.

Typical driver interfaces are

(3-axis joystick)
Y-axis fore/aft
X-axis strafe
Z axis rotate

(2 2-axis joysticks)
"Halo"
Y1-axis fore/aft
X1-axis strafe
X2-axis rotate

There are of course many other interfaces.

You can use the 2-axis joystick in the kit of parts, and buy another exactly like it. I believe Logitech makes a suitable 3-axis joystick.

Or you can use a single 2-axis joystick:

with trigger not pulled:
Y-axis fore/aft
X-axis strafe

with trigger pulled:
Y-axis fore/aft
X-axis rotate

The above, of course, allows only 2 degrees of freedom at a time, but may be sufficient for your purposes, depending on the game.


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