177 Bobcat Robotics Reveal

[DampRobot]

Originally Posted by GarrettF2395

Really? I always just assumed older teams used them because retro things are awesome.
What advantages do they have over a normal joystick, and are they still available for purchase somewhere?

True. As I don't think they're all that uncommon, they should be available through Amazon (although I don't know exactly where we got ours).

The advantages are they seem to present a more precision and sensitive feel to the drivers. This is completely subjective, but they seem to be much easier to push off of center, and position finely around the center of their travel (where most precision maneuvering is done).

They also feel like they have a slight but distinct break between their x and y axis of travel, that is, they have a slight tendency to want to stay perfectly along the x or y axis. As we drive with split arcade (faux "Chessy Drive") the semi discreet x and y axis feel of the joysticks might help the driver somehow more accurately channel his hand motions into the data fed to the robot: the x axis value for the right joystick and the y axis value for the left. But that's just me guessing.

Our ex-254 (now alum) driver also modified the positions of some of their buttons on the FSPs so he could position his hands where they would give him more precise control of the joysticks. He could have also modified other parts of the joysticks to create a different feel while he was at it (but I don't believe he did). Again, I'll credit him and 254 for putting us onto these sticks.

Of course, this stuff about the Flight Stick Pros being better could be just me talking out of my behind. They just happen to feel like a better driving joystick to me personally, and our drivers seem to like them too. Your mileage may vary.

Oh, yeah, and it's possible I misjudged the identity of the joysticks from the video. They look a lot like the ones we use, but they could something similar looking that 177 happens to use.