Joystick Modification Question

[wmurphy]

I wasn't sure the "best way" to temporarily mount the joysticks on pressboard, but I came up with the following method. We took the bottom plate off the joysticks and drilled 4 holes. Then we put 4 machine screws (heads on the inside of the bottom plate) and fastened them with nuts on the outside of the bottom plate - leaving 4 threaded shafts protruding. Can't remember if and when we used washers .... Note: Before we put screws in the holes, we used the bottom plate as a template on the pressboard in order to mark the holes we needed to drill in the pressboard. Then we simply reassembled the joysticks (which now have 4 threaded studs coming out of the bottom plate) and pushed the screws through the holes in the pressboard. Next, we put 4 additional nuts on them to hold the joystick(s) in place.

Question: After doing this, I think I read or heard something about NOT modifying the joysticks??? Was the "spirit" of not modifiying them ONLY related to the movement of the stick and / or electrical connections? OR .... is what we did in order to mount them considered an "illegal modification"?

[AIBob]

Why don't you just use Velcro to temporarily mount the joysticks?

[Andy A.]

To answer your question, No, there is no rule against what you did. You can modify the joysticks in most anyway you please.

In fact, the rules regarding your control system are pretty sparse. There are some limits on what kind of power you can draw from the OI, regarding the use of circuitry to process your commands, and of course a size restriction. A few others, but nothing regarding the joysticks in the kit.

My team, and I think the majority, have used Velcro in the past. It helps facilitate switching joysticks around, since they are cheap and tend to break. But I've seen teams that mount them like you have and done fine with it.

-Andy A.