The new Saitek USB X36 system includes one of the most powerful programming tools on the market for a currently available HOTAS system. The flexibility of the new Saitek Gaming Extensions system far surpasses the old Saitek X36 programming tools in every way. From the 3D graphic user interface (GUI) to the advanced programming options, the new system really covers almost every conceivable function and keystroke combination.

All this capability has a cost in complexity and unfortunately the manual does not cover the details of maximizing the systems capabilities. I had a Saitek analog version for a long time before my new USB arrived. I had to learn a lot about the SGE programming tool by trial and error, but you won't have to. Our first installment will help you through installation, basic command file setup, and programming a button. The next installment will cover the rotaries, hats, three-way switches. In both articles you will find undocumented (sometimes just poorly documented) programming tricks to turn your Saitek into a real powerhouse control system.

INSTALLATION

The setup using either the USB port or the gameport is very simple but the order of installation is critical. The process suggested below has worked on every system I have helped people install. As they say in a stock prospectus, "Past performance is no guarantee of future earnings." Even if your system looks identical to someone else's hardware, it is unlikely that you have exactly the same software installed. However, this procedure has worked for me, I hope it works for most of you too. Please read all the steps before you begin. If it doesn't work, I am happy to help you out if you contact me in a civil tone and on the comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.flight-sim newsgroup so others can learn from our dialog.

1. Uninstall all other game controllers. Why? It seems to have helped improve the stability of all the installed game controllers. From the Start Menu, select Settings/Control Panel/Game Controllers. Delete all the installed game controllers. If you have other game controllers you can reinstall them after you install your new USB stick.

2. If you choose to use the USB port and have Bob Church's CTFJ (www.stickworks.com) installed and included in your startup (Start/Program Files/StartUp) folder then you must remove it from this folder (you might just move it to your desktop for easy access). This program does not seem designed to work with inputs through the USB port. If you have other analog game controllers (steering wheels, game pads, etc.) or you choose to use the gameport you may wish to leave CTFJ installed but launch it manually before you use your analog controller. The Saitek digital sticks do not spike, and are perfectly centered when set up properly using the USB port. If this is your only joystick then you can uninstall CTFJ (If you have other analog game controllers you should get this utility. It is simply the best analog joystick utility on earth). Always unplug your X36 USB before plugging in a gameport steering wheel or gamepad. Remember to shut down your computer before plugging in any non-USB device.

Click to continue

 
3. USB does not mean you can run your new stick while something else is plugged into the gameport. Unplug any other game controllers from your computer. Power your PC down first!

4. Install the SGE v1.1 software that must be downloaded from Saitek's web site. Do not install the software from the CD! Use the CD to print out the SGE manual (8 pages), which is on the CD in Adobe Acrobat format, and the X36 (or Cyborg if that is what you are using) USB manual (4 pages).

5. If you intend to use the X36 via the USB port then you must have DirectX v7.0a installed. Nothing (NOTHING!) else will work. In fact the original DirectX v7.0 creates some pretty severe problems if you attempt to 'hot plug/unplug' the Saitek USB joystick (the original version had a bug which zeros your calibration in the registry permanently).

6. At this point power down your computer and plug in the Saitek X36 (USB or gameport). In theory you should be able to plug in a USB device hot the first time. I had the joystick initialization fail one time with hot plugging but it has never failed to initialize the first time from a cold start. Restart your computer.

7. Windows will load the drivers for your Saitek joystick. If you go into Settings/Control Panel/Game Controllers you will see your stick is installed. Opening the test window will show the 25 Direct Input buttons, the 3 position mode switch, 8 way POV hat, and the 6 axis (stick X and Y, throttle, rudder, two rotaries). You can press buttons to see the default button assignments or move the rotaries, throttle, rudder, or joystick to watch the axis move. The good news is that digital sticks do not drift so you won't have to visit the calibration routine every week. You should check the calibration of the stick one time but never again (in theory).

8. After calibration, close the control panel and double click on your new SGE desktop icon.



BUG: Tweak UI does not cooperate with SGE. It took me quite a while to figure this one out as I have never had anything that had a conflict with this program. On my system, with Tweak UI loaded, SGE brought Windows Explorer to its knees. If you have Tweak UI, and experience anything strange after loading SGE, the only solution seems to be to unload Tweak UI (bummer). I would also note that many virus checker programs do not like things like SGE that hook directly into Windows Explorer. My virus checker, McAfee, checks my system files at start-up but then unloads itself until I download something (files, java, or DirectX) from the internet. This seems to work for me and has kept my system bug free so far.

You can import some basic setups for several popular games (Falcon 4.0, Warbirds, etc.), which are on your CD if you would like to take your new HOTAS up for a flight right away. SGE looks exactly like Windows Explorer (in fact all the SGE icon does is call Windows Explorer with a command line option to open the SGE folder, much like your "My Documents" desktop icon opens Windows Explorer directly into your My Documents folder). With SGE open just select the "Import Game Wizard". Browse to your Saitek CD and open the 'configs/eng/' folder then the folder for the stick that you own (Cyborg or X36). The preprogrammed configuration files have a fairly complete command file list and will save a ton of typing. You can also download my PSI files right here at COMBATSIM.COM. Use the import function to load my files. You can skip over the command file programming if your sim/game is available on the Saitek disk or you like my files. Come back to this section if you find that you need to add a command or just skip to programming the HOTAS section if the supplied configuration files fit your needs.



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