AVSIM Commercial Hardware Review Saitek - X52 Flight Control

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On the front of the base you will notice three
spring loaded 2-way toggle switches. These
switches are numbered T1 through T6, and all
have a blue back light seen through the center
handle of the switches. To the right of the
switches is a green light that indicates the
controller is plugged in and activated, just in case
you have turned off the backlighting.
Moving up on the joystick, you will come across a
pull out lock for the rudder twist feature. When
pushed in, the joystick will twist a little over an
inch either direction to allow you to control the
rudders, but when pulled out, this axis will not move. I should note however, that even
with the rudder lock pulled out, it is possible to twist the joystick just enough to affect the
rudder movement but this lock will keep you from accidentally twisting the joystick during
forceful maneuvers.
Next to the rudder axis lock is the palm rest, which can be relocated to one of five
positions to fit any simmer's flying hand. To adjust the palm rest you will need to loosen
the nut on the back of the joystick enough to pull the palm rest out of the inset, and
simply reposition it and tighten the nut. Unfortunately for the south paws out there, the
palm rest can only be positioned on the right side of the joystick, just as the throttle is
designed to be used with the left hand.
While you’re adjusting the joystick to your liking, you will notice two trigger buttons
located on the backside of the stick. The lower trigger controls one function by a sliding
movement, and the upper trigger has two stages to control two different functions. The
first stage of the upper trigger is activated by depressing the trigger up to the half-way
point, and the second stage is activated by continuing to depress the trigger further, which
is indicated by a clicking sound.
file:///C|/AVSIM/Reviews/Saitek/Saitek.htm (4 of 12)10/09/2006 4:38:20 AM