Saitek X52 PRO User Manual

Maintaining your controller settings

Your Saitek X52 Pro Flight Control System (FCS) is supplied ready for use. However, we want you to use it in the
way that suits you best. We've therefore included the facility for you to change various settings on your stick and
throttle units. You can, for example, vary the brightness of the LED buttons, check your stick is working correctly or
change the way the date is displayed on your Multi-Functional Display (MFD).

You change your controller settings in the Saitek X52 Pro Flight Stick properties window. There are two ways you
can open this window. Either:

Double-click on the Game Controllers icon in the Control Panel and then click Properties in the Game
Controllers window that is displayed. Or,
If the SST programming software has been installed, right-click on the Saitek X52 Pro Flight Stick profiler
icon in your task bar and select Control Panel from the popup list of options displayed.

The Saitek X52 Pro Flight Stick properties window consists of five separate tabs. You can view and change
various controller settings in each tab. The settings you can change are described in the following sections.

Testing your controller

You can make sure that the various features of your controller are working correctly. You do this in the Test tab of
the Saitek X52 Pro Flight Stick properties window.

To test your controllers, follow the steps below:

1.

Click the Test tab.
The controller features that you can test are displayed right.

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Test each feature as required.2.

The way you do this varies, depending on what the feature does. It may, for example, involve pressing the
corresponding button, or turning the corresponding rotary control.

The features you can test are explained in the following sections.

Testing axes

You can test the following axes and controls:

Feature Explanation

X/Y Axes Move the flight stick backwards and forwards or from left to right. The + symbol moves in the X/Y Axes
box, to show the drivers are picking up the stick movement correctly.

Twist The vertical gray line represents the center point of the flight stick. Rotate the flight stick clockwise or
anti-clockwise. This is the rudder that enables you to change direction outside the X and Y axes. If the drivers are
detecting the movement correctly a red band is displayed on either side of the center point line.

Throttle Move the throttle up or down to increase or decrease your acceleration. A red band shows the current rate
of acceleration, ranging from 0% (no red) to the maximum acceleration at 100% (the box is filled with red).

Rotary 1 and 2 Rotate the rotary controls on the throttle unit. These are user-defined via the SST programming
software or within each game. They range from 0% (no red) to 100% (the box is filled with red). You may, for
example, use them to control fuel mixture or radar gain.

Precision Slide Move the slide control on the throttle unit. This is user-defined via the SST programming software
or within each game, and ranges from 0% (no red) to 100% (the box is filled with red). You may, for example, use it
to control pitch or fuel mixture.

Testing buttons, toggle and mode switches

You can make sure button presses are being detected by the drivers. Press each button on your flight stick or
throttle unit that you want to test, in turn. The corresponding numbered disc lights up in the Buttons panel of the
Test tab.

Note: What each button does depends on the game in progress. You can, if you wish, assign functions to individual
buttons using the SST programming software. See the SST programming software manual for details.

The numbered boxes in the Toggle Switches panel illuminate when you press the toggle switches on your flight
stick unit.

The three red boxes in the Mode panel indicate which mode is currently selected. The top box represents mode 1,
the middle box mode 2 and the lower box mode 3. Make sure your mode selector switch is working correctly by
rotating the switch to change modes. The corresponding box in the Mode panel illuminates.

Testing POVs

Moving the POV controls on your flight stick in the various directions should illuminate the corresponding direction
arrows in the POV panel. POV 1 is used to look around the cockpit. POV 2 can be configured to trigger four or
eight different functions of your choice. See the SST programming software manual for details.

You can also make sure that movements of the Throttle Hat control cause the corresponding direction arrows in
the POV panel to illuminate. As for POV 2, the throttle hat control can be configured to trigger four or eight different
functions of your choice.

Testing the ministick

The ministick on the throttle unit is used to perform actions you would otherwise use your mouse for. Moving the
ministick moves the + symbol in the Mouse X/Mouse Y box.

Maintaining deadzones

You can create deadzones for each range and axis your controller features move in. They reduce interference that
may be caused by unintended movements of the flight stick and other controls. For example, you may want to
move your stick in the X axis only, but find it difficult to avoid moving it in the Y axis as you do so. You can set up a
deadzone in the Y axis so that these minor movements are not detected by the drivers.

What is a deadzone?

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A deadzone is a part of the range in which an axis moves that is not detected by the drivers and so has no effect
on the game in progress. It may be around the center point of the range, or at either end.

To maintain your deadzones

1.

Click the Deadzone tab.
The controls you can create deadzones for are shown, as follows:

Each axis is represented by a white box that contains a red line that represents where the control is currently
sitting. Moving the corresponding control moves the red line. Use this line to determine exactly where your
deadzone must begin and end. Beneath each box is a sliding scale. You use this to specify the size of each
deadzone.

Click on a slider on the sliding scale and drag it to where you want the deadzone to end. The area that

2.

represents the deadzone is shaded gray.
Use the center sliders to maintain the deadzone around the center point of an axis. Use the sliders at either

3.

end to create deadzones at either end of the axis.

Tips: By default, clicking on either the right or the left slider in the pair moves both sliders. You can change this if
you just want to adjust one side of the deadzone. To do this, right-click anywhere in the white box and select Link
Deadzones from the popup list of options displayed. Repeat this to link the pairs of sliders again.

You can clear existing deadzones for an axis by right-clicking anywhere in the white box and selecting Clear
Deadzone.

You can maintain deadzones for the following features of the Saitek X52 Pro FCS:

Feature Explanation

X Axis Movements of the stick from left to right or right to left.
Y Axis Movements of the stick from back to front or front to back.

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