Talk:Joystick

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This article was originally based on material from the Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, which is licensed under the GFDL.

I removed the following from the main article:

"The first 2-axis joystick was probably invented around 1944 in Nazi Germany. The device was developed for targeting the glide bomb Henschel Hs 293 against ship targets. Here, the joystick was used by an operator to steer the missile towards its target by radio control. This joystick had on-off switches rather than analogue sensors.

This invention was picked up by someone in the team of scientist assembled at the Heeresversuchsanstalt in Peenemünde. Here a part of the team on the German rocket program was developing the Wasserfall rocket, a successor to the V-2 rocket, the first ground-to-air missile intended for shooting down enemy aircraft.

(In these times the device was not associated with any kind of joy so it was simply called a control stick.)"

I removed it because aircraft joysticks are 2-axis controls (they control the pitch and roll axes, just like the do in PC flight simulators). Given that, and knowing nothing about the Henschel joystick I have no idea what made it different from any other joystick. If anyone knows then please explain why the Henschel one was different and put the information back. DJ Clayworth 16:56, 23 Aug 2004 (UTC)

I think what made the Henschel joystick different was that, as it says in the text above, it was the first 2-axis joystick. Thus it is of historic interest. Do you have any sources indicating an earlier 2-axis joystick? Nixdorf 06:24, 2 Sep 2004 (UTC)

"...aircraft joysticks are 2-axis controls..." So an earlier 2-axis joystick would probably be any pre-1944 aircraft control stick. Unless control sticks in airplanes were invented later and all airplanes used yokes. If so, I stand corrected. EldKatt 16:44, 14 Oct 2004 (UTC)

Another thing that makes the German joysticks significant is that they were electrical and "digital" (electric on/off) and transmitted their signals by wire (Henschel) and radio (Wasserfall), not by mechanical means. I will try to write this up and reinsert a better text. Nixdorf 10:38, 10 Nov 2004 (UTC)

You can access new images of Joystick at Polish Wikipedia at definition of Joystick (pl:Dżojstik).
I have added it to MediaWiki, so it is accessible for everyone at MediaWiki -pl:Wikipedysta:Piom

The B-24 Liberator (introduced in 1941) featured a side-stick joystick as an autopilot control - a small column mounted alongside the left leg of the aircraft captain. This enabled him to control the aircraft directly through the autopilot when flying in formation. It was an extension of the system whereby the bomb aimer exercised control of the aircraft in yaw when approaching a target. (see Coombes, L.F.E., "The Aircraft Cockpit – from stick-and-string to fly-by-wire", Patrick Stephens Limited, Wellingborough, 1990 ISBN 1-852-60281-3). Coombes does not state if this control was "two axis", but I see no reason why it should not have been - why else would a joystick be used? I am also sceptical, however, that even this was the first use of two axis joystick in any aircraft, when side stick itself dates back to the Wright Brothers. Anyone who has more detail is welcome to add to or amend Centre stick vs side-stick which I recently created. Wittlessgenstein (talk) 12:17, 31 March 2008 (UTC)

Contents 1 Boats 2 origin debate 3 innuendo? 4 Atari 5 Point Of View Hat 6 Broken Origin Citation 7 Coolie hat 8 Suggested move to "flight controller" 9 Throttle Controller? 10 what happened to the aircraft cockpit?

[edit] Boats

Don't modern ships use joystick-like controllers for manual navigation? If so it would be unsafe to call this a game device.

[edit] origin debate

quoted from Nytimes week in Review, June 5, 2005: As for the debate over who invented it, Mr. Esnault-Pelterie has an interesting rival. In 2001, after the H. L. Hunley, a Confederate-era submarine, was pulled from the waters off Charleston, S.C., archaeologists discovered that it had a sophisticated single-stick steering device. A state senator from Charleston, Glenn McConnell, made a claim on South Carolina's behalf. "This could be the world's first joystick for navigating a vessel," he crowed.

[edit] innuendo?

A joystick resembles a penis. Dosen't the phrase in the article They were fixed to the floor of the aircraft and stuck up between the pilot's legs, hence the name imply that it looks like am erect penis? --SuperDude 04:45, 3 August 2005 (UTC)

Just about anything shaped like a straight line resembles a penis. Why couldn't we have evolved with a more distinctive shape of male genitalia to avoid such obsession of finding penis symbols? — JIP | Talk 19:37, 27 December 2005 (UTC)

The idea that the word 'joystick' is a phallic innuendo does seem to carry work, especially when you consider that it's placed in the 'cockpit'. Blaise Joshua 12:16, 13 June 2007 (UTC)

The word Joystick has been used for genitalia on an HIV/AIDS awareness poster. The poster (which I've searched in vain to find an image of) featured the following in 3 frames...

• Top image: close up of man's boxer shorts. Caption: Joystick
• Middle image: close up of woman's panties. Caption: Playstation
• Bottom image: close up of Human Immuno Virus. Caption: Game Over
• Footer Caption: Play safe, use a condom (or words to the effect, I forget exactly)

Furthermore, as anybody who has ever played the home computer/console versions of those joystick waggling sports games of the 1980's will recall; clutching a joystick to your lap and rapidly pulling it with your other hand did look a bit like male masturbation.

I wouldn't obsess about it too much. Go and edit the Freud page if the idea makes you feel uncomfortable. GordonTG 02:04, 30 October 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Atari

The formerly ubiquitous Atari standard joystick really deserves an article to itself. I would do it myself but don't know enough about the issue. --Mmartins 03:57, 9 August 2005 (UTC) it is a good buy

[edit] Point Of View Hat

Can anyone write a section on this, or give me some sources to do it? lunarsurface

There does exist a page on that topic: Hat switch, it's just a really small stub. - Eptin 08:25, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Broken Origin Citation

The citation link for the origin of the name dubbed by Robert Esnault-Pelterie is broken. Can someone find a more permanent citation? dq 13:31, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Coolie hat

Coolie hats are mentionable - these are the little up-down-left-right d-pads on the top of some joysticks. --Abdull 22:07, 25 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Suggested move to "flight controller"

I suggest this page be moved to Flight Controller to avoid possible phallic connotations. James Callahan 23:18, 7 March 2007 (UTC)

A note to other editors: this is James's idea of humour, per his other contributions. Chris Cunningham 00:03, 8 March 2007 (UTC)

Are you stalking me, Mr. Cunningham? I assume you are trying to assume good faith, as per WP:AAGF, so allow me to point out that singling someone out and branding everything they say as not to be taken seriously is unproductive. As a good faith editor of Wikipedia, like myself, I presume you will take this advice to heart and get off my back. James Callahan 05:47, 8 March 2007 (UTC)

This would probably be funnier if I didn't already have to deal with editors who think bringing up WP:STALK and WP:AAGF all the time is a neat trick for avoiding criticism. For the benefit of others, the only contact I've had with James previously was a revert to the infantile addition of a phallic connotation into an article once upon a time. Chris Cunningham 08:50, 8 March 2007 (UTC)

I've never read WP:STALK, but when a user I do not know is telling people what my idea of humour is — something that only my closest friends understand — one can only assume that's what you're doing. Of course, that would imply that what you think my idea of humour is is correct, which it is not. By the way, if you would care to notice, the issue of phallic connotations has already been brought up earlier in this talk page. Calling me infantile is both POV and borderline personal attack. Also, your response would probably be funnier if every other inner party member didn't mention their subordinate's mention of these policies as a way of dismissing their claims. James Callahan 19:36, 8 March 2007 (UTC)

I support Mr. Callahan in his worthy struggle against filthy innuendo. We ought to do something about Gaypad while we're at it. Drutt 00:55, 9 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Throttle Controller?

There is no mention on this page about the throttle/rudder controller or rudder peddles that are companion to higher end joysticks. I believe there needs to be a small section since there is mention of throttle and rudder controls on a single stick setup. At least a 'see also' link. Admiral grinder (talk) 17:35, 14 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] what happened to the aircraft cockpit?

I was disheartened to find the aircraft cockpit joystick only as historical background in an article about a personal computer peripheral. While not disputing the contemporary importance of the home computer games-station, I think the historical background to the aircraft cockpit joystick, some of which is included in the article (and some more on this talk page), is fascinating and informative. I would therefore suggest that "aircraft cockpit joystick" might deserve it's own article. But I am unaware of any previous discussion (archived anywhere?). The existing cockpit article covers the joystick only minimally. In terms of the military fast jet, the controversial and topical subject of "centre-stick vs side-stick" also deserves separate attention, as does HOTAS. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Wittlessgenstein (talk • contribs) 21:24, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

Anyone who has more detail is welcome to add to or amend Centre stick vs side-stick which I recently created. Wittlessgenstein (talk) 12:19, 31 March 2008 (UTC)