X52 PRO Mouse Ministick to Axes

A simple registry hack to map the mouse ministick of the X52 PRO to usable axes. Instead of having an X/Y mouse movement, you can make it work as independent axes which can be pretty useful for slew functions in flying simulators (e.g. Throttle Designator Controller (TDC) in a F/A-18C Hornet).

Note for X52 Non-PRO

My solution was originally tested on the X52 PRO as this is the only device I own. It was later brought to my attention what should be done for the non-pro version. As such, a solution for the non-pro version is now also provided.

Limitation & Implication

The X52 PRO is using a total of 7 physical axes and the protocol used with the device permits a total of 8 axes. This implies that we only have one free axis for the X/Y mouse ministick movement.

A way to work around this is to sacrifice a physical axis. A good candidate for this in the RZ axis which is the twist movement of the stick. The RZ axis is usally meant for rudder control, but this axis isn't used anymore when using rudder pedals.

Final result

By applying this registry hack, the X movement of the ministick will be mapped to RZ (twist movement of the stick) and the Y movement of the ministick will be mapped to SLIDER2 (second unused slider).

How to use

Install

• Download the src folder.

If using X52 Non-PRO:

• Launch src/X52_(Non-PRO)/x52(non-pro)_ministick_map__X-to-RZ___Y-to-SLIDER2.reg and apply changes.

If using X52 PRO:

• Launch src/X52_PRO/x52pro_ministick_map__X-to-RZ___Y-to-SLIDER2.reg and apply changes.

Disable the X52 mouse driver

If moving the ministick after the registry hack is moving a mouse cursor on your screen, you'll need to disable the driver associated with it.

• Open the Device Manager (WIN+R, type devmgmt.msc then enter)
• Open "Mice and other pointing devices" sub-menu
• Inspect each device to find the mouse associated to your X52
  • Right click => Properties => Details tab => Look at the property "Device instance path" or "Hardware Ids"
• Disable it
  • Right click => "Disable device"

Uninstall

If using X52 Non-PRO:

• Launch src/X52_(Non-PRO)/x52(non-pro)_ministick_map_UNINSTALL.reg and apply changes.

If using X52 PRO:

• Launch src/X52_PRO/x52pro_ministick_map_UNINSTALL.reg and apply changes.

Then:

• Enable back the X52 mouse driver if you disabled it and need it again.

Why the Windows joystick viewer doesn't apply the mapping?

The Windows joystick viewer (Game Controller properties, can be opened by typing WIN+R and writing joy.cpl then enter) is using a special implementation which reflects exactly what is physically pressed. However it is biased as the logical mapping used by simulators is not reflected. You can pretty much ignore this window and check directly in your simulator. You can also use another joystick viewer software which is more likely going to show you the logical axes. An example of such a software is the VKB Joy Tester.

Special thanks

Thanks to u/Tarvis451 from reddit for sharing his solution which this project is based on.

License

Feel free to do whatever you want. The project is released under the MIT license.