Linux joystick woes, please help!

[Kaz]

I have spent months trying to figure this out, so I guess I need a real linux guru, which this problem has shown me, I am not...

 

OS:  Fedora - KDE plasma

 

The goal:

Get my CH Products hotas calibrated.  It consists of a fighterstick, throttle, and pedals.

 

The problem - there are two ways a joystick can be configured.  One is through evdev-joystick, the other is through jstest-gtk.  I have attempted both with mixed results.

 

Using evdev-joystick

The following is the callibration command:

evdev-joystick --e <device‐path> [--axis <axis>] [--minimum <value>] [--maximum <value>] [--deadzone <value>] [--fuzz <value>]

 

Using this command I am able to set my throttle Z axis so that it has full range of function, without changing the minimum/maximum value the throttle does not reach it's min/max.  A throttle that cannot go to 0 is a real pain in the but!  However I am unable to set a working deadzone.  From what I can tell my CH products have a range of 0-255 and setting a deadzone using the evdev-joystick --e command doesn't allow a range to be input, instead it seems to go from 0 to whatever value is inserted.  My center point is currently around 110 for my fighterstick X axis, and 125 for my Y axis.  Any attempts to set a deadzone around that leaves half the stick unresponsive.  From what I can tell the system is expecting my hardware to have a center of 0.  I have been unable to figure out a solution for this using evdev-joystick.

With this method my hardware shows up under /dev/input/event.  I have yet to figure out how to make calibration changes persistent.

 

My research has indicated that the newer system just doesn't have the functionality / support needed for my old hardware.  That leads me to using the older SDL1 system that runs off /dev/input/js.  After installing the joystick-support package which loads the modules necessary, I was able to get my hardware calibrated using a combination of jscal and jstest-gtk.  This system is not naturally persistent, but it is possible for me to load the calibration settings.

 

However, when trying to run programs in steam like Elite Dangerous, the calibration is completely ignored.  It appears to be pulling the /dev/input/event rather than the /dev/input/js.  The hardware shows up in both places, but only the JS has the calibration.  This is very obvious because the throttle is inverted in it's natural state which I changed in the JS calibration.  Other things like an uncentered joystick and inability to throttle down to 0 persist as well.

 

So now I'm left with a problem, how do I specify to programs what input to take?  

 

Ideally I'd be playing Elite Dangerous, Star Citizen, Condor 2 (which I still need to figure out wine emulator for), Everspace 2, and Overlord.  I've also been eyeing IL-2 Sturmovik, and wouldn't mind picking up Microsoft Flight Simulator, but I cannot justify buying anything if I cannot get my hardware working.  Condor 2 is particularly important because I am a student glider pilot and it translates directly to real world skills.  The ability to practice boxing the wake without paying $130 to a tow pilot would be really nice!

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks