Logitech Attack 3 Joystick


This is a quick description of how I used a AU$25 Logitech Attack 3 joystick to make a handbrake for my racing simulator. The joystick could also be used for any additional buttons that might be required, such as engine start etc. In fact it could be used just for buttons and not for the handbrake at all. I took these photos a while ago so there might be an extra screw here or there not mentioned. If anyone spots any errors please let me know.

This is the result so far. It still needs a leather boot to cover it.:


The first step was to remove the 5 screws from the handle of the joystick:


Then remove the 5 screws from the base:


The handle of the joystick can then be separated and removed and the top plate of the joystick can also be removed. Remove all the screws inside the joystick and remove all the circuit boards. Be careful not to touch the throttle control at the front of the joystick as it has very sticky grease that is very hard to wash off anything (trust me on this one!). The pots are not that easy to remove and feel like they are going to break but they do come out. Use 2 flat bladed screwdrivers, one on each side. Note the pot has a small piece of metal through the top of it to hold it in place which might be useful later (I didn't use it but it would be an option).


To remove the cabling from the joystick handle you will need to remove the pins from the plug. This can be done with the corner of a razor blade or knife. Note this pic is not a pic of the that particular plug.


This is a pic of everything removed. For the handbrake the pot circled in blue was used and the cable in blue was used. The cable with the cross was cut and all other cables were unplugged except for the USB of course. I later shortened the USB cable as the PC was very close to the handbrake. All the other parts of your brand new joystick can now be thrown in the bin unused :(


The cable between the circuit board and the pot is very short so needs to be extended. This is the end of the cable where all 3 pots connect to the circuit board. I have removed the wiring for the other 2 pots. The wiring that runs to the throttle on the joystick is the one that I have used. It's important to use this one and not one of the other 2 as the others calibrate to centre every time the power is turned on. This means that the handbrake will always start half on if one of the others are used. BUT, I found that this pot was not sensitive enough (or too sensitive?) so I used 1 of the other pots but plugged it into the wiring for the throttle.


The other end of the cable where the pot connects.


Heat shrink makes the job a lot neater than using electric tape. For those that haven't used it before it can be obtained from Tandy or Dicksmith or Jaycar (in Australia). You can shrink it using a cigarette lighter or heat gun. You're not meant to use a lighter but I have been for 20 without an issue. :-)


This is the box I used to house the circuit.


In order to get the USB cable through the hole I had to use the razorblade to remove the pins from the plug. Note the wires need to go around the magnet twice which is a bit fiddly. Don't skimp and leave this off as it really does do something. Note the cable tie to stop the cable being pulled out of the plug. Also note that the USB cable has 2 blacks which are both different and should be placed in the correct location.


The completed box with the lid off.


The handbrake was taken from a 1986 pulsar. Note the screw near the base of the handle to stop the clicking mechanism from working. This can be removed if required. The original mount for the handbrake cable has been removed to allow the spring to be placed. The handbrake was drilled at the centre of the pin with a 5mm drill bit to allow the pot to be inserted. Currently I'm just using some sandwich wrap to make it a tight fit. This is really a temporary measure and I'm considering either gluing it in, using that small piece of metal to hold it in place or creating some sort of sleeve. The other option would be to drill the hole slightly smaller so it's a tighter fit, although finding the right drill bit might be a bit tricky as 4.5mm was too small and 5mm too large.


I used a piece of perspex to stop the pot rotating. One extra hole needed to be drilled in the handbrake to mount it. There was already a hole there for the other screw. Spacers need to be added behind the plastic.


Additional Info:

The joystick supports three pots and 11 buttons.

When wiring in buttons make sure to add a diode as can be seen on the circuit board. The diode could be removed from the board or a general purpose diode purchased.

Use as tight a spring as you can find. I could hardly budge this spring in the shop but once in the handbrake it didn't offer enough resistance and feels too soft.

Using the pot isn't strictly necessary and a switch could have been used. The handbrake comes with a switch as standard for the handbrake light which could easily be wired to this joystick saving a lot of time.

If using this just for a button box it might be necessary to replace the pots with resistors or leave the pots in place to avoid random readings. I've had no trouble with 2 pots removed however.

Here's the completed cockpit before and after assembly: