CONTROLLER SETUP / FIELD GUIDE
A deliberate setup makes a familiar controller feel right in a new simulator.
Calibration concept illustration. In-game menus may differ by build.
Use a data-capable USB cable or pair through Bluetooth settings. On an FPV radio, select USB joystick / HID mode. Open Settings → Controller. Check the device name and backend. If the OS sees no joystick, the simulator cannot map one.
Open Hardware Profiles & Raw Input. Move each stick, wheel and switch and press every button. Note the changing axis or button index. Unused engine slots stay at zero. Check both USB and Bluetooth separately.
Use the stick wizard or manual axis selectors for throttle, yaw, pitch and roll. Map arm, cut/reset, camera, flight mode and other actions in Controller settings. Optional axis switches and analog gimbal input are available in Hardware Profiles. Reset/respawn uses the cut action when disarmed.
Open calibration. Hold spring-centred controls at rest for 3 seconds. Place a non-centering throttle at its midpoint for this stage. Then sweep each axis fully in both directions for 7 seconds. Confirm raw endpoints, correct polarity and smooth intermediate values.
Invert an axis if it moves the wrong way. Set the smallest dead zone that removes drift. Adjust sensitivity and expo in the flight/stick settings. Test the centre and endpoints again. Keep your flight style and rates consistent when comparing devices.
Save a named hardware profile for the device and connection. Reconnect and check the selected profile. Before flying, verify throttle low, arm/disarm, reset, camera and flight mode. Test disconnect and reconnect on the ground.
Check joystick visibility and input-device access. Test the chosen USB or Bluetooth route in the native build. Device enumeration and full-range input are separate checks.
Use Windows “Set up USB game controllers” to inspect axes first. Then verify the same controls inside Drone Horizon. Desktop mappings may differ from Linux.
Use a supported USB host / OTG adapter or Bluetooth pairing. Grant a USB permission only to the connected device you intend to use. Inspect the native input route and reconnect after resuming the app.
MFi and other controllers depend on the device, OS and app build. Native Apple hardware acceptance is pending. A successful browser demo does not validate the native simulator.
For DJI FPV Remote Controller 2, connect the powered controller to a PC with a USB-C data cable. Record OS version, device name, USB identifiers, gamepad GUID, raw axes and buttons. Test full stick travel, calibration, flight actions, disconnect and profile persistence inside Drone Horizon.
The current development machine did not have this device attached during the audit. No detection or flight pass is claimed. DJI’s own Windows simulator instructions do not certify compatibility with Drone Horizon.
Earlier Android RC-N1C USB experiments captured stick packets, but they do not establish support for the FPV Remote Controller 2 or every DJI RC model.
Try another data cable, direct USB port or supported adapter. Check the radio’s joystick mode and your OS controller panel. In a browser, press a controller button while the page is focused and open the live-input panel. Some browsers or device modes expose no gamepad input.
Record the exact device, platform, connection and changing raw inputs when reporting an issue. Avoid assuming a familiar name means a familiar mapping.
Technical references: Godot controller APIs · Browser Gamepad API · Apple Game Controller