Has anyone succeeded in getting any input from a USB joystick into LabView?

[clareokane]

I am trying to interface a USB joystick with LabView as part of a wearable computer project. The Joystick will be used to control a teleoperated vehicle via a wireless LAN. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how to get the inputs from a USB joystcik, or any success at doing this previously?

[LunaBlue]

Hi,
did you try to read the usb port with the "serial read.vi"? Have a look
in your device manager, with com port windows set to your joystick.

Niko

[Spaz]

I have.

It was necessary to install MS's DirectX's Direct Input. Which will handle the USB interface for you.

Direct Input is an ActiveX that allows a lot of capabilities besides just reading the sticks. But the ActiveX does not work with LabView as it creates input objects dynamically. But what it apparently does do is map the stick inputs to the memory locations where the traditional joystick info is and the traditional joystick read vi's read the sticks as if they were hooked up to a 15 pin gameport on the back of your machine.

One caveat: I needed 4 joystick inputs and traditional joystick interfaces were limited to two sticks. I found that if I modified the traditional joystick reading VI(available on this website) to include a stick 3 and 4 that i
t read this info also.

There is also a German company called Xon Software that sells LabView DirectX Libraries (~$48 U.S.). Search here for 'SPAZ USB joystick' for links and more info.

Good Luck.