x52

Saitek X52/X52Pro Library

The Saitek X52/X52Pro library is used to interface with a supported Saitek X52/X52Pro joystick. The library uses the gousb library to communicate with the joystick.

API Overview

In order to use the library, you will need to create a context. All joystick LED and MFD data is managed through the context. You should close the context when you no longer need it.

ctx := x52.NewContext()
defer ctx.Close()

Unlike the corresponding C library, context creation does not require you to have the joystick plugged in until you wish to actually update it. Therefore, you will need to call OpenDevice to actually connect to the device. The OpenDevice will return a nil error if it was successful in connecting to the joystick, and a corresponding error value if it failed for any reason.

err := ctx.OpenDevice()
if err != nil {
    // ...
}

The library also provides a corresponding CloseDevice method, which can be used when the application no longer needs access to the joystick. However, the library will automatically call CloseDevice when the context is closed.

All the Set* methods set internal data structures within the context, and don't actually update the joystick. In order to do so, the application must call the Update method of the context.

err = ctx.SetLed(x52.LedFire, x52.LedOff)
if err != nil {
    // ...
}
// Write the updated state to the joystick
err = ctx.Update()

The library will also check and close the device automatically if updating it fails because the joystick was unplugged.

LED and MFD control

Currently, the library supports setting the state of all LEDs, the brightness of the LEDs and MFD, and the text on the MFD. The update API is still not working, so the sets won't take effect anyway. The API for these can be considered frozen. The library does NOT yet support setting the date and time display on the MFD, and the API for this is still a work in progress.

Limitations

The library can maintain a connection to only 1 supported device at a time. This means that if you, for some reason, have multiple X52 joysticks connected, only 1 of them will be controlled by the library. No guarantees are made about which of these will be selected, as this is a function of the order in which the devices are enumerated by the USB subsystem.