There are three main ways in which you can control a drone or an R/C airplane. Here we’ll compare all the advantages and disadvantages of these input methods. Especially concerning portability, since this is a necessary feature for RC aircraft/drone control. As we will see, these input technologies are quite similar, but there are a few differences that we need to account for.

The WIRED JOYSTICK is a hand-controlled device in which any deflection of the stick from the centre point is considered input. It is composed of two parts: the stable base, which does not move, and the control stick, which moves in relation to the base. The angle of the deflection is measured by a pair of potentiometers, or, in certain cases, a pair of hall-effect sensors reading the rotational position of a magnet that is affixed on the control stick, translated into an analog value (further digitised by an ADC). Since we have two perpendicular axes of motion, the TWO output values will represent deflection in the X axis, and in the Y axis, respectively. This defines a plane of possible inputs, usually represented as a 2D plane, and a point representing the current position of the stick. Important characteristics of this device are as follows: A big input window, self-centering, comfortable/ergonomic, NOT portable.

A GIMBAL is a finger-controlled, miniaturised version of a joystick, with the same functioning principle. Even though it uses the same technology, potentiometers or hall-effect sensors (even the same part numbers as their bigger counterpart in some cases), some mechanical differences appear. Because of the limited space in which the gimbal has to fit, and because it is supposed to be controlled with fingers, some compromises had to be made. One of the biggest compromises is the reduction in the size of the input window. R/C gimbals can be up to 5 times smaller than a standard joystick. This creates the issue of accuracy. Since the input window is smaller, a smaller human error will translate into a bigger error in the data, resulting in sending unwanted input to the craft.

The important characteristics of this device are: small input window, self-centering, less comfortable/ergonomic, PORTABLE.

A third option exists, in the form of WIRELESS JOYSTICKS, which, even if very similar in shape and function to their wired counterpart, use a totally different technology for recording data. The wireless (or portable) joystick can not have a stable base, as it would be hard to store, carry, and use while in the field, since it needs a flat and stable surface as a reference. This would limit the use cases to places with outside tables, or would force the user to sit on the ground, severely limiting mobility and possibilities. This is why wireless joysticks do not have a base at all, incorporating an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) including an electronic gyroscope and accelerometer in the control stick itself. The data collected from this IMU is usually then sent through a radio channel to a PC for processing, or directly to the craft to be used as control data.

Since the IMU does not directly determine the angular deflection of the joystick, some processing is necessary. This processing and filtering can reduce the accuracy of the measurement, but if done correctly, this should not pose a big problem. The notable characteristics of this device are: big input window, comfortable/ ergonomic, portable, but NOT SELF-CENTERING.

Even though on paper, this looks like a better option than the RC gimbal, because of the heightened possible precision achievable and the superior comfort and ergonomics, this type of control system is not widely used because of a glaring flaw: the lack of self-centering and with that, the lack of any type of feedback.