RogueSqdn

IF YOU HAD 4K TO BUILD A NEW BOX, WHAT WOULD YOU BUILD? [emoji2369] I could be persuaded to go down from the X299 chipset to the Z390 I suppose, but limiting myself to 64GB of RAM is what bothers me. The i9-9900k is the fastest CPU offered, and I know new CPUs will supplant it in the future (and can be upgraded to later). But the 64GB limit is hard and fast. I’m rather surprised at the pushback here, though. If you were in the position to do so, wouldn’t you want the best possible? Edit: Saw the HOTAS comment at the end. I’m already there, with: Grips: TM F/A-18C & A-10C; VPC T-50CM2, WarBRD, & VFX, RS F16SGRH CE, Winwing Bases: VPC T-50CM2 & WarBRD, RS FSSB R3L, TM Warthog, Winwing Throttles: VPC T-50 (v2) and T-50CM (v3), TM Warthog, Winwing F/A-18C Rudders: TM TPR I chose to spend on this stuff first before upgrading the computer, because it could be done a bit at a time. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I’m fully aware I don’t NEED that much. [emoji6] I mainly don’t want to have to mess with it for a very long time. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

IF YOU HAD 4K TO BUILD A NEW BOX, WHAT WOULD YOU BUILD? I’m about halfway to saving the money necessary to completely max out a Talon from Falcon Northwest with the i9-10980XE CPU, 128GB RAM and two 2080tis w/11GB each in SLI. I’ll probably have the total amount in another two months, possibly less, and will not have to go into debt to do it. About $10k. Overkill? Yeah, sure. But the Mach V I have now is eight years old and cost me $4500. The way I see it, I want to ensure my next purchase will last that long, and I think it will. I also don’t want to regret not getting as much as I could. With a 4K budget, you could go down a little on CPU and RAM, only get one GPU, and still have a pretty awesome machine. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Something funny I just discovered by accident... Jester works on TX6 and 5. I could use TX5 for cockpit commands and 6 for Jester, I suppose. I’d still like to figure out why it won’t work as it’s supposed to. Right now it looks to me as if 5 and 6 are reversed. EDIT: I'm an idiot. I just figured out why it won't work in DCS. It's because for TX6 I'm using the inward press of the Winwing comm switch, which is also my shift modifier. So for any command I want to use, I'll have to duplicate it in the DCS keyboard commands with the modifier added.

I leave my Rift S connected all the time. Disconnecting would be a hassle. I never used TX6 before, but decided I wanted to so it wouldn’t interfere with voice comms. It’s frustrating that it won’t work inside DCS. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Well the problem with that is that if I make the Rift the default audio device in Windows I would have to change it every time I launched and quit DCS. That said, I don't know if your idea would work. I suspect that Jester is being treated by DCS as an external sound, which if true, would mean your idea wouldn't work anyway. I'll give it a try. Right now I'm trying to figure out why using TX6 won't make my cockpit commands work. Things like the flashlight will activate if using TX1-5, but not with 6. EDIT: I should clarify... using TX6 when not in DCS, the keystrokes my commands issue do work (using a keyboard tester program). The commands won't get issued INSIDE DCS.

Thanks for the update. I can report that by setting my audio redirect in DCS, and by turning audio redirect ON in VAICOM PRO (and choosing the Rift S as the device), chatter has now been directed to the Rift S. Unfortunately, Jester still plays through the speakers, but I suppose I'll have to imagine he's shouting at me in the cockpit. :)

I posted earlier about turning off audio redirect and using DCS settings to do it but got no response from Hollywood. The problem is that both the chatter and JesterAI come in through the external speakers when you do that. Is a fix being worked on? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Probably need to remove the two screws holding the connector to the WarBRD base. Otherwise this twisting will eventually damage your WarBRD’s connector and you’ll have to get a replacement from VPC. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

VAICOM Pro's audio redirect isn't working right now.... if you switch it off, you'll get your speech back. Unfortuately, even if you use the DCS audio tab to redirect audio, both the VAICOM chatter and Jester AI are still going to come out of your main speakers. I've asked Hollywood on the VAICOM thread for an answer to this issue and am awaiting his response. Any ideas, BIGNEWY?

Thanks for your quick work. I also had the audio redirect problem. Unfortunately, by switching off the audio redirect, you get the chatter and JesterAI on the external speakers. Is there a plan to remedy this? Thanks

Thank you for the info. I hope you and yours stay safe and healthy through this situation. That said, will your update allow the device to remember the backlight settings? Thanks again.

There IS a way to keep Oculus from updating... block it with the Windows Firewall. Also means you won't have to deal with the store loading when all you want to do is fly. I don't use the Rift S for anything except DCS.

I've found that in SimAppPro you can adjust the backlighting. My question is: how can this be made persistent? I have the throttle and panel plugged into a powered USB hub which I turn off when I turn the computer off, because otherwise the backlighting stays turned on. However, when I turn the hub back on and the throttle reconnects, the backlighting is again at full brightness. Any ideas?

I am currently using a WarBRD base with a 100mm extension and the grips previously mentioned. I built the mounting post from plywood and some cut 2x4s, and covered it with some black fabric to simulate a rubber boot. For VR I’m using the Rift S. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Alright, time to put a few thoughts together. I am not a professional writer or reviewer, but I'll include my thoughts. They may be all over the place! ;) As said before, I haven't used the stick and only briefly held the grip. It felt substantial but since I have five different grips that fit the Virpil and TM bases (Warthog, Hornet, VFX F-14, WarBRD, and T-50CM2), I have no desire to figure out a mounting solution for the Winwing stick and swapping to it when I can simply swap grips otherwise. I'll keep it as a backup incase I have Virpil problems. I primarily fly in VR and operate cockpit controls with PointCTRL. With PointCTRL being able to actually click cockpit buttons, I tend to be minimal when doing HOTAS assignments, and try to match the actual aircraft's HOTAS as much as possible. I previously used an Obutto R3volution cockpit, but this past summer I switched to a self-built cockpit when I picked up the Thrustmaster TPR pedals. At this point, I didn't know the dimensions of the Winwing throttle, but knew I wanted something that would do a few things: 1) better accommodate the pedals, 2) have a seat height and stick height that lets me rest my forearm on my thigh, and 3) be able to easily switch between the Winwing and my other two throttles, the Warthog and the Virpil T-50CM (version 3). I was fortunate that the side consoles I built had enough height in them to properly mount the Winwing throttle in them. I only had to build a new top cover and cut it to fit the Winwing unit. Because of the size of the hole needed for the Winwing, I can't just screw down the other throttles, but had to build and paint a small board that can fit in the space left when I remove the Winwing, and be screwed down in place. Pretty simple. The Winwing throttle is only secured in my cockpit with four pieces of industrial strength Velcro from Lowe's, and doesn't shift around at all. Now that I've got all that background out of the way, here's what I think. First, the unit is big, and the throttle levers are TALL on top of the switch panel. Keep that in mind when thinking about how you're going to mount this, because it could potentially cause some ergonomic issues. I had some wrist soreness at first, but quickly got used to it. The MAIN reason I wanted this throttle was the finger lifts and available afterburner push-through. This passed with FLYING COLORS. The feel of moving the throttle (it has a very large field of travel), along with operating the lifts and the friction lever (which is it's own axis and allows you to have the cockpit control match the actual one, a boon in VR), is incredible and feels well thought out. The throttle axes read 0% at the idle bump and have a DX button activation when turning them off, exactly like the Warthog throttle. The method of attaching the throttle grips to the levers and connecting the wires is very solid. I very much look forward to seeing them come out with additional throttle grips down the line. I hope for the F-16 (they've already mentioned an F-16 stick grip), F-15, and A-10C. The F-15 and A-10 would be perfect for this unit, and if available, would mean I wouldn't have much reason to ever swap my throttle out. Though there are many differences between the F/A-18 and F-14 throttles, I feel this unit would be an excellent F-14 stand-in (though flaps and wing sweep levers would need to be operated either with a mouse or DX button). Other throttle grip notes... first off, the pinky switch for external lights is a three-way switch on the Winwing, unlike the actual Hornet throttle, but I find that a bonus, because I can use that as a modifier in DCS and access my cockpit view controls when in VR. Second, the three push buttons are very clicky. I feel they could be a little more substantial, but they're acceptable. Third, the antenna elevation axis and TDC are rock-solid and I have no issues with them, except that since the antenna is auto-centering, when flying the Viper, I have to use a Joystick Gremlin profile with vJoy in order to make it a relative axis. Not Winwing's fault, it simulates the Hornet well. Fourth, the countermeasures and comm switches are actually five-way hats. I use the comm switch pressed inward as a modifier, so I can access kneeboard commands with my Thrustmaster Hornet grip. Thanks for Winwing for making these five-way, it adds a lot of versatility, and allows me to simulate the F-16 dogfight switch. Lastly on the grips, the speed brake switch is excellent, and works exactly like the Warthog and Cougar throttle switches: momentary to the rear, latched to the forward. On to the switch panel: Winwing did an excellent job on the switch panel overall. The backlighting is even and can be adjusted in their SimAppPro program (which you have to download from their site). The Formation and position knobs are both analog axes and have no detent. Perfect. One other good thing here... each switch position is it's own DX button, meaning there won't be as much LUA editing to get an action for ON and for OFF. Good show. I have a few small problems with the panel, but they're not show-stoppers. First, the bleed air knob is a four-position knob, but unlike the real one, you CANNOT rotate it all the way around from end to end. To go from R OFF to OFF, you have to click through the other positions. I'll end up using PointCTRL to switch this in the cockpit and mapping this knob to something else... perhaps it's a candidate to be a modifier in DCS. Second, the APU light operation requires you to leave SimAppPro open when running DCS. I skip this since I'm in VR. Third, the GEN TIE reset switch only does one DX button on up and one on down, which means DCS can't read you opening the switch cover. I've had to set a combo in Joystick Gremlin to simulate opening and closing the cover when flipping the switch. I have to wonder if there would've been a way to have a microswitch activated when opening and closing the safety cover. Fourth, and this is NOT Winwing's fault... the actual ENG CRANK and FUEL DUMP switches are magnetically held. For you to get them to operate practically, you'll have to map the ENG CRANK to the CYCLE commands, and will have to LUA edit the fuel dump ON and OFF (putting individual ON/OFF commands in default.lua), and use Joystick Gremlin to have FUEL DUMP only be a one second DX button instead of being constantly on, so it'll shut off when you reach bingo fuel. Other than these small nagging issues, I find the switch panel to be pretty well done. I do wish they had put in the FCS panel so we could've had rudder trim, TO trim, and FCS reset. Maybe I'll eventually build my own panel for that, but for now, I'm using PointCTRL for it. Overall, I find this to be a well-put together unit. Ask me again a few months down the line and I'll let you know how well it has held up.

WINWING F/A-18C HOTAS 2019.12.17 DELIVER I ordered on 10JUL on the first day. Label generated on 9DEC, picked up on the 12th, left China on the 18th, delivered on the 20th. It spent a long time clearing customs on the way OUT of Shanghai. Fedex Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I’ll see about writing up a few words tonight. Fair warning though... I have not used the stick and don’t intend to unless needed as a backup for my Virpil and RealSimulator units. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Miles, Thanks so much for what you and Carol have done for this community. You’ve filled a gap that desperately needed to be filled, and I want to thank you for that, and wish you a very Merry Christmas! I also wanted to state how awesome it is that you’re filling orders for the Air Force. Hopefully this is a blessing for you, and I hope you can keep up with it! Thanks again, Jared Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I got mine yesterday and got the cockpit mount finished this morning. Won’t be able to fly until tomorrow night due to family plans, but first impression is that it’s well put together and axis response seems smooth. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I have the Rift S, and from what Miles was able to figure, the sensor on top is only used for tracking touch controllers above your head. So, for DCS purposes, you should be fine. If you play other Rift games, though, it’s possible you may have an issue. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Well, I believe pressure is set wrong in all these Nevada missions. To get the altimeter to show 0 at field level you have to go all the way down to 28.15 or so (and tower tells you that level). But if QNH is being used, the tower should be reporting that. I'll have to look up the Nellis altitude above sea level. I have rebuilt an AHK script to help with this. I use the push function of an encoder knob as a modifier in DCS so that the vJoy buttons only move the knob in DCS if I'm pushing the knob AND turning it. This script requires CvJoyInterface. #include CvJoyInterface.ahk #SingleInstance, force #Persistent ; Create an object from vJoy Interface Class. vJoyInterface := new CvJoyInterface() ; Was vJoy installed and the DLL Loaded? if (!vJoyInterface.vJoyEnabled()){ ; Show log of what happened Msgbox % vJoyInterface.LoadLibraryLog ExitApp } myStick := vJoyInterface.Devices[1] ; End Startup Sequence Return ; Hotkeys 2Joy31:: Loop, 650 { myStick.SetBtn(1,1) Sleep, 5 myStick.SetBtn(0,1) } return return 2Joy32:: Loop, 650 { myStick.SetBtn(1,2) Sleep, 5 myStick.SetBtn(0,2) } return return EDIT: So upon further inspection, it appears the issue is that the tower's reporting QFE instead of QNH. It looks like the QNH is still shown in the briefing screen, though, so I'll have to go with that. I still plan to keep this script active at system startup though, in the event I need it.

It didn't occur to me it might've been in an older FW. I'm using 1105. My problem now is trying to figure out an easier way to move the Barometric Pressure knobs MUCH faster than the default. In Nevada it takes FOREVER to get to say, 28.15 from 29.92. I'm fiddling with Joystick Gremlin right now, but I think I may end up having to go with Autohotkey. I unfortunately lost my AHKs in a hard drive crash a few months back.

That's just the physical button showing in VPC's config tool. If you look at the joystick tester, that doesn't happen.

I chose to have a platform of about 1 1/4 inch thick (two sheets of plywood screwed together) covered in outdoor carpet from Lowe's. Having the wood that thick provided clearance for the screws I used to mount my TPRs flat to the floor. I've had this cockpit for almost seven years. Prior to getting the TPRs this summer, I used the Saitek combat pedals mounted to the Obutto metal plate. The plywood platform was added this summer when I briefly used a self-made cockpit (it didn't end up working out for me). I ended up getting a new chair and going back to the Obutto.