Warhog

Yes. I do turn my PC off once in a while.:laugh: I haven't updated to the latest version yet. I know that there were updates made regarding the Phidgets board as it relates to servos but that was for a totally different board than the PH64 board so I wasn't to concerned that there was anything that would help my situation. I'm also deathly afraid to uninstall Helios and reinstall a new version as I am sure it won't work once I start it up again. I've had a lot of grief getting it up and running in the first place. I don't want those problems again.:fear: But if you are absolutely confident that it will resolve this problem, I am willing to try a new version.

Yes I know that the profile editor can confirm what's mapped to what and it lights up that LED such as the AOA. I do not have it running in the background. Only the Helios control center is on. PH64 stays on all of the time from startup of the PC until... Actually I never turn it off nor my PC for that matter. Even TrackIR stays on all the time. But even with them running all the time PH64 won't work for the next new session of DCS. I start the Helios Control Centre and then DCS. Please note that PH64 has never been shut down, nor TrackIR. The new session starts up fine but the LED's won't work. At that point I shut down everything except PH64. Then I load Helios Control Centre, TrackIR and lastly DCS. Then the LED's work. Big pain in the ***.:( One other note... even though the LED's don't work, all my other Helios interfaces in my profile work fine. I have two U-HID boards with mapping in Helios to allow my POTS to work for things like volume control and dimmers for cockpit lighting.

As per the title I am running a Phidgets 64 board to control my LED's. It seams that the Phidgets software needs to be started before anything else, then Helios and then TrackIR. After that I can start DCS and run my A-10 and all my panels. Problem is, if I do not use that sequence in starting the Phidgets board, it won't work. It gets very frustrating as sometimes I miss starting trackIR first because its almost always running in the background. And then once I have my plane loaded up and on the screen I find that the LED's don't light up on my panels because the Phidgets board didn't initialize...because it didn't get started first.:mad: Does anyone have a solution to this problem. There has to be a way that I get the Phidgets board working every time without having to do all this extra bullshit in a specific order. :(

Thank you. I will give it a try.

I am trying to get the VHF AM radio frequency numbers to display on my second monitor. I have dragged over the TISL display windows and tried to bind them to the radio but they don't work. I have been through all the other panels and I cannot figure out what it takes to make these numbers work on my second monitor.:( Anyone know what I need to do to fix this.

No the problem still exists. It happens randomly or at least I have not yet been able to establish a pattern to it. It also has nothing to do with a delay in signals. Its just that my pots just stop working for no apparent reason. The binding things won't do anything for me as all I use Helios for is to get my pots to work in DCS and I use a couple of the engine gauges. All other bindings are done outside of Helios.

There is hardly any information that I can find about wiring this board. Has anyone here had any experience with it? I purchased one for my UFC and it is simple enough to wire in that there are two inputs for each switch. I am using momentary on switches. I would like to know if it is possible to wire these switches up with a common ground daisy chained to each switch? I am hesitant on doing so since there must be a reason he provides a separate ground for each switch. Also would have been nice if there was some documentation on it.

For several reasons I need to run DCS World and all of my modules on two separate drives. I run it off of my E: drive at the moment and it is heavily modified. I now have a much larger C: drive and I wish to install everything on it as well. Once I have the second install properly modified and functioning I will remove the installed DCS World from my E: drive permanently. But there is the issue of mods being stored into C:/Users/saved games/etc. on my C: at the moment and what happens when there is a second install. Has anyone ever tried this and are there problems doing this?

I've been experiencing the same thing. I have an Aero desktop so thats not it. I also having nothing else running in the background except what most of us have such as TrackIR and my flight controls and a few HID devices but they shouldn't interact with Helios at startup. I also tend to loose Helios now and then. It just stops working. Not in mission but after going to a new mission. Yes I stop and reset before I go into the next mission. I actually have to open the profiler and open the file I'm using and then everything starts working again. Frustrating is the correct description.

Thats a very nice setup. :thumbup: What is the resolution of your three monitors and what graphics card do you use to drive them? I was curious as to what FPS you are getting and whether you had to turn down the graphics to get an acceptable fps.

We want some pictures!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:)

When running Helios we all experience a drop in FPS. Does anyone know what it is in Helios that directly affects your FPS. By that I mean: 1. Is it the size of your second (or third) monitor that Helios is displayed on? 2. Is it the number of gauges that you are displaying on one screen or the number of swithces that you display? 3. Is it the number of interfaces that you have active? I'm looking to fine tune my use of Helios. I would like to get a balance between what I use in Helios vs what is an acceptable frame rate. I'm unsure what it is that I should be adjusting in Helios to change my FPS such as minimize the number of gauges I use, etc. Thanks all.

That machine is very impressive especially when it comes to price. My CNC machine is a TAIG mill with a custom built controller and it came in around $2000 when all was said and done. The price on this baby is excellent. I'don't think it would be up to the task of doing metal work but who cares if your just milling/engraving plastic. The laser is a nice idea but the cost is somewhat prohibitive unless you plan on using it for a business after your panels are done. Engraving with rotary bits can give just as professional a look as a laser but a laser might be easier in actual setup and cutting. Remember, berfore lasers they used rotary engravers for years and years and they did an excellent job and still can so don't rule them out. The Mach III CNC software which you will also need is a low priced CNC package and it does a very nice job. It is easy to learn and there is a lot of forum support so you will always be able to get help. The big problem is, once your panels are built then what do you do with it. I scratch build large RC ships and a majority of my parts are CNC designed and cut and that really makes life good. But even at that my CNC mill sits idle for 75% of the time. Keep that in mind when you are looking at making a purchase.

Well actually that didn't work. I have a customized monitor file that I use all the time that sets my R and L MFDs to my second screen at 415 x 415 and I have had that set up for months as I use it with my Thrustmaster Cougar MFD frames. Its in the DCS World/config/monitor setup folder. I just modified it by copying the left MFD set of syntax and copied just above it using notepad++ and then I adjusted the x and y and size of the MFD. When I tested it, only the original data was read and not what I had put in because only the two original MFDS showed up on the screen. I even went into the options page and re-selected the file but still No Joy. I don't understand the syntax that is used in these .lua files but it made sense to copy and insert the MFD lines so that it looked exactly like the other two series of lines that define the MFD size and location. I'm pretty sure I did it correctly. I wonder if maybe you can't have two of the same MFDS on the same monitor all at the same time???

I kind of figured that was the way to go but at the same time I wasn't sure if I put that line in the file twice whether it would ignore the second time it saw it. So what your saying is that I could have, lets say, my left MFD on three different monitors all at different sizes if I wanted, just by defining each setup in the monitor file?

Is it possible to export the left and right MFDs to a second screen at 450 pixels square and then export just the left MFD to a third screen at 900 pixels square? I wish to use the 2nd screen and the two smaller MFDs with my Cougar Thrustmaster MFD frames and the third screen with the larger MFD to find my targets as my eye sight is not as good as it used to be. If so, how would that be accomplished as software like EMC only does one set of MFDs?

Is there any chance you develop another page that has just one MFD on it and have it maxed out to fill the entire screen. The larger the image the easier it is to find the bad guys on the TGP. I know about the double tap on the existing MFDs but I mean MAX out the image as large as possibel even sacrificing the sides of the MFD or make them as small as possible. Thanks

Well Benjamin you won't find one board to fit all solutions. There is one specific board that you use to control LED's... the Phidgets64 board. They also make other boards that let you use (make) gauges such as the flaps gauge of the fuel gauge. Anything with a needle that moves up and down or back and fourth. They have boards that do all sorts of other functions as well. But for controlling switches, most of the standard IO boards do that by making the PC think its a joy stick and there can be up to 32 buttons that Windows will allow on a joystick. You can bind those buttons to dcs commands. This is what you want to start with. http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=65998 Its where everyone starts who is fairly new to this. Beyond basic switch handling you still need to use potentiometers and LEDS and rotary encoders and the only way I know how to make them work with DCS is through Helios. When you explore the functionality of Helios you will find it is the ways and means of getting information to move back and forth between the A-10 and the informaiton you want to look at or control. By that I mean it has full size cockpit instruments that can be displayed on a second monitor and you could also use a touchscreen to flick your A-10 switches on and off. But I use it as a means to include physical switches such as volume controls, dimmer switches and LED's in my panels. I do not use any of the instruments it has to offer. It is the only way I know of that will let you control LED's with ease and with little to no programming abilities. You will find in the cockpit forum many DIY builds by members and they have docuemented there progress in these threads. They share valuable information that will make your efforts much easier and answer so many questions you will have as you go. Read them and you will understand what you have to do. As far as my CDU display is going, I have no idea yet as to how it will get connected to the PC. I am still readin and asking qestions on this forum as to how I should proceed. There are also people here who have completed their CDU's and I will be looking to there threads to figure it out. I hope you like reading and researching because thats what is required since there are no manuals that show you how. Good luck on your projects :thumbup: and just know this can get awfully expensive.:( And the Bodnar boards... I haven't even got them yet but I will be posting my experience with them once I get finish this next endevour.

The caution panel is a rather easy first project. Other than the 48 LEDS you will require, you will also need to purchase a Phidgets64 board (do a search for it). It is an excellent board and then you need to install Helios to run it. It will export the signals from the A-10 to the Phidgets64 board to turn on or off the LEDS in the panel in concert with what is happening in the A-10. Heres mine: IMG_0053.jpg by JFWall, on Flickr C Panel by JFWall, on Flickr IMG_0057 by JFWall, on Flickr To do this properly and with the least amount of aggravation do a search on the cockpits forum for anything to do with Phidgets and caution panels etc. You will learn alot reading these posts and it will also help you avoid frustrations like "my board won't work...why???" And find the Helios videos and watch those and then do searches about Helios to learn as much as you can. That software is really important as it drives many things you will want to have on a panel that can't be driven any other way. Here is a post that helped me start http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=101252 I actually built my caution panel before I new how to make it work with my A-10. This is the start of my quest to make it work. http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=105040 Hope that will start you in the right direction. With regard to the other issue I will PM you as I don't really want to talk about it on an open forum.

I already use their stuff for my A10 panels. For what I have done in building my panels there is nothing they would need to do to make it easier or more compatible as it already is a "UHID" compatible device. Just buy their U-HID board, hook it up and assign buttons/ switches. As far as pots go, you need to use Helios for them to function and I doubt they would try and write the same type of software if it's already out there and available for use at no cost. I don't know enough about displays so I'm unsure what they could offer that's not already available to buy as well. Just so you know their customer service is extremely good and the programming of the U-HID board is very easy and very very flexible. I was extremely pleased with both apects of this product and the company. However, I will not be using any Ultimarc products for my next set of panels due to what I consider quality control issues with the U-HID Board. I have no other experience with any other Ultimarc products.

I've started building my CDU and have the panel and PCB ready for my CNC mill. The next item on the list is what interface would be best for this device. I am currently running 2 U-HID boards and 2 Phidgets64 boards through Helios. I was thinking of using the X-Keys board for the CDU and the MFD's as everything that would be connected to the board are strictly momentary on switches. I would also run this outside of Helios and use the key bindings DCS already has for the CDU on their options page. I wanted to see if someone with more experience has a better board they would recommend for the CDU and MFD's considering what my current configuration is.

Checked it all Control Panel, Security, Windows Firewall and everything else I could think of and yes lastest version of DCS. This evening I flew on a new server and all of a sudden everything worked. So now all I need to find out what the file is that stops Helios from working so I can ensure its off when I fly with my guys. That was the first time I flew with everything on, caution lights, all my indictator lights, volume controls....WOW. :thumbup: Talk about cool. I was so impressed. So if anyone can point me to the files that turn Helios off in a server I would appreciate your input. Thanks

What would be the name of the file you are referring to and where is it located? The guys were looking through a number of files on their server and they had verified that export=true was in fact correct. Is there any other reason Helios would not run?

I just finished my switch panels which depends on Helios to run. I have fully tested them in DCS A10 single player and I am thrilled on how well everything works. However, I went into multiplayer last night and Helios did not work at all. I tried several servers and it made no difference. The servers belong to friends and they checked to ensure "file integ.check" was off and that export_objects_... etc was all true. Nothing we did would make Helios work in multiplayer. Anyone have a suggestion as to how we can fix this? Thanks.

You had mentioned in an earlier post that you were going to use leododnar boards for your interface. I was curious as to how well that worked for you. I am using some U-hid boards by Ultimarc and I have had all sorts of problems. As a result I am looking for other boards to replace the U-HID boards. At the moment I have 2 boards running 70 odd switches and 8 pots. You can see my pit at http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=105524 I would appreciate your assesment of the leobodnar boards assuming you have them installed and running at the moment. I also noticed that you run 5 monitors. Do you run Helios as well? What kind of fps are you getting with your rig.