Boltz

The reason I use the serial connection is actually from when I flew FSX and my original cockpit. In FSX you could not map all the functions to joystick controllers but rather had to use simconnect protocol. Overpro did a great job but it only provides input in DCS you have to use the export.lua to read ouputs so it made sense for me to continue using the serial connection so I can have IO on the same board. A2DCS is only deigned to work with DCS at the moment as it is mainly focused at those of us building cockpits for a certain plane, I can also merge in the SimConnect code if people would like it working with FSX. It does have keyboard emulation built in so you can map keyboard commands to switches, potentiometers and rotary encoders and that can happily type in notepad but it seems that DCSW needs individual controllers specified rather than just a generic "Esc" key press. I suspect that other high-end games would be the same and therefore you would need some sort of HID device for input. With overpro's permission I might be able to merge the code so that you can toggle in software whether it is serial connection (input and output for DCSW and FSX) or an HID device (input only for other games.) There are endless possibilities. All I need to know are what games people want it in and how input works in them. Output usually involves a different solution for every game so would take much longer to get working but it's still doable for a few games.

I only own the A-10C module but because it is DCS World that exports and not the individual modules then I see no reason why it shouldn't. I would just need to get Device, Event and Argument IDs. Some can be found in the DCS install path but I can't find all of them for the A10 so I have to press the switches in game and then follow the sequence in the generated log file. I could easily work through other aircraft in the same way so I will probably pick up a few more modules including BS. I don't know much about BS but I'm interested in why you are using BS1 and not upgrading to BS2 from http://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/downloads/modules/dcs_black_shark_2_upgrade/?

Hi Aginor. Yes it works both ways with no problems. I currently have a working UFC, AHCP, Fuel, Fuel Select and HARS Fast Erect panel working for input along with a nice flashing master caution :) I might make a video this weekend to show it working. A caution panel is awaiting testing working from shift registers. A2DCS uses a serial connection and a custom communication standard which will be explained in more depth soon. I am currently using A2DCS on an Arduino Uno and 2 Megas. There is no limit in numbers from the software point of view but there may be a limit in how many can be connected before the drivers start causing interference. Technically it should work on any Arduino board due to the initialisation built in. Rather than input and output pins being defined in the sketch they are defined in a config file and sent to the Arduino on start up of the program leaving the Arduino as a "dumb" controller.

A2DCS hasn't been released this week due to a couple of issues and more testing that needs done with 1.2.7. I have created a new thread for it in the Input and Output section so if you are interested in it then please let me know there. If there is no interest then I will not spend time making it more user friendly and easier to install. Currently I would consider it a mod but this week I have worked hard to reduce modification of any DCS files so it is getting much closer to a release. Find it here:http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=120386

http://www.it-eam.co.uk/boltz What is A2DCS? A2DCS is freeware designed to allow you to use Arduino (http://www.arduino.cc/) controllers to communicate between hardware such as switches, LEDs, rotary encoders, 7-segment displays and the flight simulator DCS World (http://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/world/) by Eagle Dynamics. It allows you to build anything from a few simple push switches to a full-blown home cockpit. Why was A2DCS developed? A2DCS was developed because I am building a full A-10C home cockpit and required a method to control the input and output from DCS World to my hardware. I decided to use Arduinos due to the flexibility they provided and the fact that they are relatively cheap when compared with other methods. What aircraft does A2DCS work with? Currently A2DCS only works with the A-10C module of DCS world but more aircraft may be added in the future. How does A2DCS work? A2DCS can be used in two different ways. Firstly it can be run on the same computer that is running DCS World or it can be run on a separate computer by TCP over a LAN connection. The latter option allows you reserve your main computer for DCS World to get the highest performance out of it. You wire electrical components to an Arduino which is connected to a computer running A2DCS. It can then read and write on certain ports to manipulate the simulator and your hardware. Will A2DCS work alongside other programs? A2DCS has been tested alongside Helios (http://www.gadrocsworkshop.com/) and iControl DCS (http://bit-shift.com/icontroldcs/index.html) and it may work with other 3rd party software but has not been tested. Downloads before moving to website: Setup instructions - 372 x64 Versions - 187 x86 Versions - 69 Fix Version - 41 Boltz

+1 as well :)

I do as well :) It's a shame I can only run 1 at the moment though because I don't have enough graphics power. I'm looking at getting a GTX770 or GTX 780 or even an SLI setup which is probably what I will need since I also have a fourth screen running exports. I did realise though that moving to SLI would give me an excuse to get a new motherboard and with that change to Intel. Then I wondered if my PSU would cope... Will probably wait till EDGE is released before I make any major upgrades to my computer as I'm currently running low on funds (like always with this hobby)

Thanks. I will try that, I haven't looked at the manual since I initially set it up so I should probably have checked there first. :doh: Everything else has worked perfectly for me!

hannibal: I don't know about graphics cards, you would have to ask the people over in Hardware section. Iris does not actually interact with DCS so as long as you can export MFCDs in 1.2.7 it will work. I haven't upgraded yet though.

Hi whartsell, I certainly do use it and without it I wouldn't be able to have the setup I currently have. For my needs nothing needs to be changed but I would suggest you start a thread for it there as currently that gem of a program is hidden deep within gremlin's build. I have recommended it to about 6 people now and they have liked it so I do believe it is being used. Great piece of software and its simplicity makes it work very well and keeps it easy to use. Only problem I have is that when I right-click on a client viewport and click "Save Positions"(or something like that) nothing happens. I assume that that should change the Iris.xml file to change the positions of the viewports? It is annoying to have to move 7 viewports around every time I wish to go flying but everything else works perfectly.

Good to hear it's working. You will also have to modify the monitorsetup.lua in order to export the MFCDs but there are guides on how to do that.

Yes that's the performance of the exported displays. I was referring to the performance of DCS World. Simply change the export frequency to match the refresh rate of your MFCDs in DCSW.

I'd be very interested to know if this is still the case as I don't know how many servers still disable the export.lua. I have never been on MP for this reason as I don't want my entire pit to become useless but I am building it so that I can fly with others eventually.

I only have a GT640 card and had to downgrade to just one 42" TV (I bought 3) so I don't have much to compare against but for me though after a clean install of everything last week I just added in a few pieces of software at a time and it seems to have hardly any effect, if any, on my frame rate. Technically since you are rendering more viewports it should take away from the performance but if you disable them in the 3D cockpit then that should get you back any loss. Iris will not affect performance itself, it's how you export MFCDs that will. Remember that you want to keep the total rendering area at the smallest number of pixels as you can so if you are using Iris then either have them on top of your main view(s) or on another screen with the lowest resolution possible. I'm thinking of looking into SofthTH since it lets you render on just part of a screen meaning that I could take off about a third of the area I currently render. I am considering writing a guide or something on how to do this since I have been asked by a lot of people how to do it. Iris is lost in a very long and excellent build thread so it is very often overlooked (luckily I came across it a while back and bookmarked it) but I will try to write some documentation for it and also setting up the views in DCSW.

Same question twice today! Gadroc is correct in that you cannot RENDER the displays on a networked computer but you can render them on the SIM computer and export the images to a networked computer. Check out this thread: http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=116811

For video tutorials I don't think there are any for Iris, but the instructions will get you started very quickly. For Helios I would recommend downloading Loz' profile from http://www.gadrocsworkshop.com/node/9 and following it's instructions. If you are not making your own profiles or using switches with Helios then it's self-explanatory and simple to work out. Don't start by dragging in gauges or anything since that will not work without adding bindings and other stuff (I don't know about that stuff) but just use other people's work :music_whistling:

Welcome to the forum tycoon! To display the gauges you would require Helios (http://www.gadrocsworkshop.com/) but displaying the MFCDs is a bit more difficult. Someone else had this problem (http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=116811.) The piece of software you need is called Iris and was written by a member of this forum. In the thread above I linked to the various parts of Iris that you would require. I currently use both these pieces of software to export my MFCDs, RWR, Clock, UHF Repeater and CMSC in Iris and all the gauges of the MIP are displayed by Helios. It all takes a bit of tweaking to get it right but it's not too difficult. If you are interested in exporting things like the RWR, CMSC and clock check out this guide by icemaker http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=70716

Today has been a very successful day now despite a few :joystick: moments. Master Caution LED is now working along with other LEDs. Version 2 of A2DCS was built today and although it looks very similar it works in an entirely different way. I'm currently working on the instructions. I'm trying to write as complete a guide as I can after the amount of software I have used with the lack or complete absence of any instructions. It includes setting up an export.lua file in Helios, making the necessary modifications and then how to add all the different inputs, outputs and other options. All should be prepared in the next few days and despite my feelings earlier the first release will be V2.0. I hope that you will all like it :)

Hello all! It's been a while but the A2DCS software has been greatly improved. A new version is being tested at the moment and I will be releasing the software shortly so stay tuned and it should be ready along with instructions in the next week. LED and 7 Segment Display control is supported as well as push and toggle switches. I will try to add rotary encoder and potentiometer support in the first release. It also works in tandem with Helios and iControlDCS. Inputs and outputs can be added easily but I will include the config for the UFC and as I get more panels working I will post up more configs. Currently only working for the A-10C (the only DCS module I have) but there are "Profiles" built in which will allow you to switch through different aircraft eventually, and even other sims in the future. It has been tested with Arduino Unos and Megas but due to the initialisation built into it theoretically any Arduino can be used (you will see how this works shortly.) In fact any IO controller can be used but we would need to build it in to A2DCS.

Looks great and it's good to know that you are not losing too much performance. I hope you have fun with that setup! Edit: http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=85734 - This might help you SkateZilla PeterP found a way of positioning the control input box although it is nearly 2 years old so I'm not sure if it still works

I think this is what you need: http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=89282

The explosive radius of HE rounds has been increased with 1.2.7 (according to release notes) although I'm not sure about rockets.

I also agree with you there. When AAR you need the visual references and when you are formation flying. The gauges probably don't use up much performance though since they are not screen renders.

I was thinking about this the other day but I do not see a way you could do this unless the devs build this feature in. FSX has this built in and it is great. It really does add to the immersion factor having radio comms close to your ears and hearing engine sounds coming from further away.

Intrepid, you could use HUD only mode (LAlt+F1) That's what I use with my Helios setup and it definitely increases the frame rate for me.