soyo

I haven't, to be honest, mainly because I never written anything in Lua or even studied it. But I don't think at the moment it would do me any good, because the main thing for me was realisting that there is no delegate that reads the joystick input (buttons). That was a bit of a letdown for me, I wish I read the api method description for the "Soft buttons" sooner. If that wasn't the case I'm sure I would figure it out sooner or later, even through Saitek support channel. I already saw the P/Invoke semantics very easy once I learned it and looked through some samples today. Also, I made the neceseary changes for the wrapper I already downloaded to make it work with the new API method calls and delegates. I would figure out all the problems in the end if I put my time to it, but currently don't feel as much enthusiasm as before, since the games I do play, it would be useless. None of those games provide any external output, nor I saw people writing open libraries that would provide that. And since the main goal (as I learned today) really is interacting with the joystick set by the game input, it's useless for me now, pretty much, unless I will make a disco of my joystick, that will just turn the leds on and off in some random fashion :P Thanks for the hint algerad3, and I want to take this opportunity and thank you for leading me to this topic, and for your previous help to me. I appriciate it. As for the above quotation, the method calls are now not the problem, but that the api doesn't provide what I thought and hoped it would. Lua wrapper might help me, but all in all I wouldn't have any purpose with it in the end. All of the methods I executed went ok, except for the adding multiple pages, and reading the soft buttons input. Setting string on page, setting leds to change color, initialization etc all seemed to work fine. cheers Lucas

@Up Thanks, I did work it in the end, although not completely. I still had/have problems with adding more than 1 page. To be precise, adding seems to be working, but the callback doesn't return what I want, and I can only see the last added page on the MFD. But... all in all, from enthusiastic to a little pessimistic it got me. I didn't read through the whole API sheet word for word, since I was occupied to get it to work in the first place. Because of that I assumed the "Soft Button" callback is for detecting the pressed joystick buttons, changed modes etc. To be honest this is where I saw me experimenting with some fun stuff, like for example pushing one button in a clutch mode, will change the leds on all the buttons accordingly, or same thing for mode changes (mode 1 - attack mode, mode 2 - navigation mode) etc. I see now that the SDK is very heavily linked with only one purpose, and that is getting info back from the game and interacting with it. This is obviously the best of the 2, but I thought I could start with first, especialy since it's not as straightforward to get the info from the specific games, especialy dos games (if it's even possible). Getting say Freespace 2 multifunctional MFD + LED control based on the Modes, missle targetting (say the button will be blinking yellow when the lock is being aquired, and change to red when it's locked etc. It's not a lost time though, deffinetly not. Got a bit of a play with P/Invoke which seems like something that might be usefull in my work someday. That adding page just buggs me though. I'm almost sure the wrapper is set in the right way, but no matter passed the "active page" argument, seems that the added page is always becoming active. Also the page index I get in the callback is always "1 behind". Plus the problem that I can't scroll through pages I mentioned before, plus I don't get the pgup pgdn callbacks etc etc. cheers Lucas

@Up Thanks a lot algerad3. Alright, I like to do things one at a time. First the Fip thing. I do not use it to be honest, and don't think I will in the near future, so we can put that aside for now. With that said, what you propose is to reinstall the x52 drivers that include sdk? Ofcourse I can do that, but hard to imagine it will install different dll for DirectOutput. The only thing it would help is some registry information if something was messed up in the first instalation. But I saw stranger things in my life, so I will do that and see what happens. Just to reafirm, before I downloaded the instalation pack from the http://www.saitek.com/uk/down/drivers.php Selected the x52 pro, hit to download drivers and software and installed both. Is that the right place for most up to date stuff? I will reinstall just the drivers, to be clear, I will leave the software (smart profiler) as it is, since it seems it is a separate matter. As for references I have both the Program Files(x86) folder and in Program Files folder. What's that about btw, why there are both? The x86 is for the old sdk, and the "Program files" is the newer sdk? As for the folder contents, the first one consists of Gauges folder and the following files: C:\Program Files (x86)\Saitek\DirectOutput\ ========================================== DirectOutput.dll 118 KB 2013-04-16 05:44:38 PM a SaiFlightSimX.exe 140 KB 2008-04-04 11:34:12 AM a SaiFlightSimX.exe.manifest 1 KB 2010-10-05 09:27:46 AM a SaiFlightSimX.xml 4 KB 2011-05-12 11:22:48 AM a SaiWinMediaPlayer.dll 89 KB 2013-04-16 05:45:00 PM a The other one has SDK folder with the C++ header files in the include folder, and this set of files: 29DAD506-F93B-4F20-85FA-1E02C04... 4 KB 2010-10-05 09:27:46 AM a 3E083CD8-6A37-4A58-80A8-3D6A2C0... 1 KB 2010-10-05 09:27:44 AM a DirectOutput.dll 155 KB 2013-04-16 06:16:06 PM a DirectOutputSaiFip.dll 470 KB 2013-04-16 06:16:24 PM a DirectOutputSaiHid.dll 314 KB 2013-04-16 06:16:26 PM a DirectOutputService.exe 228 KB 2013-04-16 06:16:12 PM a Fip1.jpg 116 KB 2010-10-05 09:27:46 AM a Fip2.jpg 115 KB 2010-10-05 09:27:46 AM a Fip3.jpg 113 KB 2010-10-05 09:27:46 AM a Fip4.jpg 110 KB 2010-10-05 09:27:46 AM a Fip5.jpg 113 KB 2010-10-05 09:27:46 AM a Both dll's have different sizes, but both don't have the function I was writing about before. Lucas //Edit Ok, things are getting back to me. The first one (probably the Program Files one) was installed with the saitek drivers, while the x86 was installed when I tried to install the SD6 by itself. Which basicaly proves the below picture So seems I have SD6 and SD7 installed if I understand correctly. So I uninstall both, and which one should I reinstall, the SD7 with drivers, or the SD6? //Edit2 I took your advice algerad3, uninstalled SD6 and SD7, and reinstalled the drivers (with SDK), and the strange thing indeed happened. Now the Api html I have seems is up to date, and the same goes for the header file. With it I was able to modifiy the Enumerate method, and the compiler goes past it. I read in the meantime about the P/Invoke, and C# wrappers, and I'm actually pretty excited to try to do some basic (and maybe not basic) stuff with it :) I'll deffinetly will have to write an update C# wrapper first. cheers Lucas

Per recomendation of algerad3 (I see he's pretty active in here :)), I'm writing to see if someone could give me a few directions where I should be headed. Let me mention first, that I only play space sims, Tie Fighter at the moment to be exact, because I love that era of PC gaming, and am pretty sentimental ;) Anyways, I'm not a beginner in software programming, although I have the time of programming in C and C++ way past me, as I am diving in C# and Java for a long time now. It's not an issue though to try C++ and to be honest I think it would be fun for me. But first things first... I'm using Windows 7 x64. What stage I'm at at the moment is trying to run some samples, anything that I see is compiling and I can run, and I can see some effect, like writing on MFD "Hellow World" or blink a LED. But so far I have big problems related to that, and I can dig into it on my own, but I wanted to try my luck ask any of you in some guidence if you were going through the same thing. Ok first thing are the samples in the SDK folder. First I tried the compiled samples, HelloWorld.exe and test.exe. HelloWorld does nothing, as soon as I run it the cmd window closes. Test.exe opens a small window, but does nothing as far as I can see. I looked into cpp file of HelloWorld in the main function, and there are some calls that look like trying to print some Welcoming message on the display, but I can't see anything new. The profile name is still there as it was before. I tried to open the solutions for those 2, but both have problems right of the bat with conversion to Visual Studio 2010. (If any of you told me, I can work my way through it without any problems in Visual C++, then please tell me, I will go through the trouble of looking it over and installing it). Then I looked over the web for the C# wrapper I found earlier, and I found couple of those wrappers, one including a sample, that was promising. Opened it in Visual Studio, it compiled without any errors (hurray), but I got exception on AstroMech.DirectOutputClass.DirectOutput_RegisterDeviceChangeCallback(cb, 0); line. Exception saying, the entry point in the dll cannot be found. I know the dll can be found, because one line earlier there is a call to Initialize, and that doesn't throw exception -> ergo, that function call went through alright. Alright I digged further, found the tool to look up the dll, and what I found interesting is that the method "DirectOutput_RegisterDeviceChangeCallback" is not there. Instead there is method "DirectOutput_RegisterDeviceCallback". I think I got to the root of the problem and why the samples by Saitek don't work. Seems that the dll got updated, and that's why the samples don't work, and the wrappers don't either. Unfortunetly updating the EntryPoints didn't work completely, because I get different exception on the Enumerate method. The bad thing is that the sdk reference page still shows the DirectOutput_RegisterDeviceChangeCallback method in the listing! What's even worse, looking into header file of the DirectOutput in the includes folder, shows the method, but the dll seems to lack them. So seems that Saitek updated the dll, but didn't update either includes, or the samples. Anybody who went past this, could give me a hand here? Lucas

@up Thanks a lot. That clears it :)

Thanks a lot algerad3, I appriciate it. It's weird, I know I was looking at the Saitek folder before and I couldn't find any trace of any sort of manuals, but now I see there SDK folder with header classes, and also the api sheet. Fantastic! Thanks for the tip. One more question, You pointed me out in case of problems to help "forums". Did you misspoken and you meant the thread you gave me link to, or there is other subsection called "How to" on these forums? (can't find it)

Hi guys. Being a new owner of fantastic(budget HOTAS) x52 pro set, and since I'm a software developer, obviously I got interested in the SDK I'm hearing about for it, and some nice stuff (like blinking LEDs) people were doing in forms of plugins. I thought of tinker with it a bit when I'm in the mood. Would any of you who have expierience with it, tell me if there is any reference in sort of manual (especialy API calls) for the SDK? I saw a nice C# wrapper which I will give a go, but some nice reference sheet for api calls, with some (at least) basic comments would be nice. Also, second question is about SDK version. After looking on the web, I found out there is SD6 and SD7 version. There is specificaly SD6 for x52 pro on saitek FTP, and bare SD7 (does not mention in the filename any hotas set). Does it mean the SD6 is abrogated, and SD7 is more universal? Or it's simply a mistake in the name, and SD7 is specificaly and only for Saitek X65f set? If not, and both can be used with x52 pro, any thoughts on which one is better to use? Thanks in advance for your time guys

Awsome. Thanks for reasurances. Ok, I guess that's it. Thanks a lot guys for taking the time to write responses.

Ok guys, one more question to you: I noticed it for the second time, and it happened only after a long gaming session (couple hours, 4-5 something like that). When the set is connected for a long time, at one point the MFD screen backlit goes off. There are information on the screen seen, it just doesn't have green backlit. If I open control panel, and change the slide for the led intensity the backlit turns on again instantly. Any of you had something similar, or read about it from other users of this set? Other LEDs on the stick as well as on the throttle are lit without any issues like that. Below I attached again the video of it: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/23242740/video-2013-09-07-23-44-36.mp4

Thanks so much!!!

Thanks TimeKilla. Just for the referrence for others, seconds: - 02 - 04 - 06 - 12 - 15 To name a few instances when the noises are heard. Awsome. Thanks for sharring. cheers Lucas

Yes it seems to work perfectly, so no technical problems with the set whatsoever. I played last 2 days a lot of Tie Fighter (I'm a space sim enthusiast) and the feeling is just amazing, and I didn't notice any technical problems whatsoever. I was only trying to make sure those "spring noises" are normal. It's not irritating, but I wanted to make sure it's the same for everybody before I will finish the transaction with the seller who sold me the set. ps. Thanks a lot for your take, and time.

Thank you for taking the time. Would you mind watching the video to get a better understanding of what I mean? You will be able to hear the noises very clearly. cheers Lucas

I'm a fresh owner of a HOTAS set, namely X52 Pro. It is my first advanced set like that(I'm coming from Logitech Freedom) and I'm simply astonished about it. I did purchase a used one however. It was only 2 months old when I bought it from previous user, so it is fairly new. But since I didn't purchase a new one, there is one issue that I have doubts about, as to whether it is the characteristic of all these x52 devices and it's perfectly normal, or it is a defect of the stick I purchased. The problem is with the springs that hold the stick in the central position. When I move the stick around, the metal round thing obviously makes some slight noise, which I'm 99% sure is normal (when it is forcing itself on the plastic part underneth it). However what also makes noise are the springs (or one spring, but I don't think it's important here whether both are making a sound or only one). When I have my headphones on I don't here it naturaly, but I can feel it a bit under my hand, and when I don't have my headphones on I can easily hear those noises. Can any of you who owns the x52 pro as well tell me from your own expierience if it's normal, and your stick behaves exactly the same way? I made also a video so that you can hear on your own, what noises I have in mind: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/23242740/video-2013-09-07-12-01-39.mp4 Thanks in advance for your time and help