Drakoz

There is no simple way to get interactive info from DCS to TARGET. There may be a complex way to do it with an external program to tie into DCS's export.lua script, or DCS-BIOS as it has already done a lot of the hard work, and TARGET, perhaps using sockets as TARGET seems to support this. It is on my list to try it one day. Maybe someone has already done it. I didn't find anything in my quick search, though. I have seen others do similar things to control the LEDs on some Logitech and Saitek gear (like the G940 throttle LED buttons or the Saitek joysticks with displays and LEDs). If sockets works with TARGET, it is probably easier to do it in TARGET than the efforts with the Saitek and Logitech gear I just mentioned. One of the more prominent users of DCS-BIOS is DCSFlightpanels. It creates an interface to the Saitek Pro line of flight panels (the radio panel, multi-panel, BIP which has multi-colored LED's to display information, and the switch panel). Sadly, the BIP is no longer offered for sale, but you can find one on eBay eventually, though likely at an over inflated price. I use the Multi-panel to display information like distance to next waypoint and my current heading and other information that is not always easy to read on the analog gauges at a glance. DCS-BIOS could be used to communicate with custom made Arduino display panels as well or other custom electronics. That is what it was originally designed for and it is often used by people making custom sim-pits. If you are into that kind of stuff (electronics and such), go read up on DCS-BIOS. They give some examples of how to do it.

First... Regarding the Throttle Friction Control and the 5 separate LEDs, I have used them many times for various things. On the Huey, for example, I used the Friction Control to adjust the missile ripple number for rockets since this is a multi-position dial in the Huey. Though the LEDs are hard to see much of the time (the throttle levers block them), so they are of limited use - not front and center where you can see them at a glance. Regarding the back light intensity... The TARGET GUI has the ability to assign LED backlighting intensity at startup by clicking on "Control LED State" (on the tile for the Warthog Throttle), then enable backlighting and set the intensity with the slider. But that isn't what you want. As for mapping to a button or switch, in the event dialog, you have to use the Virtual keyboard/mouse dialog to select LED Backlighting and set the intensity. You may have to select an advanced configuration to get the virtual keyboard/mouse dialog to become available. Read the section titled "LED Management" in the TARGET GUI manual. It gives complete details on how to manage LEDs. But in summary, select the Pinky Switch forward or backward position (called PSF and PSB respectively) and for each position, use the Virtual keyboard to set the LED backlight to full bright. Make sure you set the event type as "Press" to turn the LED backlight on (intensity at 255). Then do the same for PSF and PSB again, but set event type to release, and for each set the backlighting to 0 intensity. Then when you move the switch to the middle position, the backlight will turn off because you have "released" the PSF or PSB switch position. If you are curious to see what TARGET GUI did to make this happen, press the "View Script" button. The TARGET GUI just creates a script in the background and runs it for you. You could run the same script in the TARGET Script editor. To do the same in the TARGET Script editor... Look for the section of the TARGET Scripting manual (target_script_editor_basics_v1.5_eng.pdf) titled "LED and backlighting control". It fully explains how to do this. Here is how I would map the PInky Switch to do this: MapKey(&Throttle, PSF, LED(&Throttle, LED_INTENSITY, 255)); // Pinky Switch Forward - backlight on MapKey(&Throttle, PSM, LED(&Throttle, LED_INTENSITY, 0)); // Pink Switch Middle - backlight off MapKey(&Throttle, PSB, LED(&Throttle, LED_INTENSITY, 255)); // Pinky Switch Back - backlight on The difference with the TARGET script editor vs. using the GUI is, in the GUI, you had to set the press and release commands for each switch position, PSF and PSB (turn backlight on and off), but in the script, I can use the pinky switch middle position (called PSM) and just turn it off in a single command. The GUI probably did something like this - which uses MapKeyR() for the release events. The following has the same result as my example above. MapKey(&Throttle, PSF, LED(&Throttle, LED_INTENSITY, 255)); // Pinky Switch Forward - backlight on MapKeyR(&Throttle, PSF, LED(&Throttle, LED_INTENSITY, 0)); // Pink Switch Forward Release - backlight off MapKeyR(&Throttle, PSB, LED(&Throttle, LED_INTENSITY, 0)); // Pink Switch Backward Release - backlight off MapKey(&Throttle, PSB, LED(&Throttle, LED_INTENSITY, 255)); // Pinky Switch Back - backlight on If you want the back lighting to be somewhere in between full and off, just use a number between 0 and 255. For the Warthog Throttle, there are 6 levels of intensity, so any number from 129 to 171 will set medium intensity (or level 3 as explained in the manual). The GUI has the same limitation.

Echoing some comments above, but just be sure..... Did the TARGET script exit on it's own? I mean, did you re-run (press stop and then run) the TARGET script, or did it exit on it's own, and you are in fact just running it again? I have seen an issue in DCS (see below) where it causes all USB gaming devices to reset. This unloads the TARGET script as well as unloading other loaded gaming software profiles like my Saitek Profile for my Throttle Quadrant. If the TARGET script shuts down due to this issue, it may appear only some axis or buttons stopped working but in reality, the TARGET device (Thrustmaster Combined) will disappear, and DCS just switches back to the default setup for a Warthog when not using TARGET. Remember, when TARGET runs a script, it removes the stand alone Warthog Throttle and Joystick and replaces them with a new device called Thrustmaster Combined. Hence DCS will use only Thrustmaster Conbined, or the separate Joystick and Throttle, but not both at the same time. This prevents conflicts. Having just some of the _buttons_ stop working is very odd as they should all either work, or fail together - unless there is a hardware issue with your Warthog. However, if the TARGET script shut down, I can completely see how some of the axis would appear to stop working (axis you programmed specifically in TARGET) because DCS would just default back to the original Warthog default axis configuration if you didn't go out of your way to clear that config. If the above is not the problem.... Another test is to run TARGET as admin - right click on the TARGET Script Editor icon and select "Run as Administrator". This will run the back ground TARGET service as admin and it may resolve some issues. This shouldn't normally be required, but try it and see if the issue goes away. Regarding the issue of TARGET or other Gaming Device Profiles unloading while in DCS... If this sounds like the issue you are having, read on. Otherwise, sorry for the long post. DCS has a problem where sometimes a USB reset occurs, and DCS will reinitialize all USB gaming devices. It is related to a Windows issue with USB power down modes that started 3 years ago when ED added the ability to hot swap gaming controllers. But it hasn't been fixed by ED or Microsoft (it is a problem with both). You'll know it happened because you'll get a bunch of messages in the upper right corner of the screen saying devices have disappeared, followed by messages saying devices have been found. You didn't say anything about such messages, so maybe this isn't the issue you are having. When I encounter this issue, it often causes my TARGET script to stop running, as well as a similar issue with other USB controllers, like it unloads my Logitech/Saitek Gaming Profile setup for my Saitek Throttle Quadrants. I can to reload the Logiteh profile, or press RUN in my TARGET Script Editor, and everything works in DCS again without having to exit DCS. I used to have this occur ever 5 to 15 minutes in game. I reinstalled a fresh install of Windows and it went away - except it sometimes happens when starting a multi-player mission. But only in the first few minutes after starting the mission. It seems to be an issue with overloading the computer, or DCS gets over loaded, and it happens. My virus checker, for example caused the issue regularly even on my newly re-installed system. I don't use that virus checker anymore - problem solved. So re-installing Windows did not solve the issue directly. Keeping my Windows system unburdened by software that might slow it down unexpectedly and cause a DirectX or USB re-init did. My computer isn't slow. Like any computer, overload it enough and sometimes you can cause things to time out or fail momentarily. Ultimately, though, this appears to be an issue with how DCS handles DirectX resets, or how it handles momentary disappearances of USB devices, which can occur due to how Windows handles power down modes on USB devices (which causes USB devices to disappear for a moment). Hence why this is a Windows and a DCS issue. This has been discussed significantly in other ED forums. Some have referred to it as the issue where their TrackIR seems to reset because they get a TrackIR has disappeared message followed by TrackIR has reappeared message.

Since it is off topic, but important, regarding the Logitech G940 firmware v1.42 and what exactly it fixes, I just created a new topic about it here: https://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=222488 The v1.42 firmware fixes the reversal bug but only for the Stick X/Y Axis. It also improved the FFB feel as the reversal bug messes with FFB accuracy. See the above thread for details or to discuss this.

This is a new thread about an old problem for the Logitech G940. Since the links to Logitech's original forum topics have disappeared (because Logitech removed their old forums and didn't archive them in a linkable way), I thought I would summarize and provide new links from archive.org to the Logitech forum topics and the v1.42 firmware that partially solves the reversal bug. The link to the v1.42 firmware can be found at the bottom of this post. It is not available on Logitech's support site, but still available from their ftp site. It was an unofficial release, only available from the Logitech forums. New Info June 2019: fred41 has created a patch for the v1.42 firmware that solves the reversal bug for ALL axis now, as well as improves some of the force feedback settings which improves the general feel of the stick. Finally after a decade since it was released, the G940 HOTAS works the way it should. You apply fred41's patch to the v1.42 firmware installer which is linked below. Then just run the v1.42 firmware installer like normal and fred41's patches will be applied to the stick. Thanks fred41!! Link to fred41's forum topic on the firmware patch: https://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=240114 Link to the patch: https://github.com/fred41/G940-firmware-fixes What is the reversal bug? By design, Logitech added a form of hysteresis to all the analog axis on the G940. Hysteresis is kind of similar to a dead zone, but dead zone is normally added at the stick center (centered by the springs) where hysteresis would look like a dead zone, but occur anywhere you reverse the direction of an axis. There is benefit to this. Many people like having a dead zone as it resolves the issue of noisy pots, and that is probably why Logitech added this feature in the first place. But they took it a step further and that was a disaster. Hence why we call this a reversal bug instead of a reversal feature. First, you can't get rid of the hysteresis dead zone. It is added by the G940 firmware and there is no option to get rid of it. Second, it isn't true hysteresis. In fact when you reverse the axis, it causes the axis position to jump after reaching the other side of the hysteresis dead zone. Third, odd effects with FFB would occur due to the reversal bug, most of which have disappeared with the v1.42 update. What does this mean? Load some software that lets you see the position of an axis in percentage. If you move any G940 axis from say 50% to 80%, then reverse the direction, with simple hysteresis, you would physically move the axis a small amount and the % position in the software would not change. But after a bit of movement (through the dead zone) you would see the axis go from 80% to 79%. That is hysteresis - a dead zone that occurs any time the axis is reversed. On the G940, though, what really happens is the axis moves from 80% to 77% once you move past the dead zone. That is the disaster. Upon reversing direction after moving through the dead zone, the axis always jumps 2-3%, as if the dead zone didn't actually exist. Both the jump, and the dead zone are problems. Also, for the FFB on the stick, I often got jumps in the motors trying to counteract either my reactions to the reversal bug jumps, or perhaps as part of the way the reversal bug affected the FFB algorithms internally. I never tested completely to understand. All I know is not only did v1.42 fix the reversal bug for the stick, but the FFB got way better. What I thought was just really bad FFB mechanical design, turned out to be mostly software. The G940 FFB design still isn't as good as the Microsoft FFB2, but the v1.42 software makes it worth using the G940 over the MS FFB2 because the MS FFB2 doesn't have enough hats and buttons to be called a HOTAS setup. Also, the MS FFB2 has a dead zone at the stick center which cannot be removed - which I also consider as a fatal flaw. The hysteresis dead zone on the G940 follows the stick as the FFB holds the stick in different locations, but the MF FFB2's dead zone is always at X/Y center regardless of what the FFB motors are doing. Microsoft made an excellent product in the FFB 2 except for that one issue, and it almost ruins it for some applications. But back to the G940..... The dead zone is a problem because on certain aircraft (helicopters especially), having a dead zone gets in the way rather than helping. The jump is a problem because imagine you are using the G940 Throttle as a helicopter collective. Being able to make a 0.5% adjustment to the collective (or the throttle on any aircraft) is important. But the best you can do is a 2-3% jump every time you reverse the axis. The same is true when using the trim knobs on the joystick, or the separate slider wheels on the throttle to adjust the position or size of a targeting camera or radar reticule, or the size of the targeting circle on a WWII war bird. It is infuriating, and a significant percentage of G940 users either returned their units, or just gave up and put them in the closet because of this. Search on "G940 reversal bug" and you'll see several links to discussions of the issue. Here is a Youtube video that shows the issue: Here is a discussion of the issue on Logitech's main forums (linked from archive.org): https://web.archive.org/web/20101222165145/http://forums.logitech.com:80/t5/PC-Gaming/G940-quot-reversal-bug-quot-is-it-a-hardware-or-software-problem/td-p/445318 Several links in the Logitech forum topic are broken (like viewing later pages of the topic, or other linked topics). You may have to use archive.org to hunt them down if you want to read the entire topic. What is the solution? CharlesB on Logitech's fourm (a Logitech employee) championed the effort to fix this in late 2010. You can see his original comment about the effort here (which is page 3 of the Logitech forum topic I linked above): https://web.archive.org/web/20101222165257/http://forums.logitech.com/t5/PC-Gaming/G940-quot-reversal-bug-quot-is-it-a-hardware-or-software-problem/td-p/445318/page/3 He released firmware v1.42 which solves the issue for the joystick axes only. The other axes still have the issue. The reversal bug is still there on the stick too, but instead of jumping like 2-3% when you reverse the joystick axes, it jumps only about 0.3% which is good enough to not notice the issue anymore. After the release of v1.42, no further effort occurred to fix the other axes. I believe CharlesB tried to get it done, but it wasn't given priority. So the other axes are mostly useless. You can see his original posting on the v1.42 firmware here: https://web.archive.org/web/20120119090658/http://forums.logitech.com/t5/PC-Gaming/G940-firmware-1-42-is-now-available/td-p/542496 Installing the v1.42 Update You can still download the firmware direct from Logitech here: https://download01.logitech.com/web/ftp/pub/techsupport/joystick/G940_Update_FW0142.zip If the above link is broken, PM me and I will send you the firmware. Archive.org did not archive the download link. To install it, note the following: Notes from CharlesB: This release specifically targets and improves the accuracy of the X/Y on the joystick The firmware updater may hang. Don't panic. Simply close and reopen the updater. The G940's firmware wont be fully written until all blocks of data are transmitted and verified. Additional notes to consider: You may need to "run as admin" (right click on the installer and run as administrator). The v1.42 updater still worked for me in Windows 10. You may need to install the latest G940 Software which includes the v1.41 firmware update, and apply that firmware update if your G940 has older firmware. I don't know if the v1.42 firmware will update from older versions of the firmware. The latest G940 software is available from Logitech's website (Logitech Gaming Software v5.10.127) and still works under Windows 10 in my experience. You don't need to use the Logitech Gaming Software v5.10.127 to use a G940, but it still works fine under Windows 10, and provides several important features (FFB settings) as well as a profile editor to assign custom key presses to keys and axis. Logitech Gaming Software v5.10.127 is not specific to the G940 - it supports many older (now unsupported) Logitech gaming devices. The latest version of Logitech Gaming Software is completely different than v5.10.127, but in my experience, I am able to run v5.10.127 and the current versions side by side without issue.

I too am happy to go online with anyone in the Gazelle (or other helicopters) to help you out. Just PM me and we can set something up on a common server. I fly weekly with Black Shark Den and lately have been doing Gazelle training for the group which includes helping everyone understand the Gazelle's advanced features, as well as the simple but critical stuff like auto-pilot modes, SAS, magnetic brake, getting into a hover at altitude, etc. Though we are an exclusive helicopter group and everyone has flown the Gazelle a lot, I still found there are many little details that people don't realize about how to fly and use the Gazelle. Alternatively, if the Gazelle seems difficult, learn to fly the DCS Huey. It has its own difficulties, but at least the stick is 100% connected to the rotor system, so any troubles you have on the Huey are all you. :) The Mi8 and KA-50 will help but they are almost too easy to fly (especially the KA-50) compared to the Huey.

ST0RM, Con, Havremonster, just curious have you guys had any better success at hovering? Have any suggestions here helped, or are you having troubles for other reasons?

If you are talking about hovering manually (not engaging the autohover), you need to use magnetic brake so the SAS is not fighting you (for more help on auto-hover, read anyway as this applies to both). So, to hover manually with ease, get it close to a hover and tap the magnetic brake button. Don't press and hold - tap it. Adjust the hover and tap it again. Continue to make smaller and smaller adjustments and tap the magnetic brake with each adjustment. Eventually you will get the feel for getting it in a stable hover, hands off. It may drift slightly one way or the other as getting a perfect hover just with magnetic brake is difficult (as to be expected). But that's what the auto hover is for - so if you follow the above procedure, and you have 0 vertical speed as well, you should be able to enable auto-hover and have it work 100% every time. If it doesn't there is something else wrong like SAS is disabled. Check if there is a PA (french) or AP (english) message on your warning panel. This means the SAS or Autopilot function is disabled. The key point here is the SAS is always trying to maintain a certain bank and pitch. By tapping the magnetic brake, it causes the SAS to maintain your current bank and pitch setting. It is similar to the auto-pilot modes on the KA-50. For a normal joystick, set a bank and pitch, tap magnetic brake, and let the stick go back to center (because it isn't a FFB stick). For FFB sticks, taping mag brake will hold your cyclic, but understand, the mag brake isn't so much holding the stick (like in the Huey) as it is holding the pitch and bank angle. There is, however, a bug where large changes in bank angle with a FFB stick will cause the FFB stick to jump too far left or right and flip the helicopter over. This issue does not exist for pitch changes - only bank changes. So I only do small bank adjustments with mag brake to prevent this, but I can get away with large pitch adjustments no problem. I can explain this issue further in another thread if needed. Point is, if you don't tap magnetic brake, to hover, you will always be fighting the SAS. In fact, this is true in all flight modes for the Gazelle (hover, normal flight, turns, etc.). You should always set a bank and/or pitch and tap the magnetic brake to keep from fighting the SAS. I hardly ever use altitude hold or speed hold anymore because the SAS does such an excellent job of holding my chosen pitch during normal flight - when you tap the mag brake. This is exactly the issue everyone keeps complaining about with the Gazelle - fighting the SAS. But figure this technique out, and you'll love the Gazelle. Back to hovering, for the collective, get a stable altitude and try not to adjust it anymore. The Gazelle should settle out riding on the pillow of air in ground effect if near the ground. If you are having difficulty with this, it is probably because you are over compensating with collective and oscillating up and down (pilot induced oscillation). Relax and make minimal and small collective adjustments and you'll see soon that you can ignore collective (assuming you are also not making huge pitch and bank changes of course. If you are high in the air (no references to tell if you have come to a stop), turn the knob just below and to the right of the torque indicator fully clockwise. It will enable cross hairs on your attitude indicator. This is a doppler hover indicator (like in the Mi-8). Polychop added it earlier this year (thanks!!) so it is as yet undocumented. Pull your cyclic toward the lines and the lines should move to the center position. When the lines are centered, you have 0 ground speed. If the collective is also set to maintain 0 vertical speed, you are in a hover. You should be able to set the auto-hover switch and let go of everything having achieved a successful auto-hover state. Now you can set up an easy hover at 500m and pick your targets from a safe distance. Again, if you are fighting with SAS, use the magnetic brake as explained above in order to make this easier. The Gazelle really is a joy to fly, and deadly - 2nd most deadly helicopter in DCS. It is the most maneuverable (though perhaps because you can do stuff that defies what a real Gazelle can or should do), but also so easy to get stable in flight or in a hover that once you figure out the above techniques, you'll wonder why you hated it before. Of course I know why people hate it sometimes. Because if you don't understand the above techniques, the SAS is a PITA as all it does is fight you.

Ya, nothing has changed with Auto-hover in recent releases. Also, as far as I have seen, auto hover is the same for multi-player vs. single player. But I haven't fully tested the limits to confirm. I mean, I have just as much ease getting into auto-hover in both. What _did_ change recently was the sensitivity of the throttle to causing a master caution (and auto-pilot warning light). It used to be, you could move the throttle just a little bit off max and there was some play in the lever before it would deactivate the auto-pilot system. But about a month back, a change was made where moving the throttle even the slightest amount immediately shuts down the auto-pilot. This is actually by plan because if the throttle is not 100%, then the Gazelle shuts down the AP modes on purpose. So if you are have having trouble now, but didn't before, make 100% sure your throttle is all the way up. Remove all bindings for game controllers to move the throttle maybe to make sure and use the (what is it, the PgUp key?) to push the throttle to max. You should not see any warning lights on the dash (both the light panel as well as the master caution light). If you are still having trouble with auto-hover after checking these things, but you used to have no difficulty before, then I am not sure what to say. I don't think they changed anything else related to auto-pilot, auto-hover. Just the throttle setting thing I mention above. I hope this helps.

It is very repeatable for me. Here is my explanation of how I can make it happen and go away (in another topic). https://forums.eagle.ru/showpost.php?p=3624264&postcount=2 The key point is you have to be using multiple monitors _views_, not spanned mode. Multiple views comes when using the "3 screens" lua file, for example. If you switch to "1 screen", even if spanning over 3 monitors, then the problem goes away. You don't have to enable nVidia Surround mode to span 3 monitors using "1 screen". DCS will span across 3 monitors like it is in surround mode if you select "1 screen" and a resolution that encompasses all 3 monitors. But if you then select "3 screen", it switches to 3 camera views as determined by your monitors .lua file. It seems it is the multiple view mode that is the problem. I assume this occurs with 2 monitor, or other multi-view setups, but I only tested the "3 screens" mode. My 3 screens file is the default 3 screens lua provided by DCS. The text in the config menu is there. We just can't see it. I can select the column headings for example and I can see the text when it highlights the text (because you are allowed to change the controller name). The problem exits in the current OpenBeta Branch (as of today still). The problem does not exist in the release version (as of today still).

I fly DCS and I fly RC (mostly helicopters, some fixed wing). I would not want to fly in DCS with an RC transmitter because the sensitivity needed to properly control the aircraft (especially helicopters) in DCS is not available with an RC dual stick controller. You can play with the curves and make something work, but it will never be as good as using a proper stick, throttle (as collective) and rudder setup. I encourage you to try it out more, though. It is kind of fun to see the difference. You will want to adjust the curves (either on your transmitter, or through DCS) to get better control. But what you will notice is with RC aircraft, perfect precision isn't critical. With DCS, especially if you are trying to fly precisely, or shoot stuff, the RC controller doesn't cut it. I have Realflight (RC simulator) with the USB "transmitter" controller. It looks like a Futaba RC controller, but it is USB, and I have the device needed to attach my Spektrum DX9 to the PC for other RC sims. I have not tried either with DCS, but both should work. Anytime I have ever tried to use them in first person mode in an RC simulator, though, it just isn't very fun. Again, not enough precision. I would love to take my PC sim controls to the field and use them to fly RC (mock up a transmitter to use the axis on my game controllers). But it is a bit inconvenient. :)

As other posters pointed out, there are many sources for Mini 5 pin DIN inline connectors for making cables (like an extension cable for a stick extender), but if you want a direct drop in replacement that matches the Thrustmaster connectors, those are hard if not impossible to find. I have looked for a source for these off and on for years. The commonly available parts like the ones I reference below have bigger flanges than the parts Thrustmaster uses, so they are not direct drop in replacements. TM is either buying them from an uncommon source (maybe an uncommon Chinese source), or they are custom made for TM. For the stick (Mini Din 5 pin Plug), I have't found a compatible part, or even something close. Lots of parts for inline cables that can be modified, but no panel or flange mount parts as needed by the TM stick. This may be a custom part made for TM. For the base part (Mini DIN 5 pin, receptacle): The TM part has 20mm Center to Center mounting holes. Most parts I found were like the one linked below, but this has 30 mm center to center mounting holes. The flange is too big to mount in the cavity on the Cougar or Warthog base. But for a custom setup, you could make it work. Seems this is the industry standard and I could not find a 20mm width part. This is just an example. Digikey is out of stock on this, but if you search, you will find several sources with a connector like this one. https://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/cui-inc/MD-50SN/CP-2550-ND/165682 This part may work for the base (19mm center to center), but it is plastic and more bulky compared to the TM metal parts. In a pinch, it could be made to work by cutting the excess plastic away, or in a custom project, but it is not a direct drop in for the TM Cougar or Warthog base. https://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/cui-inc/MD-50PL100/CP-2950-ND/500828 Sadly, TM chose to use this 5 pin Mini DIN, which is basically unpopular everywhere. The 6 pin parts are much much more common because of their use as a PS/2 keyboard and mouse connector. But even there, finding something with the correct flange mounting arrangement is difficult. For a one off fix, though, it can be made to work as previous posts mentioned. Best bet is to just hound TM to sell you one. I asked once and they were willing to sell me one. But I'm looking for a source for like 20 to 50 of them. No luck. Interestingly, the Thrustmaster wheels use a 6 pin Mini DIN. If they had just done that for the Cougar and Warthog..... Ugh! See an example here: http://rr-m.org/blog/hacking-a-thrustmaster-tx-rw-gaming-wheel-with-arduino-uno-part-1/

Assuming you are using the TARGET scripting language (not the GUI), you need to use the SEQ() and DOWN+ and UP+ modifiers as follows. For the T16000 B5 button, for example: MapKey(&T16000, B5, SEQ(DOWN+'w', UP+'w')); DOWN+ causes the key to be pressed down until you relesae the key with UP+. So DOWN+'w' presses and holds the w key down. UP+'w' releases the w key. SEQ(), which means sequence, will execute the commands in sequence. So the first time you press B5, it will push w down. The second time you press B5, it will release the w key. Be carful with this as it can leave the w key pressed when you don't expect or want it to be. Like if you alt-tab out of the game, w will still be pressed which can cause all manner of problems. And I forget, but even if you exit the TARGET script editor, it might leave w pressed. Test this to be sure. If you are using the TARGET GUI, pick the button you want to program (e.g. B5), and in the Assign Parameters screen, give it an Event Name (e.g. RunWalkDOWN), Set Key Command = w, Type = Press, and check the Sequence button. Then press Add Event. Then add a second event with Event Name RunWalkUP, Key Command = w still, Type = Release, and make sure Sequence is still checked. Then press Add Event again. You just added a Sequence command that will press and hold w the first time you press B5, and release w then next time you press B5. In the right column, under B5, you will see a list with the command you just created, and with in front of the commands. This means they are part of a sequence. Test run it, and you'll see it does what you want. If you click "View Script", you will see it is using SEQ(), DOWN+, and UP+ just as I described above.

I have a RailDriver, but they are not DirectX devices, so they do not work natively with DCS. Also, The RailDriver is not a Thrustmaster product - Thrustmaster does not make a train controller. I believe the RailDriver software can be programmed to send keyboard keys with it's buttons, but it's analog axis are not accessible like a normal DirextX analog axis and not programmable for anything other than supported train simulators. I have used my Warthog Throttle as a train controller. It works great and I prefer it to a RailDriver because I like the smooth feel of the Warthog Throttle. Just FYI.... To use a Warthog (or any DirectX game controller) for Train Simulator, you need to use this: TS20xx Raildriver and Joystick Interface by CobraOne http://forums.uktrainsim.com/viewtopic.php?f=361&t=139830&st=0&sk=t&sd=a For Train Sim World (which does not support any analog game controllers natively - not even a RailDriver), I wrote this TARGET script for the Warthog Throttle. It can be modified to support any TARGET compatible Thrustmaster product. https://forums.dovetailgames.com/threads/thurstmaster-target-script-for-warthog-throttle-saitek-tq-profile.3634/ The TSW script is also an excellent example of a very complex TARGET script as it uses a lot of custom C programming and a few TARGET tricks to implement the equivalent of a TARGET AXMAP1 and AXMAP2 function at the same time, as well as the ability to use one axis (with a mode switch) to control several different locomotive levers. Thankfully, for DCS, we don't need anything this complex!!

The mod still works. It is the instructions on how to do it that are no longer valid. :huh: To implement NVG on all Gazelle models, do the following: Like before, edit the following file: C:\Program Files\Eagle Dynamics\DCS World\Mods\aircraft\SA342\Input\keyboard\default.lua or for the beta: C:\Program Files\Eagle Dynamics\DCS World OpenBeta\Mods\aircraft\SA342\Input\keyboard\default.lua In the section titled "--Night Vision Goggles", comment out the following line by adding -- at the start of the line: {combos = {{key = 'H', reformers = {'RShift'}}}, down = device_commands.Button_5, up = device_commands.Button_5, cockpit_device_id = devices.HEAD_WRAPPER, value_down = 1, value_up = 0, name = _('SA342 Night Vision Goggles On/Off'), category = _('Night Vision Goggles')}, Just below that line insert the following line: {combos = {{key = 'H', reformers = {'RShift'}}}, down = iCommandViewNightVisionGogglesOn, name = _('Night Vision Goggles On/Off') , category = _('Night Vision Goggles')}, This is exactly the same mod. They just removed the pasted line above. When done, the "--Night Vision Googles" section should look like this: --Night Vision Goggles --{combos = {{key = 'H', reformers = {'RShift'}}}, down = device_commands.Button_5, up = device_commands.Button_5, cockpit_device_id = devices.HEAD_WRAPPER, value_down = 1, value_up = 0, name = _('SA342 Night Vision Goggles On/Off'), category = _('Night Vision Goggles')}, {combos = {{key = 'H', reformers = {'RShift'}}}, down = iCommandViewNightVisionGogglesOn, name = _('Night Vision Goggles On/Off') , category = _('Night Vision Goggles')}, {combos = {{key = 'H', reformers = {'RShift','RCtrl'}}}, down = iCommandPlane_Helmet_Brightess_Up , name = _('Night Vision Goggles Gain Up') , category = _('Night Vision Goggles')}, {combos = {{key = 'H', reformers = {'RShift','RAlt'}}} , down = iCommandPlane_Helmet_Brightess_Down, name = _('Night Vision Goggles Gain Down'), category = _('Night Vision Goggles')}, Note, with this mod... - when you enable NVG, it will enable/disable it for both pilots at the same time whereas the default setting allows the pilots to have NVG enabled separately IIRC. - It does not animate the goggles moving up and down in the SA342M model. - In the SA342 L, Mistral, and Minigun models, the NVG is not mounted on the helmets, but it still works. - I think someone said it also only shows up in one eye for VR. I assume that is still true.

Yes, I have the same problem. It has been true for the last 2 or 3 Open Beta updates, maybe the last 4 updates. But it does not exist in the current non-Beta version of DCS. I have 3 monitors, 1920x1200 each. Windows 10, Nvidia GTX 1080. Windows 10. I confirmed that if I select the "1 Screen" Monitors setting (using only 1 monitor of course), I can see the controller configs just fine. But if I select "3 Screen", then I get the same result as shown by Japo32's screen shot above. The "1 screen" and "3 screen" settings I am talking about are the default screen settings LUA files provided by EA. Further testing.... I deleted my Config folder in C:\users\<username>\Saved Games\DCS.openbeta\Config and ran DCS. Of course, DCS went to a windowed mode in low resolution. In this state, the Controls menu is fine. I then selected 1 screen at 1920x1200 (resolution of one of my monitors). The Controls screen is still normal. Without exiting DCS or changing anything else, I then selected 3 screens and set resolution to 5760x1200. This sets up 3 separate "views", one on each 1920x1200 monitor. Now the Controls menu is messed up. If I then select 1 screen, but leave 5760x1200, I get 1 "view" which spans my 3 monitors. The Controls screen is normal again. So it is completely dependent on the selection of multiple views in the "Monitors" setting, but not resolution or aspect ratio. Note, if I double click on the area where the controller name should be (the heading of a column), it will highlight the text there and I can see it. So the text seems to be there. It just isn't visible.

If you assign a game controller lever to the throttle, make sure you use about 5% deadzone at the top and bottom of the lever travel in DCS (axis settings). Otherwise, noise on your game controller (the game thinking the lever is moving slightly back and forth) will cause the Gazelle throttle to move off max, you'll hear the click, and several things will shut down including autopilot. You should see a warning light on the dash when this occurs.

I haven't used Voice Attack to manipulate keys generically (outside of voice recognition), but if you have a joystick/HOTAS that is programmable (like Thrustmaster TARGET, or even simpler programing tools like the Saitek/Logitech programming software for Saitek products, etc.), then this is perhaps a better choice for solving this issue. Alternatively, if your Joystick/HOTAS does not have such support, there are many game controller keyboard mapper programs which can help. AutoHotKeys is probably one of the most advanced, but requires some time to learn how to program with it (it is Visual Basic like, but very powerful). Anyway, to solve the problem using a simple keyboard mapper, don't map joystick keys directly to DCS and SRS. Instead, map keyboard combos for all the radios in SRS (e.g. R_ALT-F9 for Radio 1, R_ALT-F10 for Radio 2, R_ALT-F11 for Radio 3, etc.), and make sure the DCS countermeasure functions also have keyboard combos. Then use the keyboard mapper tool to make your joystick keys (unshifted) to press the SRS keyboard combos. But for the shifted state the mapper would press the countermeasure keyboard combos. The down side is, if you are trying to use keyboard modifier keys to "shift" the state of your joystick buttons (like the actual SHIFT, CTRL, or ALT keys), most programming tools will not allow you to use keyboard keys to "shift" the joystick button states. You can only use other Joystick/HOTAS keys to "shift" the button's state. Even TARGET, which is very powerful, can't do this easily, or at all. But AutoHotKeys can as it has access to all keyboard keys, as well as all Joystick buttons and axis. I can give more details, but for now, the main point is to try the concept of mapping keyboard combos to drive SRS and the countermeasures in DCS and use mapper software to send those combos. As for how to do this in Voice Attack, I'm curious too. Maybe I need to look into that as I haven't considered using VA as a generic keyboard/joystick mapper. VA is very programmable, and very powerful, so I wouldn't be surprised.

ArturDCS, thanks for your effort on DCSFlightpanels (and pdmarsh and the others that have helped as well with DCS-BIOS and such). I just sent you a donation. Donations will never cover your time, but hopefully defraying the costs of buying modules makes it worth continuing on this.

Regarding this: I also did a restore point before running the program just to be safe. Whenever running "registry fix" programs, it's always a good idea to do a restore point. Thankfully Uraster provided the source code so we could see what they were doing. I would not have run this program otherwise. Not because I didn't trust Uraster. They clearly made the program to help their flight sim customers. But because mucking around with the registry is something to never take lightly. So I made sure I understood this issue (actually I've been studying this USB power down issues for over a year now as it screwed up DCS and USB devices in other ways as well). Like ArturDCS, I reviewed the source code and concluded it is doing exactly what Microsoft suggests you do, and felt confident I could trust the program. The alternative (looking up the USB ID and doing the registry fix on my own) is complicated enough that even a computer savvy person doesn't want to do it once. Move your USB connection for the panel, and you have to do it all over again. Uraster's program makes it possible to solve the issue even for non-computer savvy people. Thank you Uraster for making this program!!

For flying a helicopter, you should be using your feet (not necessarily legs or knees) for much of the movements, and legs only to set the major position (hold the major position with your legs, but make adjustments with the feet). This gives far more sensitivity and control which is important for a helicopter. As for "...riding a bicycle". Actually, with a bicycle, or motorcycle, you steer by pushing in the direction you want to go (called counter-steering). So in fact it is exactly like a helicopter anti-torque pedal. Push the bike's right handle bar forward, and the bike will fall (and steer) to the right. It is related to gyroscopic precession. On a bicycle, most people don't realize they are doing it because it is not taught (and you can often just lean your weight to steer). We just figure it out subconsciously. On a motorcycle, it is taught from the beginning because you can't safely ride a motorcycle without counter-steering. But push right to go right for a bike and a helicopter are just coincidences. There is no common reason why this is the same for both. Helicopters could have been designed to do the opposite. Also, regarding this steering, there is no connection between the concept of gyroscopic precession of a bike's front wheel and the gyroscopic precession in a helicopter rotor system. Same physics, but completely different purpose.

90% likely it is a bad or broken wire somewhere as Sokil1 suggests. And because some stuff is encoded in serial streams (3 wire I2C bus) unpredictable results can occur from a broken wire. If you are trying to fix it yourself, you just have to be diligent in checking all the wires visibly at first, and with a multi-meter if needed. It could be a bad IC, but IC's don't fail very often. Wires fail all the time (anything that moves is far more likely to fail vs. static elements). Start with that assumption. It could be a bad solder joint on an IC, but the circuit boards are far more isolated from mechanical damage than the wires and buttons.

What makes a good HOTAS is very much a matter of personal taste. Here are some things to consider, though. Out of the box, the Warthog Throttle is excellent - the best, or one of the best. It has an excellent friction feel due to the adjustable rubber friction pads which gives a smooth stiction free movement. It has a good variety of button and knob types. I use my Warthog Throttle in every game that needs a game controller from DCS and X-Plane to Train Sim World (which doesn't support game controllers, but TARGET solves that) and everything in between. It is the basis of my entire control platform. TARGET (for the supported Thrustmaster products - HOTAS Cougar, HOTAS Warthog, T.16000 HOTAS, and a couple others) is 2nd to none for the ability to do anything you ask it to do using relatively simple commands, or full on C programming. TARGET can even hook into Windows system calls if you really need it, and I have. For those not interested in learning to program, the TARGET GUI is as good or better than most other such programs. Half the reason I can't sim without my Warthog Throttle is because I can't sim without TARGET. In my opinion, it works much better to program the stick to match the sim, than the other way around. Most good sticks have software to do this. TARGET is just a little better than the rest. The Warthog Stick is OK (out of the box). Good for jet sims due to the many hats and buttons. Not so good for helicopters and war birds due to a stiff spring and stiction. But if you loosen up the spring and re-grease it, for a non FFB stick, it does very well. A good Force Feedback stick is preferred for helicopters. Or in lieu of that, a loose spring on the Warthog stick (or other joystick) so you don't feel the 0 crossing detents. Lately, I've been using a Logitech G940 Joystick. Its FFB is good enough, but sadly no comparison to the Microsoft Sidewinder FFB 2. The FFB2 is the best FFB stick period. But the FFB2 has a built in dead zone at the 0 crossing that disqualifies it for helicopters. Many people are using them and are happy with them, but when I switched to the G940 with no deadzone, I realized just how bad it was on the MS FFB2. Plus, the G940 Joystick has a good mix of buttons for a HOTAS whereas the MS FFB2 is lacking in buttons. I could use the FFB2 for war birds, but it doesn't cut it for the Blackshark where I need the buttons and hats. For jet sims, buttons matter more than FFB by a long shot. But, you must upgrade the G940 to the latest firmware (v1.42, not v1.41!!) to get rid of the reversal bug. The latest firmware is not easy to find, though. Logitech only released it in their forums, but then when they redid the forums recently, they lost the thread. I had to find the v1.42 firmware on archive.org. With v1.42 firmware, most the issues people complained about the G940 feel (both FFB and accuracy) is solved. It gets rid of the hysteresis dead zone from the v1.41 firmware which made the F940 stick horrible. With v1.42 firmware, the G940 now passes the MS FFB2 in functionality and flying accuracy even if the FFB motors and gimbal are still not as nice. The G940 Throttle, however, still has the reversal bug, even with the v1.42 firmware. It has a nice button setup, but is disqualified for use as a throttle (or a collective) because the reversal bug makes it useless. Plus the G940 Throttle and Stick suffer from long term reliability issues due to poor design (wires short out in the Throttle, the gimbal on the joystick isn't the strongest). The G940 and MS FFB2 are discontinued sadly. You can only find them used. On a budget, and looking for something you can buy new today as opposed to used on eBay, the Thrustmaster T.16000 HOTAS is both relatively cheap, well built and reliable (hall effect sensors, good mechanicals), has good feel, and works with TARGET. If it had a dual throttle, it might almost be a perfect setup (for the price). It is still the one I recommend to everyone just starting out even though the price is often just out of their budget. People often want (need) to cut corners (cost) on their first HOTAS, but better to get a middle priced good product than a low priced piece of junk. But if cheap is a necessity, the Thrustmaster T.Flight Hotas X is actually a pretty good HOTAS. But at that point, I'd rather buy a used MS FFB2 and and a Saitek Throttle Quadrant. The FFB2 is a significantly better stick even with the deadzone, and the Saitek Throttle Quadrant is very versatile, working well for multi-engine or complex engines like DCS war birds (throttle, prop pitch, mixture), as well as for a helicopter collective (with throttle). Then when you upgrade, the Throttle Quadrant is always useful for something. You didn't mention rudder pedals. The MS FFB2, T.16000, and T.Flight X all have twist sticks which can work as a rudder. The G940 came as a set with stick, throttle, and rudder. If you fly helicopters or war birds, you really should get a rudder to maximize enjoyment and learning. Otherwise, a twist stick is probably fine for jet sims. My favorite rudder is the Saitek Proflight Combat Rudder pedals (sadly another discontinued item), because they have rounded peg pedals so you put your heals on the ground and push with the balls of your feet. This is more proper for helicopters (more sensitivity and control) vs. the type of pedal set where you put your entire foot on the pedal (which is fine for most other aircraft).

Here is a program to do the registry change for you. http://uraster.com/en-us/products/usbenhancedpowermanagerdisabler.aspx These guys make simulator panels and created this program to deal with the nightmare of having to find the USB ID and then edit the EnhancedPowerManagementEnabled setting in the registry. Source code is included in case you want to see what they are doing, or change it to fit your needs. It is a very simple C# program. You need to run it with administrator rights (right click and say "Run as Administrator"). Be aware, they apply the EnhancedPowerManagementEnabled registry change to all Saitek Pro Flight devices, not just the panels (e.g. Pro Flight Yoke, Rudder Pedals, Throttle Quadrant, etc. as well as the Radio Panel, Multi-Panel, Switch Panel, etc.). On my Windows 10 system, all my Saitek Pro Flight stuff worked fine including my Radio Panel. But my Multi-Panel display did not come up. After running this program, now my Multi-panel display works.

Ah, I was thinking that your receiver was actually talking to your computer, acting as a sound card device over the network (WiFi or hard wired wouldn't matter). Some receivers have this capability in which case they are acting as a DirectX device. If so, everything I described would very likely be the cause. But yes, I missed that you said other network devices (including your lady's laptop) are doing the same thing. That is baffling. Maybe I need to study the TrackIR disconnect thing more carefully. For me, it has caused the lockups in DCS when DCS does a DirectX re-init, but maybe the cause of the TrackIR disconnecting is different from the other causes I described, even if the result in DCS is the same as when my USB devices reset. I just can't think of why a network device connecting or disconnecting would cause TrackIR to do anything different.