MilesD

Hey Bearfoot, I may not have explained it well by using "time out" to refer to both the mouse cursor, as well as the FCU time out. You should have no need to LALT-C with PointCTRL. As soon as the FCUs are out of view, the cursor is moved to a default location that is outside your field of view in VR, and it will not show up again even when you move your head. That location, where you cant see, is where the cursor times out in the sim and disappears. If the FCU LEDs are on, and you look at your hand on throttle, you will see the cursor on the throttle, where it should be. When the FCU LED turns off after it performs it's user preset time-out (between 10 seconds and oo), you will no longer see it at all until you reactivate it by pressing any one of the three buttons. I know that was a long explanation, but it was a good question. Without PointCTRL, something as minor as the cursor moving with your head for 10 seconds was a real immersion breaker, and supper annoying tor me. Thanks for the great question, Miles

Thanks for jumping in FireCat, Hi Wakkaman, Just to reinforce what FireCat linked. While PointCTRL does function with those "other" programs, their native mouse implementation does not provide the same level of a interaction and user experiences as DCS. Once all of the DCS/PointCTRL goals are complete, I will be focusing on the other sims. Thanks, Miles

No, this update improves FCU tracking, cursor resolution, and helps smooth out the finger shakes, making button presses more consistent. There is not currently a center mouse button. Is their additional functionality achieved when the mouse cursor is off? PointCTRL automatically hides the cursor when the FCUs are out of view or timed out. Thanks for the questions guys, Miles

Update: The correct new firmware is up with the hotfix from Deano's testing. https://pointctrl.com/sdm_downloads/pointctrl-update-110419-beta/ Thanks, Miles

Important Update: I uploaded the wrong version of the Firmware to the website, it has lag and other issues. Deano found some issues with the correct beta version. I am fixing them now and should have a good update live within the hour. Thanks Deano, Miles

Firmware Update: HeloGuy, Deano, and a few other have been testing a new firmware that increases cursor resolution, and makes button presses more consistent. I was going to wait to put it out, but I added it as a beta option on the firmware page. https://pointctrl.com/firmware/ The password is on your invoice, If you cant find it just ask me on discord. I will be removing the password requiment as soon as I refine some of the firmware security. This update wont change your current calibration and settings, and you can switch back to the original at any time. Please let me know what you think, its easy to tweak now that the heavy lifting is done. Thanks, Miles I am coding the serial coms for transferring the settings variables Sirrah. I am going to put out a small program for those that would like to help. You just to run a small app and it will help me determine the visible limits inside the different VR headset models. Thanks for asking and offering Sirrah, Los!!!, Time for a night out with the Wives again. Hey SunDog, Glad to hear you are enjoying PointCTRL

Hey Thadiun, Thank you so much for your time and sharing your knowledge and extensive experience, and its not rambling at all, you are a wealth of great information. I assumed with high static loads the limiting factor with narrower fine pitch belt's would be shearing or skipping belt teeth because their lack of depth would enable them to cam out of engagement, but from your experience, its apparent it wont be a problem. One of my CNC machines that I haven't gotten a chance to set up hard or soft limits on has big NEMA 34s and if hit a mechanical stop it skips teeth. I had a good laugh at the the bat near the family jewels analogy! I didn't even think of that, must be cautions during testing. Thanks for confirming that the Kevlar shaft shaft winding does not have any obvious "show stoppers", and it's interesting to know it was was used in professional simulators. It surprised me how it outperformed everything I tested. I did have a role pin on the shaft at center winding that anchored the cord. I need to get caught up on PointCTRL, so I can dedicate more time to this. Thanks again for sharing your insight and knowledge. Miles

I like these FHT kevlar belts,https://www.sdp-si.com/ss/pdf/80502026C.pdf but the limiting factor is the pulley torque, winch is about half of what we would need. I didn't see a % of circumference tooth engagement the specs were written for, however with the back-bending design of the partial pulley system with idlers I think it would be significantly increased. Just thinking out-loud for comments, Miles

Hey Thad, Isn't it great looking back at old notebooks. Its always interesting to compare initial drawings to final products years later. I also enjoy looking at the things we dreamed up, but never made. You have an artist touch, I cant draw anything without graph paper. Thanks for the good info about the new belt profiles and cogging, My machines have a mix of HTD and GT belts. I really don't have anything new to offer in the mechanical design department. You have more experience with the FFB joysticks than I. I did a 5 min sketch of the design I was thinking of using on this. I always use a anchored open ended belt on my machines. I like the kevlar winding because it eliminates the change of direction idler bearings that back-bend the belt with this partial pulley implementation. I also like the compactness of an 6" radius partial pulley that has an 12" effective diameter in terms of power transmission ratio. Let me know if you see any holes in this implementation. Thanks again, Miles

@Thadiun Okona, That is really some great execution. I like your design with the adjustable counter weight. Even with the large industrial motors I have been testing with, I found I still needed a perfectly balanced stick in both the x and y to achieve a light 2 finger feel of symmetry at the trimmed center position. I balanced my single axis test stick just like a RC helicopter rotor head. What are you thoughts on open ended kevlar cord wraped and pinned around the motor shaft instead of gears or belts? I found it to be very effective. It also eliminated a double reduction of transmission to the control stick. I am curios if I am missing a reason not to use this method. I will be picking up on an old design I started a few years ago using 3 phase steppers controlled as sensored BLDC motors. The driver will be purpose built for our unique motor control requirements. When I get some time I will dig out the test fixtures and post some pics. Thanks for sharing your awesome build. Miles Miles

Hey Peter, I have not sent any invoices yet. I got caught up trying to finish the GUI and a firmware cursor refinement achieved through code and sensor setting changes. Its always a balance for me between making updates/improvements to PointCTRL, and production for sales. I know there are still a lot of back-orders, but I discovered an opportunity to improve things for the early adopters, as well make PointCTRL better for new users. Apologies for those waiting, and for me not treating this like a business and just filling the orders as is. In the end, I think everyone will be more satisfied with PointCTRL. I have added several automation steps to production, so once it gets going full speed again, we should move through the list quickly. Thanks for your patience, Miles

@Thadiun Okona, Great stuff!!!, It sounds like you have been doing this a while. Miles

That is a really impressive implementation of a proportional solenoid. (Edit: referring to actuators on their website) I tried doing something similar once with a sensorless RC outruner motor that I attached a encoder too. I think my micro controller was to slow, or the encoder did not have a high enough resolution. In the end, I really wasn't smart enough to make it work well. I know a bit more now, and have some big BLDC motors with very high resolution encoders, maybe I will it a try again and add it to the test line-up. I think adding a flywheel for static inertia would be helpful when switching the poles quickly. Might try scraping the encodes if I can get really fast hall sensors. Miles

Hey Sirrah, That sounds like IR interference. My guess is a window or light is in the direction of the overhead panel right where the cursor is stuck. If its a window, you may have to occlude it, if its a light, you may have to switch to a bulb that does not emit IR, like an LED and some of the CFL or fluorescent bulbs. Unlike TrackIR, where you only have to account for the IR interference in the static cameras FOV, PointCTRLs sensor is moved in your 360 degree environment. Here is another cheesy long winded video that may be helpful in tracking down the problem. Miles

Thanks for the info, it sounds like you have a good plan. I have an the old gameport version of that stick that I never used, but I took it apart once and as l recall they were standard 775 brushed motors with helical gears. I think the problem with putting bigger motors in that system is it would probably increase detent torque making the stick hard to initially move. If we were able to source larger coreless, or skew wound motors it would help, but they both have less low speed torque. I have used several methods to overcome the detent torque of the larger industrial motors I use. Some more successful than others, all of the wins used a form of pressure sensing on the control stick. Anyway, the initial static friction and magnetic detent torque are the number one factors that kill the flight control feel for me. Miles

Look what you started TaliG, Your post motivated me to finish an old project... hopefully. @FIN_Centurion1, I am always up for suggestions and new ideas, no matter how crazy they sound. Fortunately, for this project, I have a quite a bit of experience with motion control systems, and I have shelves full of hardware well suited for this challenge. My CNC machines have been idle lately, so I am looking forward to using them again. Electronic work and coding can be be rewarding, but there is nothing like cutting metal and throwing nice chips. Miles

Update: I finally received the correct parts and production has started again. I expect to send out invoices on Monday for the current group. Thanks for your patience, Miles The first 40 FCUs of this run are out out of the oven.

Thanks for that RustBelt, Are you using alternative dc motors with your FFB2/Warthog or the stock ones? Miles

Whats up HeloGuy!!! Your spot on with the design goals. A realistic force trim implementation is a critical design goal. I see a few minor issues with modeling the trim actuators and parallel servos outside of the sim, but I really don't see any other way to do it. I assume you only use the simulation trim to administratively set the trim to zero, and then all trimming is done electro-mechanically with the stick. When I am a bit more freed up from PointCTRL we should get up on discord voice, or phone. Given your "Night" job, I would love some more input. My helo advisers are mostly UH1 and S76 . We are getting together in January for 3 days, so I hope to have some working prototypes to test, adjust, and verify different control loading and effects. An air-frame dependent ETL vibration is a big one for me. Thanks for the input, and I hope to talk to you soon. Miles

Hey Harlikwin, Let me do some measurements and do a few monitored test on the hot swap before you try it. I would hate myself if you had an issue. I'lll be the test dummy on my equipment. For the connection I was thinking a wireless 2.4 ghz connection for the data and a magnetic cell phone style connector for power. The wireless connection can add some interesting options for other peripherals and allow automatic stick model recognition. Edit: The flight axis would be hard wired, only the stick buttons would be wireless. I haven't got into the other sticks, but its all really rather simple to map, unless someone is using some sort of proprietary coms. Thanks for the suggestions.

Thats a good start using the MSFFB2. The biggest challenges I found so far are, static friction when the load is extremely light around the controls center, cogging, and a hardware design that requires minimal PID loop tuning for the varied stick velocity and loads. A hybrid system shows the most promise, consisting of a buffered drive system using industrial BLDC motors, and 3 sensors per axis. Sensors sample absolute stick position, BLDC motor cumulative position, and the delta of the the buffer system relative to each component. The last sensor should be able to be omitted by obtaining the delta between the encoder and the absolute stick position directly. Sorry I rambled, If those challenges are met, DCS provides enough export data that should provide realistic control loading and effects for any aircraft type. Price goal is sub $500.00 USD Miles

Update The chip manufacturer finally fixed the mislabeling issue. Production will be starting again tomorrow. Here is a video preview of the new PointCTRL GUI. The sound is low so you may have to turn it up. Miles

The current design I am working with is a floor mounted unit with the pitch axis pivot 5.5 inches above the floor and the roll axis pivot 6.5 inches above the floor. Stick height would be infinity adjustable, like a bicycle seat. Stick length will probably be determined by seat height and good forearm to thigh contact.

Hey Harlikwin, Hot swapping anything that uses shift registers like the Warthog should not be a problem. I am using a cortex micro-controller and I can have it recognized as several different HID joysticks. I am thinking on the fly here, but that should work for you in DCS because the joysticks would all show up when DCS boots, Just map to whichever joystick column you are using for a particular aircraft. After you screwed the new joystick on you would have to tell the cortex which stick you are using. Could just be any number of methods for that. I am writing all of the design goals now, I spent a lot of time this weekend in the weeds with high hour rotary and fixed wing pilots getting all of the nuances down on how each system operates and feels. Anything else you can think of now would be appreciated. I would like to run this project the way we did PointCTRL, with the community. The priority now is electro-mechanical systems testing and selection that can meet the design requirements. Miles

Hi Sydost, Great post and information. We currently use a "straw hat" wide angle IRLED with a 120 degree angle of half intensity. With our Sensor, an increased area of the tracked light source provides better tracking through linear interpolation of the center coordinate. FoxDeltas mod increases the area of the tracked IR source. I have had mixed results with add on diffusers for increased resolution, but I am still working on a final retrofit solution. I am also moving from a 5mm to a 8mm IRLED with a translucent lens surface finish ( the same effect you achieved when you filed the led to reduce the angle of incidence across the LED ) the frosted surface illuminates the entire LED lens and diffuses light, while providing consistent tracked surface. Thank you for your suggestions, and I will update the first post as you suggested. The web site is half done, but you can also see the different mounts available there. http://pointctrl.com Thanks again, I truly appreciate your suggestions and feedback. Miles