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MilesD

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  1. MilesD
    Many fly by wire systems like the FA-18 have force feedback for specific parameters. One such parameter for the FA-18 is a stick force gradient correlated to current g load. I just restarted development of an all in force feedback base that is programmable for all aircraft types. Miles
  2. MilesD
    Again, another great idea from the community! I wasn't even thinking about that Sirrah, thanks, and added. This was supposed to be simple, but it looks like its getting complicated. The center blue square section is for confirming data only. I will probably hide that and make it a pop up. Thanks again Sirrah, Miles
  3. MilesD
    Update: So the supply chain issue is slowly getting solved. The reason I was getting multiple incorrect parts from multiple suppliers was because it was issue with the manufacturer. sending out the wrong parts to the distributors. I always keep 2 mistakes away from affecting production, and use multiple suppliers for just this reason. Unfortunately, the single common point torpedoed my redundant supply chain plan. The good news is, because of this production delay, the GUI is moving along nicely and is now communicating with the HMS. I will keep you posted, Miles
  4. MilesD
    Hi Antonio, Apologies for the delay, Carol said she emailed you. Since production is waiting on parts I have been buried in the GUI development , and Carol has been taking advantage of the break to do her Art. Thanks, Miles
  5. MilesD
    That adjustment must be even more critical with the hard cams, if its even possible to smooth out the hard ones with that big gap/valley between the cams. It looks like a strong design though, that only needs some new cam tweaking. I am impressed with the whole design of both the stick and throttle for a brand new product, right out of the gate. I have to keep telling myself not to get distracted and CNC a new cam. I am having flashbacks to my days at Colt teaching about sear surfaces and hammer camming. I was going to build my own base mechanics for the Warthog, but now I'm thinking I may just purchase Winwings set-up Thanks for the post Jabbers, Miles
  6. MilesD
    I don't think "to eager" I think it was a great perspective. You said it was an "un-boxing", not a "review", and it went above and beyond that. Un-boxing, adjustments, installation, and I assume flying, (the last parts for tonight). You did what 99% of us do with new toy, and you certainly didn't make a fool of yourself. The real time challenges that you faced were what we all would have faced, and it's what kept me watching. I think if some of us spent a small portion of the the time we dedicate to reading how our virtual aircraft systems work, on our actual real world hardware, we would have a better experience with it. I think Winwing also got a typical real world perspective of our SOP's when we get something new and shiny. Your stream should be required watching for their engineers. My only complaint, get some hex drivers and throw away those crappy allen wrenches.:) Thanks for your time, all 4 hours of it. Looking forward to watching the flight portion tonight.
  7. MilesD
    This was only my second time watching any live stream, and I found it very interesting. I thought I saw where Jabbers said WinWing requested the unboxing live stream. Great job from Jabbers with a completely unfamiliar product, and hats off to Winwing for accepting responsibility for not having the instructions available for Jabbers prior to the live stream. I know Winwing is probably very busy now trying to finish up hundreds of small details before the initial shipments go out. I was also impressed with WinWings professional responses to the live stream. I don’t know if it’s appropriate, but since Winwing was in the chat room anyway, I think it would have been helpful to have Winwing on voice standby for Jabbers. That way you could address issues and explain features in real time. I’m sure that as you watched, you wanted to inform Jabbers about an important procedure that he had no way of knowing about. Just a thought for upcoming streamers. Great job guys, looking forward to Jabbers follow ups once he gets everything sorted. Miles
  8. MilesD
    Hi Assaf, I was making good progress on the list until I hit some supply chain issues that are still a problem. As soon as its sorted, production will begin again. During this down time I have made some automation improvements that should speed things up. I am also developing a GUI that will make PointCTRL user friendly to set up. If you get on the list now, I should be able to ship yours in no more than 6 weeks, hopefully sooner. Payment is not required until your PointCTRL is being tested and almost ready to ship. Thanks for the interest, Miles P.S. I did clear out my inbox, so I can receive PM's here again. Don't forget its easy to get me on the point CTRL discord.
  9. MilesD
    Roger, Thank you, I will go back to the VHB rubber tape. UPDATE: As asked for, and needed, this is the first go at the GUI or the NVGUI (Not Very Graphic User Interface) The goal is to pre-select monitor and VR hardware specs and have cursor limit box and targets automatically generated in the right places. The user can then measure the physical distance from the HMS to where they will be using the FCU most of the time on the front or side panels. (PointCTRL VR Mounterd Sensor to Finger Units) The User then only has to perform a "Zero" procedure of the HMS using only a center target. At this point, math should get things very close. A full standard and edge calibration can be performed separately, but will not require setting cursor boxes or targets. The light and dark blue boxes will move with the FCU buttons to let you know where you are on the menu, and what to do next when doing standard and edge calibrations. There will also be a voice assist while you are in VR. Thanks, Miles
  10. MilesD
    Thanks FoxDelta, I had a suspicion (okay, I was hoping) you would do some testing. I used to mess with the LUA files a lot in the past, I wonder if there is a setting there we could change. Your mod came out great, I hope you don't mind that I share it here. Did I send you the new or old CAD files? The new ones also eliminated the bump on the bottom of the switch's. But your design, with the hinged top and built in diffuser is next level. I am also looking at over-molding the current FCUs with a smaller battery. That 3d printer encloser you built came out great. Is that a IKEA cabinet, if it is, what fantastic idea for an encloser, I never would have never thought of that. Awesome stuff Fox!!! Sharing FoxDelta's FCU Mod
  11. MilesD
    Hi Sirrah, I see you you ordered the Rift CV1 mount. The mounting tape on the Rift CV1 only sticks to the front of the headset, it wont stick to the material on top. That's why the lower portion on the CV1 mount is so large compared to other mounts. (I need to add that piece of info somewhere) If you put the tape on face and not the top, please let me know. I recently switched to a less aggressive tape based on a few comments on how the rubber VHB was to difficult to get off. Is anyone else having problems with the HMS not staying securely fastened? Reference the calibration, I am working on a GUI to simplify calibration. Thanks for your feedback. Miles
  12. MilesD
    So, all is good now? Miles
  13. MilesD
    I think you are correct, confirming how the fixed monitor resolution affects the the mouse vertical cursor movement limits in VR is on my to-do list. Just as you stated, weather you are using PointCTRL or a standard mouse, I think the maximum cursor movement is limited by your monitors resolution or pixels, and as you noted, the 1440 monitor/1600 VR Display = .9 or 90%. The only thing that throws a wrench in that theory is I think we only see about 75% of monitors display on our VR displays. In the end, I think there must be a cursor movement reduction built into the vertical that is exacerbated by the monitor/HMD vertical resolution ratio. Fortunately its not that noticeable. Thanks for the input on this, let us know if you come to any conclusions. Rather than physically switching to a low res monitor, I was going to see if changing the desktop and DCS resolution affected the cursor movement. Miles
  14. MilesD
    Hey Drac, Good question, for me, I lean around a lot to access certain switches, just like you would in real life. If a switch is behind you, you have to turn in your seat to see it, and then point at it to interact with it. I find it a bit easier than turning while using a mouse that is in a fixed position, because you are taking the mouse with you when you turn. Its all really rather intuitive. Edit: I see you asked about re centering to reach a switch. That technique would work well with PointCTRL, and the cursor will always re-align with the new re-center. I personal don't use that method because some days turning in my seat is the only exercise I get. Miles
  15. MilesD
    Hey Srirah, The new black chargers work differently than the original blue charger, here is how they work. New Black FCU Charger Indicator Charger Plugged in, not connected to FCU = red light ON Charger Plugged in, connected to FCU and charging = red light OFF Charger Plugged in, connected to FCU and FCU is fully charged = red light ON I test all components in each kit before shipment, so the batteries may be fully charged. FCU Battery Check 1) Press the on/off button on the FCU for 2 seconds or until the cursor moves to the center of the screen vertically. 2) Observe Horizontal position of cursor, the height of cursor is proportional to the battery life remaining. See examples below. Top Center of screen = Full Battery 3/4 up from the bottom of screen = 3/4 Battery life remaining 1/2 up from the bottom of screen = 1/2 Battery life remaining 1/4 up from the bottom of screen = 1/4 Battery life remaining Bottom Center of screen = Low Battery I would be surprised if your batteries died at the same time. I would make the following checks. 1) Check if the FCU is in the Active Mode, Left Black Button on the HNS enables and disables the FCU. 2) Make sure you did not click out of the active window. 3) You can always reboot the FCU by pressing the white reset button on the HMS, you will not loose any settings. the reset only disconnects and reconnects PointCTRL from your PC and restarts the PointCTRL firmware. Let us know how you make out, Miles P.S. Don't forget to join our discord, there are a lot of helpful PointCTRL owners on there who jump right in when they see someone on the help channel.
  16. MilesD
    Hi Goblin, If you want to play a game that needs to track a controller above your head, the PointCTRL PCB pops out in a few seconds. There is a cutout in the mount for the camera lens to see through when the board is removed. When the cover is removed the board is captured by the USB connector. To remove and install it be sure to pivot the cord on the USB connector. I haven't tried offsetting the mount. If you re-calibrate with the mount offset it should work. But it will offset slightly left or right as the FCU distance from the HMS varies. It may not be that noticeable. Keep me posted, Miles
  17. MilesD
    And, for everyone, be sure you are in the 3d cockpit without and menus active. The 2d cursor of the menus works differently, and will move opposite when you move your head. To use the 2d menus with PointCTRL you should look straight ahead and not move your head. Otherwise it's a bit like a dog chasing its tail. Miles
  18. MilesD
    Hey Sirrah, You are correct, you should calibrate at the same distance where you will be operating your FCU's most of the time. Basically you want to extend your arm to where you feel your are touching the panels. If you put your finger a few inches in front of your face, you will experience what you mentioned with the cursor drift when you move your head. With a properly calibrated HMS, the cursor should stay on the switch you are pointing at when you move your head and keep your hand still. However, if you move your head quickly the cursor will move off target and then settle back to where you are pointing about 1/4 of second later. I cued up this video to the spot where it demonstrates an alternate method of calibration. This is from the beginning, The sound gets better when I put the headset on. The calibration targets are at around 2:40.
  19. MilesD
    Hey Gruman, Thanks for your time with the feedback. I am guessing your using (alt/enter) full screen mode and your cursors were shifted to the right, I will have to check to see if thats documented. Response to questions You are correct, the ports on the top of the HMS are for the connector. Each button bank is 3 push-buttons, just like the FCUs. They are not active yet and will need a firmware upgrade. The VRB prossesing can all be done on the HMS, without regard to which VR headset your using, but it looks like its going to require a HMS upgrade. The GUI should be compatabe with the HMS. Any upgraded components will be available to previous customers at a discount. Yea the F18 grip can be an issue depending on your hand size and stick location. Deano87 cants his right FCU on a angle to help with it. I went through what felt like hundreds of push buttons, and I am still on the lookout for a lower profile switch that with the same quality and precise feel of the current ones. I wish dome switches felt better. I believe a new two button FCU that is 1/2 the height will mitigate any interference issues. I do like your glove idea, and as long as there is interest, I would like to add several different options that are all compatible with current PointCTRL hardware. I have experimented with a flat panel that mounts in front of you in the area of the UFC and MFDs. Basically a stiff lightweight panel with 1/4" of movement that activates the left mouse click when pressed. Its kind of redundant and a bit strange to have two different options to press a button. When I get caught up I will post some pics to gauge interest. Thanks again for your feedback,and your idea for different style wearable controllers is going on the list. Miles
  20. MilesD
    Hey Peter, Carol has your info, We are still waiting on the correct micro-controllers to arrive. Thanks for the offer to pre-pay, but you certainly wont miss out. I really really promise. I just did not realize the wrong boards were shipped to us when I posted the "Now Serving" 125 thru 150. Thanks for understanding, hopefully it won't be much longer, Miles
  21. MilesD
    Yes it is a good idea from Mariner. The comms menu has been frustrating him for a while, he has made some changes to font that helps a bit. Reference the separate functions per Left and Right FCU, I could probably add functions recognized by pressing both of the same buttons on each FCU simultaneously, but I can't recognize which FCU is being pressed. Now that I think about, I probably have room in memory to add hot spots in the field of view for the third button, or if the same FCU button is being press on each FCU simultaneously. Similar to the VRBs, but on screen. Examples would be, point to where the chat window would be and press the unused button and it toggles the chat menu, Esc could be upper left corner, Zoom the center area of the screen, Knee board the lower right, Frame rate counter where that is, ect... I think the suggestions that can't be implemented are just as useful as the ones that are. They get us thinking in a different direction and outside our current box. Thanks FireCat, I think you are onto something really useful here. Code-wise, its lighter to implement, and its more intuitive for the user than the VRB's. Thanks again everyone, please keep the ideas coming because I am now working on the next firmware update. Miles
  22. MilesD
    Interesting... The cursor moevement should be the full width and height of your FOV in VR. Is it less in the Index? The cursor may be using the native vertical resolution of the desktop monitor instead of the Index's. Can you move your standard mouse to the FOV limits? Mariner experienced reduced cursor movement when he went from the CV1 to the Reverb before re-calibrated and expanded his cursor limits and targets. Miles
  23. MilesD
    I like this feedback, @Chic. I almost have a good lens combo completed for the Static Mount Non-VR PointCTRL @Kaltokri, I had some challenges with the VRB (virtual radial buttons) and PointCTRL as a mouse and keyboard causing a conflict with some keyboards. I am going to try and make PointCTRL be seen as a mouse and joystick as you mentioned, and see how that works. I may have to upgrade the processor to implement the VRB's, as I am up against the speed and memory limits of the 32u4 processor, What are VRBs? VRBs are 16 virtual buttons just outside your field of view. You press them by going slightly off screen at specific intuitive locations and pressing one of the three FCU buttons, like where the multi-player chat would be, or the Huey weapons status panel. With the three button FCU you can have a total of 48 VRBs. @ FirCat, I agree that's it's best to focus on firmware first that benefits all current users first. Your new button mapping will be in the next firmware release. As soon as the GUI is complete, I will add the ability to configure as a two button FCU with the extra button as another function. You can also use both FCUs simultaneously in a complimentary technique. Pressing button 1 on the Left FCU and pressing button 3 on the right FCU is the same as pressing buttons 1 and 3 on a single FCU. Edit: Mariner suggested in the discord using a button to help with the 2d cursor of the comms menu. We could use the extra button for that. It can shift the cursor right to be more user friendly while in the comms. @GreyMan, I would very much like to integrate hands that follow the FCUs for those that would like it. Thanks for your input guys, its really great stuff!! Miles
  24. MilesD
    I'm with you on that, PointCTRL was supposed to have been an interim device until a fully integrated solution came along. I would like to continue to improve PointCTRL until something better comes along. I have been drinking from a firehouse for the last year with this stuff. I am still amazed how technology has made all this moving electron stuff so easy to conceptualize and effectively implement, for an old knuckle dragger like me. I try to stay in my lane and keep things as simple as possible to effectively accomplish a specific task. With that being said, my current plan is to incrementally improve PointCTRL, and I would like some feedback and suggestions on what our priority of work should be. PointCTRL was developed with and for this community, and I would like this community to improve it and have it move in the direction you want. Here is a top 10 of what I am currently thinking, as long as there is continued interest and no better working alternatives available. They are listed in order of priority. I would love to hear your suggestions. 1) Improved cursor resolution. 2) Aux VR headset mounted Push-buttons 3) Radial Virtual Buttons just outside your FOV for admin task 4) Graphic user interface to simplify setup and calibration (VR Head Set specific pre-sets) 5) Reduce size of FCU's (2 buttons only, 2/3rds the current length and 1/2 the height ) 6) Tactile touch panels. 7) Integrate VR headset movement so cursor is more fluid and does not move when you turn your head quickly. 8 ) New HMS cortex processor and footprint allowing flat mounting to the face of VR headset. (Index frunk, Rift S) 9) DCS support for having the arm follow the cursor. 10) 2 camera HMS version for 3d interaction Maybe I should start a separate thread for future developments? Thanks, Miles
  25. MilesD
    Yes Sir :surrender: , I asked Carol to send your invoice, and thank you for your kind words, we truly appreciate it. I was most surprised by Carol jumping right in and taking on more and more of the production task. She is a gifted artist, and her manual dexterity combined with experience with silver soldering jewelry, translated perfectly to the fine solder skills required for PointCTRLs components that can't be re-flowed. And you are correct, it is a labor of love. My true payback, is hearing how PointCTRL makes others recreational experience more enjoyable. Thank you, Miles
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