CyBerkut

Well... you're getting feedback from people who quite likely have a better understanding of the various Force Trim options available. Your description of the problem matches what people run into when they have the Central Position Trimmer Mode selected, and then are not able to get their stick and/or pedals centered well enough for the sim to see them as centered and then begin accepting new inputs. That is the risk you run by using that mode. It may be that you need to set a larger deadzone for your stick, or for your rudder control (or both). Yes, if you have not followed PeterP's mod for unchaining the rudder, then the rudder input could be doing you in. If you uncheck that Central Position Trimmer Mode option, you still have a Force Trim mode available to you that does not need the use of ForceFeedback. What it will require you to do is quickly re-center your controls, to avoid having them add additional control inputs. There is a very good thread on this older, original BS 1.0-style method: http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=35444

I knew I had seen the problem mentioned before somewhere... http://www.leobodnar.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=100 Apparently, it depends on what software you are using. As metalnwood remembered, they eventually went to a scheme of only offering it on larger orders.

As I understand it, if you get multiple copies of the same board, you should tell Leo that you need him to assign unique names to them (so the computer can differentiate between them).

Superb! Thanks, mue!

OK, that makes sense. I'm thinking that just selecting Force Feedback Mode should accomplish making centering a non-issue, but if it doesn't work then your method should definitely get it done. :) OK, that is helpful, and thanks for the circuit drawing. By any chance, did you keep a list of what values you used on the various components? So, if I understand this correctly, you wired in to the joystick button up in the grip where it is connected to the circuit board inside the grip... and you were able to pick that signal up without interfering with the button's normal function in the game/control panel. Very nice! :thumbup:

Well, I guess you could order a custom cut X-Keys bar: http://www.piengineering.com/xkeys/xkstick.php That's a pretty expensive solution, and probably still larger than you want. I'd either hack a mouse, gamepad, or cheap joystick before doing that for merely 3 buttons.

How about a small (laptop sized) 3 button mouse?

I *knew* I recognized this writing / subject when I read the other thread... then this one confirmed it. :) Folks, if you haven't read BBall's December, 2011 article over on SimHQ, "Going to Work with Dad" .... well, you should go check it out. Definitely worth the read! http://www.simhq.com/_air14/air_515a.html BBall, thanks for sharing. :thumbup:

+1 :)

If you want to convert your AV8R stick into a collective control with a minimum of work/modding... check out HitchHikingFlatlander's mod: http://simhq.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/2711990/Re_A_Good_Joystick_to_Hack.html#Post2711990 http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=40759

I see. Well, hopefully he gets a bite or two. The links in his post do not appear to work, which doesn't help. I guess the pedals are a version of these: http://flightsimcontrols.com/store/pedals/vkb-rudder-pedals-mk-21-3/ and the stick: http://flightsimcontrols.com/store/joysticks/fat-king-cobra-mkii/ Which we've seen posted on the forums before. So far, he doesn't seem to be getting any feedback.

PeterP, what is your point? (see what I did there?) ;) Seriously though... that was a touch cryptic. Following that message you quoted back to it's source, goes to a thread where you posted a message pointing to... this thread. I'm sure you were getting at something, but I haven't managed to figure it out...

Awesome news! Congratulations on the new daughter! You get to it when you get to it. I'm glad to see you're still popping on to the forums. :)

Does anybody on here know of an alternate way (besides these forums and the built-in PM syatem) to contact Mue?

Well... I don't have one to fool with, but I'll point out that 24 gauge is pretty small, and being stranded is going to make it that much easier to flatten out and harder for that green connector to latch onto securely. If you are already locked in to that 24 gauge stranded, I'd suggest keeping the stripping just long enough to ensure that the green connector is latching on to bare wire... and twisting the strands together and tinning them, such that it is like a solid wire that is being plugged in. If you are not locked in to using that wire... I suspect you would have better luck with a thicker gauge. Hopefully somebody on here with BU0386X experience will chime in with more authoritative knowledge. You might also try asking on Leo's forums. http://www.leobodnar.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=9&sid=26bf11f138f372875ecd774257820ea0

This is a great modification! :thumbup: I've been meaning to ask about it, but now with the Huey module out, it has taken on more priority. :) Can you provide more information on the optical coupling and where you are picking off the signal inside the stick? The disabling of the center trim method makes sense, after all, that is what the mod is all about. I guess I'll need to look into the HelicopterTrimmerTauInverse=0.0 as I don't know what that is doing. :book: If you still want to look at reversing the clutch action, where your magnets would be energized while depressing the trim button, I think you could accomplish that with: 1. Remove the magnets from their current mounted positions. 2. Place traction tape (like what skate boarders use, or what gets put on outdoor steps to prevent slips and falls) on the top of the clutch bars that your magnets have been clamping on to. 3. Fashion another bar to sit above your existing clutch bar, oriented across it at a 90 degree angle. Have the bar hinged to pivot on one end, with a spring holding it pressed down upon the existing clutch bar. Put traction tape on the underside of that pivoting bar, where it crosses the existing clutch bar. Traction tape on both bars will engage, which should be enough to stop the drawer rail from sliding. 4. Mount your electro magnet above the pivoting bar, so that when energized, it pulls the pivoting bar up, away from the existing clutch bar. Traction tape on both bars will disengage, which should allow the drawer rail to slide. You might find it better to locate the magnet mount so that it is not directly above the existing clutch bar, in order to ensure it doesn't cause the existing clutch bar to lift. 5. Repeat for the other clutch bar assembly. 6. Swap your circuit control scheme to energize the magnets when the trim button is depressed. Alternatively, what I might do, is something similar, but utilizing solenoids instead of electromagnets... as you can get them to mechanically actuate with power off, or power on, as whatever the design needs. I'd actually like to do it for both the cyclic, and the pedals. Anything you could share on picking off that signal inside the stick, and the circuit you used for the magnet control, would be appreciated!

That's part of the increase in immersion... you're not allowed to drink on duty! :megalol:

I don't think Eagle Dynamics is going to feel much need to sacrifice initial profits in the interest of establishing their brand. They are well established in the eyes of most potential customers. I suspect the balance they will be seeking is what initial price point is going to yield the maximum profit. Considering the appetite for a high fidelity air-to-air combat fast-mover that exists... I would expect the initial price to be no lower than what their other offerings have been, and quite possibly a good bit more. As long as they are delivering the goods, that should work out fine for them. If needed, they can always lower the price or throw in some additional content/bling. E.D. has made some unconventional moves along the way that some have found quite puzzling (P-51D for instance). I think their view comes out of a different paradigm than what many thought it should be. First off, they also do sim development for government entities, so they don't necessarily live or die solely upon the success of the DCS product line. Second, it looks like they have taken a 'longer view' with their 'DCS World' approach, and leaving room for vehicles from different eras, etc. While many don't have all that they want right now (whether it be modern era air combat with multiple high fidelity vehicles to choose from, or a fully fleshed out WWII era combat environment, or...), the framework to make it feasible has been laid down. Between the tools that E.D. has already laid out, and the opening up to selected 3rd party developers... I think E.D. has made some good, saavy choices. It's not an immediate gold mine, but it sure looks like it will pan out in the long run. Spectrum Holobyte had a plan to have an Electronic Battlefield Series, IIRC. Their decisions eventually ran up against a harsh reality in the software publishing business, and they did not get to finish pursuing that vision. E.D. appears to have arrived at a better way to approach that dream, couched within the circumstances that exist in the software business now. While it is hard to patiently wait for the next installment, it is interesting to watch the story unfold.

I think it is up to the publisher to decide what amounts they want to sell their products for, and then the market will either buy them, or they will not. The publisher needs to cover costs while developing, plus get some sort of profit. Some customers will attempt to consider that sort of thing in their purchasing decisions, while others will simply look at what they find valuable to their own purposes. If the publisher starts out too high for many, those customers will hold off until the price drops to what they consider to be fair... or even forgo ever purchasing it. The usual goal for a publisher is to maximize profits. That does not always equate to selling the most copies of the program (especially in the early phase where R&D costs are being recaptured). It's possible in some cases to make more money by selling to fewer customers at a higher price. At some point, if they manage to cover their R&D expenses, it can start to make more sense to eventually lower the price to gain more market penetration. Sometimes, it comes down to factors outside of the product in question... for instance, it may be worthwhile to the company to take a smaller profit on one product in order to more deeply establish their "brand", with an eye toward making their other offering(s) be perceived as more valuable. Bottom line: The publisher is going to set their price at a given time, to suit their own purposes. If they fulfill the desires of a bunch of customers, it's a beautiful win-win. If they don't match up well, they may have to modify their pricing decision, or improve their offering in some other way. The publisher will measure the success of their pricing decision by how their profit pans out. How the customers vote with their wallets matters heavily. How some of them talk about it in forums, etc... will not matter as much.

Got it here, as well.

Do you have a link for that? Was it based on their mouse menu interface, or did they implement a joystick / HOTAS interface for controlling the ship?

Yup, that's a winner. Thanks!

Bummer... Blocked in the U.S.

THAT's the spirit! :thumbup: Carry on!

A wheel castor is pretty inexpensive. I think I'd wait until we saw more about what the software is going to give us to work with. But, it sounds like a cool project. :thumbup: