CyBerkut

Another good idea there, VS461 !! The only ambidextrous grip stick that I have is a Saitek Cyborg Evo FFB. As of now, it's the only FFB stick I have. I had kept it in the back of my mind that if I ever decided to mount a different stick handle on that FFB base, I might want to try to use the Evo grip as a collective handle. However, I would probably keep that grip wired to the Evo FFB base in order to be able to run through calibration routines without having to cobble up alternate switches, etc. Plus, I don't really like the way the controls are laid out on the Evo stick. The adjustable head is a nice concept, but it doesn't appear to be well executed. Plus, I really would like to have 2 hats instead of just one. (I'm too picky/grandiose/lazy for my own good.) It's great to see you guys have something working! That is the important thing, after all. More people inspiring / shaming me into getting on the ball, perhaps... :music_whistling:

Ahhh... Yes, what I was suggesting would make it essentially a permanent change into a collective. For a temporary style mod, I would suggest checking out what Urze had done. I haven't looked lately, but I imagine there are still images up in these forums showing it. Undoubtedly there are still videos up on YouTube. Urze, unfortunately, has disappeared, and his web site is no longer up. In a nutshell, he took a Saitek Cyborg Command Unit http://www.saitekusa.com/prod/cyborgcommand.htm (There was the same thing with a different color scheme/name that he actually started with, but this is what is available now), modified it (for instance, he moved the hat over to where the "10" key was), and mounted it on a tube. The tube was fitted with a plug that fit into the end cap of the X-52 throttle, and then he just put a velcro strap around the throttle grip to hold it on there. It was a brilliant idea. Using the Cyborg Command Unit allowed the user to stick with the Saitek SST software that they were already using. While the control only had the single hat, it also had a grunch of keys to use as buttons. His design looked clean, with the unit mounted solidly on the end of the tube, but that did render the top row of keys impractical to use, (unless somebody has a *really* long thumb, I suppose). I started working on one, but never got around to finishing it. My intent was to mount the unit at an angle that was tilted up, so that more of the keys would be accessible. I really should get off my wallet, buy a good dremel tool set, and see some things through. :music_whistling: Seriously, if I still had those X-36 throttles, I would have been doing what I described earlier. (Hell, you can use that as an excuse to justify buying a new HOTAS for the fixed wing stuff! ;) ). Of course, you have to do what is best for you and your circumstances. That is the beauty of this stuff... lots of flexibility! Good luck with it!

Very nice, Celo63! :thumbup: Have you considered doing an extension on the throttle controller to make it more like a collective? Probably the easiest way would be some sort of hollow pipe / tubing (square tubing might attach to the throttle handle's 'riser shaft' better). Make it long enough to extend back below the bottom of the base as well (for whatever counterweight you choose to add) and then rotate the base/mounting 90 degrees so that the extended is moving up and down like a collective. I've kicked myself a number of times over letting some old, functional X-36 throttles get disposed of. If I'd held on to them, I would have done this already. With the controls included on the X-36 / X-45 throttles they would make a pretty nice collective grip. With those throttles having their pivot points along the outside edge, extending the riser in both directions (allowing for an easier counter-weight addition) should be easier that some other designs.

hannibal, it does indeed. :thumbup: Actually, a number of you folks have been inspiring for some time now. A lot of good ideas with the different approaches, to be sure. Still, I don't mind spending a bit more for a commercial product that 'gets me there' (wherever that happens to be at the moment), and saves me some mucking around. I'd need to do some *serious* cleaning up in the garage to make a decent workshop, so I sometimes end up with projects that get started and then languish. It's my own fault though... I'm basically a lazy @$$. :P As for the MFD's, I hear you. I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with, and any info you post about how you did it. It is kind of a shame that the Thrustmaster MFDs do not include rotaries, but they don't seem to be too shabby for $79.99. With the right size displays behind them, they could be pretty nice. Since we are seeing more quality flight sims now and on the near horizon, flexibility / adaptability is ranking a bit higher on my list of considerations. If I take things past the 'clamp the HOTAS down to the desk' approach (Hey, it worked great for MechWarrior! :joystick: ), I'll probably try to keep the non-HOTAS things going toward a multi-pit sort of direction. While the physical switches, rotaries, etc. are appealing and more immersive... there is something to be said for TouchBuddy and some touchscreens. Changing aircraft? Hook up the most appropriate HOTAS controllers and load up the correct TB profiles. I dunno... decisions, decisions. The G940 vs X65 is interesting, and may sell me on a new FFB HOTAS when all is said and done. I avoided FFB like the plague for years, as I figured it would be something making my aim even worse than it already is. The Black Shark's trim system made FFB desirable to me. I recently picked up a 22" touch screen. My initial plan was to use that in conjunction with the clickable 3d cockpit in DCS:BS. Once I get a new gaming PC, that may still be the way it goes. But I'm starting to envision some extra touch screens ... It's a great time to be alive! :)

At this point in time, we have a limited amount of user impressions on the Logitech G940, and even less to go for the Saitek X65. That being said, let the conjecture begin! ;) The G940 got nice reviews on the pre-release articles. We've seen a user in these forums ding it pretty hard on the center 'slop' and the rudder pedals. He did mention that the FFB is very strong though, which has been an aspect on most of the previously existing FFB sticks (the MSFFB2 a notable exception for many folks) that has been short of desired performance. I know a lot of folks are stoked about having rudder pedals included in the G940 package. Since they aren't FFB, I don't see much reason to get excited about them for DCS:BS (or DCS:* for that matter). Don't get me wrong, having pedals of some sort is better than not having any pedals... but having non-FFB rudder pedals significantly reduces the advantage of having an FFB stick in DCS:BS, IMHO. The Saitek X65 looks interesting in the pic(s). The stick switches look like a good layout, and plenty of functional capability. The base size of the stick leaves me wondering how strong the FFB will / can be. Saitek's Evo FFB stick isn't all that large though, and it is capable of strong force. Unfortunately, you wouldn't necessarily know it by how the Evo FFB works in DCS:BS... :( So, that leaves a bit of concern about how well the X65's FFB will function in DCS:*. I like the looks of the split throttle. Time will tell how well the switch layout works. Logitech reportedly came up with decent profiling software, though not quite on the level of what CH and Thrustmaster have for advanced programming. Saitek's SST profiling software, to date, does not give the advanced capabilities either. I'll be pleasantly surprised if they crank the software up to being on a par with CH and Thrustmaster's. I don't currently see myself pulling the trigger on buying a G940 until after the X65 has been out and we see enough feedback from end users to really compare them. I currently use other Saitek controllers, which makes me inclined to lean toward them for keeping things simpler... but it isn't a particularly hard lean. If the X65 is crud, or prohibitively expensive, I'm not going to jump on that bandwagon. Since I have a Suncom SFS (analog game port HOTAS) sitting around doing nothing, I'm seriously tempted to get a card from Leo Bodnar and convert at least the throttle over to USB. The throttle should be ideal for DCS:A10C, and matching up the right stick handle with it could be great. I'm even tempted to shop around for an MS SW FFB2, and do some handle surgery (basically like what Urze did). In this case, let the MS SW FFB2 do the stick axis with FFB, and let the Bodnar card do the Throttle, and the stick switches too. I'd really like to see the Saitek X65 be a winner though. If the grip's shaft could be feasibly extended, that would be a big plus. Note to any controller manufacturers who happen to be reading this: We *need* a good FFB rudder pedal set. USB, with proper spacing and toe brakes. I think we could live with the parallelogram bar design of the pedals getting a bit closer together at full deflection, if the other stuff is done well. Rotating like the partial arc of a bicycle pedal (see TriggerHappy's homebuilt design) would be even better. [Edit: Actually, the partial arc rotation described immediately above might not accomodate toe brakes very well. If so, then a straight back and forth slider (I think the CH pedals do that) could be good, but they need to be wide enough apart. ]

Trigger, we'll have to pester you over it, because the project is just too damn cool for us to allow you to give up! ;) Despite the setbacks, it is impressive progress. Are you able to see signs of where an arc / short occured? Any obviously fried components on the board? (Obviously, this is along the lines of 'fix a small problem with the board, and then replace the component(s) that got fried, and give it another go' approach.) If you're looking to redo the board and all from scratch, the one thing I would suggest looking at is making the pads smaller (the 2 groups of 11 alternating ones that are about 1/3 of the way over from the left), to reduce the chance of an arc / short. If you can make them closer to the size of the pads that are about 1/2 of the way over from the left, it will be less likely to be a source of trouble. I know, I know... easy for me to say. Come to think of it, you might be able to trim the pads on your existing PCB with an exacto knife, a magnifying lens/light (if you have one) [ or a USB Cam and your computer display ;) ], and a steady hand. I don't know what the pad adherance is like on your PCB. I'm rooting for you, Trigger! I'm sure others are as well. :thumbup:

:) Glad to be of service, blaster! It's easy to forget stuff like that... especially when we get controllers offered on the market that tie multiple devices together. That sort of thing was more important with older software that only recognizes one controller. I'm hoping both Logitech's G940 and Saitek's upcoming FFB HOTAS (supposedly X-65) both prove to be worthy offerings. Seeing FFB HOTAS rigs for sale is a step in a positive direction for the market. I remain disappointed that (in light of DCS:BS trim capabilities) we don't have FFB rudder pedals available, but maybe that will change. For now, I have picked up a Saitek R660 FFB wheel, and plan to rig up FFB rudder pedals using that, in due time.

Well, this guy doesn't seem too happy so far: http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=44942 As for your Saitek pedals, they are USB aren't they? If so, you can use them with the G940's HOTAS, as DCS:BS will recognize multiple controllers. Just turn off the axis you don't use in DCS:BS options. You can probably run the G940 without its rudder pedals hooked up, too.

Sorry to hear about your problems. On the force feedback, check your producer.cfg file for ForceFeedbackEnabled = true; If it is set to false, set it to true.

hannibal, do you have any sort of write up posted online about that USB mod to the Suncom SFS? I have one, and am thinking about converting the set. Did you use one of Leo Bodnar's boards, or ???

Flim, could you elaborate a bit more on that?

TM's suggested retail is $79.99 USD Link to the manual: http://ts.thrustmaster.com/eng/index.php?pg=view_files&gid=1&fid=3&pid=298&cid=6 The product has removable plexiglas sheets (where a screen would be) for holding the supplied, or custom, inserts. The software can control up to 8 of these MFDs (4 sets).

rapid, was there anything more in the e-mail from Saitek?

I have the TrackClip Pro as well. One concern I always had with it was that its design is (understandably) a bit fragile. Obviously, it is desirable to keep the weight down on anything being added to a headset, so NaturalPoint is working with tradeoffs there. The fragility concerned me, as the possibility of the wiring getting damaged in breakage of the motion joints introduced a small possibility of shorting of the power on that USB port. As such, I preferred to keep that USB device powered from an external power supply (by using a powered USB hub) as a precaution. I'd really be bummed to fry the mobo over something preventable like that. BTW, my concern over the fragility wasn't totally unfounded. While I managed to remain mindful / careful of the TrackClip Pro when pulling the headset on and off for a long time, the inevitable case of the spousal unit rushing into the room with some sense of urgency, surprising me (and leading to me snatching the headset off to listen to her), occurred. I was immediately sickened to feel the little snap and flop of the lower joint having been broken. Ugh. Fortunately, the wiring stayed intact, and after giving it some thought, I fashioned a "splint" sleeve for it using a short piece of plastic tubing and a cable tie. So far, so good.

Well, I don't know about "must", but that is how it is designed. I wouldn't be surprised to see / hear that some enterprising individuals had adapted the reflectors to headsets somehow. The physical arrangement and orientation of the point models for the cap reflectors vs the TrackClip Pro LEDs is different.

If going that route (video card solution), you can run three monitors off of an Nvidia GTX295 now (Non-SLI mode). Use an HDMI to DVI convertor to connect the third monitor. There's info about it over on the SoftTH forum. The Matrox TH2Go is an interesting product, and we may indeed eventually see a version that can support 3 1080p resolution monitors. It would be a nice option to have.

morg's idea will probably work fine for your currently proposed situation. If you anticipate further expansion later, you will keep your options more open by going with a powered USB 2.0 hub. Have you given any thought as to whether you will want the TrackClip Pro to go with the TrackIR? The TrackIR uses reflectors mounted on a ball cap or visor by default. The TrackClip Pro is a powered set of IR LEDs that mount on your headset, that can yield some improvement in tracking (plus remove the need for wearing a ball cap or visor). The TrackClip Pro is powered via USB (which is why I brought it up). I would recommend that a TrackClip Pro be plugged into a powered USB hub. That would provide it power without adding load/heat to your CPU's power supply (miniscule as it would be).

I strongly suspect that you will find the answer here: http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=44568

In the manual, it is section 2-45, item 4. I'm afraid I can't provide any meaningful insight into its use though...

The view out of your windows. You'll have green grass and leafy trees in December, and snow in June... But hey, you're in Argentina... you should know all about that! Seriously though, where in the manual are you seeing that? That may provide an important clue. I'm at work at the moment, so I can't look it up.

Ah yes, that['s what our computers need... good magnets! Be sure to get the magnets especially close to the hard drives so that they spin faster (for better transfer rates, doncha' know!).

I'm not the best guy to answer that. As for understanding what has been made available recently, TriggerHappy appears to have a good handle on it.

Mark, is the dead man switch function you mention going to allow the stick to hold a trimmed position (in DCS:BS) if the pilot takes his hand off of the stick?

Well... http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=44568 Does that help? :)

The article indicated that it was two 8 x 10 displays side-by-side. If one is lost, data is transferred to the other.