Using comms menu with Thrustmaster TARGET

[Havner]

Hi,

 

I wanted to be able to use the comms menu directly from HOTAS, but assigning 13 keys was too much (PTT + F1-F12). So I scripted this and thought I'd share.

It allows you to complete and conveniently use the comms menu with 3-5 keys.

 

PTT
NEXT
PREV (optional)
CONFIRM
BACK (optional)

You hit PTT, and you are at position 0. Then you hit next as many times as the position you want to reach. You want F5, you hit NEXT 5 times, then CONFIRM. And you're back at position 0. You can also use PREV if you accidentally go to far. Hitting CONFIRM while at position 0 is ignored. You can use BACK to go back in the menu depth (F11). It does remember your history.

 

PTT, NEXT, NEXT, CONFIRM, NEXT, CONFIRM, NEXT, NEXT, NEXT, NEXT, CONFIRM

will generate:

 

ptt, F2, F1, F4

Now, let's say you really wanted F5 instead of the last F4, you hit BACK and NEXT (one time, F4 was remembered, so to go from F4 to F5 you hit NEXT once). And you can go back this way to the very beginning and whole history is remembered unless you modify it at some point with NEXT or PREV.

 

Actual position is displayed using leds in binary code (too few leds to display it in any other way). The least significant bit is at the top. 0 means no leds.

 

If you want to quit the comms, hit PTT one more time, all the PTT buttons I've come across in DCS quit the comms menu. I didn't implement F12, but it could be done as well if needed.

 

You can use it even without hitting PTT, just to generate F keys.

 

How to use it:

Before you include the header file you need to define the PTT key (every plane might have this different). Complete example:

 

[color=#1e90ff][b]include[/b][/color] [color=#a52a2a]"target.tmh"
[/color][color=#a52a2a][color=#1e90ff][b]include[/b][/color] "[/color][color=#a52a2a]your_macros.ttm"[/color]
[color=#1e90ff][b]define[/b][/color] COMMS_PTT_KEY SPU_9_PTT
[color=#1e90ff][b]include[/b][/color] [color=#a52a2a]"DCS-comms.tmh"[/color]

Change SPU_9_PTT to whatever PTT key you might want to use.

Now somewhere in the main() assign your keys, e.g.:

 

MapKey( &Throttle, MSP, COMMS_PTT );
MapKey( &Throttle, MSU, COMMS_PREV );
MapKey( &Throttle, MSD, COMMS_NEXT );
MapKey( &Throttle, MSL, COMMS_BACK );
MapKey( &Throttle, MSR, COMMS_CONFIRM );

MS HAT is great for that.

 

Hope someone will find it useful.

DCS-comms.zip

[Home Fries]

Nice, I'll check it out.

 

On my profiles I use holding down the comm switch to remap joystick Hats 2-4 to F1-F12, and return to default functions when the comm switch is released. I'll look to add this function to Hat 1 for people who don't like to use all 3 hats.

 

EDIT: Sorry, I won't be able to use it, though i can see it's utility for the Warthog. Unfortunately, the cougar doesn't have the 5 throttle LEDs so there's no way to track your current menu selection (the MFD LEDs are already in use in my profile).

Edited April 14, 2014 by Home Fries

[Havner]

You don't necesserily need the leds. They are just for the looks. I know if I hit the button 3 or 5 times. No need for the leds to tell me that in normal cases.